It's National Girl Scout Cookie Day

To my mind, there are few things as wonderful as Girl Scout cookies.  Don't get me wrong, there are better cookies (sorry, Girl Scouts), but there's just something wonderfully old-school about neighborhood girls knocking on your door asking you to purchase a box or two and then having to wait weeks and weeks (oh, the anticipation) for them to arrive.

There was a time when I bought lots and lots of cookies (an embarrassing amount, actually), as I shipped some overseas to a relative and to cookie-loving grandmothers far away and saved some for my own family, but these days I try to limit my purchase to just a few favorites. And, I always freeze a box or two so that about 7 or 8 months from now, everyone is delighted when I break out the Trefoils or Samoas or, let's face it, the Thin Mints.

At this year's Texas State Fair, the Girl Scouts had an entire exhibition hall celebrating the organization's 100th birthday. Despite the fact that I was a Brownie for just one short season, and here's the proof,

The Christmas ornament I made in Brownies. (You would have thought
40 years would have been long enough for me to replace the ribbon!) 

the exhibition was terrific, a real tribute to the past and founder Juliette Low, the present and the future.

I must admit I was pretty nostalgic as I took a glimpse of the orange paperback Brownie Handbook and the adorable uniform with its brown elastic belt.  I remember being particularly taken by the faux leather  tiny purse (I'll call it a pursette, for lack of a better word) that attached to the belt. It was so small, I'm not even sure what it was meant to hold.  Coins? A membership card, perhaps?  But that would be sort of silly wouldn't it, given that you were already wearing the uniform. Anyway, I was clearly sans my pursette when the photo above was taken, so here's a photo in case you are unfamiliar. Just to be clear, I did have my beanie on in the photo, it's just a little hard to see against the lovely hedge in my troop leader's back yard.

At the State Fair in July, any woman/girl  touring the exhibit who was ever a Girl Scout (or a Brownie) even for a very, very short while, as I was, received a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies.  Now that was something to celebrate.

Ronald Reagan's Birthday and a Field Trip

Robbie and I did something really intellectual last night (a sort of Bachelor protest, if you will - sorry Bachelor lovers). We attended a lecture given by Presidential historians Michael Bechloss and David Brinkley. Can I say, if I haven't already lost your interest, that it was a really thoughtful, and not too long, discussion of the legacy of the Presidents of the second half of the 20th century. It was, in my mind, super interesting. Of course, I've long professed my love for all things Presidential. Mr. Bechloss said, it takes about 40 years from the time a President leaves office for his legacy to really solidify but that a legacy is perhaps a very fluid thing, regardless. I won't attempt a recitation of all that I learned last night but trust me when I say it was super informative and left me even more curious about the 44 men who've served in the country's highest office.  

But, the real point of this post is that today is Ronald Wilson Reagan's 102nd birthday!  Now, I've written before about President Reagan. He was the first President I was old enough to cast a vote for (November 1983) and I had the good fortune to see him up close and personal in the White House Rose Garden (why yes, lucky me). But this year, while we were visiting California, our family made the trek to Simi Valley to visit the Reagan Library (the most visited of all of the Presidential libraries). A spectacular setting, an endearing childhood, Americana, an enormous time capsule of the 80s, Air Force One, it was all a treat.

The view from the library.  

The statue of President Reagan, rancher-style,  that welcomes visitors.

A portion of the Berlin Wall.

The burial site.  

I could probably wax on incessantly about this, but suffice it to say, if you have the opportunity to visit  a Presidential Library, regardless of the man's policies, politics or persona (though if you're an admirer, it will no doubt enhance your experience), it is totally worth it.  

DMV Dread

I spent this morning here.  To say that I'd been dreading it would be an understatement.  Honestly, a root canal or watching Ghostbusters II seem like less painful ways to spend some time. But my youngest needed, okay, wanted, to get his learner's permit (belatedly, he likes to remind me).  So, bright and early, before it even opened, we drove to the Department of Motor Vehicles to wait in line. I was convinced it would be hours standing in line with our  file folder FULL of documents. (Texas surely has one of the toughest thresholds for proving residency and obtaining a driver's license. This had been my own experience when we moved here, anyway). Perhaps it was the unseasonalbly cold weather, or the fact that some are just finishing their holiday celebrations or that it's only the 3rd of the month and procrastinators will wait to the end of January, but the line was short and the DMV workers in great spirits and very helpful. From arrival to departure (learner's in hand) only took about 45 minutes.  

Now, I have a six-month interlude before he can obtain his driver's license so I plan to enjoy every worry-free moment.  

Today

A White Christmas

It seems I've written ad nauseum about the climate here in Texas. Truthfully, I'm running out of ways to say "hot" even in the months of the year that aren't supposed to be hot.

But yesterday, for the first time in 37 years in Texas on Christmas (and for only the third time since records have been kept), it did this

And so it is, most decidedly, not hot this week in Dallas. In fact, the weather folks are predicting temperatures in the 40s (and perhaps in the 50s) this whole week.  Hooray!  

And, in the end,  it looked liked this

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours

2012 Christmas Card

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that each of you had a great 2012 and are looking forward to 2013.  Our second Christmas (and first full year) in Texas has brought more of a sense of routine.  While it still does not feel like "home,” we at least know that Southlake is north and that there is no lake in Westlake.  We have come to love Texans more than we love Texas, but isn't that the way it is supposed to be? 

The pictures on the attached card chronicle much of our year, which began with the death of our sweet dog, Libby.  She lived a long and loved life.  A rescue dog with no documentation, we don’t have any way of knowing her real age, but she spent her last 10 years with us and was loved every minute. She is still greatly missed. Five-year-old Brownie, the Maltese poodle mix, continues to entertain.

Tate is in the 10th grade and doing well.  He is on the school's swim team, sings in the school choir, works as a lifeguard on the weekends, plays chess regularly, and is active at church. He and Robbie attended the Byron Nelson Golf Championship in May and had the good fortune to eat lunch with Byron’s delightful widow, Peggy Nelson. (Robbie’s cellphone inadequacy made evident in the Christmas card photo.) Tate has made a wonderful adjustment to Texas.  We appreciate his resiliency, adventurous spirit, and sense of humor.

After deciding that she is more of an East Coast girl, McKenzie transferred colleges this year.  She had a fun summer traveling to Europe with Julie’s sister, working at like a small, locally and family owned REI-type business and taking summer school classes.  She volunteers a few times a week at a local elementary school and was recently initiated into a sorority. In late September, Robbie traveled to Parents’ Weekend and they enjoyed attending the football game. We appreciate McKenzie's strong sense of justice, her excellence in her schoolwork, and her continued love of all things Disney (see her pictured this spring break with Tate and a statue of Walt at Disneyland).

We took a spring break trip in March to Southern California: Los Angeles, the Reagan and Nixon Presidential Libraries, and San Diego, and a July vacation to Northern California - San Francisco and then 4 days in spectacular Santa Barbara. Anything to escape the crazy Texas heat! 

For Robbie and Julie, life is much the same.  We were disappointed in the election results in November and are currently taking a break from watching the news.  We recommend the "news fast" and have been surprised at the entertainment value of Law & Order and Seinfeld reruns.  It's funny that we can go a week without watching the news but when we turn it back on, we haven't missed a thing (it's like missing a month of The Guiding Light).

Though for us the physically demanding parts of being a parent are coming to an end, what remain are the emotionally demanding parts.  We understand that this demand will exist for the rest of our lives. Some days we long to change a diaper and put a child down for a nap, comforted by the knowledge that everyone is safe and secure - knowledge seldom achieved with teenagers.

So, as we end one year and begin another, our prayer for our family and yours is this:  that God may bless you in 2013, that He will comfort those who are suffering and support and sustain those that are providing comfort, that He will bless our country and its leaders and give them the wisdom and courage to do the right thing, that He will safeguard those that are serving our country to protect our freedoms and way of life, and that we will have the insight to appreciate our blessings.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2013.  We’d love to see you in the year ahead.

Love,

Julie & Robbie