Emily and Orrin Visit

A few months ago, the daughter of an old friend in Billings said on Facebook that she was going to be in Dallas for a few days and was looking for advice on travel and ideas of things to do.  As I gave her some suggestions, I also invited them to stay with us for a couple of days to save some money.  They accepted and arrived this afternoon.  We are off to Sonny Bryan's for some authentic Texas BBQ and then maybe a little sightseeing.

After dinner, we make a quick trip down to the West End Historic section and Dealy Plaza, where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  It's always interesting to travel down there and relive moments that you are unable to express to another generation, none of whom have experienced it themselves.

Morning Zoo and a New Brunch Spot

"There is a special koala event at the zoo," Mister says.  "Would you like to go?" I ask, knowing the answer already.  Off we go.  It is the last Saturday in August and members get in an hour earlier than everyone else.  The special koala event is for the members only.  Now it all makes sense, right?

The best part of early admission is that it is still cool enough outside for the other animals to be pretty active.  We are not here for an "entire zoo" day, just our activity and thus our direct route takes us past the primates.  They are just so busy that we have to stop a minute and watch.  Look how high up they are.  For some crazy reason they are looking for the sun instead of realizing that right now it's fairly cool out.  There will be plenty of sun later on.

Coffee and IKEA

For some reason, we are out of the house on a Saturday morning in time for coffee.  Wow.  That's usually a Sunday trick.  Today we are trying a new spot that Mister found.  It opened near one of our local burger spots and is called Cultivar Coffee Bar and Roaster.  They also serve breakfast so it's a win-win to try a new location.  Let's go.

The coffee is pretty good, food decent but expensive.  Mister's frown --- only cos I am taking his picture after he took mine where I thought he was only shooting the food.  Turn about is fair play.

Now what to do?  Mister suggests IKEA and I jump on the bandwagon.  I love IKEA and we rarely get to go there since it is quite a distance.  It is crazy busy today since it is a Saturday, but we spend a LOT of time trying to figure out what to do in the office at home.  We think we have settled on some shelves, but we've been down this road before and never seem to find just what we want.  We'll see.

A few treasures do make their way home with us, one being a new rug to protect the living room floors on my sew days.  Yep, good stuff here.

Haircut Time

It's time for another haircut.  I really want to work towards getting it shorter and so will do it in stages as Mister has requested that I grow my bangs out again.  Grrrr -- yes, I'll do it but it is such a pain in the  . . . . .

Buttars Summer Camp - Days 8 & 9

It's Friday and that means Grandpa still has to work but takes time to walk down to the coffee shop with us first.  Woot, woot.  The boys have waited so that they could go to the coffee shop with the old man.  For some reason, that is always on the list to do.  Let's get walking.

Buttars Summer Camp - Day 7

Day 7!  Where has this week gone?  We are planning a neighborhood day.  Do you know what that means?  Well, for us -- it means that all activities will take place within the neighborhood.  Of course, that does mean that I have to somehow get them out of bed and moving.

The have all managed to congregate in one bed this morning.  It does happen to be the bed with the technical device nearby, but that can't be the reason, right?

Buttars Summer Camp - Days 4, 5 & 6

25th -  We have a super big agenda for today and that means I need to get in gear and start things up.  It's a SEW DAY!  The boys are eager to make their pajama pants and I absolutely love their enthusiasm.

Once everything is cut out and I have my sweet little Featherweight all set up to go, it's time to put these pants together.  Caleb is up first and he just does oh so well.  His pants have sharks all over them and he is one giant smile.