Female Fun in Fort Worth

Yesterday was beautiful.  Not just the weather, the entire day.  My family strolled through the day without a care in the world and no agenda until Adam took the kids camping.  They are currently asleep on the TCU baseball field.  I like camping, but when given the option of going camping or spending some time by myself, I choose myself.
Last night I met my friends Stacy and Helen at Rodeo Goat for burgers and fun.  Stacy and Helen both went to high school with me, and oddly, they still don't mind being seen in public with me.
After burgers, we piled in my car and went downtown for Main Street Arts Festival.
I love festivals in downtown Fort Worth.  I know how to get around, so instead of wondering which way to walk or decide on a defined route, I get to focus on people. It makes me happy to be in a familiar place full of people because I know I will meet fascinating folks.
Since I was driving, I also gave Stacy and Helen a mini-tour of downtown FW, Boyette-style. ("That sign says Burnett Plaza is for tired moms.  That is FUMCFW.  The guy that owns that restaurant makes sandwiches for  homeless ladies.  Best burgers in town at Blue Tower.  Police Cat Fluffy lives there.  Library!")
Here are some photos of our adventures:

At this point, we had just parked the car.  Woohoo!  After at least 15 minutes of sitting in traffic we got a parking space! (Yes I know it's kind of lame to take a picture after parking a car.)

Inside the old Fire Station No. 1 is Fort Worth's smallest museum.  150 years of Fort Worth all celebrated in one room.  Here Stacy reaches for the stars and hopes for 150 more.

Helen who is a marathon runner.  If you call her that, she'll blow it off like it's no big deal, but this lady runs marathons!

I decided to sit side saddle and try to make the cheesiest picture possible.  

Here was our first new friend.  We all got to touch that awesome hair!  Really, anyone that spends that much time to perfect a look deserves applause.

This was our friend Willie at Green Mountain Energy.  Stacy actually filled out an advertisement form (she loves the environment), so we got to talk to him for a long time.  Another lady came up and was patiently waiting to ask if she could have some candy.  Helen and I tried to fill her purse.  She acted like she was really hungry and this was the only food she was going to get.  We kept urging her to get more, and then even Willie said, "Girl, you help yourself."

The lady that took this photo for us missed how to use the flash.  Oh well.  We are supposed to be the Wild Bunch.

Street preacher.

One of the highlights of the night was the street preachers.  As a person of faith myself, I am always fascinated at how differently the message of God's grace sounds from a street preacher.  Also, I have to applaud these people who feel that the only way they can save the world is by doing this.  They suffer ridicule but are still out on the corner preaching.

I didn't get to have a long conversation because Stacy and Helen were with me and I had embarrassed them enough, but I would have liked to compare notes.  If their goal is to share the consequences of people's actions, I think they got me beat.  I don't do that.  But if their goal was to share the message of God's love, I would be curious to how many people they were able to engage in conversation or to offer love to.  Because for me, sharing God's love last night included lifting a stroller over a curb for a frustrated dad, offering my koozie to a starving artist, sharing Willie's candy with a hungry lady, admiring an afro, offering compliments and admiration on artwork, and actually looking for people to engage in conversation with.

All the street preachers were on one quadrant and at each corner, they had a different tract about going to hell.  I made sure to get all of them for my pal Jason.  The best one was a "Get out of hell free" card.  At the last corner, when I engaged the preacher in conversation, I complimented him on the marketing brilliance of creating a tract that looked like a Monopoly game card.  He asked where I got it and I pointed to another corner of the square, where the African-American man that gave me the card stood.  The preacher said, "Oh, I don't know about him.  He's not with us."  That was so interesting to me, because these guys are standing about 20 feet apart doing the same thing, and they hadn't talked to each other?  

Then the street preacher asked me if I had been saved.  I told him I was a big-time Jesus lover.  He looked confused.  "I love Jesus.  Big time.  Go ask my friends."  He looked very uncomfortable like he wasn't sure if I was lying or not.  I guess people don't often come up to him and admit to being a Jesus lover.  I enjoyed throwing him for a loop.

I can't wait to hear how the camping trip went.

Downtown Fort Worth, Boyette-style

When I was a kid, for a very special event, my mom would take my sister and I downtown to ride the Tandy subway and look at all the ice skaters.  I fell in love with the concept of "downtown," and watching all the business people in their suits crossing the streets at the crosswalks.  Since then, downtown Fort Worth has held a special allure to me.
Now that I've grown, my feelings about the ladies in their business suits has changed.  I can't imagine walking around in high heels all day.  Occasionally I'll wear them to church, but only because I do a lot of sitting on Sunday morning and am relatively sure I won't fall in the little time I'm walking.  Working in a skyscraper still sounds exciting, but cubicle life doesn't.
I've passed the love of the mystery and magic of downtown onto the kids.  The best part about it is how they see the world completely differently and together we have magical adventures that I would never have by myself.

Today I thought I'd share a list of sites to visit and memories-in-the-making, Boyette-style.
1.  I'm going to go ahead and get the gross one out of the way.  Two years ago, when Paul was in the midst of potty-training, we ventured out with him in underwear for the first time.  I was smart enough to pack a few changes of clothes in case he had an accident, but I didn't foresee what really happened.  We were standing on a sky bridge that connects two buildings, looking down below at how things look smaller from a distance when Paul said he needed to go potty.  I was about to scoop him up and take him but then I realized he was sopping wet.  He was standing over an air vent.  Luckily there was no one else around, so I changed my son's clothes right there.  All of downtown Fort Worth could see his cute little buns.  I figured every step he took would be messy, so it was best to control the mess.  Now every time we pass that bridge, the kids remind me of that day.

2.  Central Library

Oddly, every time we go to the downtown library, the children's section is sparsely populated.  Maybe we go on off-hours, but it never seems busy there.  (I know the adult sections are packed.) This week we revisited a favorite: Bearly Bedtime Stories.  Each Tuesday at 7 p.m. the librarian encourages kids to come in pajamas and hug on a bear while she reads stories.  Pretty awesome.

3.  Jamba Juice
Around our house, it is not uncommon to hear someone shout, "Razzmatazz!"  It doesn't really mean anything; just an expression of excitement/ playful aggression.  At Jamba Juice, the menu features a fruit smoothie called "Razzmatazz," which the kids love for the taste as well as the name.  If I have a coupon, I buy them their own smoothie.  If I don't, I buy a large smoothie and the Jamba Juice folks put it in two cups.  (Pssst....you get more smoothie that way and the kids are less hyper than they would be consuming a whole smoothie.)

4.  Sid Richardson Art Museum
We went there twice so far this summer and I am pleased to say that the docents really love kids.  We went during kid-friendly events, but each employee engaged the children in conversation about art on their level.  They have puzzles that match the paintings on the wall.  Admission is free and this is an art museum that actually wants you to bring kids.

5.  Spider Web
In Burnett Plaza, there is a giant rope-climby-thing that looks just like a spider web.  The kids love for me to pack our lunches so we can go to the Spider Web and eat under the shade and then they climb the ropes.

6.  Molly the Trolley
The city has a bus/trolley system just for downtown, and it's free.  Molly will drive around most of downtown.  The kids love waiting at the stop and getting on Molly.  They enjoy public transportation, and the drivers are always friendly.

7.  Barnes and Noble
With their summer reading program, the kids each got a free book.  We like Barnes and Noble downtown for that as well as an exciting escalator and a public bathroom.

8.  Hidden tunnels
While having lunch in Burnett Plaza recently, Paul needed to use the restroom.  It was during business hours, so I decided to pretend like we knew what we were doing and go in the office building to find a restroom.  We did eventually find one, but not before we found an escalator that lead to underground tunnels that go from one office building under the street to the next.  We had fun exploring underground.

9.  Police Cat Fluffy
Two days ago we discovered the Fort Worth Police Department's secret weapon:  a cat.  We were walking around exploring after a trip to the B&N restroom and came across the building of the First Methodist Church, possibly the oldest brick building in Tarrant County.  We looked at the building, noting it was now a police station.  It was nearly 9 p.m. by this point, so we were about to cross the street and head back to the car when Paul spotted a cat.  He asked to pet it.  I said, "You can if he'll let you.  He might be a wild cat."  Not at all.  It appears that this cat lives at the police station.  He's clean, de-clawed, and very friendly.  We don't know his real name, but Claire named him Police Cat Fluffy.  The kids know about K9 units, so they were trying to figure out what Fluffy does for the police.  Adam and I are allergic to cats and we have two dogs, so unfortunately for them, the kids will never have a pet cat.  They had never been around one so sweet.  Claire carried Fluffy around, petting the cat and cooing to it.  When the cat hopped out of her arms, Paul picked him up again for her.  I thought this might be a one time thing, but the kids begged to go see him again yesterday and sure enough, Police Cat Fluffy was still there.  He was right in front of the police station door, so the kids picked him up and walked around with him.  I was a little apprehensive about appearing to steal a cat from the police, but no one said anything to us.  The police just waved.

10.  History of Fort Worth Exhibit
This is a small exhibit housed in the first fire station.  It's just one room, but it's free and it's interesting.  We went on Tuesday and the kids were a little apprehensive because we were the only ones there.

Campaign Fun

Two years ago, the city government in Fort Worth proposed shutting down some of its libraries to make up for a budget deficit. One of the libraries on the chopping block was the Wedgwood branch, the one we walk to weekly. Of course we were upset and even spoke at a city council meeting to protest.

The library stayed open and we got to know our city councilman, Jungus Jordan. He assured us that we wouldn't lose the library as long as he was in office and we assured him that we would help him when he was up for re-election.

Now's the time. I am a supporter of Jungus for political reasons, and the kids are supporters of Jungus for friendship reasons. They love the guy. One day we saw him shopping at Albertson's and the kids yelled, "Hey Mr. Jungus!" down every aisle and he didn't get the least bit annoyed. So we are all official Jungus fans over here.

Today Adam and I took the kids and campaigned with Jungus down our block and on the next street. Our campaign trail was small because we have small people involved, but there was a lot of heart. The kids rang a lot of doorbells and would tell everyone "Vote for Mr. Jungus!" I think we won over a few votes from cuteness alone.

We also met some interesting people and a parrot. We stayed a long time campaigning to

Heather, and I think we got her vote.

Above is Jungus talking to the real voter in the house about actual issues. He did talk to the parrot, but I don't want you to think he's actually "talking to the parrot." But really, isn't this guy great? How many people take time out of their day to talk to a parrot and discuss political concerns with the parrot's owner?

The kids posed with Heather the parrot, trying to persuade her to vote or to sing "Row, Row Your Boat."

Thanksgiving Tuesday Number Two!

As part of my new Tuesday tradition, I will list items I am thankful for.

1. Fort Worth's balance between urban and rural.

I love living in a big city. Every destination I need is within reach. I also love trees and flowers though, and I think Fort Worth has the perfect balance of them. You go downtown, which only consists of cement in many cities, and you see trees and flowers in beds. If you get tired of the gray, you just have to turn your head for some green, and if you get tired of the green, you just have to turn your head for some gray.

2. Texas weather.

Last week we were sweating and this week we're wearing sweaters. I love that I never have to stick to one item in my wardrobe. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

3. My tomato plant.

I bought one of those cheater plants at Wal-Mart that was already blooming and I have managed to keep it alive and healthy. We'll have tomatoes soon.

4. Quotes and Quips from kids.

Yesterday Claire confessed that she thought Pat-a-Cake said, "Bake your hands" but now understands that it is "Baker's Man."

5. Half Price Books

Last week I took two bags of books in and a vague idea of a Bible study book I wanted. I found what I needed and almost paid for it with what I didn't.

6. A cold glass of clean water.

I'm drinking one right now and I'm lucky. Millions of people in the world can't do that.

7. E-mail

I HATE talking on the phone. It's paralyzing and there's something that draws the children to me when I'm on the phone. They'll be busy making crafts but if I get on the phone, all the sudden they are hanging on me like monkeys. I am so grateful that in this day and age, I can e-mail instead of talk on the phone with most people.

8. Birds singing.

In our neighborhood, I often hear the birds singing even at night. It's beautiful.

9. My Steam Mop

I highly recommend my Shark Steam Mop. No detergents and you wash the mop pads. It's wonderful.

10. Flavored coffee creamers

For years, I have been wanting to buy the fancy flavored coffee creamers, but denied myself because I thought they cost too much. Recently I discovered they are only $1.28 at Wal-Mart. It's changed my coffee-drinking experience.