Where's Waldie?: the Fry Street Edition

Although I am exhausted beyond words, at an attempt to remember everything that I did over the past few days I am going to write about my trip to Denton!

My trip was supposed to begin on Thursday morning; however, I was so excited and felt that I had too much to do there so therefore I had to leave a day earlier. So, Wednesday afternoon a little after 2pm I hit the road. I quickly realized that my poor planning would place me in downtown Fort Worth at roughly 5pm. Sure enough, at 5:18pm I was sitting, motionless, in good old downtown Fort Worth traffic. (Might I add that I did not realize it was a NASCAR weekend, which makes traffic on I-35 between Fort Worth and Denton almost unbearable.) But, I practiced my patience and persevered through it.

My first plans were with my wonderful friends and sorority sisters Kristin and Savannah. We ate at one of my favorite Denton locals, El Guapo. Good food, good company, great margaritas, and a perfect start to my whirlwind "vacation." Another friend and sorority sister, Haley, so graciously gave me the key to her apartment and a cozy bed to sleep in! So after taking a minute to get myself together I went to the happiest place on earth. No, not Disney World... FRY STREET! My always funny friend Josh met me on the patio at Lou's to have a few drinks while enjoying the beautiful weather. Throughout the night I was joined by Haley, Greg, and Nick. All wonderful people to spend an evening on Fry Street with! Wednesday night was supposed to be my "calm night" but as usual 10pm turned into 2am and we were being asked to "go home!"

Here are Haley and I with our good friend Jamario.

As was posted on my Facebook status, I woke up Thursday morning "feeling like a college kid." One too many drinks and not much sleep, the daily life of a college student, has long been removed from my system and I was feeling it. My best friend and "college roommate" Jordan saved the day by picking me up and taking me for breakfast at my favorite breakfast taco joint, Mi Casita. Now, it seems as though all I did while there was eat... because breakfast with Jordan was later followed by lunch with my previous patio buddy Josh. Never is there a dull moment when it comes to Josh. Although I was feeling less-than-Lauren, Josh forced me to eat and put a smile on my face with funny stories. Knowing that I had to prepare for a night of babysitting I returned to Haley's for a nap. I never actually fell asleep because I was wrapped up in the book Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I finished it cheering! The I felt so connected to the main character that her triumphs were mine and her struggles mine, too! I am excited to start the next book in the series tonight.

As I mentioned I took on a babysitting job on my trip. The mother of some very sweet young men I have watched in the past knew I would be in town and asked if I would mind watching them for a few hours. Of course, I said "yes!" They are fun little boys, but also very smart! When their mother informed them that I would be coming to watch them, the four-year-old stated, "but she lives 5 hours away!" How children remember things like this I have no idea, but it was so funny! While sitting at the dinner table he informed me that Pluto is no longer a planet because of its size. What a bright topic of conversation! So, I think to myself, "alright Mr.Smarty, let's see what you can do." I proceeded to ask him if he knew the names of the other planets. Without missing a beat, the same young man that was baffled by the fact that I would drive 5 hours just to babysit him proceeded to name the remaining planets. I will never ever doubt him again! His baby brother had a near meltdown at bedtime because he could not find "Mac," his car from the Disney movie Cars. It nearly broke my heart! Crisis averted when I accidentally laid down on it- it was under his pillow! But the joy in his face at the sight of his car filled my heart with joy. It is amazing what children will stir in adults!

Although I was still not feeling 100%, I decided to return to Fry Street that night. Haley and I got ready and met up with several friends at the Tavern. Another memorable and fun night it turned out to be.

Haley, Myself, Heidi, and Ashley at Tavern

Friday I woke up feeling slightly better than I had the previous morning, which I was thankful for. I spent the morning having my hair done by the most amazing hair stylist ever! Mrs. Kelli Grissom-Henderson worked her magic and made my bland her beautiful! I spent a little time doing one of my favorite things- shopping!

The weather was still perfect which made my plans to sit on a patio with Taylor perfect! (Yes, the same Taylor that is responsible for naming my Blog!) We went to another of my favorite Denton restaurants, Sweetwater. Nothing beats sitting on their patio on a beautiful day. Taylor and I decided that a meal outside wasn't enough! We went to Jupiter House for coffee (I had a smoothie, cause I don't drink that gross stuff!) and walked over to the benches on the grassy square. It couldn't have been nicer!

Here is a picture of Taylor and I from 2005 at the UNT Homecoming Parade.

I spent the next little while visiting my good friend Brandon and his brand new apartment! He was having a housewarming party and it worked out perfect that I was going to be in town! I don't get to see him nearly enough these days.

In case you haven't picked up the pattern yet, I returned to Fry Street on Friday night. Yes, this would be night #3! I must be crazy. Once again I was elated to be surrounded by friends. With me were my good friends and sorority sisters Savannah and Janell. One other pattern you may notice is that no two nights was I accompanied by the same people. My point here is that I am a champion! We claimed that we would only stay for a bit; however, in keeping with tradition, we were there until the lights came on.

Sav, Myself, and Janell

By now, you're probably thinking I have to been getting close to being unable to function properly, right? Wrong. I spent my last day (Saturday) with Jordan. Breakfast was one more amazing local meal at The Chestnut Tree. They just recently started serving breakfast and it was wonderful! A trip to the Square is never complete without a stop at the "purple book store." We spent the next several hours shopping for things we don't need, as is the usual verdict. I decided that I would stay with her in Grapevine that night for a girls' night in. Ha ha.

Let me take a second to interrupt the previously scheduled story to talk about one of the most important men in my life. The very sweet, very chubby, very wonderful Mr. Hunter William VanDeventer. My handsome nephew! (He actually belongs to Jordan's brother Niles, but seeing as how I am the next closest thing to family I consider him my own!) This little man can light up a room in an instant. I have always referred to him as my "Boogie" and after a comical nap at a very young age on my "pillows" I quickly became his "Aunt Boppie." He is growing so fast.

Alright, back to this "Girls' Night In" business. Not an hour after we had to decided to stay in, we got a better offer to go out! Michael Munday, another wonderful friend, invited us to the House of Blues to hear a local band perform. SO, without skipping a beat Jordan and I asked our fellow Kappa and December graduate Kristen if she would like to join. Girls' Night In became Girls' Night Out. Also joined by our friend Trapper, we proceeded to enjoy the rest of our night, which turned in to morning. Jordan and I finally went to bed around 5am.

That's where it ends.
My trip to Denton was amazing.
Now I am exhausted.

I start my new job tomorrow, so I should have a whole new story to tell very soon!