Trip to Dallas...and Houston...and back to Dallas

What an adventure Will and I had last week when I was lucky enough to join him at a convention for work in Dallas. Since it was my birthday week (and Valentine's Day), I threatened him if he didn't take me with him..ok, I didn't threaten him. He volunteered to take me with him and even asked my parents if they would be willing to watch the kids for us while we were gone. I know, right? What a gentleman! What a hubby! So, of course we have to have a few wrenches thrown into the mix just to challenge my sanity so, the day we were to leave my dad called with news of my mom getting the flu. Plans had to change regarding the kids and my sister lovingly volunteered to house all 3 of my rugrats at her house for a day to give mom time to recover before her free time was ripped away from her for a week. That sounds harsh but it's reality. If you're a mom, you know.

So we headed out at the crack of dawn to the airport to board our flight to Dallas. Now, part of the excitement of going on a trip is to see which fabulous car you're going to drive. It's fun. It's different. So we went to Thrifty car rentals relatively anxious to see what "standard" sized car we'd get to drive for the week. The lady gave Will the paperwork and said, "you can choose whatever car you would like in the "standard" row." Giddy, we burst through the door to the parking lot and, in the standard row sat one car. Yes. One car. What was that car, you ask? A Jeep. JEEP!? So, it took us quite a while to decide between all of the options...um..no, we incredulously asked the attendant, "seriously, that's the only car you have?" to which he responded, "well, it's that or that minivan over there." I don't know about you moms but I OWN a minivan, I don't want to drive a minivan on my vacation! So we opted for the Jeep. By the end of the trip, we both decided a Jeep was not in our car-owning future. If you like a rough ride, it's the car for you. As a side note, when we dropped off the car at the end of the week, we noticed that the lot was FULL of "standard" car options. *sigh*

On to our travels. We decided to drive from Dallas to Houston to hang out with my cousin, Lisa and her husband, Ben. We hadn't seen them in quite a while and we thought this was probably the only time we'd be able to see them for a while since they're unable to travel much due to Ben's treatment. We bought some Texas BBQ and headed over to their place for much-needed family time. May I just add that Ben & Lisa are 2 of the most amazing people you'll ever meet. Faced with such adversity and distance from family, they are trusting in God for everything and have such great attitudes through all of their trials. I have the utmost respect for them and was honored to spend some time with them.
The next day we started the drive back to Dallas but just had to say hi to Amanda and 2 of her kids before we left town. Unfortunately, we could only stay for an hour but I had a blast checking out all of her interior design projects throughout her house and meeting "Thumbelina" (the family's 5 year old Betta fish). Apparently, she's invincible, according to Amanda, and just keeps going and going and going. God challenges us in many ways. =)
Later that day, we stopped by Dealy Plaza, the place of JFK's assassination. I can tell you, honestly, it was a little eery to be in the actual place of his death. They marked the road with a big X where he got shot. Thanks, Texas. Maybe you could make it a little more heartfelt and put a star there? I mean, everything else has a star on it. I think it would look a little better than a huge X. I get the idea..I just don't think it looks very "memorial-ish." They did have the heart to dig a hole for a plaque..right next to the busy road.
We took a few pictures of the Plaza. By the way, the X is located right under that red car if that gives you any perspective on the events of that fateful day.
...and here is the former book depository. I've got to say, it was a little strange to see the place where Lee Harvey Oswald hid and took the shot. They have the window open a slight bit and there is something coming out of it. I kept thinking that perhaps someone might think it would be fun to re-enact the events of that day. Eek.
Then, on to dinner at a place called Saltgrass. Let me just say: best.steak.ever. AND best salad croutons I've ever had. It was amazing. Just an aside, here. I'm a fan of McDonalds $1 sweet tea. With that in mind, you can imagine my excitement when they actually offer sweet tea as a menu item in Texas! This is my kind of state!

Later that night, we saw my good friend, Jenna and her husband, Joey. It has been so long since I've seen her. Jenna and I have been buddies since the 6th grade and even though there will be years where we don't see each other, we can get together and have fun just like old times. The next day, we shopped at the Galleria all day and even ran into some Dallas Seminary folks with very thick Texas accents. That night we visited a local Mexican food joint whose chips were so good I ran out of room in my stomach for the main entree. I'm a sucker for chips and salsa!
On Friday, I spent the day at the convention with Will. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about the business so I looked more like the "hired help" than a knowledgeable businesswoman. I really don't like being in that position but, by the end of the day, I got the lingo down pretty well. I think our booth neighbors were glad to see the day end since one of Will's new products was a mini speaker that hooks up to your iphone and has outstanding sound. After playing the same song over and over again, even the Mrs. Field's cookie guys across the aisle from us started unconsciously singing the song even when it wasn't playing. Sorry, guys!

We started our return trip around 7:00 and, with the weather delay in LA (of all things), we landed at good old LAX at 12:30 at night. The sky was lit up with 100's of other airplanes waiting for their turn to land due to a rainstorm that had stopped airport traffic and we fell into bed at 1:30am.

Of course, early the next morning we went to pick up the kiddos from my parents and started the every-day routine once again as parents and Californians. I will miss Texas. The people there are friendly and, despite the various sizes and types of roadkill on the 200 mile stretch of road between Dallas and Houston, I see the great, big state of Texas as pretty cool place.
Just wanted to put in a parting shot of the two of us on our two-of-us vacation. Notice we're not holding hands with children, wiping snot, giving snacks, or pretending to smile while making sure our children don't run into the street? We are relaxed, enjoying the scenery, taking time to take photos. It was wonderful. OK, I missed the kids but it was still nice to get away.