Tackling Texas

Well 2012 is finally here…thankfully.  I’m not sure why, but I had a hard time with 2011.  Not the events – the actual number.  I just never got comfortable with it.  I think I’m more of an “even number” kind of gal.  Now you know.

I have high hopes for 2012.  Big plans.  One of them includes learning to like to run.  Unfortunately, just saying that made me a little weak in the knees.  I’ve never been big on running.  In fact, I find people’s love for running downright ridiculous.  For the longest time, I think it was purely an anatomical problem.  (Big chested girls should not run – it’s not pretty).  Since that was revised several years back, I’ve been thinking about taking it up.  Thinking and thinking and thinking.  Maybe sometime before December of 2012 I will have learned to run…and enjoy it.  Wayland and I might do it together.  Couch to 5K was an idea we had.  If any of y’all have tried it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Other plans include rearranging some rooms in the house and repainting…which desperately needs to be done.  (You can imagine all the white trim in the house that has never been touched up in the almost seven years we’ve lived here with four children.  It’s embarrassing).

I’d also like to maybe go away for a couple of days with Wayland.  It’s been over ten years since we’ve done anything like that and I think it’s about time.

Okay, so maybe those aren’t really BIG plans, but it’s a start.  (And now you all know so you can hold me accountable).

But before I can pick up my paintbrush, put on my running shoes, or pack my duffel, I must tackle Texas.  There’s a lot to cover, but I finally feel I can muster the strength to do it.  Here goes…

TEAMThompson packed up the ol’ Suburban (which we’ve affectionately named Bullseye, The Trusty Steed) with enough clothes, shoes, medicine, presents, pillows and people to possibly warrant some kind of special permit.  We headed southwest on the Thursday afternoon that the kids got out of school and drove it straight through…Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas…all 19 hours of it.  We arrived bleary-eyed, foul-breathed and a little grimy, but it didn’t stop us from embracing family full force.  We were tired, but running on the adrenaline of being back in our hometown…surrounded by people we love, food we love, and did I mention food we love?  It took us all of about fifteen minutes of being in Odessa to head to Rosa’s for burritos, fajitas, tortillas and liquid gold (aka queso).  That was the beginning of a seven-day tex-mex binge that has left us all with a little less room in our jeans since returning to Indiana.  Yes, we were gluttonous.  Yes, we’ve asked for forgiveness.  (But not ’till we got home).

I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.  It wasn’t all about the food…not by a long shot.  It had been over three years since we had been back in the Lone Star State and we had so many necks to hug I couldn’t come close to counting them all.  Moms, dads, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephew, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, friends…it was intense!  And wonderful.  And a little sad.  Watching our kids with family (especially their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) puts a smile on my lips and laughter in my voice, but it’s also hard.  Knowing we have limited time isn’t easy.  Trying to fit in quality, quantity, memory-making, joyous moments is really hard work!  By the end of our time in Texas, I was physically, emotionally, and mentally spent, but I was thankful that we made the trip.  Happy to see loved ones in person.  Hug them; hold them; talk and laugh.  Stand in a circle, hold hands and pray.  That makes it worth it all.

We didn’t take near enough pictures…but the ones we got were pretty good.  Allow me to start out with a picture of our landscape.  It’s hard to explain, but after being out of Odessa for over eight years, seeing things like pumpjacks and oil rigs that were once so commonplace somehow become fascinating again.  This is where we’re from:

The oil industry that drives West Texas economy supports both our families.  It was good to see those jacks pumping.

This is what drives my economy…

Sleepy cousins snuggling in bed

More rested cousins loving on the newest addition

Excited cousins ready to play!

I'll have to admit, Kinect was fun to watch and play!

Trophy winning younger cousin giving older cousin some words of advice before older cousin crashes his bike into a pole.

Papa and Dad giving Nate some advice as well.

All lived to smile about it!

Building gingerbread houses with Reece and Rynn

Doing nails with Kenzie Jo

Grandad loves those backrubs!

Snuggle time with Papa

Sweet baby kisses for Laine

Landry and Megan snuggle time...aren't they sweet?

Losing steam...

There were also moments not captured with a camera, but that will be forever engraved on my heart.  Sitting down with my Momma and going through photo albums from my childhood.  Watching her braid Anna’s hair and seeing myself as the little girl in the chair.  Being at Tina and Lawrence’s – all fifteen of us squeezed together and feeling completely at home and content.  Dance off with Kayli (darn those yoga pants ).  Grocery shopping and dance off with Kaleb.  Oh yea!  Playing 42 with Grammi and my Dad.  Sunday lunch with all the Thompsons…singing “with Jesus in the home.”  Aunt Beth’s surprise 70th birthday party and her beautiful tribute to her Savior.  Hugging both my beautiful Grandmothers and Wayland’s – I don’t take that for granted.  Hearing Noah express himself with such passion.  Kenzie Jo keeping me laughing…never a dull moment with her.  Reece and her keen attention detail – listening to her talk.  Rynn – her laugh and those two fingers in her mouth.  Laine. Is there anything sweeter than a new baby?  Hugging and kissing those four sweet nieces and one cute nephew.  Catching up with Rachel.  Meeting Megan.  Seeing Landry with such a bright future ahead of him.  Those last hugs where I held on a little bit longer to each and every family member with tears running down my cheeks.

Of course, once we had said our final goodbyes and wiped away those few remaining tears, we had two final stops to make.  I hate that I have to take this back to the food, but it must be done.  Our first stop was Taco Villa.  We had been blessed with two coupons for six free bean burritos and we couldn’t let those go to waste.  We pulled up a little before 10am and ordered 13 burritos.  I wonder what they thought.  If that wasn’t bad enough, we left there and went straight to Rosa’s to order more of our favorites as we don’t know how long it will be until we can eat it all again.  We set off down I-20 with 19 burritos, 24 tortillas, and 2 large quesos.  That was one burrito for every hour we had ahead of us to drive.  Unfortunately, between five of us (Luke doesn’t like mexican food…it really must make a difference that he was born in IN!!!) those 19 burritos and two dozen tortillas didn’t last that long.  I feel a little shame over the whole ordeal…especially considering we stopped in Oklahoma City at a Cracker Barrel to eat as well.  I will say, the smells coming from the backseat of the car helped keep Wayland and I awake in the wee hours of the morning as we drove straight through all the way back home.  We got in at 7:30 am the next day, carried the couple of tortillas and half a burrito that we had left into the house and all crashed.  Hard.

I woke up at some point in time to unpack all our bags and get the laundry done.  Then it was Christmas Eve.  Then it was Christmas.  I don’t remember being that tired in a long time.  We had a lazy day until we looked at the clock and realized we were supposed to be next door at the neighbors’ for Christmas dinner.  We all threw on some clothes (I threw on some make-up as well) and we spent the evening with friends we enjoy dearly.  Then we came home and crashed again.  I feel sure we will be fully recovered from the past 18 days soon.  We better get on the ball, though.  School starts back tomorrow whether we’re ready or not.

Here are some pics from Christmas day…

Christmas dinner at the Barker's

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