Cavett's Final Kindergarten Field Trip

 

Today we headed to the Dallas Zoo.  We actually hadn't ever been there so it was an adventure for all!  I was a chaperone for Cavett's class and had him in a group with 3 other boys.  We met the bus at the zoo about 10:00 and off we went.

To my surprise and delight the kids were so well behaved and obeyed so well!  It was great fun for all of us and even more fun that Stephen and Kendrick got to go as well. 

Highlights of the day include, but are not limited to....

a snake eating a large mouse,

the gorillas chasing one another and then randomly surprising us with a loud high-five on the plate glass window where the kids faces were glued,

viewing the giraffe's up-close and personal,

the new African Savannah Exhibit,

 and the chipanzee mother cuddling her baby.

We are looking forward to going back so that we can enjoy more with the addition of riding the monorail next time. 

Dental Offices

We spent this weekend looking at 5 different dental offices in the Dallas area—Wylie, Richardson, Frisco, Allen and Plano. We dropped the kids off in Grand Saline Friday and headed out to find the next chapter in our lives. We saw 5 completely different types of practices, and may have found a fit in Allen. We just need to get a bit more information.

Normally, dental offices just meld into the scenery, but what struck me as we drove around were the names of practices. When you are looking for practices, you just notice they are absolutely everywhere. We saw some doozies and I began to keep record they were so funny. (Aside: none of these were practices we were considering.)

• Soft Touch Dental


• Feather Touch Dentistry


• Dedicated Dental


• Proactive Dentistry


• Zen Dental Care

What were some of these doctors thinking? I mean, are you insinuating that dentists mean to inflict pain? Or maybe that you intend to give you a crown when all you need is a tiny filling? What ever happened to just using the dentist’s name. I guess it is all marketing and when you want to sell your practice, the transition is better. However, I just don’t like the “descriptive” naming practice.

So, what should we name our future practice?

Our Dallas Excursion

As you know we headed to Dallas this past weekend. Much fun was had and it was good to reconnect with many friends. We stayed at my sister's-in-law's condo in the heart of Dallas. Prime location and just what we needed. Thanks Su-Su and Al!

Thursday afternoon Stephen met with a broker that talked his ear off and didn't give him much information. So, I was left with the kids at the condo until 7 while waiting for him to get back for dinner. Luckily, we were right across the street from Cole Park, so that gave us a diversion until he arrived. Dinner was with my college roommate, Renee and her husband, Chuck at Dream Cafe. Cavett had a blast as he got to play on their "playground" and write with chalk while we caught up.

After breakfast with Aunt KK at Cafe Brazil, Friday was spent driving around Dallas. To spare you the boring details, Stephen met with 3 brokers, went in one practice and drove by a couple of others. For the most part I was in the car with the kids watching movies and napping. Basically, we decided that Dallas would stay in our decision making if the right practice were to come available, but at this time, there is nothing there. That evening Aunt KK got us out of a babysitting bind until my brother's "almost-a-fiancee" was able to get out of class. We headed to Deep Ellum for sushi with our vacation friends, Joe and Kelli.

For some reason, my camera never got pulled out until Saturday. Oh well. Saturday was all about the college friends. We drove out to Flowermound, via North Richland Hills (for another practice), to see Trumon and Adrianne Davis (more college friends) and their kids. Walker is just a few months younger than Cavett and Lauren is a precious little 1 month old. The boys talked shop and the girls listened in while refereeing kids. I think the little ones enjoyed themselves, playing swords, sighting-scope and such. But it had just been a tough couple of days not at home and on our regular schedule. As a result, Cavett was a little cranky. On our way home, we stopped in Coppell to see Trumon's office. If you live anywhere near, this is the dentist to go see. Great guy and very nice office! (Trumon-you need to get a website for your office! This was all I could find :))

That night all the college friends met at Renee's and then went out. We ended up in the Knox/Henderson area in Uptown for yes, more sushi! Sitting around the table drinking sake and eating raw fish, we realized how funny the situation was. You see we are all from po-dunk little towns: Trumon-Tatum, TX, Adrianne-Grapeland, TX, Stephen-Grand Saline, TX, Renee-Many, LA. To them it seemed that I was from the thriving metropolis of Shreveport, LA. I don't think if you would have told us in middle/high school that we would be where we are now, that we would believe it. We celebrated the fact that the three of us met that weekend 16 years ago and that Adrianne and Stephen joined us 3 years later. It was good to catch up and laugh remembering all the funny times at Centenary.

On the way back to Houston, we stopped by Aunt KK and Uncle Austin's house to jump on the trampoline. Much fun. It was a loooong weekend, but we are glad we explored and we will see what the Lord gives us for opportunities. Whether we stay in Houston or move to Dallas, I'm just ready to have some place to call home for the next 20 years or so.