Sunday mornings

Photo via: Modern Hepburn 

My morning run with Hawthorne

On my morning run, some of the most prominent American authors cheered me on, one step at a time. I ran up and down these steps a time or two, but as I was so intrigued by the quotes etched into the stone, I soon forgot about my exhaustion. After my second set of stairs, I stopped to catch my breath and take a picture of a quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne. His words are so wise and thought-provoking and as I continued my morning workout, this quote lingered in my mind.

Other notable quotes by Nathaniel Hawthorne:

“Words -- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.”

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one is true.”

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you”

“Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or not.”

“Our most intimate friend is not he to whom we show the worst, but the best of our nature.”

Bay Area landmarks

Photo via: Pixarplanet

Among all the sights to see in the Bay Area, Fenton's Creamery must be the most amusing! This traditional ice cream parlor was featured in the animated Pixar film, Up. After a full day of training, the entire outreach team gathered at Fenton's where we were met by mile-high hamburgers and vanilla malts served in shiny tin pitchers.

Buttercup mornings

I have returned to Dallas after a whirlwind trip to the beautiful Bay Area! Pictures of San Francisco are soon to come. The coolness of the Pacific Coast was a welcome treat after the sweltering heat of Texas. There is comfort in being back in Dallas, but I cannot help but miss the friendships formed during those two weeks of training. Every morning, we would gather at a pie diner known as the Buttercup around 8 a.m. After about three consecutive days, we became "regulars" and were directed to "our" booth, where "our" waitress, Barbra, always welcomed us with a warm smile. She soon learned our orders and by the second week, she would bring me oatmeal and a fruit cup as soon as she saw me snuggling into our booth in the far corner of the diner. As each person staggered in, I would slide further down the booth, allowing us all to gather around the table. With yawns and sleepy eyes, we would talk about the day ahead between sips of coffee and forkfuls of Belgian waffles and three-egg omelets. Barbra gave me the biggest hug on our last day of training. I shall miss those bleary, yet comforting mornings spent gathered together at the Buttercup.

My next destination

Did you guess it? To California, I go . . . 

Photo via: *Wit + Delight

First day charm

  

I am so blessed to call this my new "workplace"! Despite showing up on the first day without a voice (I think my body may be telling me to slow down a bit), it was the perfect first day! I feel so honored to be working for this organization. There is nothing more encouraging than working with passionate people for a cause you deeply support. To read more about Reading Partners, please see this link.