Amarillo Weekend

This past weekend Grayson and I flew up to Amarillo to visit my parents.  It's always a little better when I can get out of town the weekend before James has tests at Baylor - that way he's not torn between hanging out with us and studying.  So, we left on Thursday morning and came back Monday night.  As usual, the weekend went by WAY too fast!

Friday we went to the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo.  If you're not from the panhandle, you may not realize, THIS IS BIG! It was awesome! We started out with some corn dogs and a root beer, had a giant pile of spiraled potatoes, some fried pickles, roasted corn, and ended with a funnel cake and some taffy!

It. Was. Delicious. 

I definitely don't think my body could handle eating like that all the time . . . . but you HAVE to eat the fair food while there :)  Grayson had a great time waving at all the people, looking at all the lights and rides, and dancing to the music!

 

 

 

He was getting a little tired at this point

 

I LOVE the Amarillo Sunsets!

 Dick Bivins Stadium is right next to the fair grounds. . . Amarillo High was having their homecoming that night so it was especially crowded!

Saturday, we took a little trip to the nearest park and let Grayson toddle around on some grass.  He loved it! I think it helped that he had on shoes that squeaked every time he took a step (thanks to Aunt Callie and Uncle Andrew) :) he just loved hearing that squeak!

Grayson and Daddy checking out the planes before we left!

Grayson and Granny eating some spaghetti

Grayson playing in the wishing well in the back garden . . . that water was pretty cold!

Saying goodbye to my dad up at his school before we went to the airport

Waiting for our flight at the Amarillo Airport

This was on the first hour of the flight home, he was in my lap facing me. . totally crashed! The last 2 hours of the flight were not quite so peaceful

It was an awesome trip and I'm so glad that Grayson and I went up there.  I love seeing my parents, and it's fun to go back and look at where I grew up.  SO much has changed in Amarillo, but so much is still the same too.  I'm excited for James to be done with this round of tests (tomorrow!!) and to have another block of Med school behind us! The cooler weather up there also made me even more excited to go visit my sister and her husband in a couple of weeks (if its even possible to be MORE excited?!) up in Duncan, Oklahoma!

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Fight Gone Bad 6

We went over to Bayou City Crossfit last Saturday to participate in the Fight Gone Bad 6 workout.  It was totally awesome.  It was a nationwide fundraising event, raising over $2.2 million dollars to benefit Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Crossfit Kids, and Camp Patriot.  It was hard.  I was sore for a few days after.  But it was SO MUCH FUN!!!  I can't wait to do another crossfit event or open Saturday workout.

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September 11

Today is September 11, 2011.  It has been 10 full years since the terrorist attacks of 2001.  When I think back to that morning, I, like everyone else I know, remember exactly where I was when it happened.  It's just one of those major events of history, that if you were alive and even remotely old enough to realize what was happening, you remember it.  I did not personally know a single person that died, or even anyone related to someone that died.  I can only imagine what those families must have felt.

As a student at A&M at the time, I remember feeling so helpless.  I watched in disbelief from the safety of my dorm room hundreds of miles away as Katie Couric and Matt Lauer interrupted their show with breaking news of the first plane, and on live TV, a second plane hit the buildings.  It is crazy when I think that Grayson will not have these memories.  He will only know what we teach him about that day. I can see now what my parents and grandparents must feel when they attempt to describe events like the assassination of JFK, and Pearl Harbor Day.

While I remember the hopelessness and the fear, I also remember the pride I felt when EVERYONE displayed an American flag in the following days.  I wish that had not faded.  I also remember the pride and togetherness I felt when I went to the A&M football game that weekend and stood in my blue t-shirt and looked around the stadium at the other 82,601 fans.  It seems like it took everyone in College Station working 24/7 to print and sell that many t-shirts in such a short amount of time, but it was so worth it.  It was one of the most awesome sites to see. The red, white, and blue out game raised $210,000 to donate to the first responders.

I hope we never have another event like that.  While it was incredibly devastating, it brought our country together like nothing I've ever seen.  It's sad that it took such a horrible event.  But hopefully on this day we can remember and focus on the hope that came out of that tragedy.  That is what I hope to teach Grayson about one day . . .   

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