Ikea+sunshine+family+friends = great time in DALLAS!

My time in Dallas has been amazing! So filled of time spent with friends and family. I was so worried about the stress the move might involve but because so many were praying for this week, it has been so smooth! I had imagined myself having to open each box I had so carefully packed in April to sort out what I could and could not bring. But, when I hit Dallas on Saturday morning at 8:30, mom and I went straight to Ikea. I'm not a huge fan of Ikea, but for this move, I knew it had some very practical stuff. I wanted 3 things: 1) a big, tall, cabinet type thing to use for all my kitchen stuff-- since I love to entertain, it means I have more dishes, cooking untensils, serving pieces, etc... than I really need. I got rid of some of the stuff in my garage sale back in April, but still had plenty I wasn't ready to part with. Plus, maybe I can have some girls over for brunch in NYC and that will be a way to start developing some relationships! 2) a stand or something for my TV which I could hang from the ceiling so that it would be up out of the way since I don't have much floor space 3) some sort of cabinet to also hang on the wall to just use as more storage place in my bedroom. We found all three things!! And #1 and #3 were both on sale at great prices! I was so excited and it was a huge relief. Then, I felt like I could take everything I had because I have places to put it now. Great Ikea experience. The movers came this morning--so, it's pretty official. I am moving to NYC!!
The Ikea trip set me off on the right foot for the week in Texas! So, I've been able to just relax and enjoy my time with people I love. Here's some of the fun stuff I've done:

• Gone to the pool with Ryder twice--he's such a sweet baby. I swear when I saw him today he was excited to see me, so that's a good feeling because 3 weeks from now, he probably won't remember me anymore. The time in the Texas sunshine was great for me, too!
• Spent hours on Saturday watching the last several episodes of Grey's Anatomy with 5 of my girlfriends. So fun! We also went to church together and did lots of chatting and catching-up!
• Ate lunch with my friend, Amanda, who is in town for the summer all the way from Indonesia. It was great to hear about her experiences both in Indonesia and her adjustments to being back here in the States.
• A friend from high school randomly was in town for work so I got to spend some good time with him on Sunday night.
• Ate lunch with my ex-roommate and friend, Kristen, who happens to be a CPA at a church here and gave me some great ideas and contacts for issues I'm dealing with at my new job.
• Spent an entire afternoon with my friend Marsha just talking, listening, and taking lots of advice and gaining from all her wisdom. She's about to have a baby any day, so I also got to see all her fun baby toys, clothes, and the precious room she has put together.
• Spent lunch and a few hours at my friend Kelli's just catching-up and playing with her baby, Gil.
• Had an awesome dinner with Julie and Amber. I'd always wanted to go to Fireside Pies and now that I've moved away, I finally got to go. It was delicious! I was always looking for good pizza in Dallas and this was it!!

Tomorrow, I have brunch with Janet and Michelle and then I need to go back to where all my stuff has been the past couple of months and sort through the little bit that is left there. Tomorrow night is dinner with Deanna and then Shakespeare in the Park with a small group. I never went to Shakespeare in the Park when I lived here and am looking forward to checking it out! Then, Thursday is on to Amarillo and the wedding festivities. I'm looking forward to that as well! Mom and I did some packaging of cookies tonight for the bridal lunch we're hosting on Saturday. I'm looking forward to all the events!