America's City (Part 3)

Today's blog post is dedicated to some of the beautiful parks located in Dallas.  Some of these parks are located in urban areas, some are in suburban settings.  Either way, Dallas has lots of spots to relax and recharge. 

ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

 

 

 The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre botanical garden located at 8525 Garland Road in East Dallas, Dallas, Texas, on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was founded upon the dreams of a few visionaries with a passion for preserving both history and nature. Though the gardens themselves are comparatively young, the work that went into creating the current gardens began long ago.

 

KLYDE WARREN PARK

I always think of Klyde Warren Park as being a mini Central Park.  On one side of the park you can head over to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher sculpture gardens, on the other side is the Perot Museum. 
 

Located in the heart of the city, Klyde Warren Park is an urban, five acre green space built over the old Woodall Rogers Freeway in downtown Dallas. Bustling with activity, this park provides entertainment for families, young adults, and even pets. The children’s park provides playgrounds, a small amphitheater, interactive fountains, and a storytelling tree for creative and educational fun, plus there are reading and game rooms. This park also has several daily activities, such as a Dallas skyline tour, zumba and yoga, and a variety of food trucks. There are various opportunities to see live performances, which vary from music concerts to theater performances to dance recitals in the Muse Family Performance Pavilion. For the furry family members, the My Best Friend’s Park area provides a safe, fenced space that allows the opportunity for off leash activities and socializing, as well as fountains to cool down on warm summer days. With daily activities and dining options, Klyde Warren Park is a great spot for people of all ages to spend a nice day out in downtown Dallas.

Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

REVERCHON PARK

Established in 1914, this 41 acre, 100-year-old park is a great space for every Dallas resident or visitor to enjoy. Reverchon Park runs alongside Turtle Creek and the Katy Sports Trail, making it a perfect spot to go for a walk, run, or bike ride. The park features baseball fields, tennis courts, an outdoor basketball court, and a sand volleyball court. Each of these sports areas are well kept, and some are open for athletic leagues, like the North Texas Amateur Baseball League. Reverchon Park also has a playground and recreation center for the younger park-goers to enjoy. In addition, there are several garden areas, pavilions, seating and picnic areas, and grills available for public use, plus the park offers a twist on the traditional yoga class with their Hiking Yoga along the Katy Trail. The park is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic or cookout, casual sports games, and recreational activities for Dallas residents and visitors of every age.

Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX, USA

 

DRAGON PARK
I have not visited Dragon Park yet but it's on my list due to it's "quirky" factor! 

While this may not be an ‘official’ Dallas park, Dragon Park is a small attraction hidden in the Uptown neighborhood, with the main entrance at Cedar Springs Road and Hood. The entrance can be easy to miss if you don’t look closely, but the park itself is home to a rather strange group of statues, such as dragons, fairies, gargoyles, Buddha heads, angels, and griffins. Dragon Park is not very well known to all Dallas residents, but it has been known as a quiet and tranquil place for yoga and meditation. It offers a terraced area with benches, perfect for a short picnic, or just a place to sit and take in the unique characteristics of the statues. Although small and somewhat concealed, Dragon Park is a different type of park that still offers a calm and beautiful scene for any Dallas resident or visitor.

 

Tucked away at the corner of Cedar Springs Road and Hood Street, Dragon Park is privately-owned secret garden in Dallas’s Oak Lawn neighborhood, and offers a quiet reprieve from a city often mired in traffic. The entrance is shrouded in thick green trees that largely obscure it from the sidewalk and at a casual glance, the park looks like nothing more than the very overgrown front yard of an eccentric home (an impression further reinforced by the two Chinese guardian lions which sit watchfully along either side of the stairs, greeting visitors with a fierce cordiality).

 

Dotted with sculptures, the space indeed has a cool, innate serenity about it and feels like the sort of place the wise, old, witchy character from a novel might retreat to, to cast spells or mull over the protagonist’s journey. Though the space is small and the hustle of civilization buzzes on all four sides, a protective aura permeates the plot of land, as if it is insulated by some mystic charm too ancient and transcendental for us to understand it (perhaps it is the effect of the Chinese guardian lions).

But that’s not to say it has a completely unapproachable and alienating atmosphere– Dragon Park is designed for impromptu selfies of people halfway through their morning run and engagement photos alike (if the unofficial Facebook page is any indication). Dragon Park very much has the character of a neighborhood spot, where anyone of any age might find a tranquil moment to collect their thoughts, read a book, or play some Pokémon Go (allegedly, Dragon Park is a Dratini spawn spot). For anyone in Dallas in need of some soothing green surroundings (and maybe just a little magic),

Dragon Park, 3520 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

 

 

LAKESIDE PARK

Quirky and cute overload at Lakeside Park.  How can you have a bad day walking around sculptures of giant Teddy Bears???

Beautiful Lakeside Park sits on over 14 acres of exceptionally landscaped grounds along Turtle Creek, located between Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway at 4601 Lakeside Drive.

The walking paths and numerous benches along the way are the perfect place for a leisurely stroll.  Enjoy the scenic views from the bridge atop the Turtle Creek Dam, the whimsy of the Teddy Bear statues, and the tranquility of the Read Memorial.

 

America's City (Part 2)

Day 2 of my multi-part series about Dallas, our home for the last four years!   Today I'm focusing on Fair Park and, of course, Big Tex! 

 

FAIR PARK

We've only been to the State Fair once and I was blown away by the beautiful art deco buildings and the lush landscaping (I'm used to state parks being on fairgrounds, not in a permanent setting).  And, of course, I love quirky Big Tex! 

 As the host of the annual Texas State Fair since 1886, Fair Park is a site full of history, art, and culture. The park includes the Dallas Children’s Aquarium, several different museums, the Fair Park Music Hall, and the Texas Discovery Garden. The aquarium is open seven days a week, with different feeding demonstrations each day, as well as options for birthday parties, field trips, and even overnight stays. The museums in and around Fair Park include the African-American Museum, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Hall of State. The Fair Park Music Hall offers a year round source of live performance entertainment, including children’s musicals such as Peppa Pig Live; family musicals like The Little Mermaid; Broadway shows like Wicked; and features Dallas Summer Musicals, which provides students interested in performance the opportunity to audition for and act in Broadway musicals. The Texas Discovery Garden is a 7.5-acre botanical garden featuring different native and adapted plants and insects all year round. The garden also offers several specials such as free admission days, gardening workshops, family festivals, and the Earthkeepers student education program. Fair Park is also home to the largest collection of Art Deco Architecture in the U.S., which can be seen along the many landscaped walking paths. With all of the attractions in the area, Fair Park is a major provider of live performance, education, and entertainment for those in Dallas.

Fair Park, 1300 Robert B Cullum Blvd, Dallas, TX, USA

 

 

BIG TEX

Big Tex is a 55-foot (16.75m) tall statue and marketing icon of the annual State Fair of Texas held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The figure has become a cultural icon of Dallas and Texas. Since 1952 Big Tex has served as a cultural ambassador to visitors, and the statue's prime location in the fairgrounds serves as a traditional meeting point.

 

On October 19, 2012, the last weekend of the 2012 State Fair of Texas, Big Tex was destroyed by an electrical fire that started in the right boot and worked its way up the structure, first becoming visible from the neck area. After the fire, a new Big Tex was created by SRO Associates and Texas Scenic Co. This rendition made its first public appearance on September 26, 2013.

 

Kerens, Texas is known as the "Birthplace of Big Tex", although his original incarnation was as a 49-foot (15 m) tall Santa Claus constructed from iron drill casing, papier mache, and unraveled rope in 1949.  The statue was an idea of Howell Brister, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, to encourage holiday sales in the town, and the "World's Largest Santa Claus" (a claim later disputed) stood over Colket Avenue for two holiday seasons — drawing press attention from as far away as Iran and Australia. Modeled after Kerens residents Ottis Franklin Spurlock and Hardy Mayo, the figure was built by members of the community who welded the frame, fabricated the body and sewed the clothing.

 

After two seasons the excitement over the statue faded, and Kerens offered it up for sale. In 1951, State Fair president R. L. Thornton purchased Santa's components for $750 and had artist Jack Bridges transform them into a cowboy, giving birth to "Big Tex".

 

Big Tex made his debut at the 1952 fair, a 52-foot cowboy dressed in denim jeans and a plaid shirt donated by the H. D. Lee Company of Shawnee Mission, Kansas.  Artist Jack Bridges used a photograph of his own face, a photograph of rancher Doc Simmons and a photograph of Will Rogers to create the new look.   After the fair, his appearance was slightly altered to straighten his nose and correct an odd wink. It was in 1953 that Big Tex also began speaking. Using a custom-built recipromotor and a 75-watt speaker system housed in the figure's head, Jack Bridges devised a way to create the illusion of natural speech with a swinging jaw.  Tex also attended a convention in Minneapolis that year with the Dallas Jaycees.

 

In 1955 Big Tex received his first new change of clothes, again fabricated by the H. D. Lee Company. After that year's fair, he traveled to West Texas to participate in Abilene Christian College's 50th annual homecoming celebration. A 12-foot-tall, 19-foot long plastic model of a Hereford steer (called "The Champ") accompanied Big Tex for the 1956 fair, but Big Tex was primarily displayed alone. During the 1950s Big Tex underwent further re-design, replacing the papier mache "skin" with fiberglass. The original head was put into storage and later sold at auction in 1993 to a Dallas collector.

 

The State Fair of Texas announced the construction of a permanent, year-round statue of Big Tex in 1961, but the figure remained a seasonal feature appearing only during the fair. Instead, the Big Tex Circle display area was redesigned in 1966 with a larger mound.

 

Big Tex traveled to his hometown of Kerens, Texas in 1981 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city.  The figure continued to travel to various promotional events until the mid-1980s.

In 1997, Big Tex was given a skeletal makeover consisting of 4,200 feet of steel rods weighing 6,000 pounds. The new skeleton adjusted the posture and allowed for a new hand that waved to passersby, but kept the original head.  Three years later his neck was animated, allowing it to turn; his mechanical mouth was also upgraded with a new system.

Big Tex celebrated his 50th birthday in 2002, receiving a giant birthday cake and an AARP card. Shades of gray were added to the hair and wrinkles were added the figure's hands and face as Big Tex continued to "age".  In 2012 the State Fair of Texas celebrated Big Tex's 60th birthday.

 

Big Tex generally receives a new shirt and jeans every 3 seasons, currently designed and fabricated by the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company. His clothing will next be replaced in 2019.

Prior to 2013, Big Tex wore size 70 boots, a 75-gallon hat, a size 100 180/181 shirt made from nylon awning fabric and 284W/185L XXXXXL pair of Dickies jeans. The pants alone required 72 yards (66 m) of denim and weigh in at 65 pounds (29 kg). Over the years the outfit was accessorized with other articles associated with that year's State Fair of Texas theme. Big Tex has suffered a few garment mishaps over the years. In 1961, Hurricane Carla's winds tore his clothes. In 1970, his huge shirt was stolen from a pickup truck and received much publicity.

 

The recreated structure for Big Tex that appeared in 2013 required new clothing and larger sizes. The new Dickie shirt features a 14-foot collar, 23 foot sleeves and weighs 130 pounds (59 kg). The shirt is made from 150 yards (140 m) of awning material. The new Dickie jeans features a 27-foot waist, 22 foot inseam and weighs 100 pounds (45 kg). The jeans are made from 100 yards (91 m) of denim material.

  

 

 

America's City (Part 1)

I cannot believe we're coming up on 4 years in Dallas!  We love living here and there's always something to do . . . sporting events, art museums, botanical gardens, roller coasters, street festivals.  We've not even scratched the surface of all that Dallas has to offer. 

I think one of the things about Dallas that stands out to me is just how cosmopolitan of a city it is!  I was pleasantly surprised on one of our first house-hunting trips to discover a beautiful, sophisticated, cultivated, diverse city. 

Elevation: 430′

Population: 1.341 million (2017)

Metro population: 7,233,323 (4th)

Did you know: Dallas is the ninth-largest United States city by population (1,341,075)Average annual snow days: 1.3Average rain days: 81 days  The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington MSA consists of 12 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise and has a population of 6,954,330. The Dallas-Plano-Irving MD (metropolitan division) is slightly smaller with a population of 4,604,097and is composed of 8 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall.

Dallas is located in the Central Time Zone in North Central Texas, 35 miles east of Fort Worth, 245 miles north, northwest of Houston and 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

24.9 million annual visitors to the City of Dallas, with 48.9 million visiting the Metro area.  There are more than 30,000 hotel rooms in the city of Dallas with over 78,000 available throughout the area. 

Dallas is centrally located and within a four-hour flight from most North American destinations. It is served by two airports; Dallas/Ft. Worth International and Dallas Love Field that combined provide more than 2,200 flights daily. AMTRAK also provides daily service to Dallas via Union Station.

The Dallas area is home to 21 Fortune 500 companies including Exxon Mobil, JC Penney, AT&T, Texas Instruments, and others. 

Dallas is home to five professional sports teams: The Dallas Cowboys (NFL); Dallas Stars (NHL); Dallas Mavericks (NBA); Dallas Wings (WNBA); FC Dallas (MLS) and the Texas Rangers (MLB) plus NASCAR and Indy racing. The area is also home to more than 200 golf courses.

Dallas Fun Facts

• The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas
• The integrated circuit computer chip (which became the microchip) was invented in Dallas in 1958
• The 52 foot 'Big Tex' statue that greets visitors at the annual State Fair of Texas is the tallest cowboy in Texas.
• With the roof enclosed, the entire Statue of Liberty could fit into the Cowboys Stadium.
• During the winter holiday season, the Galleria Dallas is home to the country's tallest indoor Christmas tree.
• The largest permanent model train exhibit in the country is on display in the lobby of Dallas Children's Medical Center.
• The Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States.
• The Trinity River Corridor Project, when completed, will be more than 10 times the size of New York's Central Park.
• Highland Park Village Shopping Center, developed in 1931 has the distinction of being the first planned shopping center in America.
• The first convenience store, 7-eleven, got its start in Dallas and the corporation is headquartered there today.
• Lamar Hunt, founder of the American Football League and son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, was a noted Dallas resident when he coined the phrase 'Super Bowl'.
• A few celebrities from the area: Angie Harmon, Luke and Owen Wilson, Nastia Luikin, Lee Trevino, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Jessica Simpson
• A few of the movies/TV series filmed in the area: Dallas; Silkwood; Places in the Heart; RoboCop; Born on the Fourth of July; Walker, Texas Ranger; Prison Break (more listed at http://www.dallasfilmcommission.com/)
• The Dallas area is the largest metropolitan area in the nation not on a navigable body of water.
• The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington Metroplex is the No. 1 visitor and leisure destination in Texas.
• The Dallas Public Library permanently displays one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed on July 4, 1776, and the First Folio of William Shakespeare's "Comedies, Histories & Tragedies."
• The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to 23 of the richest Americans. 

 

Dallas is a clean, walkable city with several great parks, botanical gardens and plenty of green space and lots of hidden gems.  So, over the next couple of days I've decided to highlight some of the wonderful attractions Dallas has to offer. 

 

THE GIANT EYEBALL

I love weird quirky attractions and the Giant Eyeball is one of my favorites! 
 

The eyeball popped-up in August 2013 on a cleared vacant lot in between Main and Elm Streets, across the street from the Joule Hotel. Since then Tony Tasset’s sculpture, a massively enlarged replication of his very own eyeball, has been the focal point of plenty of conversation. Mayor Mike Rawlings praised it as an indicator of the kinds of things that could help boost energy downtown. Dallas's Glenn Hunter aptly made the comparison to the glaring, ever-fixed gaze of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg in The Great Gatsby, an advertisement that functions as a kind of ambiguous symbol of a moral universe, ante-uping Pascal’s Wager, so to speak. And in the wake of the NSA surveillance revelations, they eye could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek reference to an ever-watching Big Brother.

But not so, says artist Tony Tasset in this interview with Interview Magazine in which he discusses the piece at length. The eye, he argues, is just an eye:

“People have been so conditioned to not understand art that when something’s obvious they feel like they’re missing something,” Tasset says. “It’s a big eyeball.”

But even if we accept the artist’s insistence that there is no symbolic or metaphoric intention with placing a giant eye in downtown Dallas, that hasn’t stopped the eye from instigating a range of peculiar reactions:

Tasset’s focus is in pinpointing objects that are widely recognizable, easily construed by anyone. As far as spurring reactions, Eye seems to be working: On one end, a homeless man wrote an enraged screed proclaiming the Eye was a false god; on the other, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne shared the pithier sentiment “…fuck yeah!!!” in an Instagram of the still-under-construction sphere. “I was quite honored,” admits the artist.

That’s where Tasset’s eye becomes interesting.  Where it occupies this space between intentionality and interpretation, a sculptural positioning achieved merely by utilizing objects that can’t help but carry allusive qualities. Similarly to Claus Oldenburg, who re-positioned our apprehension of consumer products by monumentalizing mundane or toss-away items, Tasset’s piece is about exploring the inclination of the perceptive mind to extrapolate meaning from a thing, subtracting intent so as to reveal any particular interpretation of the object as a projection of meaning by the perceiving viewer. The eye, then, as the dominant sensory tool of perception, is an appropriate symbolic tool. And like Oldenburg’s work, it’s a form that carries both symbolic weight and surrealist humor.

 

“So, you put in a 30-foot eyeball and it turns the downtown into this surreal, funky set, and it makes you, the viewer, a participant in this weird stage set,” Tasset says. “An eyeball is just a classic. I try to make work that kind of keys into things that are already familiar. They know what an eye is like. There’s no mystery to it. Still people ask, ‘What’s it mean?'” 

 

 

I love this section of the city because it's super close to everything . . . the Majestic Theater, The Joule with it's amazing cantilevered pool, Dallas Chop House, Main Street Garden Park, Iron Cactus Mexican Restaurant and Margarita Bar, Pegasus Plaza, Belo Garden, Neiman Marcus, The Adolphus Hotel and the Statler.  A short walk down Elm and you're at the Grassy Knoll and the Sixth Floor Museum. 

 

 

Bachelor Recap Week #2

Holy cow.  These girls are cuckoo for Colton-puffs.  And I get it.  He's adorbs.  He reminds me of Chris Pratt.  He just seems like a really nice, genuine guy.  But I am so so tired of hearing about his virginity.  And I'm sure he is, too. 

KJ and I watched the show live and tried to get T to watch with us from Denver but she couldn't get the ABC app to work properly.  Here's my thoughts on the second episode:

• It was a long episode.  I'm new at all this so I thought it was just going to be a 1-hour show. 
• I didn't realize the Bachelor could give out roses willy-nilly throughout the episode.  I thought he only gave them out at the end of each show during the rose ceremony. 
• The date with the one girl from Alabama, (Miss Alabama USA), Hannah B was very awkward despite it being her birthday.  You could tell she was nervous and uncomfortable.  I don't blame her.  I would be too.  I'm nervous and awkward on a regular basis and don't have cameras following me around.  And I understand her need to be perfect all the time.  I have a daughter like that.  The night time date got a little better when she started to open up and talk about her own sexual experience(s).  Which I found interesting.  I was wondering how the sweet Southern girls were going to handle the topic of their own sexuality if and when it came up.  I think Hannah B's experience is pretty common . . . she thought she was in love so they took the next step.  Oh!  And #RollTide  Yup.  Like I said, awkward. 
• I find it so incredibly rude and disrespectful when the girls interrupt each other during one-on-one time with the Bachelor.  During competition or group dates, that's fine.  But not cool to interrupt someone else's time.  Which brings me to:
• The two girls trying to out-do each other with noisemakers.  What are you?  Ten?  An air horn?  A pot and pan?  I think the one girl was the same one who showed up with a snorkel in last week's episode and said she was "drowning in a sea of bitches."  She had a whistle with her then so the airhorn was an apparent upgrade.  Oh!  And she made some cheesy comment about "being horny." 
• Tracy is going to blow a gasket.  For real.  She's got a vein in her forehead that is going to burst.  She had a mini-melt down last night and it was only episode 2.  It's just a matter of time before she goes full-blown nuts.  She is totally triggered by: 
• Demi.  Girl.  The robe?  The fantasy "closet?"  Touching the "group rose?"  Jumping off the stage during the group date and kissing Colton???  This is one very aggressive chick from Texas.  And, on top of her assertive behavior, she's making fun of the "older" ladies in the house.  Tracy confronted Demi and Demi apologized in an extremely condescending manner, but Demi was still confident she would receive the stem. Not.  So.  Fast.  Colton gave the rose to Elyse (she’s 31; he’s 26). Demi subsequently dubbed Elyse a cougar.  Elyse, btw, is a confident, very attractive red-head. 

• The Pageant Drama is going to get pretty intense if the sneak peeks are anything to go by.  Caeylnn, Miss North Carolina USA, gossiped a bit with the other girls about Hannah B.  These two girls not only competed in the Miss USA competition together, but they were even roommates!  According to Caelynn, Hannah was extremely upset (read "jealous") when Caelynn placed higher than her and Hannah B flipped her sh*t in a hot minute.  Caelynn also predicted Hannah B's behavior will rear its ugly head again soon.  Hannah B also mentioned Caelynn to Hannah G.  But good for Hannah G!  She seems to be playing it cool and staying true to herself.  From what we could see, she did not stoop to their level and did not gossip.  She listened to what Hannah B was saying, but didn't add any fuel to the fire. 

• In the end, Annie, who grew up in Wisconsin but attended . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . Yup!  You guessed it!  Alabama!  #RollTide went home last night.  And some other girls.  IDK.  This early in the season I don't even know if they have names or if they are just called Girl like in Birdbox (i.e., Girl #1, Girl #2, Girl #3). 

Gypsy Soul



I am a woman with a Gypsy soul.
I am a wanderer – I cannot be owned.
Freedom is my drug
And discovery is my sin.
The unknown calls my name
And I follow the winds.
I commune with the stars
My path is lit with purpose and passion.
I am not lost
Love guides my direction.
A woman with a gypsy soul is unlike any other you will ever meet.

Daughter #1 has officially relocated to Colorado and although I was not originally fully onboard with her decision to move halfway across the country, I know she's extremely happy and excited! 

T-bone is headstrong and very independent and quite honestly, sometimes it's difficult to be her mother.  Not because she's a problem child.  It's because she's so damn fierce!  She knows what she wants, she makes plans to achieve her goals, works hard, plays hard and rarely, if ever, asks for help.  She's competitive, like her daddy but she loves to travel and broaden her horizons and she gets that from me.  She'll be 25 years old this summer and it's taken me this long to acknowledge that she's more like me than I ever realized.  She's the person I would have become had I not felt enormous pressure to make everyone else happy.  And I'm so happy Cosmo and I have given each of our daughters the tools to live life on their own terms.  www.thetravelingtacos.com


https://herway.net/love/20-things-define-girl-gypsy-soul/

https://thoughtcatalog.com/rania-naim/2016/03/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-girl-with-a-gypsy-soul/

1). She dances to the rhythm of her own heartbeat

A gypsy woman follows the guidance of her own heart. She cares a hoot about rules or conventions.
She knows what she wants and she does what feels right to her. The rules don’t apply; she will always question and refuses to conform to the norm.
She follows her own intuition and she won’t be held down by anything.
 

2). Freedom is her pudding

A gypsy soul is bohemian at heart. She answers every call of the unknown winds. She is curious as a child and routine is not her thing. Freedom is her pudding and travel is her first love.
She can’t be tamed. She will leave anything or anyone that constraints her freedom.

3). She is fiercely independent

A gypsy soul might look like a loner to you. But she just enjoys her solitude.
She is fiercely independent and doesn’t depend on anyone for her happiness or fulfillment.
She is self-sufficient and chases her wildest dreams.
 

4). She is unpredictable.

A gypsy soul is a paradox. She is multi-faceted. Because of her love for life, she has varied interests.
She likes staying at home alone reading a book as much as she likes attending concerts.
She is playful as a child and wise as ancient seers.

5). She is constantly looking to expand her horizons

A gypsy soul is always looking for something new and exciting. Be it a new place, a new book, a new hobby or a new skill.
She gets bored with routine. Her zest for life is insatiable and she is constantly looking to expand her horizons.
 

6). She is all heart

A gypsy soul is guided by her emotions. Whatever she does brims with passion, whether it is her work or her relationships, she puts her soul into everything.
 

7). She loves unconditionally

A gypsy soul’s love is unlike any other. She loves hard and she loves unconditionally.
She provides a zero judgment kind of love and space where you can be completely yourself.She will push you to expand your horizons and become the highest possible version of yourself.
 
8). She will always spill the truth.

A gypsy woman is honest and fearless. She will always speak her mind.
She is aware of who she is and is crystal clear about her values and opinions. She will not impose her viewpoints on others as she is very open-minded but she will always fight for what is right.
 

 

9). She lives life to the fullest

 

A gypsy soul is in love with the entire cosmos. She cherishes the little moments and knows how to live life to the fullest.
She is Omni orgasmic. The sunrays kiss her cheeks on her early morning jogs.
She smells the roses and hugs the trees.
The stars call out her name as she dances bare feet.
A gypsy soul knows that life is a gift and she makes every breath count.

 

 

10). She is an old soul and a deep thinker.

A gypsy woman is an old soul. She is wise beyond her age like she has lived many lifetimes before.
Her soul longs to be somewhere else. She asks deep questions and tries to find the meaning of life.
She does not like superficial things. She will ask you about your hopes and childhood dreams. She will ask you what is your highest purpose of life?
She will inspire the dreams you said you no longer have.
 

11). She believes in magic

A gypsy soul is an optimist. She has discovered her connection with the cosmos and believes in magic.
She knows that there are no limits on what she can achieve and she follows her heart passionately.
She creates a life that leaves her heart beating wildly and keeps her eyes sparkling.

Hygge Hygge Ho!!!

Dang!  I've been practicing Hygge my whole life and didn't even know it!  Such a trendsetter!  My Hygge lifestyle just proves I've got some hearty ancestry and should be living in a somewhat cooler climate!!!  It's hard to get all Hygge in Texas where the weather fluctuates wildly from hour to hour but I do my best!  I love love love snuggling on the couch with a cozy blanket, tons of candles lit, leggings and a comfy sweatshirt, no make-up, hot cup of tea and a good book.  I can go days without even turning on the TV and could definitely handle hibernation.  Add a hot bubble bath with lavender salts?  That's heaven!  For more information, check out the following:  http://hyggehouse.com/hygge

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/mentalhealth/i-practiced-hygge-and-its-kind-of-the-best-thing-ever/ar-BBRpWbh?ocid=ientp

 

 

I am no longer a Virgin

Yes, it's true.  I am no longer a virgin.  A "Bachelor" virgin that is! 

While the rest of the world was watching Alabama shit the bed against Clemson (one of my husband's favorite phrases, not mine), I broke down this week and watched my first episode ever of the Bachelor.  I will admit, I'm intrigued. 

I have poo-poo'd this show since the beginning.  I never understood the fascination with this show (and subsequent franchises) and quite honestly thought finding true love in 6-weeks on reality TV was ludicrous.  Now I'll admit, I had kept up on social media with who's who over the years (kinda hard to avoid when that whole Arie thing was all over the internet and these contestants usually end up hawking some kind of food supplements or on Dancing with the Stars).  I mean, I knew who Trista & Ryan were, I think Jo-Jo Fletcher is absolutely adorable and I knew Rachel was from Dallas.  I knew who Juan Pablo and Andi Dorfman were, too.  I knew who Melissa Rycroft was because I watch the Dallas Cheerleaders show.  I never liked that Emily Maynard and I knew who Jesse Palmer was (duh).  Oh, and I think Josh Murray is pretty nice looking! 

So having said all that, why would I, a staunch critic of the show, decide to start watching this particular season?  Well, there's a couple of reasons actually: 

#1 Colton Underwood
He's adorable.  I mean, like really cute!  Very boy next door.  He seems pretty sincere and comes across as a nice guy.  And let's face it.  The whole virgin thing is intriguing.  Not that I care about this guy's sexual history (or lack thereof) but I do admire him for putting that info out there and not being ashamed of it.  It's kind of sweet.  It doesn't sound like it's a religious choice, it's more of a "I haven't found the right person yet" kind of thing. Very refreshing to see a 26-year old virgin rather than a 26-year old man-whore.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Underwood

#2 Bri
Twitter was a-buzz prior to the season premiere about the girl with the strange Australian accent and whether or not she lied about it.  I thought it was pretty brilliant.  I get it.  She's trying to stand out among 30 contestants.  But how will this all play out when Colton discovers she's not exactly Australian???

#3 The Entrances
Again, newbie here so I had no idea what to expect from the limo entrances and found it interesting how I immediately "liked" or "disliked" a contestant just from those edited, initial few moments of interaction. Meeting someone for the first time is hella awkward as it is. And the girl who brought the balloon?  Yikes!  I liked the butterfly girl (and how cute was Colton when he put one of those butterflies in his pocket???!!!), thought the girl who gave him nuts was hysterical (especially after the Cinderella entrance -- she turned to the other girls, with a full glass of wine in hand, and said something like "I probably should have done more than give him a bag of nuts!" hahahahaha  My kind of girl.  We could be friends.).  Oh, and BTW . . . when I saw Cinderella girl my immediate thought was "Run Colton Run!  She's too high maintenance!).  Spoiler Alert -- she did not get a rose.  Did not care too much for the girl who handed over her dog (she then went on to sabotage other contestant's time with Colton.  Not cool.).  The South?/North? Carolina pageant girl was cheesy and comes across as someone who's used to getting what she wants.  And let's just say Sloth Girl was weird.  Spoiler Alert -- she did not get a rose.  Hannah B from Tuscaloosa seems pretty chill and I also liked Nicole from Miami who spoke Spanish. She seems a little unsure of herself but I'd like to see her gain some confidence and find her worth.  Didn't care too much for the girl who showed up in a squad car and claimed she was Fashion Police. 

#4 Hannah G. 
a girl from Hoover is on the show!  Hannah is a year or two younger than T so naturally I wanted to check her out!  T said she is/was a genuinely nice person in high school.  Not being a Bachelor veteran, I had no idea what a big deal it was that she received the first rose!  https://www.eonline.com/news/1002862/meet-the-bachelor-contestant-who-won-colton-underwood-s-first-impression-rose

So there you have it!  I will be watching The Bachelor.  This season at least!