Everything IS Bigger in Texas

*disclaimer* Pictures are to be posted accompanying this blog however my sister forgot to bring me the cord for her camera yesterday during our guac-outing and therefore will have to be added later! (plus I want to have them sent to Shan/Michael first!).
(i decided last minute to add fun pics but not the actual pics of my peeps,, cuz i thought the blog was getting kind of long and would be less fun without pics).

So you'll have to use your imagination for this entry!

Last weekend I had the great benefit of going to visit my cousins in Texas. I got up super early on Friday (4:45am!) and Kevin (who is a real saint cuz he got home at 1 and then got up with me at 5!) took me to the airport to begin my travels. I got thru security in record time and went to my gate to try to postpone sleep until I was on the plane. I got on the plane, took my Dramamine (cuz I sometimes get motion sickness), and wrapped my blanket around myself and slept. First stop,, Reagan airport in DC. (yep, DC was in DC,, I thought it was amusing too!). I had about an hr layover which was enough time to grab a bite to eat, and prepare to board the next plane. Second flight was a lot longer but I still managed to sleep through most of it. Landed in Texas and was rejuvenated with excitement!.

I found my way to baggage and met up with Shan and Molly. So fabulous. They're wearing shorts and I'm in a sweatshirt and jeans, carrying a blanket! Clearly some of this will have to be aborted before I leave the A/C of the DFW.!! At first Miss Molly was shy and then by the time we had driven home, she and I were talking (well babbling) in turn and old friends!.

We went back to their house and dumped off my bags and hung out with Molly and made sure she had some lunch and took a nap, and then we went to Whole Foods for some groceries. I had been in a Whole Foods briefly in NYC but since it was not very close to my apartment I had to limit my purchases and interests based on travel time (and potential melting points,what I could carry etc). Since that experience, I have become obsessed with the "eat this not that" books, and I found as I walked around WF that the book totally caters to all these organic/crunchy granola foods! We don't have one in Buffalo but I was pretty excited I must say!. We tried this green berry juice which Shan thought tasted good and I thought tasted like 'when your eating a strawberry and you accidentally eat the leaf'... (eh)... then we tasted some sodas made with Agave Nectar (which is like honey I guess but a 'better for you' sweetener).. Yeah it was gross. to be fair I had ginger ale and I'm pretty picky about the right carbonation in ginger ale variations in general but ick.



ohh but we got guac... Shan asked me if there was anything I really wanted and I told her Guac and Diet Coke. (only of which guac was at this store,, they actually DONT sell non-weird-ass soda...I know I shouldnt be shocked, but I was).

Then we went back home and hung out with Molly till she was ready for nap #2, and then after that she was all cuddly and cute! (to be fair, she's cute all the time, but once she got used to me being there when she woke up she was more comfortable climbing all over me and hugging which basically made me want to take her home in my carry on!).

Then Michael came home and we ordered Chinese food for dinner and all hung around chatting with wine. Super awesome. Eventually Michael went to bed and me and Shan stayed up chatting and catching up. We had about 15 years to catch up on eachother's lives in face-to-face form, so it was a big task we had for ourselves for the weekend. Plus since we're not teens like we were before, we have entirely different topics of interest and have learned different things that make our core-selves stronger and better (i think). Over the weekend our conversations got more and more in depth and more aware of who we were as people and it was so open and honest that I feel like I've gained back my "Big Sister" all over again.



So Saturday we got up and hung around with Molly and Michael and Shan rotated getting dressed and getting Molly ready. Super cute (videos to come!). Then she took a nap and we got ready to go on an outing. We all went to this outdoor shopping area and wandered through all these great stores with a variety of items, handcrafted, and manufactured. It was fun looking through Williams Sonoma and imagining our houses with all the special copper (ew) pans and stainless steel stuff. Trying to figure out how the 'gadgets' worked and oogling the cute cupcakes trays.

Then we went to Mi Cocina (I think). Its basically the best Mexican I've ever had. To be fair, I like my 5demayo in Buffalo, but the guac here in Tex,, well its going to warrant a whole other blog. We sat down while Molly entertained and smiled at everyone in the restaurant like the angel she is, and ate our full of guac and mexican. So good. So good I want it everyday? Is that sick? Then we headed to barnes and nobles for some book wandering and then back home to hang out with wine and get Molly ready for bed. Of course me and Shan stayed up way past our bedtimes!

Then Sunday Michael woke up feeling dizzy, claiming he had an inner ear infection. He didnt realize at the time, but I was questioning him about his dizziness as I do my patients on a regular basis. Often times people who know of audiologists associate us with hearing and hearing aids, but not so much with dizziness or vestibular problems. Which is actually my main area of interest and forte!. So I listened and observed him for a bit and then ran a quick Hallpike test and diagnosed him with BPPV (benign parosymal positional vertigo), for which we did the Epley maneuver. He still felt woozy but at least he could move now. Shan and I were worried about him but he wanted us to go out for a girls day so with a bit of persuading we did.

We went to get some SUSHI!! for lunch at a nearby martini bar.. oh yes we did have martini's also. We had some dumplings with an orange spicy sauce (yum), and then hand rolls, and Shan got me to try three different types of raw (I KNOW!) tuna... and then we got a special roll that combined our two faves (shrimp tempura with tuna on top and some other stuff i forget inside!). It had this red ketchup type sauce that was like super spicy.YUM. Then dessert was green tea ice cream and martinis. I had a french kiss martini which tastes like vanilla milky yuminess and Shan had a wedding cake martini which she loved and tasted fresh and lovely.



Then we went to the mall and shopped while waiting for our movie to start. We walked into a bathroom and first of all it was called the 'family lounge', and it was covered in family portraits and pictures of pregnant mommies and stuff. But the actual lavatorial facilities. WERE HUGE!!! Seriously bigger in TX. The area where you washed your hands was like so long that I couldn't even hear Shannon on the other end (kinda), and the stalls were large enough to fit like three people! HUGE ,,, Huge people, HUGE!!!

We saw the movie Julie and Julia and it was sweet and funny and Shan and I had a blast like old friends that lived near each other and went to movies often. Loved it.

OH PS.... there was an ICE RINK in the mall, that's right,, on the first floor and seating area to watch near the food court on the second floor above it.. super cute lots of little people in shorts on the ice.

So after the movie we both really missed Molly and Michael so we went straight home. Shan offered to stop to grab dinner but I was still very full from sush and was looking forward to more Guac from Whole foods! (really really REALLY good, again,, different blog). We again stayed up late and talked and cried and had a great hearfelt talk and then we slept.

The last day was sad. One of my most favorite things about waking up was knowing that downstairs there was this little person (Molls) that would be so excited when I came down the stairs to see her, and I could cuddle and give her kisses. Shannon thinks she calls me 'nay nay' and I think she's precious. She calls her mom 'ma ma ma ma ma.' and dad 'Da!',, and likes to say 'dis' (which I think means this).
It was sad to know it would be awhile before we'd all see each other again and visit. It was sad that Texas is not an hr away or an easy trip to take.

So I got on my flight and left a lot more teary eyed than expected but there will have to be a visit planned soon!

GO COWBOYS !!!! hahahaha
D