Livin' and Lovin' in A-town

Life Is Beautiful

So, this may turn out to be a long post...just warning you!

In the previous post, I promised great pics from my travels during the week of the 4th. But, before I tell you about the amazing week I had, I'll tell you about the rough weekend before that.

My alma mater celebrated its Centennial last year and I was privaleged enough to plan many of the major activities for the year long celebration. I was blessed with many things during that year, but one of the biggest blessings I received from that experience was a best friend. She came to me as an intern and ended as a roommate. In the year of knowing Lindsey, we had many adventures...made many memories...had thousands of laughs...took tons of pictures...and became great friends.


On Saturday, June 30th, Lindsey left Abilene and moved back to her hometown in California. I've known from the first time I met her she was destined for things bigger than Abilene, so it wasn't a shock that she had decided to move. The opportunities that await her in California are endless and I'm so excited she has begun her career. But, at 5 on that Saturday morning, nothing in me wanted her to leave. The Thursday night before, several of us took her for a night on the town in Abilene and I've posted a few pics below. I said my good-bye, tearfully, Saturday morning standing in our driveway and watched as her red Eclipse pulled onto the street. She's gone. Now, of course I'll see her again. We've talked on the phone, through email and through text messaging many times since she's left. I'll visit Cali and she'll visit Texas. But, its still not quite the same.




Ok, onto happier times! After the sad weekend, I needed a break. I took the next week off of work and my great friend Caddie and I headed to the Big D! Now, some of you might be thinking "why go to Dallas for a vacation." Well, it's close, cheap and you can have a freakin' awesome time! Plus, the fireworks in Dallas are much better than the ones in Abilene! We stayed in a great hotel, ate fabulous food (with the exception of a meal at Cheddars), slept late, and caught several fun activities!

Caddie is not a spontaneous person. She's a planner. Monday I mentioned to her that Lone Star Park was having a fireworks show after the horse race and it might be fun to go, but I received less than impressed feedback from Caddie, so I figured we'd have to find something else entertaining for Tues. night. So, you can imagine my surprise when while driving down I-30 about to pass the park, she suggested we just stop by the races and scope out the park. I jumped on the opportunity! We quickly wound our way through the parking lot, found valet, paid the $9 to conveniently receive curbside service, bought our general admission tickets, found excellent seats and watched 5 races. It was thrilling! Our seats were right on the finish line. As they moved the starting gate closer to us, Caddie trotted to the fence to get a close up picture of the horses. (Sidebar: the two of us are dressed in casual, yet preppy, outfits. Polo shirt, button-down shirt, nice jeans, cute hair etc. so we didn't exactly fit in with the other general admission folks if you get my drift.) As little Caddie struggled to get a good place on the fence, a kind woman looked down and said, "Oh, do you have a horse in the race?" I told her she should have lied and said yes, but Caddie simply replied "no, I'm just trying to get a picture." When we return to the races, we will purchase a box suit. Then we can act like owners! The races were exciting and the fireworks were breathtaking! Here are a few pics...



Next activity on the agenda was 4th of July at the Rangers game! Can you honestly think of anything better than baseball and fireworks while America celebrates its independence?! My friend Kim joined Caddie and I at the game and the three of us had a blast! The Rangers won, our seats sucked but we didn't care, the food was great, the drinks were even better, and most importantly, the fireworks were spectacular! Here are a few pics...





Ok...I told you this would be long!

We headed back to Abilene Thurs. where we stayed for approx. 12 hours before getting back on the road. We headed to Lubbock because we both have friends there we haven't seen in quite some time. I dropped Caddie off with her friend Jenn and then I headed to spend some time with my friends Julie and Mel. Friday was spent catching up with the girls, chatting, eating, and getting some much needed frozen custard! Saturday we went to see a movie, ate lunch, hung out and prepared for a night on the town. We met up with Caddie and her friends and ate at a swanky wine bar in the Depot District of Lubbock then went to hear a great band afterwards. It was another great night! We headed home Sunday and both Caddie and I looked forward to a night in our own bed!






So, that's pretty much my holiday week in one post. I said good-bye to a best friend, took a road-trip with another best friend, visited with ones I hadn't seen in a long time, cried some, laughed a lot, put several miles on my car, and built many memories! Life is beautiful!