Friday, December 30, 2011

Citizen SHIzNip

I had a different plan for the day, I did. I would accomplish at least five important things, if not seven along with all my other normal daily chores.
Getting my driver's license renewed was top on the list, since the bank keeps hounding me and the Education Agency needs me to have a fingerprint on file in order to get a job. I showed up at the downtown DPS, because this one is the "fastest" the nice bank employee assured me. (Apparently, I learned nothing from Occupy America.)
The lines were confusing and long, and there was no way I was going to be done in time to go feed and walk Cookie, my sister,Shay's, pit bull. So I made the call, went to hang with Cookie and took care of some online business and nuzzle with the sweet beast before a noon appointment.


I return to the DPS, snaking my way through what I believe to be a protest of the Governments handling of a foreign country, and finding a lone meter,  load it down with coinage. I wait patiently in line for "information" and for a number I can wait patiently for to be called. 
Unfortunately, someone or something, decided in the last ten tears since my license was last renewed that I was no longer a citizen. Never mind the fact that my Mexican-American grandparents were born here and my mom is third generation Chickasaw and German. Never mind, that I was born at the same hospital where they took John F. Kennedy after he'd been shot, or the fact that I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 24 years! 
"You have a green card?" the lady behind the counter asked. AAAAAAGH!
I had to go home and get my birth certificate. What exactly is the purpose of this state ID? They aren't linked up with the official registry of some sorts? This felt a bit shoddy if you ask me. 
I came back with my papers and proceeded to wait again for "information" meaning they will tell me how much money they want me to give them to incorrectly store my information.  I sat in the half lit waiting area getting a tan on half my face. I was determined to cheese big time in my picture. When my number was finally called, I was greeted by a cheerful employee, who fixed my conundrum quickly. She gave me six seconds before the picture flashed and at the fourth second, my face started witching and my smile turned to this. 
Here's to the next decade of citizenship, yo!


Monday, December 26, 2011

Saturday, December 24, 2011

For the Love of Us . . .

A seed was planted
in the womb of
a young girl.

"BE NOT AFRAID, BE NOT AFRAID,"  she was told.

So she went about the business of being human
with the heart of God forming inside her.
The most powerful force in the world
resting between her bones
and even though, even though
she loved God already,
she began to love Him even more.

Be not afraid. be not afraid, she reminded herself,

so she could go about the business of being human
with the soul of all souls taking shape,
the all seeing eyes, the palms later pierced
for her, for us.
She pressed her own palms into flour and oil,
to nourish her body,
the Bread of Life leavening in her belly.

Do not be afraid, do not be afraid, she mumbled in her sleep.

I am surprised she did not glow.
That the pupils of her eyes weren't celestial pools
reflecting the universe
That her heart did not explode from the
cosmic LOVE flowing through her veins
until that Baby was born.

She who had carried Him so long, finally held the
Savior of the World in her human hands
loved Him with her human heart.

"Be not afraid, be not afraid," she whispered in her baby's ear.

And He wasn't.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Forty-Part Duh? and Tres Bonne



After my party, on my actual BIRTH day, Chris took us to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Ali Baba's. We were so stuffed with hummus, falafel, baba ghanoush and lamb, we all went home and took naps on the floor. happy and miserable all at once.

I had a few days to recover from that before the next weekend part of the par-tay.
My sister, CJ had a major surprise planned for me.

Sweetness.


She came to my apartment bearing a gift and Mimosa's, scooped Chloe and I up and whisked us away to the Nasher- Chloe and I LOVE the Nasher. We had out best Mom and daughter date there a few years back that invloved buying a FIona Apple CD, memorizing all the words before we hit the mosaic shop, made a work of art, hit the Nasher, stared at the sky sculpture and made up a poem and recorded it on my phone. It was truly magical.

This time, at the museum,  a few more friends joined us and we ate lunch like REAL girls do, sitting down with napkins in our laps.


Tony Cragg

After we toured the exhibit, we sscooted over to the hotel -the ADOLPHUS mind you, in DECEMBER! WOOT! It was smack dab beautiful.


Chloe admiring the Fleur de Lis.



We played board games that were anything but boring and stuffed our faces with hummus, portabella mushroom lasagna and some drinks.

A pregnant Kara rocking the CRANE in QUELF!
Then we  made our way to Uptown Bar and Grill for what?
Oh, you know it, KARAOKE! (Chloe went home with Dad after the games.) We started out slow, singing along with the the first brave souls from our tables, but that didn't last long. Grace rocked "Friends in Low Places", CJ and I butchered some Sir Mix-A-Lot, and we closed the place down with the best EMO version of Reba McEntire's "Fancy" EVER!

Grace, putting Garth to shame!

We closed the place down and headed back to dreamland:)

My best friend at three in the morning.


AND THE NEXT MORNING! We had brunch!

Iron Cactus!

UGH-birthday gluttony! It's gonna take me a decade to recover from my birthday week, but it was SO worth it!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

On Turning Forty: Part 1

I thought before I posted about my rocking Holidays, I should write about the fortieth birthday to start all decades!
First of all, the day before my party, my pop and his wife Bridgette gave a me beautiful necklace to wear the BIG day.
Then, my uncle Raymond took me to lunch at the Upper Crust in Plano- metropolitan margaritas and pasta primavera and some really amazing bread strips with a trio of pestos and marinara and the like.




We left in need of a nap, but gallantly pressed on to the shopping and primping for the party my friends William and Aurelia were throwing for me that night.

My uncle is great at shopping. I learned not to try to trade anything out for something you like better. He just keeps it all. I tried to trade a pair of peep toes for some boot like heels and I ended up with both of them. Actually, I ended up with four pair of heels to add to the two I just had handed down to me, and now, I officially have more heels than I have ever owned in my life. Funny, considering I fell on a cobblestone street the morning of my party and bit it pretty hard, and I am still not fully recovered from falling in August. Let's just say, I hold on to the rail when I wear them.
My palms hurt so bad I cried. 




 After looking for the perfect colorful dress forever, I ended up with four dresses, and we, and by we I mean my uncle, decided the silver one was the best-suited for the evening and for what he had in mind for my "look" which he was sure I could pull off. I was skeptical.

We ran out of time and had to race through the prep, but when he was done, I was relieved. Not so bad.


Sista CJ


I arrived late to my own party, but there were a ton of friends waiting to eat good food, share their favorite  poem, have a few drinks, play some music and dance. (My phone died at the party, so waiting for kids to text me pics of this!) Listening to my friend's favorite poems was . . .honestly, strange and beautiful at the same time. I was so surprised by their choices, I felt like I ended the night knowing each of them better! 


Embarrassing collage my sister and kids put together!!

My peeps!



Tres Leches can't be beat!

It was amazing. I felt super-loved and amazingly blessed. It was the best way to start my BIRTHDAY WEEK . . . .
Chris waiting patiently for his birthday present;)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Monday's Much Needed Song of the Day: Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella by Sufjan Stevens

I am stuck on this song this year, even more than Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee and Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton.
It's sweet sounding and makes me imagine I'm a young girl getting to see Jesus as a baby. I wonder if I'd have known, really known . . . ?

Monday, December 12, 2011

Monday's Much Needed Song of the Day: Saw You First by Givers

I like songs. I like dreams. I like songs about dreams. Makes me happy.