Sweet Escape

I am getting ready for my Nacogdoches blog-a-thon. Buckle up.

I’m on my 2^nd cup of coffee right now. By the end of this, I will likely be on the 3^rd. The great thing about that 3^rd cup of coffee is that’s when my fingers really start to move at the pace of my mind, which, when I’m writing, can feel like the speed of light.  After three cups of coffee, I feel like I have special spelling powers. After three cups of coffee, I can spell words like Nacogdoches or Roethlisberger, with no backspacing, and that, my friends, feels great!

My trip to see Michael in Texas was the trip that felt like it would never come.  Perhaps that’s because of my incredible, unfortunate mathematic inabilities which caused me to think the trip was two weeks away, when it was really three weeks away, so I spent two weeks in “two weeks from now” mode. Get me?

After all of the nervousness and anticipation, it was finally here.  5 days.  My sweet escape. The trip that at least part of me thought would never grow from the nucleus of an idea into a real, living, breathing experience.  But, I’m so glad I did it. Flying half way across the country to see someone is so often one of those things I say I’m going to do, but I never actually do.

As these experiences often go, once I was there, I found out all that time I spent worrying and wondering was nonsense.  I love it when that happens. (she says, sarcastically) When will I learn not to worry and anticipate?

Clearly, never.

Nacogdoches is such a sweet little town.  It’s the kind of place where you can walk into an antique shop and spend 20 minutes talking with the owner, and walk out with some homemade pumpkin butter.  Walking around downtown, I seriously felt like I was in Stars Hollow.  We ate a hearty soup in a place called the General Store.  We went up a cool elevator in an old hotel turned into a fabric store/makeshift museum.  The way the rooms were set up, it reminded me of “A League Of Their Own.” I love the 40’s.  Nacogdoches is the kind of town where there is history on every corner and every little thing is dedicated to someone. Little plaques are on the benches. The lightposts. Everywhere.

It was like being transported back in time. And forward. We took a mini-trip within my trip… to Dallas.  Now, if you’re a responsible, logically thinking adult, you might think a road trip of that distance would be CRAZY. Be that as it may, it was a great ‘getting to know you trip’ and the Galleria was FABULOUS.  Incredible. Seriously, the coolest mall I have ever stepped foot into.  It’s not every day I get to touch a $2,000 handbag!  Or see people ice skating in a MALL. The details were cool… down to the design of the chairs and the guy playing piano in Nordstrom.

So, it was Spring Break, right? Right.  Tell that to the snow! Yes, the snow. Now, I’m not quite sure why the snow likes me so.  It seems to follow me wherever I go.  I am generally over it.  But it was fun in Nacogdoches.  It brought excitement because it’s been so long since it snowed there, especially in April!  I was feeling the magic of the moment. White stuff and all. It didn’t hurt that I was wearing flip-flops.  I made a promise to my feet.  Happy feet, they are.

Okay, how’s that for flavor? Got my drift? Does this adequately express how GREAT of a time I had?  It was nice to slow down from the big city pace, go to a new place. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Eat. Drive. Watch movies. Shop. Smile. Smell wonderful scents. See things I’ve never seen before. Worship. Shake hands. Hug.

I seriously ate the best meal I’ve had since Christmas.

Oh, driving through Texas felt like I was driving straight through Dillon, with the town signs that said things like “Population 1,021” and water towers that read “Home of the Brewers.”  I was waiting to see Coach Taylor and Tami at the Sonic where I got my chocolate cream pie shake.

If it weren’t for losing my voice and sounding like Rita Cosby for 3 days, setting off Michael’s smoke alarm, and almost running us into the back of a U-Haul, I’d say it was perfect.  We should definitely do it again, only this time, take more pictures, and not wait as long!

Friends, let me share with you what I learned from this trip -- you should do it. Go for it. Take the trip. Don’t just think about it. Or talk about it.

Take your sweet escape.