Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A Few Photos around Campus

Today I was glad to be distracted by and hang out with my crazy friends in Waco. The unplanned day just kind of evolved into what it was, and even though I was in Waco for 14 hours, the fact that I laughed a lot today helped when I got home to my husband-less house. 


- From the desk of Mrs. M

The Week in Photos

 late night tea/ Phi Alpha/ a little bit of Spring in TX/ hot chocolate on a chilly day
 pretty TX sky/ bundled Huxley/ professional presentation/ BSSW Family dinner
 Hux's first kill/ my favorite card company/ Army everywhere/ Abuya making me Kenyan chai
spring rolls/ Daddy Daughter time/ tasty/ new color
Liz Lemon coping strategy/ sun kitty/ beer kitty/ Army kitty
just hanging/ Kyle's last dinner/ diving into summer Netflixing/ cutie

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My New Toy

I'm not usually one to make big purchases, but I might have a weakness for apple products. And really, this is only my second apple purchase ever; and I got my iPhone 4S in October 2011. Anyway, I decided to treat myself ("treat yo self!") to an end of the semester, yay it's finally over gift of an iPad. I hear there may be a new one coming out this summer, but I wanted one for my trip to DC in May, and needed some motivation to make it through this challenging semester (group projects. So many group projects). 


- From the desk of Mrs. M

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Week in Photos

Greek lunch/ successful presentation/ heels I didn't actually wear/ spazz cat
this charger is great/ scary Darwin/ WIC aware/ preparing for travel photography!
gift for husband/ Last to do list for the semester/ delicious/ my most fun books to donate
late night/ toy shopping for West survivors/ boost for me/ volunteering in West
 at the West fairgrounds/ heaps and heaps of stuff/ Sister keeping a sense of humor in Boston/ Saturday at the ER
still super photogenic/ IHOP as trauma therapy/ basket kitty/ treetop kitty
Sunday afternoon work/ salmon dinner/ cute cat/ new toy

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Saturday at the ER

As a wife to a military man who commutes via motorcycle to work every day, rain or shine, there are a couple calls I dread getting every day, as you can imagine. One of those calls I received on Saturday. Kyle was calling to tell me he was in an accident on the highway and was being taken to the ER. Luckily it was Kyle himself calling; if it was the police or the hospital I would not have reacted in nearly the same way. 

Kyle was on his way down to Austin for a motorcycle event, actually. Traffic on 35 came to a very sudden stop; the car in front of him screeched on the breaks, nearly slamming into the car in front of them and swerving a bit to avoid it. Kyle braked as well, but couldn't reach zero in time. He ran into the back of the car, went over the handlebars, onto the hood, and rolled off the car and into the median. Someone else called the police, and they were there shortly. People in the cars around got out to help him up; everyone seemed surprised that Kyle got up himself and seemed to be OK. The bike was not rideable, and the ambulance took Kyle to the ER at a hospital in Round Rock, where I met him. MRIs and X-rays were done, with results coming up clear. He had scrapes and bruises, lots of pain and a sprained thumb, but was otherwise OK (though very frustrated). He was very lucky. Motorcycle crashes do not usually end with the rider walking out of the hospital. If Kyle had been wearing his open-face helmet instead of full one, his jaw would probably be broken. Kyle is a safe driver and adheres to all of the military rules for riding- helmet, long sleeves (leather jacket), boots, gloves, safety vest, etc. In TX you do not even have to wear a helmet, which has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but I guess that's the choice some people make and we can only trust that natural selection will take the reigns from there. 

And now, since he has worried me so, I get to show pictures of Kyle in his hospital attire. 

What a week, eh? :/ 

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

My Side Project

On top of school, work, and internship, I decided to tackle another project this semester, after watching the documentary A Place at the Table in early March. Unfortunately, the documentary has been on limited release, and wasn't showing anywhere around here. I felt that it was important enough that it needed to be seen by as many as possible, and so I decided to try to make that happen. Luckily, as my knowledge of how to make things happen in Waco is limited, I was able to team up with a professional in the community who had the same idea. We have been working on getting it organized, and have just about finalized the event details. It has been quite a process so far, now we just have to focus on getting people to show up! :) Stay tuned for a full fledged advertisement campaign, and if you live in the area, consider coming out to the event. Here's a look at the write-up I just completed, about the screening.  




"50 million Americans exist without enough to eat in a nation with more than enough food." This is just one of the startling realities presented in the new documentary about food insecurity in the United States, A Place at the Table. A Place at the Table introduces the viewer to Barbie, Rosie, and Tremonica, three individuals who, with their families, and like many around the country, are struggling with food insecurity. Barbie, a single mother of two in Philadelphia shows us the cyclic struggle of poverty and hunger that many parents experience, with little hope of providing a better life for herself and her kids. Rosie, a sweet fifth-grader in Colorado, is direct proof of the negative impact food insecurity has on school-age children, as she speaks about her difficulty concentrating and doing well in school. Tremonica is a second-grader in Mississippi, the state with the highest rate of food insecurity and obesity; her story shows us the unfortunate reality of an unhealthy diet made up of empty calories, because that is all her hardworking mother can afford. The film also covers policy, politics, and how the actions, or often inaction, of those in Washington have thus far failed to make healthy foods accessible for all.

Activists, experts, policy makers and ordinary citizens alike have responded to the film with resounding support. Despite its limited release, the film has been deemed a must-see for all, with the aim of raising awareness about the inexcusable poverty and hunger faced by 1/6th of our population. It is in this spirit that the Texas Hunger Initiative and Baylor School of Social Work are teaming up to host a community viewing of A Place at the Table. In addition to viewing the documentary, a panel discussion will follow. Speakers include Matt Hess, Executive Director of World Hunger Relief, Inc, Dr. Gaynor Yancey of the Baylor University School of Social Work, and Cheryl Pooler, from Waco ISD Homeless Outreach Services. These experts will be able to speak to hunger as it is experienced more locally, and answer questions that may arise during the film. This event will give members of the community an opportunity to engage, educate themselves, and find out what steps we can take to help make our state and nation food secure. 


I'm excited to see what further insight I gain regarding hunger in America, after my trip to DC in May!

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Week in Photos

 my employers on the cover of Baylor magazine!/ cupcakes make life better/ craving this so hard/ couldn't resist
comfy shoes/ Baylor at sunset/ early morning Hux/ our pumpkin from October is finally kaput
at the Waco Farmers Market
crepe time/ bubble tea and pho/ beautiful morning in Waco
start of Kyle's chair/ Kyle's latest batch of beer/ Hux/ purple gecko
his stool!/ blue nails/ cat perch/ breakfast
love this place and the people in it. my sister was at work two blocks away. my friend was there right before the explosions. glad they are safe. heartbroken the same can't be said for all. heartwarmed by the good acts of the many.  

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Monday, April 15, 2013

Downtown Waco Farmers Market


On Saturday morning, myself and a few classmates/ friends met up at the farmers market in Waco. I'd never been but wanted to go for a while; we were actually working on an advocacy project for policy class, but it was pretty casual- collecting some signatures and chatting with folks about our topic, so it was a nice morning walking about, making a couple purchases and wanting to try a little bit of everything. They have nifty tokens for those who don't have cash on them; I have some left so I'll definitely be going back! I bought some natural orange lip balm, a jar of jalapeno jelly, and a crepe. I've been too busy and exhausted to cook many inspiring meals lately, or I probably would have bought some produce, too. It was nice to get to be out and about, doing "work," before heading back indoors to finish up the last three weeks of the semester. May 3rd, hurry, please. Here are some photos from the market! 

- From the desk of Mrs. M