I think it's pretty awesome to be around wiser, more mature women because they provide a great deal of perspective. I love my friends in my grade. We can all relate to each other so well, but sometimes we relate too well and accidentally stress each other out. Not purposefully, but we start talking about all the stuff that's going on now (grades, tests, teachers, projects) and then look ahead to the future (junior and senior year, college admissions, majors, careers) and sometimes it just becomes a bit of a stress fest. These educated, well versed, mature ladies provided me with a bit of a reality check, an opportunity to get it all in perspective. We talked about careers and marriage and family and schooling and travel and all sorts of good stuff. Stuff that makes me realize that life is so much more than what is happening to me right this moment.
We started our morning at a coffee shop right across the street from Baylor, called Common Grounds. It was just the cutest, most well decorated rustic little place with an outdoor stage and bench area and a cozy inside full of students on their laptops. One of their coffees titled the "Flaming Idiot". I think I just may use that term once in a while.
I ordered a blueberry bagel. It came with a squeeze packet of cream cheese. Instead of just getting out my Swiss Army tool with the scissors I chose to try to rip it. My futile efforts resulted in a teensy hole and my cream cheese came out looking like silly string. Oh well.
We then drove around Baylor's campus a bit before visiting the recently opened Magnolia, a home decor shop. The shops and it's adjoining buildings are owned by Chip and Joanna Gainer, the couple behind HGTV's "Fixer Upper". The shop was rustic and simple, with lots of galvanized steel, glass jars, chicken wire, and chalkboards. Their displays were gorgeous.
After an extended conversation regarding fruitcake we chose to make a brief stop at Collin Street Bakery, the home of some world famous fruitcake. I had my first taste of fruit cake and I really enjoyed it. It isn't exactly a cake, but once you get over that, I think it's quite enjoyable.
We then ventured to a homestead community for dinner. The food was all organic, homemade, and marvelous. After dinner we meandered through the 500 wooded acres with the various barns and cottages boasting various handcrafts and agriculture and homesteady stuff.
They had a fully functioning mill, water wheel and all, as well as a fiber barn full of looms and spinning wheels, and a barn choc full of throwing wheels and property for sale, with 3 different types of kilns outside, as well as a woodworking shed, and gardens galore.
As I was hanging around in the garden with butterflies fluttering all around me and the sun setting low over the horizon, I couldn't help but marinate in the serene magic of the moment and snap some photos of the butterflies, caterpillars, bees, beetles, and vibrant flowers.
I was having so much fun with my camera.
Our adventure was simply stupendous. I loved spending the day with these wonderful people. I won't forgot this day for a good while to come.
P.S.
Have you ever wondered what an eagle would look like in balloon animal form?
Yes, I know this was a pressing question. When we picked up Kathy she told us how her hiking club had hired a balloon artists for their dinner function. Because why wouldn't hiking and balloon artist go together?
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