I Huffed and Puffed and Sneezed My Way to Texas

In case you didn't get the hint from the title. I'm sick. And I went to Texas. Thy cup overflows with mucus and love.

All last week I was sick with...well, I don't know because I chose not to go to the doctor. My students were competing in our local National History Day competition, and they've worked all year long on these projects. I couldn't abandon them the week of NHD, and I definitely couldn't take off Thursday since it was my job to get judges from around the state. In fact Thursday morning I was explaining to the judges what they would be doing that day, and I could barely get out the words as my voice was failing me.

After all the hard work, the kids did great (of course) and impressed me with their knowledge. I really have the greatest students on this planet. Sometimes I wonder what it will be like one day when I'm not teaching, and I have a hard time rationalizing that.

Thursday night I ran up to Fayetteville for class and finished packing. I was feeling terrible by the time I got home, and I only got a few hours of sleep. My alarm sounded at 2 Friday morning. The initial thought that ran through my mind was, "No way in the world will I be able to get to Texas today." And that thought stayed with me until I actually made it there.

I took a long, hot bath in hopes it would make me feel better. Then I poured meds into my body. The drive to the Tulsa airport was brutal, then I had to stand in line for forty-eleven hours feeling dizzy. Finally I got to the gate, and I just sat with my head in my lap until we boarded. Yes, it was miserable. But one thing was certain: being sick in Texas with Cash was better than being sick in Arkansas by myself.

By the time I got to Midland, I was feeling a bit better; I just had no voice whatsoever. When I walked in and couldn't speak, Big Russ said, "This is going to be our best weekend yet!" Baaaa.

Lunch Friday was right down my alley: King and I!!! Then I got to lay down and take a long nap with Jetter while Cash went back to work. That evening we went with his whole family to Osaka's for his brother's birthday. Can I just stop right here and say how much I love Big Russ? Seriously.

The guys were doing sake bombs, and when I looked up Big Russ was pouring the rest of his sake straight into the glass. He said, "Well, I had some left over." You know, there are starving kids in Africa. No need to waste.

Since I was so sick, I wasn't going to play with Lena and Toby very much. But at one point Lena said, "I want Abee!!" So I let that precious little one sit right between me and Cash as long as she wanted to. She is a doll...a pure doll. I love that child.

After brunch and shopping with Cash the next morning, I went with Jeanne and Andrea to find new shoes for Lena. We walked in the shoe store which glittered with tiny toddler shoes and Lena said, "Oh my goooodnesss!!" It was adorable!

Saturday evening we had reservations for Fat Saturday, a night of celebrating Mardi Gras and eating crawfish. I was upset that I couldn't eat much and had looked so forward to this evening for such a long time. Nevertheless I got to suck on the head of some mud crawlers and therefore was a happy girl. We also got to see Matt and Pam which was awesome considering I had just put two and two together over Christmas break that their aunt and uncle live in the same community as my parents. Small world.

My little buddy the whole weekend sat with me and just melted my heart. Cash snapped a quick picture after he told the bug to make her "goofy face."

me and the bug

My heart just melts all over itself when that precious baby asks for Abee or climbs in my lap. As we sat there at dinner, she would just put her arms around my neck and squeeze as tight as she could. I sat there thinking about how much life had changed in a year; how I couldn't imagine life without this family now.

And I thought about how much I missed my family too. My brother-in-law's team was playing in the district tournament finals while I was gone. My mom would send me updates every quarter, and they actually beat the #1 ranked team in their conference. I was so excited and wanted to scream from a rooftop of how proud I was of him and his team. But no one there knows my BIL. It pained me a little to know this was my first taste of missing out on home; then I looked around and saw all of the friends I have made in a year. I looked at the bug and her little sister whom I've fallen in love with. I looked at Cash, the very reason all of this has happened. And I knew it was worth it.

That evening we all went back to Cash's house to celebrate Aaron's big 3-1 (yes, VERY old). It was so fun to see so many people our age that I hadn't seen since Christmas or even last summer. The neat thing about being in Midland is that we have the chance to hang out with people our age all the time. Here in Arkansas I have very few friends my age around here, and we certainly don't hang out on a regular basis. My sister is my best friend, and I've been staying with her a lot lately; but as far as a friend my age, well, it's pretty null.

Sunday morning we headed to Cash's sweet little Lutheran church for an hour of service. Then it was off to Wall St for brunch cinnamon rolls. Afterwards we hung out and watched Cinderella (guess who picks the movies around there--yep, the grandkids. I think that's a universal language.) until I had to go back and pack for my flight home. With a 3 hour layover in Dallas and 2 hour drive back from Tulsa, I was glad to be back in my bed. I was exhausted. Coughing. And just dog tired.

When I got up this morning, I did notice a few things though:

1. My hair always ALWAYS fixes better in the dry Midland air. Ugh...nasty hair on Monday after having pretty hair all weekend.
2. Even though I get to see Cash again in 4 days, I miss him still.
3. It's not fair that everyone I love is so spread out. 
4. I get to go to Midland in 4 weeks. Yeehaw.
5. My bro-in-law has his first game of regionals on Wednesday in Ozark, and I get to go.
6. Spending time with Lena and Toby makes me miss Braeson and Addison even more. I love all those children.
7. Tomorrow I have 2 guest speakers coming in for Black History month. They are discussing the integration in Little Rock and Alma. The local paper called me this afternoon to see if they could come tomorrow to do an article on this. I. Am. Elated. 

So coming back home wasn't the end of the world. We have several things to look forward to this week, and to top it off Cash is coming to town. Now if I could just get rid of this cough and runny nose before it runs a marathon on me...

XOXO (don't touch me, I'm sick)

Avery