Texas Trip-January 20-25, 2009 (Business and Pleasure)

So on an invitation to come join Charlotte Nolen for a “Girls Night Out” sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministry www.proverbs31.org (and a local Christian contemporary radio station in Houston) that she and I both enjoy so I thought I’d research the cost of flights as I enjoy being with her, for any reason. Besides I owe her one as she came all the way to Virginia to visit my family here in the recent past.
While Thomas and I were in CA last month we got an email notifying us that flight costs were dropping and compared them to the flights we have booked in the past. I was able to get a round trip with taxes & all (except the newly implemented $15 charge per checked bag by most airlines) for $188.00. I would even fly from Roanoke instead of Greensboro, NC or Richmond, VA that we typically fly out/in from to save money. So my flight was supposed to leave Tuesday from Roanoke at 8:05 PM and land in Houston Bush International (IAH) at 12:10 AM. Charlotte’s flight wasn’t coming until Wednesday the 21st and she would be flying into Hobby Airport in Houston. Since Houston is so large (everything is bigger in Texas) they actually have 2 big airports but they are about a 45 minute taxi drive from each other-notice I said “taxi drive” as they drive the fastest and can fit a square in a round hole with their driving skills and that’s exactly what it would take to make it happen in 45 minutes in Houston traffic….anytime of the day WITH luck on your side! So as the story goes I booked the flights to join Charlotte and emailed the itinerary to her and said “Yes, I’d love to join you” and she was pleasantly shocked when she checked her email to find it. She was getting it all planned out for us as she travels for the State of Texas as an employee so she used her points to book our hotel and rental car for our expedition together. It’s funny because she is actually part of my ex-husband’s family but as she responds to that description she says, “She divorced him and we kept her” and we’ve always been good friends with common interests. Charlotte is very creative, talented and amazingly intelligent and we have a good time when we are together-she keeps me grounded when I need that, there are very few people who do that for me besides my wonderful husband. Speaking of my husband, he inquired why I did not have a hotel reservation for my arrival date since I would not be joining Char until the next day. I reminded him how frugal I can be and decided against paying the cost of a hotel for a few hours and I opted to just rest in the Houston Airport until Charlotte had time to fly in, get the rental car and retrieve me. He was not crazy about the idea but knows how I am when I make my mind up so he settled for that then asked me again about “my plans for staying in a hotel the night I arrived” and I again assured him that I would be fine watching the people and hanging out in the airport until noon the day after I arrived.

My flight departed Tuesday, January 20th at 8:50 PM (slight delay) from Roanoke and I changed planes in Charlotte and was joined by mostly people who were returning from the United States Inaugural Ceremony for the 44th President this country chose on November 4th. As USA Today reports: Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday before a massive crowd reveling in a moment of historical significance, and called on Americans to confront together an economic crisis that he said was caused by “our collective failure to make hard choices.” Mr. Obama spoke just after noon to a sea of cheering people, appearing to number well over a million, who packed the National Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and beyond. Four hours later, at the end of the parade route, he left his car and strolled with his wife along Pennsylvania Avenue on the final steps of a long march to the White House, holding hands and waving to cheering crowds. In his inaugural address, Mr. Obama acknowledged the change his presidency represented, describing himself in his inaugural address as a “man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant.” But although the crowd and the podium around him were full of elated African Americans, Mr. Obama, the first black to become president, did not dwell on that in his speech. He spoke for about 20 minutes, after taking the oath of office on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inaugural in 1861, emphasizing his determination to unite Americans in confronting both the economic challenges facing him and the continuing fight against terrorism. The problems, he warned, “are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.” With his wife, Michelle, holding the Bible, Mr. Obama, the 47-year-old son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Africa, was sworn in by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
I arrived in Houston at 11:40 PM and after retrieving my luggage I found a massage chair set that sat outside a Mexican café located in the airport. The chairs are for a fee to enjoy the massage feature but by midnight I felt like most people had given up on hopes of getting a chair massage for the day so I planted myself for the night. I got caught up on emails with my laptop and checked in with my family and got settled. The thing about an airport of this size is there is ALWAYS someone coming or going and Lord to see all the funny people that we share this great big world with is ALWAYS entertainment enough for me. By 3:10 AM I had decided that I could lay my big suitcase down flat and my backpack with my laptop on top of it and it’d be perfect height for me to lay my legs across to sleep, then placed my purse directly behind my back in the massage chair-off to get some shut eye from here……..

I woke at 5:15 AM and the rush had already begun on this Wednesday, January 21st day of 2009 as I sit in IAH (Intercontinental Airport of Houston). I looked beside me at the Mexican café and the sign read that it opened at 5:30 AM so I was quite anxious to put a lip-lock on a good ‘ol Texas breakfast burrito so I people watched until that time. That time came and went without any sign of the café’s employees reporting to work yet so I waited….then this gentleman walked past me to the café and read the sign. He turned to me and said, “It says they open at 5:30 AM” and I responded “Yes but it is 5:45 AM and no ones arrived to start the coffee or bacon” he just laughed and walked towards me and the set of massage chairs where I still occupied 1 of them. He asked me if I lived here in Houston or was I traveling through, business or pleasure? I responded by telling him I used to live in Texas but not Houston, traveling here to Houston on business and pleasure AND looking forward to a TexMex breakfast burrito since 5:30 AM. When he noticed that the empty chair within the set I was sitting in took money (for a massage) I told him he could have a seat and unless he wanted a massage it wouldn’t cost him anything and hopefully the employees of the café would realize they were running late to open and get in a hurry to cook us some breakfast-he laughed. He was probably Thomas’s age as we talked and he told me he was meeting a friend that was flying in around 10:00 AM and I told him that my ex-husband’s cousin was picking me up around 11:00 AM for our stay in Houston. He told me he was then driving with his friend to Dallas for a few days and he lived in Philadephia. The 1st couple of employees arrived a few minutes before 6:00 AM and after we smelled the coffee brewing we made our way inside and found a menu. For any of you who have ever eaten at any airport you are full aware of the cost so when I saw the price of a breakfast burrito ($7.50) I asked the new acquaintance if he’d like to split one and he agreed so we placed our order and he asked me if I’d like to watch a DVD while we ate and waited for our rides. Since I still had a good 2 hours (if Charlotte made her way in traffic in a timely fashion) that would be fine with me to pass the time. He pulled out a small laptop and I suggested we use mine since it has a 17” screen and placed it in the middle of the table facing out so we could sit opposite each other and still see the screen. He had the movie “The Star Chamber” with Michael Douglas in it. The movie was released in August of 1983 (my son would have been 2 years old at the time) but anything with Michael Douglas in it is worth watching a couple of times. We ate and watched the movie and as it ended I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face while he watched my suitcase. I thought that way if he was a thief he’d just get my clothes and he would not do them justice when he wore them so it wasn’t a big risk. I returned and he began to tell me a little bit about his life/family. Evidentially he has 1 child-a daughter that is 26 years old which is the same age as Brandon would be if he were alive today. He was divorced from her mom for many years and has dated off and on but found his true soulmate he believes; but instead of marrying her he chose to move-in with her and after a 3 year relationship she got cancer and passed away in less than a year. As he told me the story I can tell the way he handled the relationship was a huge regret in his life and he feels as if he failed her in some strange way by not fulfilling the commitment to her before she lost her life. He was obviously there every step of the way with her until her last moment of life. He’s currently a recovering alcoholic for several years (not sure how long exactly but he was recovering before they had moved in together) and is an ever-creating relationship with his daughter who is engaged to be married soon. I talked very little as I mostly let him talk as it seemed he just needed to, for you all that know me that is a sacrifice in itself for me. I did tell him I was born and raised in Texas, married 4 years ago and moved to VA to join my husband who has lived in VA since the 3rd grade. He has never been to VA but had heard it is pretty. I boasted and told him I felt as if we live in the prettiest part of VA-southwest with the Blue Ridge Parkway and all its beauty outside our windows at home! I talked with him as I felt he needs to be continuing the growth of his relationship with his daughter and know that the best he can be is when he stays on the track with recovering from his alcohol addiction, for their sake. I believe our children are our legacy as God gives them to us to be a gift and it’s our responsibility to grow them in a healthy way.
The time passed quickly as I listened to someone else talk for a change and before I knew it Charlotte called my cell phone and I directed her to a common area for us to meet and off we went to start on day together!
I was so excited getting to spend time with Charlotte and we talked, talked, and talked. So much to catch up on where do you start, didn’t matter we just started. We went and checked into the hotel and thanks to modern technology she had bought herself a GPS and we made our way around the 14 lanes of traffic in Houston as if we drove it everyday. Now Charlotte had rented a Pontiac G6 and I was so excited to see it because the new models are automatic transmission with the capability of manual standard-when I saw that I asked her if she had tried it and so responded, “NO, I don’t know how to do that!” I assured her she could and I’d be glad to assist her in the experience, she cracked up and I think she quickly remembered why we have such a good time together-that’s because I help her step outside of her comfort box!
We got settled in our room and it was very nice and she, like myself is used to traveling so we had our little routines when we settled in, standing back to watch was entertaining to see the end results. We then checked out all the amenities that were offered for the guests and then for the love of both of us we found a Sam Moon’s location-Kati bar the door…we both LOVE Sam Moon’s !!
10.19.2006
SAM MOON CENTER WOODLANDS OPENS
Sam Moon Group is pleased to announce the successful opening of Sam Moon Center Woodlands. The 156,533 square foot center opened on October 19, 2006. The Center includes Sam Moon Trading Co., Sam Moon Luggage & Gifts, and the Sam Moon Home Décor Store.
We both have only been to the Dallas locations so our adventure would begin in locating this one in Houston for a little shopping. We put the address in the GPS and off we go again…and then reality set in as we came upon the traffic. We progressed 6 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes so by the time we arrived at our haven we had exactly 29 minutes to shop before their closing time. Now any of you woman reading this knows how it feels to be on a mission and if any of you have ever been to a Sam Moon’s you know it will be done! We made our selections and proceeded to pay for our treasures as they announced they “will be closing now” and we were happy with it all.
We had passed a Pappadeaux’s restaurant as we drove to Sam Moon’s and Charlotte and I had both decided then that is what we would have for our dinner as there were none in Lubbock, Tx where she lived nor Roanoke, VA where I live but we had both had eaten at one before and this definitely would be a good choice for our evening meal. After the traffic driving to Sam Moon’s, Charlotte decided to let me drive to our dinner destination. Off we go and I love driving in big cities! Charlotte just laughed and said, “ok sister”.
Pappadeaux’s is a seafood kitchen and their bread served before the meal is wonderful. The desserts are absolutely wonderful as well and needless to say we both had plenty leftovers to take back and place in our hotel refrigerator. They were worth sampling later! We arrived back at our room and with our full bellies, bedded down for the night. As usual I travel with my reading light so I could do my devotions and nightly reading without disturbing my friend who’s in the bed next to mine and I thank the Lord for our friendship as we lay our heads down. In our journeys we often encounter individuals who are going through various challenges and have experienced countless heartaches. Like tiny spring bulbs, they too are trying desperately to climb toward that warm bright light. Maybe we should reach out to those people with a smile and a warm embrace and offer them the hope and encouragement they long for. Maybe our compassion gives them the inspiration to start a new day-to open their wings and fly. Our ability to heal and to help others is unlimited, and by lifting each other up, opening our hearts to strangers, and offering hope and encouragement to everyone you meet, it helps them on their journey of growth and understanding.

It’s morning in Houston-Thursday, January 22nd. The weather in Texas usually always (is that proper English?) feels hot but the mornings in Houston start comfortable, even in January. Charlotte and I ate breakfast at the hotel where it was a nice hot meal buffet with a great selection of fruits, yogurt and cereal. Charlotte let me drive again-so lucky me; I decided to sample the manual shifting and it was worth it, it was fun and I explained it to Char as I drove-she just laughed at me and said, “Ok”. Our first destination for the morning was Target Super Center for some essential women products. Charlotte and I are around the same age but she’s in better ‘shape’ than me as she’s not ever married nor had children, though she has helped raise several nephews and had close friends with kids that became teenagers, not to mention she helped me with Caitlynn for about 6 weeks and that was a learning experience I’m sure she’ll never forget. Caitlynn was in the 4th grade and as I traveled still as a respiratory therapist, my mom had been my nanny and decided she was ready to move back to the Austin area before school was out for the summer so Charlotte graciously offered to help me with Caitlynn when I was out of town for my job Mon-Thursday until school was out. I loved to hear her tell me the stories as Caitlynn never loved going to bed so she’d come up with every excuse to stay up later ; Charlotte never budged as she knew my bedtime rituals for my little elementary princess. I think this was a good time for both of them and they both learned a lot from each other.
So as I feel I am approaching menopause at this time in my life, I have decided to embrace it. Sure menopause can bring with it some unpleasant side effects, but I’ve learned to envision it not as a disease but as a rite to passage that opens the space for deep reflection. It allows me to listen to my body and heart and evaluate things more effectively I feel so I insist-LET ME CONTROL THE THERMOSTAT, Charlotte agrees-haha!

Friday, January 23, 2009-Charlotte and I looked at digital scrapbook websites and a few websites that she uses on a regular basis and wanted to share them with me. For those of you who like photography, cooking or just entertaining blogs these are them: www.shabbyshoppe.com and www.thepioneerwoman.com these are 2 of Char’s favorite so I will pass them on….
I went online and booked a rental car for me to drive to my brother Marcus’s and Nicole’s to see them and their kids. Even though it’s a 3 hour drive one-way, I am NOT going to be in the same state and not see my nieces (and great nieces) and great nephew and with all 5 of them now, I do mean G-R-E-A-T! Besides I know Texas is a big state, I’ve been driving it all my life so I’m excited to be here and able to drive. When people not from Texas come to Texas to visit and drive in it they are amazed at its size-hence our state motto ”everything’s bigger in Texas”. As they say about us Texans: Now people from wide open spaces tend to think a mere hundred miles is a skip and a jump! So, what’s a 3 hour drive………………
The frugal person I am, I got a great deal on Travelocity www.travelocity.com . Charlotte and I had breakfast downstairs here at the hotel, Charlotte was gracious enough to use her ‘points’ so her room was comp’d for us and I believe she was even able to use her ‘points’ for the rental car she used while here. She will actually fly home (Lubbock, Tx.) tomorrow morning so I thought I’d spend the rest of my time checking out the NERD office (Thomas and I made a new investment venture in VA, they have the main distributing office here in Houston and also supply to San Antonio area currently www.NERDenergy.com ) and then head toward the Austin, Tx. area. I have talked to Nicole and the kids on the cell phone several times and the kids keep saying, “when are you going to be HERE?” Days are a hard concept for kids, Justin understands a little more as Nicole can tell him ‘in how many school days until I come” and he definitely holds you to that-he doesn’t forget anything! Nicole and I laugh when we talk about the difference in the 2 older kids-Justin and Allison as Justin is structured like Nicole (Caitlynn tells me that I went ‘way over board with teaching Nicole systems’) and he likes everything done by a schedule that he’s aware of beforehand. Allison just goes when you tell her to and she’s probably not going to be on time because she has to load her babies and get her music/headphones for the vehicle.
Charlotte drove me to IAH (Bush International Airport) to pickup my rental car. As I went to get my rental car the gentlemen I spoke with told me to take my pick from the lot-so I went for the new Charger, I like to drive with speed! Charlotte and I said our good-byes, we always have so much fun together-even if we just chat, it’s always good. As I drive off and deal with the Houston traffic onto I-35 North I ponder about life and the impact different people make on each of us as they come into our lives for a reason-sometimes we don’t see those reasons until much later. It is always surprising how such a small part of life is taken up by meaningful moments. Most of them are over before they start-although they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable.
I called Marcus (my youngest brother) to tell him my ETA and wanted to meet them for early dinner with his family. Michelle his wife, Mahailey the oldest daughter who’s 5 years old now and Mallorey the youngest daughter who’s 3 years old. Since Mahailey had school today and I had traffic coming out of Houston we thought we’d meet in Gruene, Tx. www.gruenetexas.com (“gently resisting change since 1872” 1845 - 1974
Arriving in Texas in the mid 1840s, German farmers became the first settlers of what is now known as Gruene, Texas. Ernst Gruene, a German immigrant, and his bride Antoinette, had reached the newly established city of New Braunfels in 1845, but acreage was scarce. Thus, Ernst and his two sons purchased land just down river, and Ernst built the first home in Gruene in early fachwerk style. His second son, Henry D. Gruene, built his home (now Gruene Mansion Inn) and planted his surrounding land with cotton. Having become the number one cash crop, the cotton business soon brought 20 to 30 families to Henry D.'s lands. Henry D. built houses in various styles -- a Victorian cottage (now Lone Star), a large brick home, and a frame house (now Gruene Haus) for the foreman of his farm. The first mercantile store (now Gruene General Store) was built in 1878 and a cotton gin (now Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar) powered by the Guadalupe River was added soon after) for dinner, we ate at the Gristmill River Restaurant. Gruene Hall www.gruenehall.com which is located in this small town is the oldest dance hall in Texas, it still has the wooden dance floor that it originated with.
Gruene Hall
Gruene Hall, a bar and dance hall, was built in the 1880’s and soon became the social center for the community. It still stands at the end of Hunter Road and the intersection of Gruene Road. It is oldest dance hall in Texas and many country-singing stars and legends have performed there over the years. Willie Nelson, George Strait, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett are some of the well-known singers. A complete list of the singers is displayed inside the hall.
Mostly this town is a tourist town as people walk around to shop for antiques, have a selection of Texas cooking and even a winery for wine tasting. The first time I came to this town, it was raining and Marcus and Michelle brought Thomas and I here to eat some good ‘ol TexMex food and then dropped us off to sample the wines. We of course found a few we liked so we headed home with a new case to add to our cellar in VA.
We met at 6:30 PM at the restaurant of choice for dinner and I was pleasantly surprised as they told me we were also waiting on Ashlie (Michelle’s only sibling who’s younger and recently had a baby boy) and her family. I was excited about seeing the new cousin to my nieces and his parents. Mahailey and Mallorey entertained me on our wait. Mahailey told me all about her kindergarten class and he would be going on her 1st field trip without her mom to Sea World with her Brownie Troop-she was excited about it. Mallorey was much more talkative than she had been in the past, I can’t believe how much they’ve grown from Sept. when I spent time with them last. We had a wonderful meal and visited with each other as we sat inside but the floor to ceiling windows were opened for a little breeze. The new baby boy is gorgeous and both he and Ashlie are doing very well. I sat with Mihailey next to me on one side and Marcus on the other side of me. Michelle sat across from Marcus and Mallorey sat across from me. Mahailey (in typical girl fashion) was fascinated with my phone and looked thru all the pictures and I took some of us and let her take some also. I ordered the chicken fried steak, which was to die for and enjoyed as much of it as I possibly could but it was rather large so I took the leftovers with me. As we exited the restaurant Gruene Hall there was loud music coming from it and they keep the screened windows open almost year-round since the weather is usually warm here and we could hear music coming out, of course. It sounded familiar to me and as we listened closer, we realized it was Los Lonely Boys playing. I had actually used a few of their songs for mine and Thomas’s wedding reception since they are a true Texas band! We stood outside and watched/listened as the girls danced around, it was a perfect evening. I shot a video on my camera so I could share it with Thomas upon my return. It was time to depart so we took pictures, said our good-byes and went our separate ways as I head to Nicole’s in Pflugerville to spend the night. It’s always sad saying good-bye since I’m not really sure when I’ll be back to Texas to visit. Hopefully as the kids get older their families will travel to VA to visit us-there is so much history and many things to do on the east coast where we live, I’d love them to be able to spend time with us there also.
I got in the rental car and made my phone call to Nicole so they’d know I was about an hour out from their house as I leave here and it’s 7:50 PM. Allison was getting out of the bathtub but she needed to ask me one more time, “what time are you getting here?” I assured her I was coming as fast as the long arm of the law will allow me-so here I come, ready or not!
I arrived at Nicole and Juan’s by 9 PM which was later than I had anticipated when I left Houston early afternoon but I am here and that’s what counts. I knocked on the door and Allison and Justin saw me and Allison ran off to tell her mom, Justin let me in. Of course I grabbed each of them and squeezed them as tight as I could before they squealed! Naturally Allison had so many things she wanted to show me and Justin was playing on his new PS2 (handheld video game) so he wanted to show me that. Nicole looks great and Juan looks just as good as he was watching something he had on the DVR (digital recording from your TV as you choose the shows/times to watch whenever you want-then you can erase or fast forward as you choose). We visited a little then the kids helped me unload my things and we decided that I’d just keep my luggage in the entrance hallways since I wasn’t sure where I would sleep. I usually sleep in Justin’s bed after we get Allison to sleep but we have also used the air mattress to sleep in the living room floor-we can decide later. We talked and Nicole had let the kids stay up later than usual since I was coming-bedtime for them is usually 8:30 PM. Since they had already had baths, we talked and Allison told me “we are all going to sleep in Justin’s bed” and I looked at Nicole, she said “if ya’ll can all fit, whatever Aunt Raquel wants to do.” I did just that so I got ready for bed and joined the 2 kids and Justin read to Allison and I. He is an amazing reader-his skills are definitely above his 2nd grade level that he is currently in. I’m glad because I love to read (and write) and hopefully he will too! It’s good to be with them all again-Good night!

Saturday, January 24, 2009-We got up early and the kids did as well since Justin was going to have his 1st ever Pine Derby Race with his boy scouts troop, right here in Pflugerville, Tx. We laughed as Juan had told Nicole when we started preparing the pine and was looking at options he could not believe the extreme people go to for their pine derbys, I think he was overwhelmed at that point and wished he’d started earlier with Justin to prepare his. We woke up to a cold, rain morning but I had promised the kids we’d go to the Donut Shop this morning so we did. We got all our favorites-including kalaches (a little sausage in a yeast roll with cheese---mmmmm mmmm good!) The first time I came here and brought the kids, they had never had anything but donuts here so I bought me a kalache and shared a bite with each of them and since then they like to get at least one with their visits. We took some back to Nicole’s as she was nursing Lauren and trying to get everything ready for our morning event. So we got everyone loaded in carseats in Nicole’s SUV and I followed them since we did not have too far to go. It was actually held at a local community park here in Pflugerville. Nicole had brought Caitlynn here during her December stay to take photographs of her, it’s a nice setting. The morning as I said was not the typical and quite chilly but the wind had picked up (typical Texas fashion) and seemed much colder than it was. We entered a cute little red barn/building that they held functions in; surrounded by Boy Scouts and their proud dad’s (and family members)-at this point I am unsure which of these is more excited and anxious to race their pine derbys. Lauren was in the stroller, Allison was hanging with Nicole and I, Justin and Juan proceeded to get registered as Justin stopped a couple of times to say hello to little friends that knew him. I was drinking a NERD but it was too cold to hold so I had placed it in the stroller carrier. Now I am not a pine derby expert by any size of the imagination but this looked much more sophisticated than back in my childhood times-they were using lasers to verify starting placement and photo finish completions. I think they mean business this morning. Yes, my nephew-in-law was correct as some of these people had gone to great technical extremes in the creation of their derby cars-WOW. They were all colors and shapes with precise detail that even I was impressed. They raced 3 cars at a time and it was a triple elimination to go further in the contest. Justin’s car made it twice but not the third time. We were all proud of him as he represented well and he’s always a good sport. I was thankful to be present for this event with my family to support him. All of us traveled back to their house to pack. I had made hotel reservations for the night in Brenham, Tx (home of Blue Bell Creamery-lip-smacking good ice cream, only in Texas) www.bluebell.com and they would be following me there. This would allow me to spend more time with them before my flight at 6:30 AM from Houston and let them have a little overnight getaway also-nothing like a little adventure, leave that up to Aunt Raquel since I never like to be too predictable! How boring would that be? This would also make me driving 45 minutes to the Houston airport instead of a 3 hour drive-besides who wouldn’t want to go to Brenham, Tx.?
We arrived and registered at the front office, made our way to our room to unpack and Nicole needed to nurse the little woman so we had a short stay before we were off in search of dinner and ICE CREAM! We found a steakhouse that reminded Nicole of the local one we used to eat at when she was growing up in Dumas, Tx. and I’d come visit. As we sat down she laughed as she recalled a visit we made to eat at the local one when Caitlynn was small. She reminded me that Caitlynn hid under one of the tables and then would run out with her white linen napkin on her head saying, “wooooooo, I’mmmmmm a ghooooooost!” and run around-Oh my gosh, I had totally forgotten about that. I used to joke and tell people to be careful what they say about other people’s kid in restaurants because God does how a sense of humor. Before we decided to be blessed with Credit Card Caity (as the Dr. referred to her when we had our sonogram to see if it was a boy or girl), we used to go to restaurants and I’d ask Lynn why people allowed their kids to act the way some did and then I’d say, “I’d be taking that child to the bathroom and getting them straightened out right quick and in a hurry”. Until my 2nd child started out to be ‘one of those children’……..
We ordered, blessed the food and enjoyed our meal together then relaxed a bit. Afterwards we were in search of Blue Bell and we conquered. Justin was excited because his mom let him ride in my rental vehicle instead of making him ride in his booster in her SUV, so he sat in the back seat buckled in like the big boy he has become. He’s always so calm and quite the conversationalist, I love spending time with the kids. They say the funniest things! Our caravan made its way back to settle in for an early evening at the hotel. Nicole nursed Lauren and told me of a funny that Justin came up with another day and time. Lauren has a ton of hair on the top of her head and we laugh and say she has a Mohawk. Well Justin informed her that when he was born and came out of his mom, he left a little hair, then Allison came and left a little so when Lauren came she took it all-how funny is that and who would of thought that up? We laughed and laughed! I often wonder why did God would make flies, and why, oh why, did he put hair on women’s toes? Why does God allow two eyebrows to merge, thus resulting in a unibrow? And how does a unibrow contribute to God’s plan for living creatures in the garden of life? I’ve searched the whole world and even Googled it. There is simply no answer to these questions….
Nicole and Juan have tried a couple of wines but never really found one they agree on, typically men like drier wines than some women so I brought them a bottle of Llano Winery’s Texas Sweet Red. They both tried it and both liked it, I guaranteed them it’s a good diverse wine for many tastes. Juan and Justin played PS2 together while Allison entertained us and we played together as Nicole fed Lauren then got her ready for bed. I showed her the Pioneer Woman website that Charlotte had shown me because the lady who it belongs to cooks, homeschools her kids and does digital photography (2 of the 3 things Nicole is interested in) and I thought she’d like to look at it later. She started looking at it and loved it, she said “oh I’m going to have to read more of that when I get home”!
You should of seen us-we had 2 double beds so the boys decided they’d sleep together (there’s 2 of them-they’re not crazy) and the girls-all 4 of us, even though one is small and one is short, it was still 4 but we got in a lot of quality ‘togetherness’. It’s hard to believe Allison will be in Pre-K in the fall-where does the time go!
All settled in we were asleep shortly and I had already had my clothes laid out so I wouldn’t wake them when I got up and out of there by 4 AM to get to the airport. I loaded my luggage and left them a napkin that I have written “thank you for joining me” on and to remind them again that I love them all and will do whatever to spend time with them frequently. Nicole woke just after I left out the door and walked out to the my vehicle with me and we said our goodbyes and hugged.
I will tell you as I have said to others that are close to my in my life; when I go visit Nicole and her family I feel like I have arrived. I did not birth her but I’m her aunt that was always very involved in her life as she grew up and she came to live with me (by her choice) when she was in high school. She gave up her high school in Dumas, Tx that she was active playing volleyball, friends, jobs and her immediate family to come to a town that I lived in (Anton, Tx.) with less than 2,000 people. I by no means thought I could handle a teenager since we’d just lost Brandon a little over 2 years prior to her coming. Her becoming a part of my immediate family was probably one of the greatest blessings in life that I’ve had the privilege of participating in. She is so well rounded and I see on a daily basis what a grounded and faith based wife, mother, niece, daughter and friend she has become as an adult-that is what life is all about. I am truly blessed…..