What I was doing instead of blogging...

I 'm still trying to ease blogging into my routine. I guess it's obvious that it's happening at a snail's pace. 
A lot of blog worthy things have happened in the past couple of weeks so I'll make a little medley for you.
A few weeks ago Steffin, Valerie, Maxine, and I walked a small portion of the Fort Worth Arts Goggle. We met some really neat people, hoarded some free food and drinks, and saw beautiful artwork. This is the sort of thing that I love about being part of a community. I wish events like this happened more often around here. It's so fun to feel like a part of something and to celebrate it with others. There is nothing like walking down a strip, passing strollers, pedicabs, neighbors, friends, and new faces.... smelling a mix of festival food, restaurants, and the tar on the street... hearing live bands from each end of the block, hundreds of voices, laughing, and singing. It's making me crave the State Fair. I'll have to talk Steffin into taking me out there before it's over.

Also, us girls have finally organized a girls' night. This is something we have talked about doing for years! We've had only two so far. I am really looking forward to the next. We each bring food or liquids and all of our best gossip and girly talk which, for this particular group of chicks, involves some very fascinating topics. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera to the most recent girl's night, but I'm hoping Valerie will post some photos of the beautiful muumuus the girls wore (it was a pajama party). We ate the best vegan pizza I've ever had and drank vanilla vodka that smelled like a car air freshener. Blughck!

What else? Steffin and I spent some time with Summer and Perry which is a rare treat.
At the end of this month, the four of us will be at the Willie Nelson concert together! Perry bought us the tickets as a birthday gift to me. Love that guy more all the time! This will be something like my 6th time to see Willie. Still, the excitement never lessens. Anyway, the four of us went to Patty Red's which is a little pub that replaced the old school Black Dog. When I walked in my stomach swirled and my thoughts were consumed by memories from the Black Dog... nights of dancing to Pablo and Confusatron, listening to jazz on Sunday nights, first dates, last dates, reading the writing on the bathroom walls. I spent a lot of evenings there with Maxine and  Steffin. It all came to an end when I became a mommy and since has turned into Patty Reds. It has the same layout but a different feel. I'm super sentimental but am learning to embrace change. I live directly across the street from the hospital I was born in almost 29 years ago, in a house not too far from the one that I spent my girlhood days digging tunnels in the backyard dirt with my brother. Behind us lives a friend with a persimmon tree just like one I picked from as a little kid. Fort Worth is changing and will continue to change but it's still my town. It's in my blood and always will be.

I usually stick to my stomping grounds but ventured out to Dallas to watch my brother ooze talent on stage. The Theater Fire had a c.d. release party at Good Records and it was beautiful. I love this new c.d. so so much and not just because I adore the boys in the band. 

It's in regular rotation here at the Ratheath house. I'll have to put up a video of the boys dancing to Coyote. Absolutely adorable! They sure do love their Uncle Curtis!

Then, each day last week, Steffin and I took the boys to some of Fort Worth's defining spots. One day we went to the Kimball to fly kites and play in the fountains. On another day, we went to the Omni theater and saw Deep Sea which was beautiful and so strange! Then we went on a mid-week trip to the Modern to yell in the echo chamber and let the kids stomp on the precisely manicured landscaping right in front of the poor landscapers. Since they enjoyed that so much, we took the boys to the Botanical Gardens to stomp on some even more meticulously manicured horticulture. Upon arriving, Oliver jumped straight into the pond and then spent the rest of the afternoon running around in soaked overalls and shoes. Didn't bother him none! Saturday, we rode the Forest Park Mini Train,  better known to me as the Trinity Park Train. The boys were hilarious! They thought it was even more fun than diving into thorny rose bushes at the Botanical Gardens. They both tried to jump off of the train a couple of times. Am I the only mother around here with little daredevil babies? All of the other tots on the train were so still and quiet. Elliot and Oliver thought it was a party train! As we were waiting to depart, Elliot squirmed with anticipation for ten minutes while screaming,"Woohoooo! C'mon! Les Go! Yaaay! Woohooo! Buh byeeee! Les Goooo!"

                                            

They are the BEST!

Friday night, we went and watched the presidential debate at The Chat Room with our good friends Bobby and Cori and then rushed over to see Fleet Foxes play at Lola's! It was so crowded by the time we arrived but the music was beautiful as expected. 

I love this town and I have so much to be thankful for. Speaking of being thankful, it's time to start gearing up for Fall festivities! YAY!