MESSING WITH TEXAS
Texas epitomized reality exceeding expectation. What we thought would be a "quick" 600 mile drive across the Lone Star State ended up being two of the most emotionally enthralling days of my life.
On the way to Dallas from Slidell, we were put in contact with people that Aunt Tara and my mom go WAY BACK with. Murry Pinac adopted us into the family before we even got across the LA/TX border. She bounded out of her purple front door as if we were her daughters returning from years of oversea travel. Her smile and light was infectious, and the fatigue of our 8 hour drive melted away. We got dinner with her parents, Mary Jo and Jimmy, and laughed over stories about 20-year-old Tara and Gretchen living with them in Dallas. We spent our full day in Dallas filling up on incredible Texan cuisine and relishing every moment with our new Aunt Murry.
We had Sonny Bryant's BBQ for dinner which—if you've never left the state of Florida—is NOT the same as Sonny's BBQ. I highly recommend. Shelbie and I got almost every side they offered, and we were not disappointed.
In a day and a half we were both welcomed into an entirely new family, no blood connection, no interaction with them ever before that Saturday we rolled in. Mary Jo, Jimmy, Cheri, Murry, Carter and Allen (not to mention Sassy, Blueberry, Jack Jack, Ollie & Jessie). It felt like there was a piece of me that was waiting for them to come into my life, that they always would, someway/somehow. I don't know how to explain it other than it felt like going home as I walked into a stranger's house. I knew going into this trip that I was going to have experiences and meet people that would stay with me forever, but I can happily say that our time in Texas went beyond everything I was expecting.
Lau x
Texas is huge, my dear friends. Nearly 800 miles from east to west. Aunt Murry warned us about the awful drive we were about to endure, and for a long time we jammed out to the radio to distract us from the vast emptiness that surrounded both sides of the highway. Then came the windmills, colossal 345-foot turbines, and even though not all of them were spinning, the giants stood proudly and provided plenty of entertainment. Our end game for the day was to reach Sedona, Arizona with three stops along the way: Amarillo, TX to see the Cadillac Ranch; New Mexico for the obligatory “Welcome to New Mexico” picture and dinner; and finally the Arizona state line for, yes, another picture.
I would never make a drive like that again unless I had to, but overall it ended up being tons of fun and worked out perfectly.
The Cadillac Ranch was definitely worth the stop in Amarillo. As soon as you pull off the highway and get out of the vehicle, your senses are immediately overwhelmed with the smell of spray paint. It was a joyous youthful feeling that filled our souls as Lauren and I made our way to the old-modeled Cadillacs buried nose first into the desert-like sand. There were spray paint cans scattered in multitudes in every color you can think of, and people from everywhere painted their names on top of other painted memories. We couldn’t wait to add our own.
We spent upwards of an hour at the ranch, thoroughly enjoying the giant art piece and thriving off the excitement and energy that radiated off its visitors. Sometimes the most absurd things are the most beautiful.
We made it to our other stops, and managed to stay somewhat on schedule, successfully completing a 15 hour drive and being thoroughly exhausted from it. So ready to get out of the car and into nature.
♡ Shelbie