still basking in the warmth of our amazing thanksgiving week, and devouring the images we captured. when i'm in a particularly beautiful place or happy moment, i try and hold onto it tight & store it up... like a squirrel with acorns (did i just compare myself to a squirrel?). whenever work gets monotonous or college station is gray, these mental snapshots & videoclips get me through. and having actual photographs doesn't hurt either. seriously- how beautiful is northern california?
my family moved to a gorgeous city named, of all city names, pleasanton. bless her heart, this cheerful name only fed the cynical fire that was stirring up in my 17 year old sister's soul. who would want to move for their junior & senior year of high school? understandably, she even briefly changed the title of her blog {gasp} from life in technicolor to life in exile. but honestly, the city really is beautiful. drastically rolling hills straight out of a dr. seuss book & gorgeous vineyards line every road and neighborhood. my dad's taken to pointing out all of his 'vistas' and the 'real ducks' in the pond at the entrance to their neighborhood. {not pretend ducks?}
these past several months, every member of my family jokingly adopted a new motto: no sympathy. moved to a new city? have to make all new friends? miss your old home? "join the club," we say to one another. "oh, you didn't want to move? guess what: you get zero sympathy from me." it may sound harsh, but it helps us laugh about the inevitable struggles that come with change & transition. the "zero sympathy" attitude is also a great reminder of how lame self-pity is. 
anyway, i'm happy to report that my family is taking all the challenges in stride. my sister already has a great group of friends. even though she would rather be back in kingwood with her beautiful community, she's in pleasanton for a reason and i think she knows that. hopefully she'll be back in texas as a proud new baylor bear in just a couple of years. but until then, i hope she knows that i don't feel sorry for her in the least. but i am mega proud of her.
