{pretty, happy, funny, real} birthdays, office lunches, Texas small towns and more!
| a weekly capturing of contentment in everyday life |
A few photos to practice contentment this week
| pretty |
Friends' Daytrip to Hye, Texas
Our dear friends, Shaun & Katie, celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary last weekend by inviting us to join them for a deliciously delightful afternoon in charming Hye, Texas. I spent the day regretting I'd ever said Texas wasn't beautiful because this day was prettier than most I've seen in my life. The temperature, was perfect - with no humidity or bugs. The company, food and wine impeccable. The Hye Market is located in the historic Hye Post Office (still operating). The food was good, but being surrounded by all the marvelous old wood and tin was even better. And the winery! Totally charming, relaxed, hospitable. We enjoyed live music and hours of sweet conversation. Totally our kind of day. (Thanks, friends. A long & blessed marriage to you!)
| happy |
I had a birthday
Hello, my name is Tamara. I am 45 years old. I want to go to Ireland before I die (or this summer, whichever comes first.) I am kind of happy to be this age, but not entirely sure. I'll keep you posted.
| fun(ny) |
Kendra has a birthday
This is my daughter Kendra, who for the last 20 years has celebrated her birthday the day after her momma. We try to make it special and her own. We told her we'd have a special dinner for her when she got home for spring break and asked if she'd like to invite a few friends.
She said that, yes, she would. They were more than happy to come and celebrate with us. (see below for Kendra and some of her BFFs)
Party games included dollhouses, skateboarding and hanging out in the ENO we gave Kendra for her birthday. And it was a delightful party, indeed.
| real |
I left work just as Sixth Street was gearing up for SXSW. Providential timing?
Snapped this pic on my way out of the lobby of my office building my last day
(being admired, apparently, by a SXSW tourist)
This and a few photos of my kids were all I brought home from my desk: a hearty succulent I hardly ever watered, a Princess Buttercup bobble-head and my signature letter T.
My last day of working in downtown Austin For two-and-a-half years I've worked at a digital marketing agency in downtown Austin. I probably will always giggle when I say that because, honestly, it's not a place (city or company) I ever imagined working. When I drove away Wednesday afternoon, I started crying instead. Tears of pure gratitude. Living in this city is expensive, and we landed here at a financially vulnerable time with four kids in the college years. It took me awhile to find someone in Austin who would believe that I could do good work. And, this company filled with mostly twenty-something, urban-savvy media geniuses welcomed my grey-hair, Bible-reading, Jesus-living momma type.
Before moving here, I wouldn't have guessed that some of my best friends in this city would be people with such different social, educational, religious and political backgrounds as myself. I told them that I could write a book from all the things they taught me (the stuff I'm able to repeat in polite society, anyway). I told them that they had become so dear to me, and that I'd be praying for them. And I will.
They sent me out with the same kind of hospitality in which they'd received me: free lunch, a couple of beers, breakfast tacos and Austin-famous doughnuts. I hope I can be as kind to the people I meet in Connecticut as they have been to me. At the same time, I sincerely hope to not have to work the 9-to-5 life ever again. I'd love to go out with this happy ending.
Have YOU captured any contentment this week?
I'd love to hear about it!
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