time passes

oh so quickly.  The last day of August is here and tomorrow we will be entering a brand new month.  In just a few weeks fall will be upon us and hopefully we who live in "heat wave central" will be lucky enough to experience cooler temps and be blessed with some much needed rain.  We've had a few teasers over the past few days but nothing that's amounted to anything that will make a difference.

The lawn is taking a beating because we need some of this

This has only happened once with any measurable rain since May.  I hate to mention it but I say bring on a hurricane because I'm really sick of this

And as you can tell from the first photo....I'm really sick of it because the lawn is really taking a beating now.  No, not proud of it....just tired of it.  One thing I will always have anywhere I live from here on out is a sprinkler system.  So kicking myself in the hind end for not doing it years ago because living here, while not the desert, we need it.  Speaking of desert...I so didn't sign up to live in the desert which is why I am in Texas although this year it doesn't seem like I live anywhere but the stinking desert.  I mean, 65 days so far at 100+ degree temps.  Seriously over it.  Like back in May, over it.

The #1 record was set back in 1980 at 69 days of 100+ degree temps and while they say we won't quite make breaking the record I say bring it on....we didn't suffer all summer long, for the past 3 months, all 90-some days, just to fall short of the record.   Come on Mother Nature...throw me a friggin' bone, will ya?

With the heat there has been lots of this going on

So many little shaved ice stands have popped up all over.  It's a refreshing treat after a long, hot day.  This cute stand, in particular, I run by nearly every time I am out for a run and when I run at night it's always all lit up and so festive.  The other night I was jonesing for some shaved ice so I took myself on a little date to 1/2 Price Books and then stopped by for a night cap.  It was definitely yummy and there are so many flavors to choose from it nearly blew my mind.  This is the only stand I've seen with personality - a pirate ship complete with a mermaid on the bow called the Skallywags!  Too stinking cute!

The little and I stumbled upon these cute samples of Starbucks at Target one day while we were out shopping.  I must say considering the calories in the regular size the sample size definitely did the trick and I didn't have to consume and entire days' worth just to get a fix!

This summer found us attending a 40th birthday party for a family member (family even though not by blood) where we had a date playing broomball at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter.

Tanner getting ready to play

That was absolutely the most fun I had all summer and I tell you what...there is no question that I can keep up with the boys on the ice.  I was the only girl who actually played the entire hour.  I even scored two goals which had the boys shaking their heads.  All I can say is never underestimate this girl, a 42-year-old girl at that!

This summer also found me quitting the job I started right before Christmas to go back home to work for the company I left back in December.  It's been a change as I get used to the new account.

I received some beautiful flowers on my last day.  I hung around all week long, each day, WAY past my time to leave just so I could hang out with my peeps.  I had become close to several people while there.  I had mixed feelings about leaving and honestly still do.  I know that I made the right decision but it doesn't mean I don't wish I could just take all my favorite peeps from everywhere I have ever worked, bottle them up and have them here with me so we could still work together and have fun while doing it.  I cried all the way home that day and it was probably the hardest time I've ever had leaving a job, especially being there so few months.  And I have to say that my manager tried everything he could that last day to get me hired on full time so that really spoke to me about how much they thought of me and that they didn't want to lose me but ultimately big business is big business....and you never win against big business.  But that's okay...I can still visit and someday should the right opportunity open up maybe I'll go back.  Who knows where life will take me.

We've had date nights

Halloumi Salad @ Cafe Malaga

 Fondue

 Don Piquillo

Cheesecake Martini

even though the man has been working overtime like crazy and hasn't been home much at all this summer.  We manage to steal away for dinner once or twice a month but that's about all the "us" time we've had.  This basically means everything falls on my shoulders so this would be the very reason why I've been so lax in my blogging lately.  Our favorite date night so far has to be our dinner at Cafe Malaga.  Ah*maz*balls is all I can say!  The pictures above don't even tell the whole story about our evening there because that wasn't all the food we ordered.  It realize it looks like a lot but they serve their food tapas style, which is food served on small plates, so it's actually...what is that they say...."objects may be smaller than they appear".

 
A few of our date nights, but only two, entertained the "double date" theory.  We have a couple that we go out with on a fairly consistent basis where we basically schedule 'date nights' a month or two in advance but with the man working so much this has only happened once since May.  I mean, I spent the 4th of July with these friends minus the man and I am so thankful they don't mind the "third wheel" hanging around!  The other time we were actually able to go out I arranged a surprise visit with one of the man's old friends so they could catch up and I finally got to meet his fiance.  They happen to be getting married this weekend and we're looking forward to that wedding.  The fun times with them were spent here:

 Splitsville

which is the very same place we ate this California roll just Monday night.  Yep, you guessed it - another date night for just the two of us.

I've also had mommy-daughter time and this is what we typically eat

The girl is so hooked on this place it cracks me up.  She ♥'s it which makes my ♥ happy because so do I!  And I think I may have sold her on the grilled onions just the other day when she tried my burger with them! In-N-Out is definitely the bomb!  Of course we spend a lot of time shopping so it is a necessity as we need our strength as we traipse from store to store looking for "fashionable" bargains!

I've done a little crafting but considering everything we've had going on this summer I have not spent as much time on it as I had initially planned but I did manage to wrap these delightful little packages for a bridal shower and I do have a wedding gift that needs my attention because it won't make itself and that wedding is three days away!  Yikes!

I've spent tons of time with my boy, too, but he doesn't like it when I take photos although I did manage to snap two on the day he turned 18. I can't fail to mention that the very next day he started college.  Talk about major changes going on around here lately.  Whew!

And that, in a nutshell, is basically an overview of what has happened over the past couple months.  I say bring on September, fall, cooler temps, rain, falling leaves that crunch under my feet and all the glorious holidays that happen over the next few months!  I'm ready....are you?