Bare Feet

Growing up in a small town, I was blessed with the vast outdoors. I thought myself a modern day Pocahontas in a flower print dress( I refused to wear anything but dresses as a child, but my mom couldn't torture me into putting shoes on my feet ), and trying to have conversations with the animals around me was a regular pastime of mine. Needless to say, my fondest memories are of running barefoot in the beauty of wide open spaces-venturing to find the nearest bird to befriend.
I was free.

Completely Free.

Now that I am grown, that same feeling still comes back to me. Although my feet are usually in the latest high heel and my surroundings have changed to the urban, my heart belongs to the wild outdoors. I can still kick off my heels and find joy in what God has given us in nature: and have found the best places in Dallas for doing just that.

So take off your shoes and come with me.


1. White Rock Lake


Go on a Saturday morning walk here, or a late afternoon Kayak trip. Forget the busy and take a break.


2. The Parks of Park Cities


Yes, there is a reason it is called the Park Cities. Tucked away in most of the neighborhoods, there lies a haven of land that has not been stuffed with enormous homes. Try Williams Park to start off, it's a gem.




3. Trinity River Audubon Center

This is 8 minutes from downtown, and has 4 miles of nature trails on 6,000 acres. Get out of the city in just a few minutes and feel as if you are a world away.



4.The Arboretum

Breathtaking- and right at our fingertips. Flowers, Gardens, fountains...ahhhh.


Get out. Soak up the sun and let go.
Be Free.

Mad World

Lightening the mood a bit. Because it's Friday. And because I love you.

For those of you that don't watch Mad Men, you need to stop reading this immediately, give yourself a slap in the face, and get with the program. This triple Golden Globe winner has your 100% viewing satisfaction written all over it. Based in the 1960's, the show headlines a Rico Suave named Don Draper who is a head at a Ad firm(Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce) on Madison Avenue, and who spends his days juggling career and women* all with drink in hand.

I stumbled upon these old adds this morning, and in reading each one, thought to myself,
" What would Don Draper Do?"

Today, you are hired at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Your Assignment: Enjoyment. Easiest job you ever had.




"Goodnight sweetie... oh, and here's your revolver to snuggle up with."





Can anyone tell me where I can get some of these? Who doesn't want a pill that makes you slave away with the result of looking cute for your husband?!




Yeah... you tell me.





Why Lane Bryant doesn't still have this add is beyond me.





I just hope my Doctor smokes Camels... Doctors these days are just not what they used to be.




This is just plain wrong. There is no other way around it.

Would Don have approved? I guess we will never know. But here is one thing I know he would have approved of ...

The Classic Martini

2½ oz gin

1½ oz dry vermouth

3 Green Olives

It's a Mad World.
Happy Friday.

I'm Late. Where are my keys? Forgot to send a bill. Two projects due tomorrow. I'm so tired. Can't slow down...Going, going, going, on and on and on and....

DEEP BREATH.
STOP.

There are few moments in my life when I feel complete stillness. Not just in my physical body, but in my whole being. It is a moment that, if only for a split second, convinces you that everything is exactly as it should be in the world. REST.
I find rest in the beauty of this world; when I truly let myself break away from the clockwork.

We miss so much beauty everyday because we are slaves to time.
So slow down. Stop. Notice.

Surrender.

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank,
Here we all sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep into our ears, soft stillness, and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
-William Shakespeare