This Christmas was my very very first White Christmas ever! In all the 24 years that I’ve lived/returned to Texas for Christmas, we’ve never had a White Christmas. It was actually pretty unexpected – in fact, the weather said our chance was rather unlikely. Then, at around 4:30 PM on Christmas Day the snow started falling in small flakes which quickly turned into big flakes. And the neatest part? It’s still here today, two days after Christmas! The temperature has barely gone above 26F, which is unusual for this part of Texas. My younger [bigger] brother and I were like 6 year olds, running around playing in the snow, throwing snow balls and trying to make a snowman. Rolling on the ground and sliding around. It’s been a blast, and one of the most amazing parts of this Christmas season. I’ll likely never see this occur again in this area (at least for another 30 years probably). Sophie loved the snow. She’s so adventurous, I wasn’t surprised. But her little doggie paws didn’t seem to …

  It’s beautiful gray winter morning in east Texas. I thought I’d capture a bit and share some cold weather cheer of this great state with you. I love spending time back home with my family; it’s a constant reminder of the important things in life: family and love. I struggle with the fact that my career has taken me so far away from my homeland and family. Texas is where I was born and raised, out on these lands and with this small town community. It will always be home no matter where I finally plant my roots. This Christmas season, I encourage you to spend time with your families. Enjoy their company, listen to stories, grab those memories and take mental pictures. Wake up early and go outside. Watch the world awake around you. Have a beautiful day!

Maybe you know this because you’ve viewed the “Design” tab of my blog, or maybe this is new to you, but I kinda sorta do a little bit of art. Just some dabbling, I cannot claim to be an artist, but I am an artistic soul. I love to work with my hands: sketching, painting, sewing, landscaping…. you name it. I also really love creating custom pieces. It delights me to bring your vision to life. One piece of art that I offer in my shop (and sell here in Rincon at little festivals throughout the year) are Caribbean map rocks. Essentially, I find the perfectly smoothed ocean stones, paint them various shades and then sketch a map of the Caribbean. I like to give them a particular vintage map look, so I rough the edges of the islands with charcoal pencil, smudging them a bit as though a treasure map was unearthed. I love making these. Probably because my spirit longs to travel, and I have yet to visit all the islands of this …