It's a Family Affair

In the city of Muleshoe, TX there is a semi elaborate park dedicated to the glorious town mascot, a Mule.  It is complete with a random chandelier dressed gazebo, park benches labeled with metal descriptors describing that you are in fact sitting on a park bench, and a giant copper Mule placed prominently on a podium as inspiration for this fair city.  Beside this artistic little jem is the BEST gas station I have ever experienced!  This place concentrated on the small details like deciding to forgo the use of generic doors on their bathroom stalls, and instead spicing things up with vintage 70s curtains.  This way the locals can just peek in on you whenever they feel to show a little local hospitality.  The main lobby of the store was where the real magic happened.  There was a buffet table lined with rows and rows of taco fixings AND frozen yogurt toppings.  As in chocolate sprinkles next to chopped onions.  This was mecca. Why did I even continue further?  A little feast for the eyes...

So this was how the trip began.  I was really excited to have my Dad joining me for the first half of the trip.  When I was growing up we would road trip west often, so majority of this drive was through familiar places and memories.  My Dad and I do not live in the same city so the extra time with him was an unexpected but wonderful surprise, even if we had to listen to Tower of Power while driving across Utah.

If you are not familiar with Clines Corner in New Mexico then you have not experienced New Mexico.   It is a gas station, restaurant, but mainly souvenir store.  It is located at the corner of route 66 and US highway 285 and every year we would pass through this amazing adventure in trinkets and parental patience.  My goal as we stopped for fuel on the annual family vacation was always one thing...get the plastic toy horse.  At one time I knew the exact location in the store of the horses.  To save time I could retrieve the horse upon entering, while those less fortunate had to peruse asile after asile of last minute decision making, all allowing more time for me to convince my Dad why this was a necessity.  I was never successful.  The same answer was always given to stop my dreams "Wait till we get to (insert destination) You will find something better there"  Now besides the totally unnecessary $200 dress from Santa Fe that I, post appropriate horse age, attempted (understatement) I never found anything better.  And really what was better than a figurine of a plastic horse decorated in war paint, a real-ish tail made of white "fur", and a feather mane that even a real horse would nea fabulous, WHAT WAS BETTER DAD???  So as my Dad and I walked through Clines together giggling at the racist souvenirs and reminiscing on his own father buying him the little wooden drum/tomahawk set EVERY year, I gracefully retold my memory of summer vacation.  In a perfect father daughter moment I then found my dad roaming the isles in search of the horses.

Meet Larry

Thank You Dad

    More run-on sentences to come...

Ugly vs Rad

Um I am in Lubbock today.  I drove in yesterday, hungover.  I am here with the family till Friday.  I of course cried all the way from Dallas to Abilene, so lame.  AM radio gets an impressive amount of distance though, because as I balled for three straight hours the fellas of the Hardline were able to entertain me one last time.  You know what guys, space IS super gay.  I will miss Mike the cow most of all.  Moo.  Now once I pulled into this little town I was greeted by the extreme beigeness of my mother’s neighbors landscaping.  Pictured below is the decision making of what I assume happens when a person hates their life.

My last week in Dallas was so amazingly terrible and equally full of fantasy that I am still trying to process everything.  Now to save face I can not openly let out my frustrations regarding my many disappointments.  I can however tell you that I am happy to be moving on.  My going away party was fantastically awkward and incredible.  I hung on like a trooper for a solid seven hours!  Asking me for specifics of this night will get you no where.  For me I am just going to say it all felt like a dream (gin).  Pictures I do not necessarily remember taking shown below.

I think I slept for maybe two hours before making my way to oak cliff for coffee and help.  My friends nursed me back to life with sentimental conversations, and the beautiful ability we all have to laugh at ourselves.  I might be crying right now thinking about this, but it is ok, I have spell check.

 

The only thing to do on a day off, in Texas, during the summer, when you are recovering, is get in a pool, and have a beer.  So that is what we did.  Here I have proof.  Go.

My father was so kind as to drive to Dallas my last night and have dinner with my crew.  He is a bit of a foodie so when he comes into town we have to be creative with our dining choices.  Behind half price books is a German place called Hanks.  On weekends they have live “entertainment”.  This Saturday there was an accordion player who after going through every sitcom theme song from the 70s, and his version of Stairway to Heaven, that was a completely serious request from someone, he put on a bandana with fake braids and completed the show doing his version of a Willie Nelson impression.  He was NOT Willie Nelson, thank you David Sedaris.

The night ended with us watching a bit of the movie Hook in the parking lot of Half Price books, which in the summer will show movies there.  People of Dallas if you were unaware of them doing this then please aware yourself now.  They let you know the movie before viewing and people theme dress!  There were pirates, tinkerbells, and lost boys galore!  Hipsters and Rufio dress about the same, so some of those could not have been costumes.  From there I won’t go into the details of the sadness that followed the rest of our beautiful evening.  The following morning though can just suck it!  My plan had been to leave around mid day, but everything fell apart.  True to form I had a dramatic temper tantrum before lunch, after lunch and again around what I would call a post lunch snack time.  I decided to stay one more night, watch the Mavs, see a few more friends I had yet to say goodbye to, and spend one more night in Dallas with people I adore!  I have great love for my friends.  They are all so fantastically different.  We all teach and learn so much from each other.  Please to all those who I love and am moving so far from, let’s just say “Have a good day”.  This little phrase dismisses any sense of permanence from our distance.  It leaves the feeling of a see you later vibe.  I am going to force those who I can not give up to continually and actively be participators in each others lives!  Erika, you are my soul mate so do not fight it!  I would give him up over and over again to have you in my life.  If the reason I was put through hell with him was to be your friend then in that I finally found peace.  You are the Texas sun kid and I will take you with me forever.  Bangarang!  

So...

I moved.