Family

“We’re going to Jefferson.”

- Melody 2 Comments

My best friend came over Friday night and we hung out until the early hours of Saturday drinking pear ales and talking about everything that popped into our heads. I finally went to bed at 2:30 with all the hopes of sleeping until noon, but my sister came in at 10:30 telling me to get up because “we’re going to Jefferson.” Cool.

***

If you don’t know east Texas, Jefferson is arguably one of the most historical towns in east Texas. According to my dad, the town was booming around the Civil War. The river was high and Jefferson was the furthest any boat could get into Texas and still be able to turn around. Boats would bring in goods and beach themselves at the turnaround on the river and then unload them at the warehouses on the beach and then load back up with cotton bales. They’d turn around, trek out of Texas and take that cotton to any number of places in the world. Then one day, Jay Gould decided he wanted to bring his big trains into town to undercut the river and boating business that made the town so successful. He hired some guys to blow the dam upstream successfully lowering the river and destroying the boating business. He ultimately destroyed the town, but hey! He got the railroad in town!
The turnaround is still there and has been turned into a park of sorts. It sits underneath the old and new railroad tracks with new sidewalks and trees and gardens being planted. We picnicked there one year!

***

I eventually got up and got ready and grabbed all my camera gear. And by gear I mean my camera and my Fuji Instax. Saturday was misty and gray, perfect light for pictures all day actually. We got into town and pulled right up to the Hamburger Store. So. Delicious. Although it was a little awkward that the family that “drove 7.5 hours for a hotdog” complained about the hotdog “not being cooked” the entire time at the table next to ours and the poor waitress doing everything she could to make them happy.

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After I ordered the biggest burger they had and ate all of it, we drove around looking at all the gorgeous hundred year old homes and slobbering all over ourselves at how beautiful they are. Then we drove back by the railroad tracks and spent the rest of the afternoon thrifting. My kind of day.

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Public restrooms are kind of scary. But at least they were warm.

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We ended taking some beautiful outfit pictures against some pretty amazing backdrops.

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Happy Monday 🙂

 

 

xx

I Went To The Doctor And Was Cool The Whole Time

- Melody 2 Comments

Thursday night I tossed and turned wondering why I was so hot. Finally at 6:30 Friday morning I checked my temperature. 100.9. Nice. My throat was swollen and sore beyond relief. I called in to work and went back to bed. I slept on and off, only waking when my body needed to swallow, until four in the afternoon. I checked my temp again. 101.7. Great. My friend at work had gone home with strep earlier in the week so I assumed that’s what I had. (I’m a doctor, obvi.) I finally moved to the couch from my bed with my down comforter and pillow. I hadn’t eaten since the night before but starve a fever feed a cold, right? The only thing I wanted was ice cream. My throat was so hot anything else just didn’t make sense. So for the rest of the night I had two homemade blizzards while a cold pack wrapped in a wet rag cooled me down. By Saturday I only had a low grade fever but still slept for most of the day, eating yet another blizzard. Sunday I slept even more but came out of the fever fog with a throat so red and swollen my spit wouldn’t even go down it. I gagged back up some ibuprofen (are you loving this, yet?) and tried to go back to sleep. I abandoned all of my stubborn I’m-gonna-heal-myself tactics and swore to go to the doctor Monday morning. That night my sister started throwing up. (Hey! Anyone wanna come over for dinner?) I woke up this morning at 8:15 and convinced myself to finally get up. I found her on the couch. She’s been throwing up all day. (Seriously. Dinner?) Mom and I went into town and had the shortest doctor’s visit of my life.*

*By the way, this place is really amazing. Health Care Express is a clinic but it’s brand new and they take insurance. I like it so much better than my old doctor’s office even though my doctor was amazing. You don’t need an appointment and all the workers are kewl and wear jeans! They have coffee and cocoa and ask if you want water while you wait on the doctor and they’ll sent your meds to any pharmacy you want. Love love love. I go here now because I hadn’t been to my doctor in so long and now I have to go as a new patient and they’re not taking new patients now. This place is a little more expensive but for what I need right now it’s perfect.

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We walked in and I made myself some meh hot chocolate from their complimentary Keurig. (I know. Faaaaancy.)

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The same girl that called me back the last time I was in for strep called me back and took my temp and blood pressure and asked if there was any chance I was pregnant. No, I said to which my mom said, thank goodness. She left and brought back what I knew she would; the longest cotton swab I’ve ever seen and started heading it towards my mouth. She asked if I was a gagger and I meandered around giggling and then WHAM. Cotton swab in the back of my throat. I gagged about three times and then coughed the swab out of my mouth. She said, I think I got it. HAHAHA I HOPE YOU DID BECAUSE THAT CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN is what I wanted to say.

A few minutes later the coolest old man came in and said, Welp. You have strep! To which I replied yay! He sat down on the table next to me and listened to my breathing and I had to take four of the deepest breaths I’ve taken since I was a voice student which made me cough like I’ve been smoking a pack a day for six years. (We Taylors have the best lungs.) He prescribed me some meds and we were off. I bought Pepper more dog food and then we swung by Schlotzky’s where Macklemore handed us our food. I tried getting a picture but mom was all no don’t embarrass me and I was like whatever YOU don’t embarrass ME. So if you’re ever at Schlotzky’s in Longview tell Macklemore what’s up and ask him what happened to his music career. Thrift Shop was killer.

So now I’m home and just took my steroid pill and almost gagged that up because it is THE most vile pill I have ever put in my mouth. I don’t care how good it makes me feel. The taste… I would take ten butt shots before I take another one of those. Butt shots > steroid pills.

 

Hope your Monday doesn’t taste like steroids.

 

xx

We Have A Cat

- Melody 2 Comments

I talk about Pepper so much I don’t think you guys know that we have a cat! Three, actually. The two indoor cats are Mycroft and Ike. Yes, Mycroft from Sherlock. (Our favorite show. Have you seen it?! We should talk!) Our girl cat, Penny, lives outside and is the sweetest cat you’ll ever meet. She has her own little warm box on the porch swing that she snuggles up in during the weather.

When Pepper runs out the front door she also likes to do this:

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Oh wait! Here she comes back down.

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When she’s sure it’s safe again, she’ll come back down and invade any outfit pictures I’m taking. 🙂 If you’re ever in the neighborhood see if you can spot her roaming around other people’s porches. She’s easy to spot.

 

 

 

My Sister Graduated!

- Melody 3 Comments

FINALLY. My sister and I are college graduates! Holler!

After a long semester of student teaching my sister walked the stage at A&M Commerce. We are so proud.

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Shelby Kay Taylor, in case you were wondering.

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There she goes! She’s the only redhead on stage.

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Shel
Happy Graduation, Shel!

Shelby is now substituting at a lot of local schools and applying for grad school at Baylor. And I’m like WHOA! She’s been working on papers over Christmas and all this month. Filling out applications and asking us to proof her papers and calling and emailing like a mad woman. If all works out she will be moving to Waco in the fall for a dual degree in music! Insane in the membrane, I’m telling you. Ambitious! We are all so proud of her and rooting her on to fulfill her dreams. Go Shel!

Leave an encouraging comment for Shel. She’s submitting all of her applications and papers this week!

xx

Our Christmas

- Melody

I know that Christmas was, like, a month ago. But I snapped about a million pictures and just really want to share some. Especially because Pepper was extra adorable that day. 🙂

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Every year my mom displays her Santa and snowman collection. It’s one of my favorite parts about Christmas. A lot of them were her mom’s and that makes them extra special. 🙂

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This was as close as I could get to putting the hat on her head. PS: In the background you can see how my genius mom wrapped our presents this year! She ordered the biggest roll of black butcher paper I’ve every seen. It’s thick and, for me because I’m bad at wrapping, hard to work with but it looks really cool with a white paint pen or chalk!

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The light on Christmas morning… it’s the best. Better than any light on any other morning any other day of the year.

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A gentle frost lay over our backyard that morning. It was chilly and blue. Beautiful.

 

A late Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good Monday! 🙂

 

 

xx

Our Thanksgiving! I Know It’s January.

- Melody 2 Comments

Okay… so Thanksgiving was more than a month ago. More like, two months ago. But hey! It’s Thanksgiving and nothing makes me feel better than looking at pictures of delicious food.

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The turkey was huge and mom basting it made her hand look like an alien. Also, turkey butt.

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Mmm… pie.

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Mom’s fall decorations on the porch. Simple and festive. Plus we really love burlap around here.

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YUM. I still crave this meal every time I look at these pictures. We stayed home and had Thanksgiving with just us. We missed our extended family but it was nice to lounge around with the windows open all day knowing we had nowhere to be. Smelling the turkey cook and watching mom bake and her pajamas… it’s the best. Also not having to put on makeup or look presentable to stuff my face was a big plus.

How was your Thanksgiving? What kind of pie did you have? I’m hungry.

 

 

xx