Female in Motion

His name was Adam, and he changed my life. I met him the summer before my junior year in high school. I was 15 years old in June 1978, and I was pretty satisfied with my life. I had a comfortable home and parents who loved me. My biggest problems were which jeans to wear to school and what movie to see on the weekend. Before you jump to a bunch of crazy conclusions, let me enlighten you. I was selected to go on a Mission Education Tour through my church, Madison Avenue United Methodist Church in Derby, KS. Each church nominates a teen girl every year to tour several missions of the UMC. Thirty silly teenage girls from Kansas hopped on a bus and rode around the country, eating potluck meals, sleeping in church gymnasiums and fighting for mirror space the whole way through. The tour included a Goodwill warehouse in Oklahoma City, which employed a number of intellectually challenged adults, an inner-city soup kitchen in Memphis and Red Bird Mission, high in the Smoky Mountains of Beverly,...

I read a story in The Telegraph, an online British newspaper, last week that captured my imagination. Captured is too mild. I was mesmerized. For 70 years, a Parisian apartment had been closed, rent paid up, but untouched since World War II. Wouldn't it be amazing to spend an afternoon poking around in the corners of a true time capsule? The owner of the 9th arrondissement apartment died earlier this year. Turns out she was the granddaughter of Marthe de Florian, an actress who was also the muse of Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), an Italian portrait painter who was known as The Master of Swish. When officials finally opened the apartment door and hacked their way through the cobwebs, they found a treasure trove of priceless antique furniture, ardent love letters and one very valuable Boldini painting of the apartment owner's beautiful grandmother. "Woman in a pink muslin evening dress" sold at auction for 2.1 million Euros. I think art collectors are romantics at heart....

On our way home from Dallas last weekend, The Hubster and I stopped at Turner Falls, OK. It's one of those places you always mean to stop and never get around to it. After all the hub bub of the weekend and fighting the Sooner traffic, we decided we needed a quiet interlude. I think a trip should calm you down, not just get you out of town. Just a couple miles off I-35 highway in southern Oklahoma, the rustic Turner Falls recreation area is nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains. Featuring limestone cliffs and a playfully shallow Honey Creek, this would make a perfect picnic spot. Families were enjoying the day together, creek wading, grilling and hiking some of the prettiest hills in Oklahoma. Winter admission is cheap, just four bucks per person. There are cabins and camping spots for rent, but we just strolled the grounds, took photos and soaked up the positive ions emanating from the falls. *** Momala's Video Pick of the Week: The Hubster and I had a Netflix double feature on F...

Our daughter, Rachel, and son-in-law, Drew moved to Dallas, TX in August. The Hubster and I are close to our kids and try to see them as often as we can. Or, as often as they can stomach it. Anyway, we jumped at the chance to make a trip down south to see their new digs. Their apartment complex is a big, new, "green" build with all the best amenities: multi-level pool, gorgeous welcome center, sophisticated and modern style, interior parking garage, recycling program, pet friendly and charming courtyards with loads of flowers, seating and grills for outdoor meals. As a mom, I appreciated all the safety measures. We were pleased to stay in a guest suite on the property and use all the facilities. It's like a resort! The neighborhood Rachel and Drew live in is super-cool. Addison is full of upscale restaurants, retail stores, beautiful homes and apartments, new schools, pretty churches and synagogues and tons of parks with trees. Everywhere you looked was green and lush. We...