Things that made me smile this week

Finding my yearbook from 6th grade. Look at how cuteeee Mike was. You can see why I had a crush on him back then. My picture is below. Haha!

 Quinn's first wedgie. We're trying out the whole potty training thing...

 Day trips to IKEA!

 Rupert, enjoying a mid-day nap in freshly folded laundry. Grr...

 Playing with Barbies.

 Playing with Play-doh and watching Quinn hulk smash my animal creations. The white play-doh was once a bunny. RIP.

 Our garden experiments! We stole this shipping crate from our neighbor's yard (thanks Sonja!) On the very top is lettuce, middle are tomatoes and cucumbers and the bottom are cucumbers as well. Yum!

 Top view of our indoor hydroponic setup. Lettuce on the left, tomatoes and basil on the right.

 Here is a side view looking at their little roots dangling in the water. Keep growin' guys!

 Quinn hanging out with her Thumpers on the stairs. These little guys go everywhere with her.

My last day at Betsey

Today was my last day working at my little Betsey Johnson store.


I spent the last few days reminiscing, organizing and having allergy attacks from dust that had settled in that shop for almost six years. I dug through old file folders containing store goals and employee evaluations that I focused so much attention on, motivational staff meeting notes that were carefully crafted... how do I motivate these girls and still keep them laughing in the process? I was never the micromanaging type. There were so many pictures on the computer of ones who I've loved, some who have moved away and one special picture of a dear friend who we all lost years ago. Oh, and the ones of me standing puffy and pregnant, measuring my protruding stomach as the months went on. God, that poor computer. It was littered with fortune cookie stickers and years of Ramen and Chinese food crumbs, it barely worked but it held on until the end. I spent time flipping through the pages and pages of client information that I had accumulated through the years in Austin and NYC. Wow, did I really have the producer of 60 minutes' credit card number on hand in case her daughter had a last minute gala to go to? What about that one lady Shirley who always wore the crazy hats that came in every Sunday to say hello. She was obsessed with that lobster necklace that I somehow managed to track down in a far away state. Gosh, so many names, so many stories. I can remember what dress you bought, the year it came out in and some of its special features. But somehow I can't remember where I keep misplacing my travel coffee mug. There are so many people who I connected with, who I learned about and shared their lives with. My dear dear customers. Last week I found an un-sent postcard to Brenda and Rachel, an older couple from San Antonio that would drive all the way to Austin to say hello to me because I helped them buy two pairs of socks years ago. We just...connected. I never sent that postcard, because the day after I wrote it, Brenda called me to tell me that Rachel had been killed in a car accident. She never talked to me again after that call, she said she couldn't come in anymore, the store reminded her too much of Rachel. 


I started working at Betsey when I was 21 but I had loved her long before that. I bought my first pair of purple sunglasses at a BJ store in Tyson's Virginia during an 8th grade field trip to DC. They came in a black velvet bag with a silver drawstring and her name was printed across the front. I used to trace over her name with my fingers and for some reason, I felt connected to her. I just dug through an old pink tin box from middle school that sits above our TV and found that little black bag. It is 13 years old. The letters are faded but it carefully holds those gaudy purple glasses. My favorite purple glasses. The ones I will hang on to forever until Quinn probably breaks them, not knowing how much they mean to me.


As I watched our liquidator Jim wipe out all of our computer's hard drives today, haul off fixtures and sell our lights, leaving us in a dark, low lit, dusty pink box, I couldn't help but think of how much of an impact the store has had on me over the last few years and how ready I am to move on from it. There are just so many memories there, ones that I think have swaddled and comforted me for too long, they've held me back. I've been grasping on to them for dear life, too scared to move on and challenge myself. I've been a "Betsey girl" for years, many of us have been...but why haven't I been a Tara girl this whole time instead? I started to define everything I was by a lady who I never really knew. No matter how many times I saw her in NYC, no matter how many times she came into my store to say hi, give me a hug and shop, she could never remember my name. She would stumble and call us all Betsey girls. All I ever wanted at the time was for her to remember that my name was Tara and that I was one of the many working so hard for her.  But she never did, and that is when I should have moved on a long time ago.

So now it's time to work hard for myself. It is time for ALL of us to work hard for ourselves and to not be defined by a culture that has long since dwindled away. It was an experience that allowed me to meet amazing friends who I will be connected with forever and most importantly, it helped me realize what I was really great at, and I will carry that secret with me forever.

It is time to pack away those crazy dresses and enjoy my nights, my weekends, my holidays, my Sundays... smokin' BBQ ribs with my man and watching my little girl dance in circles on the drive way and bring me tiny white flowers that she picked from our front yard.

Finding time.

It has been forever since I have written in this poor blog. I have really missed documenting all of my adventures! Life has been passing us by so quickly. Taking off over 6 months from writing is a sign that my life has changed so much as Quinn has continued to grow. I forget how much time I had to spare when she was a baby (even though I felt like I was ALWAYS swamped with too much to do and not enough time!) Ah, but life was peaceful, sleep deprived but still very productive. Q took a few naps a day, couldn't move around much so she spent most of her time in a stationary position in a gated off area. She didn't have any opinions and was mesmerized by teething rings, rattles and sometimes even rolling tumbleweeds of lint that accumulated behind the couch. It gave me the opportunity to spend my free time doing productive things like writing, sewing, cleaning, LAUNDRY. These days, our life is a whirlwind of Quinn's cuteness and eagerness to be a part of everything at all times. I watch her run around our house with her shopping cart, adding miscelaneous stuffed animals and blocks to the basket while the blonde curly bits of her hair flop around and her bangs get in her eyes. Her bangs, they're just like mine. Her cowlicks make it impossible to figure out where her bangs begin and end, where to part them and how to trim them. Her hairdo is pretty much a giant headful of bangs. Unfortunately, I have passed on the Tara legacy of having bangs that resemble Rapunzel. Where they end, no one knows! Sorry, babe. C'est la vie.

She says "house" like "Houth" and calls any light a "christmath tree!" Quinn is so warm and loving. She goes into hug-mode often. She gets on this adorable hugging kick where she says "HUG" over and over and goes from item to item around the house, wrapping her arms tightly around everything from Rigby, to the side of the couch, to a spoon or even a tiny lego. It is the cutest thing. She also has developed a little bit of bossiness (well, let's call it sassiness!) She pats the ground and says "Here!!" until you sit where she wants. If you don't move fast enough, she will hit you with a "Pweeeeeez!!!" It's her secret weapon to make you do whatever she wants...how can you resist a pweez?? Sometimes she wants you to do a puzzle with her, sometimes she wants you to color. Sometimes she wants Mike to crawl inside of her crib and lay down with her... and he does. In a fetal position. Next to Thumper and Winnie the Pooh. Because that's the only way that he can fit. Haha. Speaking of Winnie the Pooh. She had started to use the potty a ton a couple of months ago and was so proud to wear her big girl undies. She would sit on the potty and play on the iPad or read a book like a tiny old man in the morning after drinking a lot of coffee. She loved the potty. But...that was until POOH arrived. Instantly, Pooh was her BFF. She loved him, hugged him, kissed him, put clothes on him. BUT there was a bit of confusion because she began to think that the name Pooh meant "poo poo". Now, only Winnie can sit on her potty. And she will make him hold the iPad when he is doing his business. Or sometimes she wants to wipe Pooh's bottom with a diaper wipe because he "poo poo'd" Dangit! FAIL! Oh well, we'll try potty training her again some other day. Until then, we will continue to giggle while she potty trains her Disney animals.

It has been so heartwarming to watch Quinn turn into the little lady that she is today. She soaks up anything we tell her and is so independent. She has the softest, sweetest little voice. Even when it is 6am and I am awoken from much needed sleep, I love hearing her tiny voice yell "Mooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy......daaaaaaadddddddddddddyyyyyyyyyy. Hereeeeee!!" from her bedroom. I'll be so sad the day that ends.

Today she is home sick, cuddling with me and Thumper as I sit here and type this. Even when she is having such an awful day, she still wants to hug, cuddle, and tell me that Thumper poo poo'd and needs a diaper change. You're such a sweet little thing Quinn. I love you, my little bear!

Here's to 2012 and me always making time to document our fantastic journey.

Things that made me smile this week...

April and Quinn playing at Red House.


Quinn walking and playing like a champ!!


Splish Splash!

My crazy outfits that I get to wear each day...haha!

Coming home to a 65lb lab sitting on the coffee table.

These lounging kitties that ironically hang out at the local aquarium shop.

Amy's icecream photobooths!

Mo visiting all of us at work!

Playing catch with Rigby infront of our house.

Mike! Easy there, fella! Stephen's hipstamatic shots make everything look so much cooler!

Sumo Quinn vs. Mo' money Mo problems

10 1/2 months!

Whew...finding the time to update my blog is getting more difficult by the day! When I am not at work, I am at home working on Bonjour Biqui. And when I'm not playing with Quinn and working on BB, I am trying to keep the house in order and spend time with Mike and the animal kingdom that lives with us!

These days, life with Quinn is getting more fun by the minute. She is becoming such a little lady so very quickly and I am always anticipating what she will learn next! As we are approaching 11 months (and almost a year old!) I look back to the last few weeks and can't believe how much she has learned in such a small amount of time. I feel like she has grown the most throughout the month of May, not just physically but mentally. She's literally a baby Einstein. Like, those commercials where the babies are reading Shakespeare and Faulkner...they learned that from Quinn. She invented baby sign language and the art of reading baby novels. No joke.

BUT...when she isn't writing in her popular blog about world politics or watching documentaries on the degradation of America's farm culture....this is what Quinn has been up to:

In May, Quinn has grown in an entire row of teeth up top. She has four huge ones up there and two little ones below. Her mouth bares a strange resemblance to this guy's! She likes to bite off chunks of banana and use her teeth as a little can opener to bite the lids off of her Gerber puffs containers. Her hair is long enough to tie up into a "Pebbles"-inspired pony tail.
She has taken four steps at a time on her own and is about to walk at any moment. She really enjoys hoisting large objects into the air, like her little rocking chair or her giant stuffed duck. It's very similar to the Rocky "Yeah I made it up the stairs!" dance. She is really enjoying Rigby. He is so sweet and gently with her and they play together so nicely. I love how they are the same age and are growing up together.


She has learned how to say "more" in baby sign language and says Mama and Dada like a pro! She LOVES to make beats by banging onto random things around the house. She's got some good rhythm too!

Oh and she liked to hold her little guitar and dance with it...

She enjoys casual conversation with fellow xbox "Black Ops" players and figured out how to turn the xbox off and on (GOOD JOB, QUINN!!)

She has become a total busy body and likes to be chased around the couch or the coffee table. She does this adorable high-pitched wail and it cracks me up every time!

Sometimes we ignore the high-pitched wail because we think she is just having fun...but really she is wailing because she gets herself into binds like this one:

We have also discovered that Quinn isn't a huge fan of Chicken and Broccoli...


I love the little person that she is becoming. I can't describe how much fun it is to watch her discover her independence and learn about the world around her! I feel like our personalities are already so similar....she is my baby sidekick. Speaking of kicks, I bought Quinn her first pair of real shoes. How cute are these!


I can't wait to post videos of her walking...it is going to happen any day now. Stay tuned!

Thanks Yasha!

Our buddy Yasha from California made an impromptu visit to Austin for sxsw. I received this little gift in the mail from him today. So nice of him! Can't wait for Quinn to rock her new onesie!

Thanks for the present Yasha, you were a fun guest. And sorry our dog took off running full speed across the house with your sweatpants. Eeeeek!

Easter in Florida!

We spent Easter back home in Ft. Lauderdale this past weekend. It was so nice to see all of the family from both sides. Grandmas, grandpa, great grandmas, great Aunts and cousins, lots of friends...the whole crew came down! Quinn saw her first Easter bunny (check out the look of terror on her face when her uncle Sean surprised her in a bunny costume!) She had her first swim in the Atlantic ocean, her first kiss, made easter eggs with daddy, had a blast at the Miami seaquarium and she popped out three more teeth! It was definitely an eventful weekend, that's for sure.



Quinn's little boyfriend! Cutie Greg.

Mike wearing Quinn's Easter hat



Riding on grandpa's boat "The Mighty Quinn"



Dying Easter Eggs



Hi mimi!

In Dallas!

If any Texans are reading out there...

Blanquita and I are at our first trunk show! Come say hello! The address is: 3004 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226

Wish us luck!

Tara

Bonjour Biqui

Get ready! Trunk show in Dallas on the 16th. More details to come! http://www.facebook.com/bonjourbiqui