It Only Takes A Spark....To Get A Fire Going

A few months ago a girl was walking into Sophia's school carrying a Trader Joe's Recyclable Bag. I quickly approached her and over excitedly asked her where Trader Joe's was in the Dallas area.

"There are none. I'm from California and I miss it so much!"

When we first moved to San Antonio and discovered the absence of the organic reasonably priced best ever branded food, I immediately researched franchising information. Planting one of these great novelties in Austin would very quickly allow for the early retirement Jason dreams of.

What pleasure it would be to send this email:

We've Moved (Yes, Again!)

The Parrott Family
1234 Ocean Avenue A
Maui, HI 84512

I grew up celebrating Earth Day every April.

My sister and I would run screaming down the big open hill. Long, skinny legs with stringy hair to match working as fast as it could to catch the over sized striped ball that tumbled in front of us. Environmental exhibits and carnival type food at every turn.

We looked forward to it.

We are growing up with our Dad, after all. Nicknamed Mocassin Mike by his friends.

An avid environmentalist, canoeist and outdoors man who embraced the green concept long before it was en vogue.

He enjoys retirement now and bikes most places for exercise. I sit typing in his office looking at a calendar full of volunteer activities, article submission deadlines, botany classes, etc. I am surrounded by fossils, awards and a lamp shade full of bugs.

I never could muster the courage to trap a half dead scorpion in vinegar for my Dad's collection. Tiffany doesn't live in San Antonio anymore either. She's the only one I know who might do this for me.

I am not sure he'll ever get one. Maybe I'll FB Courtney. She's brave.

Last week Trader Joe's installed a bike rack.

Trader Joe's ---smack dab in the middle of bustling suburbia surrounded by malls, movie theatres, restaurants and main roads.

They told my Dad he was their inspiration.

We don't need to gather the masses. We don't need an outcry. We don't even need words.

We can make this world a better place by living out our passion. And then sit back and watch it all fall into place around us.

It's Probably Time To Start Making Your Resolutions for 2010

My Exposures package just arrived!  All 100 imprinted holiday cards, complete with bows, gold foiled envelopes and stickers to attach our yet to be taken family photo.

You do know that by Memorial Day all the holiday cards are in their final phase of markdown.

Why not send the very best for 80% off?

Third Time Is A Charm

We are off to The Windy City Saturday.... for 5 weeks!  

The Parrott Girls are boarding the plane come hell or high water this time around!

Ok, the only way we are not the boarding the plane this time is if I am the one with a 103 degree fever!

The planning continues....we've got multiple Cubs Games, baby showers, 2 First Birthday Parties for Juliet, sushi dates, palm reading parties, Lincoln Park Zoo, photo shoots for SugarLocks and meeting tons of old friends for coffee, drinks and or barbequing-- thanks to FB.

It shocks me how 5 weeks fills up!

Can't wait to see ya'll!

Kicking Off Summer 2009

A freshly mowed lawn, the setting sun, dozens upon dozens of families, pets, friends and young lovers all coziest up on blankets made for a picture perfect opening night!  

Our town hosts Summer Sounds every Monday evening with alternating local musicians.

 If last night was any indication of the level of entertainment we will have in Summer 2009, then I am over the moon excited!  The activities for kids left little to be desired.  Games, bubbles and extra large balls could be seen eminating from the 4 year old mosh pit as one friend so accurately described it.  I took great pleasure in watching Sophia dance as hard as she could to cover songs from Counting Crows, John Mayer, U2 and yes, even Jakob Dylan  (a.k.a. my pretend boyfriend).

Most of our friends have babies getting ready to walk or just newly tapping their feet to the ground so the majority of our conversations went unfinished as we "protected" our little adventurers from the oversized canine on the blanket next to us, choking hazard upon choking hazard or from pulling strollers down on themselves.  

This stage goes so fast and by next opening season my little dolly will be down in the mosh pit. 

I fully expect a bright display of her second born child strength and stamina.

As Juliet and I walked through the crowds I sang along with the band.  I honestly knew the word to every song.   They are all hits from my last two years of college that we played over and over again in the Pub II over drafts, darts and good company.  Enjoying the moment while simultaneously contemplating our future.

Sophia continued to dance and I to sing.  The warm, fresh air was intoxicating.  

My little bambino and I admired all the young couples sipping wine and slowly eating tasty delicacies from Market Street.  

We admired the blankets full of kids and every Gerber snack on the market.  Puffs, Lil Crunchies, Fruit Bars, etc.

We stopped to pet a gorgeous 120 lb. midnight black Great Dane with the longest legs and tallest ears you've ever seen.

She picked and ingested more freshly mowed grass than a usual day.

I walked her back to our own pool of assorted Gerber delights and exclaimed to my friend that I was having the best time ever!

She looked at her watch and said, "Yes, but it's 8:00 already and we have to get going now."

I can easily forgive her for knocking me off my love fest for my new town.   

She showed up with a bag full of chocolate covered caramel popcorn with pecans and marshmallows drizzled in white chocolate.

That's a decent friend.

Sharing Smiles One Person At A Time

Mother's Day was wonderful!  I woke up with a smile on my face because I knew it was my big day.  It was going to be filled with chocolate chip pancakes, homemade presents and the above photo shoot at Watters Creek!

I couldn't wait to talk to my 3 Great Grandmas, mother and mother-in-law.  I like to personally thank my mother in law every year for giving birth to Jason so that I could steal him away and marry him.

 I was so excited to put on my sparkly crown titled, "The Queen" that Sophia made me.  I wanted to be wearing it when she woke up because I knew it took a lot of effort to make.

I went upstairs to save Juliet from her crib.  The first thing that I always do when I walk in her room in the morning is wash my hands.  Her bathroom has my favorite soap of all time.  Bath n Body Works Country Apple.  I spend the next two minutes talking to myself about how good it smells. "Yum.  Seriously.  What a way to start my day.  I am a fan of country apple soap.  Yum.  How can this smell so good?"  

I found Sophia engaging in the same ritual over her apple scented leave in conditioner last night.  

I suppose it's the little things...

Which leads me to this message that I received on FaceBook this weekend.

"So I've been reading a book recently called "How We Choose to Be Happy: The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People", which, by the way, I HIGHLY recommend, and I thought of you.  One part of the book asks the question "who is the happiest person you know?", which for me was surprisingly difficult to answer.  But read more in the book, you suddenly popped into my head.  I don't know you particularly well, but from what I do know and from what I know from your blog you are a person who makes it a point to find joy every day.  I think that is why so many people are drawn to you.  You are a gift to everyone you know - your friends, your family, the little old men that you befriend in doctor's offices.  Thank you Tracy for being you and teaching everyone around you a little more about happiness :)"

To say that I was overwhelmed is an understatement. 

 Julia is the woman that regardless of your placement in her life, dear friend or acquaintance... you shamelessly steal her wisdom.  She is wise, compassionate and serene beyond her years.  A compliment from Julia is weighted heavily in my world.

Julia--thank you again for taking some of your precious free time to make me smile.... inside and out.  And for making me walk around wondering why in the world I derive such pleasure from the scent of my hand soap.  :)

 May your daily glass of chocolate milk always taste like it's the first sip you ever had.   Love, Tracy

Let It Go and You'll Sleep Soundly

Just one post this week! 

 I don't enjoy that, but I have a valid excuse.  J is not napping at all, she's been busy dropping all 4 front teeth at once and gosh are they adorable!  And, I was preoccupied trying to figure out how not to turn 33, but Monday came and went.

Here we go......

Dallas is Tornado Alley.

Forget the stories you've heard about Kansas.

I went out to run a quick errand on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 and was looking forward to a little 570am on my ride.   I am a talk radio addict, mostly because of the joy I am provided by holding private debates with Mr. Beck and the one and only Rush.

 But this isn't a political post, I'll spare our friendship.

As I exited my neighborhood I was warned of 70 mph winds and a torrential storm just 5 miles west of me.  I've been here 8 months and I didn't need a meteorologist to figure these fronts out.   There's no way in the world I am driving in these crazy storms that blow in, wreak havoc and leave just as quickly.

I make a U-turn and raced home in time to watch the wind whipping rain in all directions.  I found out hours later that a tornado touched down and the neighbors could be found in their interior bathrooms.  A particularly devastating twister did great harm to my neighborhood on April 10, 2008.  God was with sweet baby Aidan, the little boy across the street that morning.

Did you know that tornado sirens are designed specifically for outdoor patrons?  They are not equipped nor intended to warn people that a tornado is in the area.  They are simply meant to tell citizens to take cover indoors.  There is one large neighborhood in my town that has the luxury of being able to hear the sirens from inside their houses and we have recently begun a phone tree of close friends calling friends of friends of brother's friends to let them know a twister is on the way, by which time we all know will be too late.

Our satellite TV went out and we didn't have the radio on so I suppose it's our ignorance in just learning the intention of community wide sirens.

The sky cleared and all looked promising for my big date with Jason!  It was the first time we were leaving the children with a babysitter since moving to The Big D.

All snuggled into my skinny jeans, heels and jewels I couldn't stop taking peeks of myself in the mirror!  33 is going to be my year!  Sure, I'd chosen a 2 hour photography class over highlights a couple weekends ago, but the dimly lit restaurant would be forgiving and seriously the focus would surely be on the jeans. or heels. or bracelet.  I couldn't decide, the outfit was one heck of a pulled together piece of art!

We left the house as the sun was setting in the East.

Are you paying attention?  Did you catch that?  I am testing you.

We were heading into the city to a restaurant called The Mansion on Turtle Creek.  Our drive took us through a swanky part of town called West Village.  I seriously need to recruit Juliet's Godmother's Sister-in-Law Marci to take me on a weekend tour of my new metropolitan area.

I guess I could've just called her my friend Marci.  Yes, Marci will be getting Facebooked soon.  I need her.

The Mansion is a fancy, historical hotel and of course a number of wedding receptions were being held.  We chose to enter the restaurant through a cocktail party.  I  stopped at least 3 women to rave about their exquisite dresses and stuck my right hip out a bit.... inviting them to notice my ensemble, too.

I know, I need to get out more often.

Jason quickly dragged me through the reception before I could engage in anymore idle chatter.   We were seated in a private, quiet corner table.

The meal was everything you would expect from  a restaurant with this type of reputation.  Delectable food, but not enough of it.  Drinks mixed to perfection.  Palate cleansing offered between courses.  Napkins laid on your lap. A visit from the chef himself to answer menu selection questions.  And, a piece of chocolate heaven for two, dribbled with.....more chocolate.

As we waited for our car, it had begun raining again.  The valet shielded us with umbrellas and secured us dryly in the car before removing them.   It was the perfect storm!  I mean touch.  Perfect touch.

We were in the middle of yet another downpour.  We crawled home at 10 mph with lightening striking down and very few cars on 75N, a main highway.

I got a text.

It was my neighbor Kelly and it said, "I bet you are scared.  We are home if you need us to run over."

Of course the message I relay to Jason is that there is a firetruck, police and ambulance at our house.  

Not even the perfectly mixed vodka and tonic could save me now.  

Why would we be scared?  

I called Kelly repeatedly on her home and cell phone.  I was in an utter panic.  

The poor girl.

"Don't worry, it's just that the electricity is out, Tracy. But you are so organized I am sure that the In the event of a power outage babysitter emergency kit is placed in a central location."

With absolutely no regard for Kelly on the other end of the phone, I screamed to Jason that I did not realize our new city required such detailed paraphenalia!

An hour later we were home.   We walked into a flashlight lit up house and Juliet laughing and playing happily on the babysitter's lap.  A complete stranger that she's never met.  I was so proud of her.  So impressed with my "go with the flow" "take it as it comes" second child.

I snuggled my baby back to sleep and as I straightened up for the night I caught site of the note I left.  A meticulous list of neighbors phone numbers, doctors, cell phones, etc.  I tucked it away for my next date night and then did something I so rarely do.  Instead of beating myself up for not leaving out flashlights, can goods and candles, I choose otherwise.  I forgave myself for not being as prepared as I should have been by my self imposed standards.

We are our own worst critics.

Eastman and I....A Budding New Relationship

Eastman and I had a date this morning.  We would enjoy each other's company at The Wolf Camera store from 10:30 to 12:30.  Together, we would intensively train on how to allow more light into him, thus producing a higher quality photo.

Jason got called to work this morning.  He will continue his plight to negotiate with the unions on behalf of AT&T until a resolution is reached.

Eastman and I no longer have a date this morning.

I finally named him late last week.  

In honor of Kodak.  

We need to recognize and appreciate all that the failing company has contributed to the world of photography.  They missed the digital revolution by a mere 6 months, which in product life cycle time is a generation.  

The have never been able to close the gap.  

Yesterday it was reported that the institution tripled its losses to $353M this first quarter.

Haven't we all missed the boat once or twice?

After last Saturday's overwhelming session regarding aperture and shutter speed I couldn't pick him up for 2 days.  I was paralyzed with my expectations of perfectionism and if I couldn't take a somewhat decent picture I didn't want to play in the sandbox at all.  

Nice.  And very mature.

Eventually I roped the thick strap around my neck, assumed my position and brought him on a walk with the girls and I.  We ran into, not over the reptile you see featured above.  She was displaced and looking for a new home as construction begins on Sophia's new school.  It was a devastating choice to cross the street at that moment, I suppose. 

 I secured the girls on the sidewalk and entered the street to photograph him.  

Yes, I laid down in the middle of the street... eye to eye with the deceased serpent.

It was a cloudy day and I've since learned that I will need additional fancy gadgets to let the most light in.   I also learned that he was a Fox snake and not venomous, but that he will strike.

In the time that I have been composing this blog, Sophia has approached me multiple times with requests for 100 calorie count chips, gummies and juice boxes.

The only time I am subjected to these unhealthy requests are when I am blogging or on my cell phone.

Are you, too, a victim in your own home?