Kandice Matsler

Hometown Tourist (Part1)

A few weeks ago, I had a wide open Sunday afternoon (which is rare), so I decided to do something I've been wanting to do for awhile- be a tourist in my own town.  I know it's a little corny, but I've lived in Lubbock for almost two years and still haven't seen some of the "sites" around the area... and if I've going to live here and embrace life here, I need to start somewhere.  So I kidnapped my grandparents for the afternoon and we ventured around town in exploration.

First Stop:  The Buddy Holly Center

Since Buddy Holly is from Lubbock (and my other granddad shared violin lessons with him when they were growing up), I thought this would be a good place to start.  There were a few cool artifacts in the museum, but it was pretty small.  My favorite items were his famous glasses (that were discovered in the plane crash wreckage) and his guitar (which of course was on the bus headed to their next gig, not the plane that crashed).  There were also letters from teenagers in small surrounding towns that had written to request that he come play at their school dance, etc.  Overall impression:  Glad I did once, but I don't think I'll ever need a second tour.

Second Stop:  The Windmill Museum

Windmills ARE synonymous with with Texas, so I was kind of excited about this one.  We didn't pay to go through the actual museum and learn about them (I'm not "city" enough to need that lesson), but we did roam around the grounds and look at the different windmills.  My favorite spot was where several were clustered around a big round watering trough.  As they spun, they pumped water into the trough (like a fountain).  At first I laughed at the "redneckness" of it all, but when I got closer I was surprised to see a few brightly colored fish swimming around inside.  In a way, it was so simple it was pretty beautiful.

Third Stop:  A Roadside Sunflower Field

I was hoping we'd see one, but farmers around here rotate growing them year to year, so they're not always in the same spot.  We were lucky enough to stumble upon this field and it just made me happy to stand facing miles of yellow sunflowers.  (I didn't get too close though, there were bees everywhere!)

For stops four and five, we tried to visit two local wineries, but by the time we got there, they were closed. I guess we'll save that for Hometown Tourist Part2. 

I had fun being a hometown tourist... If you've never done it, you should give it a try!  Happy Weekend everyone!

Play Ball

Well, I can't believe Lucy is already almost 20 weeks old.  She's growing like a weed, too!  She just hit 32 pounds and went from being knee-high to Sarah to just a few inches shorter than her in a matter of 2 months.  I had forgotten how fast puppies grow... it's crazy!

Tonight she got her second night of playing ball with Sarah and she had such a blast!  It was really cute to see how proud of herself she was when she brought the ball back to me.

Ah, the joys of summer nights.  And simplicity of enjoying a tennis ball.

 

Fresh Cut Goodness

Ok, so technically these weren't  fresh cut, they were from the florist in my store's shopping center, but let's pretend, shall we?   Lately I've been stocking the house with fresh flowers, and I think it's because they remind me of home.  Growing up, my mom always had fresh cut flowers around the house from her garden.  At the time they weren't what I considered "pretty" flowers (she LOVES wildflowers, but I always thought they looked like weeds), but now I realize how nice it was to have them around.  They just bring warmth and fragrance, and they make me happy.  My favorites lately are hydrangeas because they last so long (2-3 weeks).  My mom has the most gorgeous hydrangeas at her house (see below), so having them around my house makes it a little more "homey" I guess.

Anyone else have a favorite flower for inside?  I'm not talking about rose arrangements or grocery store bouquets- just easy, naturally pretty flowers you can throw in a mason jar and enjoy.  I'd love to hear them!

Aren't these gorgeous??  She's got 4 bushes like this! Me = Jealous.

It's a Small World, Afterall

Well, I apologize for my pathetic blogging break, but I really just haven't had much to say lately.  I've been really busy with "normal life stuff" and "store stuff" and not really up for any extra creativity... so I'm getting back into it slowly.  I do got a few exciting things on the horizon, but I'm not quite ready to give details, so give me a little time and we'll get there.  :)

In the mean time, I did have an interesting week and thought I'd share.   It's not unusual that I often have "small town" moments, living in a moderately sized town that seems like a small town- a customer who knows my grandparents or parents or cousins, someone I went to college with, etc.  This week, though, I had not one but TWO very "small world" experiences (and yes, if you're like me, you're already singing "It's a Small World" in your head just like that ride at Disneyworld that's like the old Six Flag Spelunker Cave.... with visions of creepy, internationally dressed children dancing in your head.) 

Experience #1:

I got an online order for the store last week that was for some paper plates and napkins.  No big deal, pretty routine.  When I got ready to ship it however, I thought that the Ship To name seemed familiar... and after a quick phone call, I realized that I was correct.  The order was in fact shipping to my old StuCo and English teacher from high school (Mrs. Darr for all you MHS folks), who has since moved out of town.  We had a nice little visit, and she was delighted that she had stumbled across my store (without even knowing that it was mine until I called!).  Crazy small world.

Experience #2:

Just a few days ago, I got a Facebook message from a girl whose name I didn't recognize.  It didn't ring any bells, but she was so specific in her message:  "In elementary school, I was best friends with a Kandice Matsler before I moved to Germany.  If that's you, write me back."  Well, since I didn't recognize the name, I thought it was odd, but I also thought it was too weird to be coincidence, so I wrote her back anyway (because in fact I DID have a best friend in elementary who moved to Germany).  Over a few exchanged messages, I discovered that it WAS in fact my friend (who had along the way changed her name AND gotten married, which is why I didn't recognize it).  And on top of that, she actually lives in Lubbock now too (the very place we were friends to begin with)!  Once again, crazy, crazy small world!  We're going to try to get together soon, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Kinda weird, huh?  Talk about pleasant surprises...  Thank God for those!  I'll take a pleasant one over a sucky one anyday!