A West Texas Walker Visit

Walker went on his first real trip last week... and we all loved every minute! We headed to Texas on Thursday. The plane ride wasn't that bad as W cried a little, but overall did a great job! We rented a car and drove up to Lubbock on Friday for a weekend of football, friends and fun.

 

First flight

 We first stopped in O'Donnell to see Jodi at her school for a few minutes. W slept through the visit so he didn't entertain her much! Then we hit Lubbock and went to a boutique to meet Jana, Andrea and Shyloh. It was so good to catch up with all of them!

Andrea and Dubby

Shyloh and Dubs

We had to have some authentic Lubbock food so we headed to Chimy's where we met Karen, Sean and Guinnie along with my cousin, Sara.  

Walker and Guinevere meet for the first time

The kids just had to see where we all graduated as Red Raiders so we took a trip to the campus!!! It has really grown so it was neat to see all of the new things.

 

 

 

After all of this excitement we headed over to the hotel where we were staying and to meet Brandon and Sara with their girls at Rosa's for more authentic Lubbock food! The girls are so adorable and had fun with the babies.  We went to their house afterwards where the girls had a dance party for us. We stayed in a hotel room with Karen, Sean and G who is 10 months old. The babies did really well together. I was scared Walker would be crazy, but I always got to him before he started to cry. It was like a huge slumber party. 

The Texas Tech game was a blast! We met Chandra and Michael to go to Ashley's little tailgate. I was so excited for Walker to meet my lifelong best friend! He laughed and talked to her! The first part of the game wasn't as fun because it was just hot. W was mad, I was mad... so we all decided to go to the other side of the stadium in the shade up high. Best decision as the kids calmed down and we could just enjoy the game. We won by a lot so that was fun, too! 

Chandra

W, Ashley, Chandra

G, Karen, Jules

Nick, Anna, Me

Julie, W, Brandon, Kendall

After the game we all went to One Guy from Italy and had some calzones! We told the guys to go out, but they decided to just make themselves at home in the lobby! Karen and I just hung out in the room with the kiddos then I took W when he was asleep out to the lobby with the boys! We also asked Karen and Sean to be godparents to our Walker. They are very special people in our lives. We are godparents to Guinevere. They are just pure, genuine nice folks. No matter the distance, we stay so close in heart. I pray we can each guide one another's kids in a daily walk with Christ.

Daddy makes him ghetto

Guinnie and her godmother

 

On our way to Midland to visit my parents we stopped in Lamesa to see the family. This was my little slice of Heaven. My most favorite people in the world! It was so wonderful that Walker got to meet all of them. They passed him around... they didn't care much about us, just him! We enjoyed so much the short visit just laughing and talking. Family is so important to me. 

 

Sara, Vanala, Molly, Robin

Jodi

Donna, D'Layna and Dubs

Donna and Vanala

D'Layna, Julie, Dubby

We finally got to Midland and W got to hang out with Papa Mark and NeNe! He is more fun and smiles a lot more so it was fun to see him interact with them. I can't wait until Dad can tell him stories he makes up and just enjoy him more. I have so many fun memories of my Dad growing up. I also have great memories of my Grandaddy and get excited they can have those memories. Grandaddy and I would take walks and just talks, or he would read to me... or I remember playing in his garden with the tomatoes and him. Brenda had such a nice time laughing with him and having quality time. They are going to have a blast as he grows up! She is such an angel and I'm so glad he will have her.

Dad, Nick and I with W took a trip to Big Spring to visit everyone Monday. We stopped by the Stewarts and they got to meet their newest "family" member. Walker had a blast with Grammy, Aunt Stephanie and Papa Howard. 

Stephanie and Walker

 

We went to lunch then headed to the spring! The spring of Big Spring is pretty sad, but Nick wanted to see it. It was very muddy and dirty. We went to my old street, Cecilia, where I grew up and got to see some of the neighbors. We stopped at Joe and Frankie's then Jessica and Ben came over. I haven't seen the inside of my house since Dad and Brenda moved out of it a few years ago. I would love to see it, but also I love the memories in my mind of how it was. Such a special place to me. Lastly we took a drive up on Scenic Mountain so Nick could see the town. Big Spring holds a very special place in my heart. 

 

Jessica and W

Mrs. Nutting, one of my best guy friend, Blair's mom and a lovely family friend wanted to teach me to bake pies as a belated wedding gift. She and her husband were already having my family over for dinner so we decided to learn to bake a few pies! She taught me the art of the apple and chocolate pie. We had a nice time while I learned! I got to learn little secrets of baking! It was so neat! I truly enjoyed it. The family then joined us for dinner. The spread was beautiful and everyone had a great time just hanging out and enjoying one another. 

Mrs. Nutting

 

 It was now almost Tuesday, a day to leave... I wanted to hold on tight to the house and just not let go. I had such a good time and wanted to be with family and friends in West Texas! We knew it was time to get back as we had Steven and Ashley arriving in town that week. Dubby got dressed up in his new boots from Grammy Vicki and dressed in his Texas garb. He did really well with each person he met. He was never freaked out and laughed/talked to all of them! I think we all had an eventful, great time! He will be a good little traveler! Nick and I love our trips to West Texas, especially when we get to feel the air of Lubbock and just absorb being a proud Tech Alumni. My slice of Heaven as I said is always being with loved ones. We return to Texas around Christmas and count down the days! We love our land and our friends in this land, but nothing can take the place of our roots in our hearts. Walker will grow roots that extend across the states. We are blessed with such a special life.

I feel ya, I feel ya. It's hard to leave.

Drinking In Love In Life

 

One thing people learn very quickly when they come to Las Vegas is you must drink your water. Dehydration hits you out of nowhere and you are left feeling woozy. The same thing goes for drinking in love in life.

We had an amazing weekend. Joy, Tami and Ty came in to visit little Dubs. I hold many fond memories of Joy and Tami growing up. My mother taught me many lessons using them. She taught me that a best friend is one with whom no time passes, that sometimes you cry at weddings and that Burger King croissants are best with friends during a perm. They were always just there in my life. Now that I am an adult I am so very blessed to be on the same playing field of life and get to hang out with Tami when she visits. Joy shared fun stories about Mom with me. Morbid as it sounds, Tami lost her dad at a very young age so we can talk about very serious subjects like we are talking about the weather. Most people don't understand and would think we are strange, but we understand and it's okay to talk and even joke about certain things no one else could or would. I love hearing about Mom from her friends as it makes her so human to me, not just my Mom the Hero, but my Mom the Woman. Ty is 16 and just an amazing young guy. He's so much fun and gave Nick a manly man to play with and yell at the TV together watching football!!! We all just had fun and laughed and enjoyed life. Oh, and of course, they ate up Walker! He was a ham for them!!!

We watched football and grilled outside on Saturday. That night Ty wanted to head to the Strip to the M&M Store. It's such a different world down on the Strip. People everywhere! Pandemonium! We live in a quiet, serene place so traveling a few miles seems like lifetimes away. We hit up a few stores and came back all quite exhausted. We got up Sunday and went to lunch then took the scenic tour of Red Rock Canyon. So gorgeous.

Back to the water. Joy gets very dehydrated because she probably has no clue the desert is insane creeping up on you. We basically pumped her with water! We get dehydrated all of the time and try to force down the water. I'm very bad at it. Ah in life... let's make the analogy.. Love is our air, our water, our breath. We need to swim in love every day, to jump in the deep feelings so we are surrounded with happiness. The dehydration quickly drowns us if we don't immerse ourselves in any way possible. Whether near or far, we must choose to let love in. Reach out. Let those reach in. I mentioned Mom taught me through Joy and her's friendship that what mattered most is being there when it matters. What mattered most is that no distance, no time can separate love amongst family and friends. I am thanking God each second of my life that I've carried that lesson with me each day. We live far away in a desert, but we love as if we are standing millimeters apart. We don't get dehydrated by the distance, by the time or by the world. Drink up.

Fires of Life

 

It's been a long, crazy week that ended with a fun day of football. The cat is in my lap, the dog is asleep on the bed, the kid is asleep in his little rocker and the husband is happily watching football. Sounds good to me.

Walker has found his smile and his tongue which is very funny. He also has found a new pouty face that makes me laugh hysterically. He smiles mostly in the morning and at night. If he has a bath, he is crazy with happiness. He still has his fussy times during the day. We have been putting him on his activity mat and he is starting to really enjoy that as well. I'm having a blast dressing him and finding clothes for him. So not a boy thing, but it excites me! He's beginning to be a lot of fun! He truly loves his nightly walks and his bath time.

We had a tough week as Nick was hit in my car. He's fine, just some pretty deep bruising on his ribs and a few other places. When he called he didn't know if he was hurt and I didn't really think twice so I ran out of the house with Walker actually in his Ergo carrier on me! (The base of the carseat was in the Murano that was hit!)... The wreck was just around the corner, but still, I know I cannot win Mom of the Year or anything... so we race over there and he's on the curb. I was mad just because it was the first emotion that hit because I was scared so I barked at him about not looking twice and he kept saying it wasn't his fault. I don't trust people to stop at red lights so I always remain cautious so I was just mad. I should've been a lot sweeter, but I was scared in that moment... so they put him the ambulance and I'm totally clueless. I'm a tough cookie, but I wish the first responders had treated me like the clueless chick I was at that point. It makes me worry for the future if something happens again if I don't ask the right questions I'll be left in the dark. The ambulance man told me I needed to talk to the firemen about getting Walker and I to the hospital... he told me he had to transport Nick so I needed to go. Umm okay... where are you taking him? The firemen told me to bring my carseat to the station and they would install it in the other car. I just kept asking where they were going because I have no clue where many hospitals in this town are! I called a neighbor who thankfully took Walker for me so I then still took the carseat to the station... which during this time Nick is being transported... I knew he probably wasn't hurt that bad, but you just never know about freak things so I was pretty annoyed sitting there while they took their time installing the seat. But, I'm glad they took their time so it was done correctly! I finally found the hospital and then I got very mad. The ER people said he wasn't in the system so I needed to wait 15 minutes. What if my husband had been dying and I am just standing there?! Oh, and they didn't acknowledge me for 10 minutes while helping the man in front of me. I asked after 15, nope, still not here, go wait... WHAT?! Thank GOD Nick was calling me at this time and I knew he was fine. This hospital was near the Strip so it was filled with many random people and just crazy. I stood in a corner just waiting and texting. Didn't know what else to do to kill the time. It was nothing like the other hospitals we've seen here while looking at where to give birth. Finally we figured out he was in Trauma and not ER so I went over there and got right in. They were all very nice. The police came and gave accounts from both sides. After lots of tests we finally got to take Nick home. Poor guy was in a lot of pain, still is. Rib pain is just the worst because you cannot do much about it. The car is gone and I'll get a new one, but the most important thing is no one was badly hurt.

Ahhh so here we are. Awaiting the nicer temps that are said to come this week. So excited to take Walker on more walks and just enjoy time in the park with him. We are also looking forward to visitors and then looking forward to visiting West Texas!!! We also may go on a mini vacation next weekend, we shall see... I never take anyone or anything for granted. The worst thing about me at times is I get tough when I'm scared. I sure do love deeply though. Family and friends are simply the most important things in life. You forget all the debris around you and the world when it comes to loved ones. A fire burned down a historic church in Abilene today and a lone Bible sat in the middle of the embers, the inside untouched. Such as life. The fire burns around us, but the guts that matter remain full of light.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend officially means Summer is over. We had our last pool day of the year! We ended it with a bang of parties. Nick's mom flew in to surprise me so it was so great to have her here for a few days! Then we hosted a big party here complete with neighbors and friends! We ended the weekend with a football party with our friends.

Texas Tech football is back! Nick and Walker watched outside on the back porch! I got a little bored watching later and stole Dubby for a nap with the cat and dog.

 

Cheesing for the party

Maureen, Casey, Walker, Julie

Jenn & Lyle

OSU Party