Texas on My Mind

It's been a week since we've returned from our summer trip to Texas and I'm just now getting the chance to write about it.  First of all, I know it's a little overkill with the pictures, but Texas is my happy place.  Going back there is truly the place I'm at ease.  I feel my shoulders go down, I sleep better, and I fall right back into the rhythm I love so much.  Sadly, due to busy schedules, flight fares, and life in general, it had been a full year since the boys had been back.

We started our visit this year flying into Amarillo.  Grammy and Papa (my dad and stepmom) had arranged for us to go up to Dodge City, Kansas for the Dodge City Days.  They have a great longhorn cattle drive, a big western gunfight, and an awesome rodeo, so it was perfect for the boys.  I loved it too!  After two nights in Dodge City, Kansas, we headed back to Papa and Grammy's in Lipscomb, Texas.  The boys couldn't wait to get there because they have old friends there waiting to greet them.  Their old friends include Rio (Papa's & Grammy's dog), Belle, Jack, Hank (their horses), and Charlie (the unruly jackass).  They absolutely love it out there.  Bennett and Beau spent their days outside riding horses, looking for arrowheads, practicing their lassos, riding the mechanical steer.....and then doing it again.  They helped their Papa get ready to go to the sale barn and got to go along for the ride.  It's a special place for us.  The boys learn so much every time we're at the ranch and they love every minute of it.  I love the special relationship Bennett and Beau have with their papa.  He takes the time to talk to them and teach them what being a cowboy really means.  They want to be just like him when they grow up and even though they've never actually gotten to live in Texas, they claim to be Texas by birth.  It suits them well.

We left the ranch in Lipscomb and flew into Midland.  Nina and Pa (my mom and stepdad) picked us up at the airport and we headed to Fort Davis.  This is an annual trip that has held a spot on our calendars for most of my life.  Pa has been attending Camp meeting in the Davis Mountains since he was a child.  It's a little piece of heaven and a place I have made lifelong friends and memories.  I feel so grateful that my boys are getting that same experience.  With no television, limited phone reception, and tons of fresh air, you can't help but unplug from the world and plug into the Word.  The boys climbed trees, went to church, and made lots of friends, while I took long morning walks, caught up on some reading in the porch swing, and put together puzzles with Mom.  We would "run to town" each afternoon and make our stop by the Ft. Davis Drugstore for old-fashioned milkshakes and pop into the local shops.  It's just a special place.  We headed home refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on a new school year.