Weird Dusty Day

Downtown Dallas during the dust storm, from Oxtopus' photostream on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=401176453&size=m

The weather today was so strange. A strong wind blew in from West Texas bringing with it a ton of red dirt/dust that created a funky haze in Dallas. You couldn't see past a few blocks and even the sun was blocked out!!! This created a foul and creepy mood, people were driving crazy and Hannah and I got into a big fight...needless to say, not a great day. Hannah and I went to buy groceries, we started mending things on the drive to the grocery store and fully reconciliated right there in the toiletries aisle of Central Market, tears and all. I guess it came out ok because we ended up staying home after the grocery store and doing laundry and getting the house in order, which is good because I'm going out of town again tomorrow evening. We need hazy, crazy days sometimes, just to make the other days seem more normal.

Weir City Hall Happenings

Our own City Hall!
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

Here's what's been happening around here lately:

• We're finally taking Christmas down...the tree and all the decorations were up until today...
• Testing "season" starts very soon so Ricardo has been working on Saturdays a lot because there's a weekend tutoring program every week.
• Our garage apartment is still empty...haven't had time to put the word out.
• Hannah has a boyfriend, Pedro, they have been seeing each other for about 4 months. He's a very polite and nice young man who is a senior at Science and Engineering High School.
• Sofia is happy and relieved to be done with the High School application process, and eagerly awaits hearing whether she got accepted

Other than that...the laundry is starting to pile high, I haven't been to the grocery store in almost 2 weeks and I'm ready for a vacation!!! That is to say, we've been really busy with work and keeping up with these two fabulous teenage girls!

The Eagle has Landed!

Today Sofia and I delivered her application to Townview TAG! It's been an arduous few months but I know that she gave it her all and did her very best on the application, it's out of our hands now. She was so relieved and happy to be done with it, as we were too.

I don't think it was as stressful for me to apply to college or even graduate school as it has been for Sofia and Hannah to apply for High School. Here's what is required for the application to TAG (granted, the BEST high school in the nation, as rated last year by Newsweek Magazine, amazing!). Applications must have:

• Resume with back up documentation for the activities listed
• Official copy of grades and test scores
• Project highlighting a talent, with essay explanation
• Essay written by hand, on a prompt given to them

It really helped that we had been through this with Hannah already and knew to get started early. We're way too busy to be able to whip this up a few days before the deadline, which is the end of February.

Now the wait begins. She should find out by early to mid-April.

Corteo Dallas

Corteo Dallas
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

Today my mom got to use her Christmas present which was 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Corteo. We got there nice and early (a change for me) and enjoyed everything from the gift shop to buying snacks and finding our seats well before the show began. Neither of us had ever been to a Cirque production so we were blown away! The acrobats, the live music, the story, the set, the costumes--everything was amazing!!!!! It was magical!

Repujado Class

Student Work
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

Today was the second of two Repujado classes I gave at the Latino Cultural Center. I had about 10 students and they had a really good time and made some great projects (as you can see). I've really enjoyed sharing this artform with people and there seems to be a real demand for it. I can't help but think that it could go mainstream any minute now, especially because of the boom in scrap-booking and paper arts. For now though, most of the students I get are Spanish speakers who already know about it and always wanted to learn. My mom came to the class and had a blast chatting with everyone and telling them how to do repujado--even though she's never done any whatsoever! She's hilarious!

Tomorrow we're going to Cirque du Soleil!!! I can't wait!

Cafe and Bakery

Cafe and Bakery
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

This is one of our favorite little places to get a snack in Dallas. I try to take out of town guests here because it's so much fun and is a little unexpected in Dallas, TX!

It has some delicious little pastries such as red bean donuts and egg sandwiches and rice flour donuts with sesame seeds on them. They also have all sorts of fruit slushies, hot and cold teas and bubble (tapioca) teas--the all time favorite!!!! The BEST part about it is the little tea-rooms you can have all to yourself. Each one is different but is like a mini-living room or dining room for you to eat/drink your goodies. It's loads of fun, the kids love it because they get their own room (although they always end up cramming into ours because they are so nosy about our conversation...)

Going on to STATE!

Sofia accepting the trophy (clear star) and ribbon at the Reflections Dallas Award Ceremony

Sofia entered a composition into the Reflections Contest, which is a PTA awards contest for art, music and literature that's held statewide. They receive hundreds of entries from Dallas school students. Her composition went to the regional level, one of 32 entries in music, art and writing. And now....it was one of two selected at the regional level to go to state!! It's an original composition, in the classical style, which she has named Copeman's Tomb (after a mountain in Wyoming). I'm so proud of her, and thankful to Ricardo, for being so musically talented. I've heard it a hundred times and still love it! The best part is that she's proud of the piece herself, and yet is so grounded. She said in her artists statement that she hopes this is the first of many compositions and that she's sure she will look back some day at this piece and think it's very basic compared to others she has done.

Not a little girl anymore

Not a little girl anymore
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

What a great weekend! The weather was beautiful, cold and clear! We really didn't have a huge programmed agenda, for a change, and just did some spur of the moment things.

Saturday I taught a repujado class. Since I took some time to get organized on Friday it really went smoothly and wasn't stressful at all. Today, Sunday, Hannah and I went out all day while Ricardo and Sofia watched the superbowl. We went to the park (where I took this picture), walked up and down Jefferson Street, then off to our favorite Korean Bakery where we had bubble tea and listened in on some drama that we couldn't understand because it was in Korean (a lady and man fighting, the lady storms out and later we see her sitting in the back seat of a car, punished? banished? self-exile?). We then went to White Rock Lake where we met Shawna and Tristyn for a picnic and walk. All of couse under the guise of taking pictures for Flickr.

Hannah and I had lots of time to talk about things such as boyfriends, college, school, the meaning of life! She's maturing so fast, and is such a better person than I was at that age, kinder, funnier, more grounded. I'm so proud of who she is becoming.

Cold and Dreary

Bridge to downtown
Originally uploaded by carlamarieweir.

It's been really yukky the last few days...cold, wet and dreary. It's on days like this that I HAVE to remind myself how very much I hate Texas winters, and how I really prefer winter clothes and days...

Yesterday I took Hannah out to buy a new coat. The first one she's ever chosen herself!!!! They have made do with sweaters and layers these last few years, but this cold snap has really made a coat necessary. She chose a very nice camel colored 3/4 length coat with nice details like a wide collar, a-line cut and great buttons. Hopefully this weekend we will make some time to take Sofia out to buy one too.

They will both need it this summer, when it's winter in Argentina...since I talked to my mom today and we decided to send both girls with her on the trip. It will be so wonderful for them to experience that together, and to have the opportunity to see a new country and visit our family there.

This weekend is pretty busy, tomorrow is my first of 2 repujado classes I'm teaching at the Latino Cultural Center, Sofia has a birthday to go to, and she needs to finalize her application to the Talented and Gifted High School. It's not due until the 21st, but it's best to get it in sooner.