Dallas Bucket List

Dallas Bucket List

I love the idea of making a list of places to visit. And now with Pinterest it becomes so visual! I had a short list on my phone of hot spots to hit up in Dallas, but I wanted it to become a reality. I’m an obsessed document-er. I take a photo to represent practically every place I go. For the more monumental things, I’ve added them to my Dallas Bucket List! For every bucket list item I complete, there will be an accompanying blog post or Instagram. I’ve already linked up the ones I’ve done! (Before I even added them to the list!) I love this city. I can’t wait to get out and explore it!

My bucket list will evolve and change and I hope will never be fully completed. I want to find new things to experience and do to share with you here. Consider this your unofficial guide to Dallas. (Psst! I’ve added this post permanently to the top nav bar. Check back to see if I’ve completed something!)

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Visit the Farmer’s Market when The Shed is finished

See a Cowboy’s Game Done! 8.29.15

Girls night in Uptown Done! 8.28.15

Feed the giraffes at the Dallas Zoo

Spend an afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum, or see a concert in their concert series. (BONUS! Visit in Fall!) Done, and done!

Have a fancy dinner at Reunion Tower Done! 4.9.16

Order a sandwich at Jimmy’s Food Store Done!

Have coffee or a drink at Ascension

Take skyline pictures to my heart’s content on the Trinity Skyline Trail Done! 6.5.16

Take advantage of the cool, fall weather on one of Dallas’ trails Done! 11.21.16

Build my own chocolate box at Kate Weiser Chocolate

Chow on some doughnuts at Hypnotic

Chow on even more doughnuts at Top Pot Doughnuts

Have my first macaron at Joy Macarons Done! 7.20.16

Have a drink and enjoy a rooftop in Lower Greenville Done! 2.26.16

Take Pepper and visit the food trucks at Klyde Warren Park Done! But without Pepper.

See Big Tex at the State Fair! (Planned October 1!) Done! 10.1.15

Check out the skyline from Chase Tower Sky Lobby

Buy some records at Good Records for my new record player Done! 4.16.16

Visit Thanksgiving Square and chill out

Be provoked at the Nasher Sculpture Center

Be inspired at the Dallas Museum of Art Done!

Add to my enormous collection of Dallas skyline photos at Trinity Overlook Park Done! 6.14.16

Educate myself on the cool art of letterpress at We Are 1976 Done!

Try to choke down a whole juice at Local Press + Brew

Visit the literal giant eyeball in downtown Done! 3.19.17

Take Pepper swimming at White Rock Lake

Eat my way through Dallas’ top 60 best breakfasts list

Give myself permanent anxiety by slurping down cups of coffee at Method Done! 3.23.16, Murray Street and Mudsmith Done!

Experience Thai food for the first (ish) time Done!

See a game at The Ballpark in Arlington, this time as a Dallasite

Go canoeing or kayaking at White Rock Lake

Audition for a play!

Gravitate

So are you just dying to know? DYING to know how I’m doing in Dallas now? Big city Mel?

I LOVE DALLAS!

Are you surprised? Oh, stop.

The mini adventures I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the things I’ve learned I wouldn’t trade for the world.

BrunchGirls brunch!
Photo by Cait Butt

My adjustment time here was short. Like, a week. I’ve wanted this for so long it felt like I’ve lived here for years. My apartment is an absolute dream. (Look for an apartment tour soon!) My to-do list is a mile and a half long of projects and storage solution ideas but it excites me!

Kalie!My first Cowboys game!

Work rules. It’s funny. When I was a kid my sister and I would play school or office and some part of me has always loved clerical work. Don’t ask me why, but the idea of working in an office building is fancy. (Let me have this, guys. I wanna be cool.)

I’m still trying to settle into a routine here. After about a month, the non-profit I work for moved from two miles from my house, near Deep Ellum, to ten, in North Dallas. So my commute has grown, but I like it. I don’t think I would’ve ever explored this part of the city had we not moved! I’ve gone from wanting to cram every experience and sight and smell in as little time as I could, to being patient and accepting little opportunities as they come along. Like, a girls brunch in Uptown and meeting new friends!

I’ve loved Dallas from afar for 13 years, and it’s taking me some time to adjust to being here. To be present in this year, these months of adjustment. I want my love for this city and its people to expand and grow and change and evolve into the ministry I feel like God has pulled me to. I gravitated to Dallas for a reason.

Oh, ps. I have a preeetty comfy couch if you guys need a place to stay. Okay? Cool.

 

xx

 

 

 

Where I Decide To Retire

Day Two: Roatan, Honduras. Sigh. This place. Ugh. The beach. The food. The water. The palms. The jungle. If I ever get married this beach or the mountains is where I’ll do it.

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This is the best we’ve ever looked.

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That sunset. Man. Those mountains. Who wants to go in on a vacation home with me? I can offer you chocolate and $13.

 

The Beginning

Oh haaaaaiiiii! Did you miss me? Don’t say no. It’ll crush me.

So if you follow me on Instagram (why aren’t you following me on Instagram? @melodyrich, k?) you’ve seen all the cruise spam I’ve been spraying. So how about some more of it here? I mean, this blog is me and I went on a cruise. Ergo, my blog went on a cruise.

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I mean, it was freezing the day we boarded. Ya girl decided to wear a gauzy swim cover up and the thinnest denim shirt on the planet.

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Day one we sailed to Cozumel, Mexico. We spent all day lying in the sun getting burned. This is the exact moment I earned the splotchiest sunburn I’ve ever had. I mean, my skin is still marked. It’s bad, y’all. But napping in the sun with a margarita next to your sisters is pretty neat.

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Day two we woke up to the clearest water I’ve ever seen. Well, technically we woke up to the sights and sounds of that Carnival ship off our balcony. But that ship was in the clearest water I’ve ever seen. So, that’s something.

We disembarked and got on a small boat and headed to Isla de Pasion. (Add a tilde over that ‘o’ in Pasion, for me will ya?)  We passed a yacht from Australia, a rusted sunken ship, and came upon this…

 

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This is where they filmed your favorite Corona commercial. And this is where I fell in love with sand. Free margs and rum and guacamole? SIGN.ME.UP.

 

Let’s go back.

Sometimes

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Sometimes we aren’t loved the way we want to be.

You know what I mean?

So often as single people we get too caught up in being romantically loved by someone else. We hunt and search for that one person who makes us light up. We look for someone to give all of our love to. But while we’re doing that we’re missing it. We space on those that love us ​right now.​ Friends, family, coworkers, Jesus, church family, the waiter at that restaurant you frequent. We use up all of our energy ​looking​ when our efforts and love can be spent right in front of us on the people that love us in the ​now. 

I don’t want to be like that. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen others’ unprecedented love for me expressed lately. I know it’s God reminding me that I already am loved. Even if I’m not ready to date right now and that marriage is the furthest thing from my mind. I’m already loved.

A couple months ago I started kind of mindlessly realizing that if I want to be a good wife someday I have to learn how to love. Which implies I never really learned how. I’ve always been a selfish lover. (Ew, and I don’t mean that in a gross way GUTTER MIND.) I “loved” so that others would “love” me back. But that’s not what love is. Love is selfless. It’s genuine and patient and giving. It doesn’t expect anything in return. (How tough is that one?) Love doesn’t play games.

It’s no secret that I want to move to Dallas. Because I’m a bulldog when it comes to my dreams I convinced myself not to put any roots down in Tyler. That meant no new friends, no new job, no new anything. The exact opposite happened. I started working at both of the stores in Tyler and when I did that? An entirely new world of Godly women was given to me. My prayer of years was finally answered. Godly girlfriends. I cannot tell you how incredibly happy I am at my job. I work with my friends. I work with people who genuinely love me and want to see me succeed. It’s truly amazing.

These are roots. These are the things I told God I didn’t want because why would I if I’m just going to move to Dallas eventually? Thank GOD He doesn’t listen to our selfishness, am I right?

God is giving me a chance to learn how to love. Platonically. Because if I can’t love other people, how can I love my husband?

Sometimes we aren’t loved the way we want. But we’re loved the way we need. Don’t overlook the ones that love you right now. Don’t miss investing in the people around you. Don’t miss loving them.

Life is Funny

Life is funny.

When this year started I had plans. Ridiculous plans that I thought would make me happy and ‘fix’ all the things wrong with my life and myself. Like repairing my broken marriage, moving to Tyler, finding a high paying job that I didn’t really care for.

It’s the end of December and I’ve done none of those things. I’m still divorced (and happy), I still live at home, and I have TWO paying jobs that I love. I’m happy. And I never saw it coming.

I fell in love again and was broken-hearted again. I learned how to feel and how to love in a Godly way and how to let go. I learned that it’s okay to eat Italian food with your two girlfriends when a guy stands you up on a date with no explanation and then want to kiss the waitress when she brings you free cheesecake and says, “He doesn’t deserve you,” and then want to hug the waiter when he comes by and says how the waitress asked everyone in the kitchen if she should do it and everyone told her, “YES.” (Oh and then obvi block the guy. Duh.)

I’m still learning how to do what is best for me without constantly trying to people please. And not letting someone else’s potential thoughts about my decision affect my decision. I’m still learning to listen to that nagging voice in the back of my mind, cause guess what? She’s (almost) always right. I’m learning that what I want and what God wants aren’t lining up just right because I’m still selfish. (But, OH, do I want them to line up.) I’m still learning how to deal with boredom and that it’s really okay to be alone.

I have no plans for 2015. Well, I mean I have plans because I’m a planner and a doer, but realistically I know God is going to yank me out of them kicking and screaming and do what He wants and I’ll be happier than I ever imagined. Refining fire and all that.

I don’t know why I felt compelled to share this. Dating is weird. And hard. But I’ve seen a lot of Jesus in it. I’ve learned a lot about who I am in Him, really, when things get hard. You have these fantasies of cussing someone out when they pull out in front of you and you t-bone them, but when the adrenaline is pumping and you’re on the side of the road alone you find out who you are. Who you really are.

And who I am is a daughter of the King.

 

I am His.
I am His.
I am His.