Road trips

Before I talk about whatever it is I’m going to talk about today, I kind of want to throw out a disclaimer. I’m not even sure that disclaimer is the right word, but let’s go with it. I really struggle with what to write after any sort of huge natural disaster has occurred. On the one hand, I feel like we all need a few moments of levity, but on the other hand I would never want to appear cold-hearted or like I’m not incredibly saddened by everything that is going on in Japan right now. Truthfully, I hadn’t watched much footage until last night because we’ve been with the kids non-stop and haven’t had a chance to see many of the images. It’s heartbreaking. I know it probably goes without saying, but let’s all continue to pray for the people of Japan.

And remember that just because I’m talking about nonsense doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the bigger picture.

With that being said, I’m sure you will all be fascinated to know that I bought a new power cord for my Mac today. It had been a long time coming, but when I realized my existing power cord was officially in two pieces there was no denying that it was a safety hazard even though I could technically get it to work if I wrapped it just right in masking tape and jiggled it periodically while it was plugged in, I knew it was time to pony up at the Apple store.

The only problem is that it’s zero fun to walk into the Apple store (two days after the release of the iPad 2) to just buy a power cord. It’s like buying a new bra. Or renting a shovel. It’s practical. And boring. And doesn’t come with a 17-inch screen and a shiny new keyboard with no brownie crumbs buried in its depths.

(Oh to be able to make a smooth transition right here.)

Caroline and I are in Houston now. We wrapped up our time in Bryan with a trip to the bowling alley. A trip where I managed to keep my score under 30 after a full seven frames of bowling. Had we been playing golf, it would have been a stellar score. But instead I got trounced by everyone, especially Will who came in first with a score of 128. He said, “Mel, you are really bad at bowling. I’m beating you half to death.”

On a positive note, while I don’t really advocate the denim jacket with the denim jeans for everyone, Caroline was rocking a denim on denim ensemble.

I think I had that exact outfit in 1978. Except I had Luv-it jeans with a patch on the back that read “FOXY”. Totally appropriate for a seven year old.

She was also very enthusiastic about her game.

But all good things must come to an end. We had to say goodbye to the boys. There were a few tears and Will declared, “Everything is funner with Caroline”. Gulley and I were sad it was over but agreed it’s always a good thing when we leave with all of us wanting more instead of with declarations of “YOU’RE NOT INVITED TO MY BIRTHDAY ANYMORE!” Ultimately, I always end up inviting Gulley to my birthday party.

Caroline and I drove to Houston and met up with Mimi, Bops, Amy and Sarah. Our hotel rooms weren’t ready yet so everyone hopped in the stay wag and we headed out for a quick bite to eat. Which is when Sarah got carsick in the back of the car. The saving grace was the 44 oz styrofoam cup rolling around in my back seat. God has placed many children in my life with weak stomachs. I believe it’s to teach me compassion and the importance of always having an empty, disposable receptacle in my vehicle.

After we ate lunch, we agreed it would be better for me to sit in the way back of the stay wag with Caroline. Which was when I discovered that it is extremely uncomfortable to sit in the way back if you’re over four and a half feet tall. Plus, it’s so awkward because I could never figure out if I was supposed to make eye contact with the cars behind us or just look away. It also didn’t help that driving in Houston brings out the side of Bops that makes him feel that traffic is a competition.

Our initial plan was to go to the downtown aquarium. But we pulled up and realized half of Houston had the same idea so we left and went to the Children’s Museum to hang out with the other half of Houston.

The girls had a great time, but I could have benefited from some sort of prescription medication. It was enough to turn me into a raging agoraphobic.

After being herded around with the crowd and possibly contracting a communicable disease, we went to my happy place.

The Galleria.

Bops hung out with the girls while they waited in a forty minute line to bungee jump and Mimi, Amy and I walked around to do a little shopping.

We walked past Zara and Dior and all manner of beautiful shops until we reached the Apple store. Where I bought a power cord and composed a sonnet about the shiny 17-inch Macbook Pro.

Tomorrow we will head back to San Antonio to make sure P hasn’t forgotten about us and possibly try to come up with more Spring Break fun.

I’m thinking a nap sounds perfect.

I realize that yesterday’s post was lame. Y’all don’t really care about Rico’s nacho cheese and all the regrets I have about continuing to eat it long after I knew it was a bad choice. But Gulley and I had to stay up late analyzing our hair and discussing my plan to eat nothing but steamed vegetables for at least six weeks after I get back home.

And sometimes you just have to let those things take precedence over trying to write a blog post with all manner of mundane details.

But I’m going to attempt to do better tonight. I can’t make any guarantees.

We loaded up the kids on Saturday morning to head to Bryan. Our goal was for Caroline and me to pick up Shipley’s donuts and be at Gulley’s house, packed and ready to go, by 9:30 a.m. So when we finally made it out of town by 10:15, we felt like it was an accomplishment to only be running 45 minutes late. We had to air up tires and retrieve booster seats and play musical cars before we could get serious about our road trip.

I had to follow Gulley since Caroline and I are leaving for Houston on Tuesday. The kids all chose to ride in Gulley’s car so I basically had a mini-vacation in the stay wag while Gulley had to worry about car sickness, musical selections and refereeing any potential arguments.

We made it to Bryan without any incidents. Unless you count when we made a bathroom stop in Bastrop and Caroline ate a piece of ice out of the cooler full of iced down beer by the cash register. Why would you think that’s a good idea? I looked at Gulley and said, “Well, when we all get the stomach bug, remember this moment.”

But fortunately we all appear to have survived this germ-laden lapse in judgment.

As soon as we arrived at Honey and Big’s house, we grabbed a few sandwiches and then went straight to Olsen Field to watch the Aggies play baseball. I showed Caroline the art of eating sunflower seeds and the ladylike way to get the shells out of your mouth. But she preferred to spit them in a decidedly unladylike manner. I have only myself to blame.

The Aggies lost the game and my purse lost the battle against a bag of sunflower seeds.

I don’t know that the picture does it justice, but between the dirt that was already in the bottom of my purse and those seeds, I should have a lovely bouquet in about two weeks.

Later that night, Nena came over to eat dinner with us and brought me a whole stack of fashion magazines. She handed them to me and announced she’d spent all day reading them so she could finish them before she gave them to me. AND she’d even peeled off the subscription address labels so they’d appear new. She also said, “You’re the ONLY ONE around here that will appreciate these”, which caused Gulley and her mama to laugh until they cried. Nena is the queen of the backhanded compliment.

After dinner Gulley told Nena she’d just bought a new pair of jeans and Nena said she’d love to see them. Gulley put them on and when she walked out to model them, Nena said, “OH! THOSE ARE HORRIBLE. I’VE SEEN YOU THROW THINGS IN THE TRASH THAT LOOK BETTER THAN THOSE JEANS.”

I don’t think Nena really embraces the concept of paying money for faded jeans that have a little character.

It made us so happy.

The next morning Caroline and Will rode with Big to secure us a nutritious breakfast.

What you really can’t see are the six bags of donut holes behind those boxes. When it comes to Shipley’s, we believe that more is more.

We were all slightly groggy from the Daylight Savings Time nonsense, but were ready to go back to Olsen Field for some more baseball by 1:00.

All was well and good until Caroline and I decided we were hungry. I didn’t really want a hot dog and Gulley had mentioned the concession stand on the third base side had Frito pies, nachos and pulled pork sandwiches. I was envisioning an old school ballpark Frito pie served in a Frito bag. So you can imagine my dismay when I realized it was just some tortilla chips covered in that bright yellow nacho cheese with some questionable-looking chili poured on top. I rethought my Frito pie decision and opted instead for the pulled pork sandwich and the nachos sans chili for Caroline.

They didn’t even pour the cheese over the chips for us. The nachos were a bag of chips and that container of cheese. And the pulled pork sandwich? I can’t really think about it. Especially in light of the fact that I ate over half of it before I realized I’d made a serious mistake assuming I was even eating pork.

I put the sandwich under my seat because I couldn’t bear to look at it and then asked Honey if she wanted the rest of Caroline’s nachos. She asked, “Are they good?” To which I replied, “Well, the cheese came out of this plastic container and isn’t warm or cold. What do you think?”

She passed.

On the upside, the Aggies came back in the eighth inning to win the game. And the kids got to take a celebratory lap around the bases.

And then they waited outside the locker room to get their baseballs signed by the players. Which is when Gulley and I noted that black socks with Adidas sandals appear to be all the rage with the college athletes and have never felt older. Back in our day, that’s what the grandpas of college athletes wore.

Will included his own signature on his baseball and offered to sign Caroline and Jackson’s as well. They declined.

Later that night the kids had an Easter Egg hunt in the backyard because they aren’t bothered by the fact that Easter is still a month away.

Later on, Honey wanted to get a picture of all the kids with her dogs.

I am not kidding when I tell y’all that this is the closest we got to making that a reality. Gulley has no future as a dog whisperer.

But I do think her jeans look cute.

We’re only two days in and are thoroughly enjoying our Spring Break.

In fact, I only have one regret thus far.

Why did I think this was a wise culinary choice?

I’ll be back tomorrow with all the interesting (and uninteresting) details, but for now I need to go to bed and get some rest.

It’s not easy to have this much fun. Or eat this bad.

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