Hello from Texas (or should I say Howdy?!)! It’s my first real day
here in Dallas and I’m already loving it (or maybe just because I have such good hosts! I’m staying with my cousin Dave, his wife Stephany, and their two kiddies Ella and E. Bryce)! It’s so nice to take a break from life and spend it in another city with family I don’t get to see often- what a treat! : )

And as you can imagine, it is HOT here in Texas! Today was 100 degrees outside and I feel like I got a tan from just standing inside the garage, getting into the car..it’s crazy! So when Ella came home from school today, guess what we did?! We went swimming! What better way to spend the afternoon?! Plus, it’s been FOREVER since I’ve gone swimming..it totally brought back fun childhood memories (shout-out to you, Jobanna! I was thinking about how we used to swim in your pool all the time, that HUGE slide we’d have to pour water down, picking plums, and your mom’s delicious meals..so fun!). : )

Ella is SO fun to be around. She is full of JOY and excitement…like all the time. Oh, we had tons of fun splashing around and doing funky dances under the water. Isn’t she so cute?! Tomorrow I’ll be meeting her boyfriend officially (I saw him briefly when we picked her up from school) and taking some photos of them together- I can’t wait! : ) haha