Karen and Rob are moving to Austin, TX this weekend, and April and Thomas are moving to Dallas, TX in approximately 6 weeks. April asked Karen and I if we would take a 2 day road trip with her to Dallas while she registered a new car tag. These are some notes I took along the trip:

• April dubbed a weirdly shaped vehicle as a “mutt car“
• Podnuh’s barbecue in Shreveport, LA has very tasty food.
• Covering 1 mile in 30 min. in stockstill traffic is fine as long as Karen double-dares you to do jumping jacks with her outside the car…which we did.
• The trip took about 12 hours to get there from H’burg to the hotel, mostly due to one-lane traffic 30 miles outside Dallas.
• A horse that has the “typical” black and white cow spots is a “how” or a “horsey-cow“
• I excitedly pointed out a pack of llama-like creatures which are called Alpaca, and Karen promptly demonstrated what she imagines they sound like.
• Pappadeaux’s for dinner Tuesday night! I had the crawfish etouffee, which was spicy heaven. Karen had gumbo with andouille sausage and shrimp, and April had a cajun tilapia dish with butternut squash.
• Wednesday morning, we sought out coffee and sustenance in a diner while April’s car was getting inspected.
• We went by April’s future apartment complex. There was a bunny rabbit outside that let us get within 10 feet of him. Cute, fluffy bunnies are good omens!
• There’s a interesting breed of crows in Texas with long, rooster tail feathers: dubbed “crowsters“ by Karen. After doing some research, I think what we saw were great-tailed grackles, which are decidedly prettier than and often mistaken for crows.
• Karen quickly hopping off a scary, bronking toy horse ride, oh my!
• Yodeling with Karen in a gas station while waiting on the never-ending single-stall bathrooms! We sang a lot on this trip.
• The ride home took about 10 hours, as we were very ready to get back and into our sleepyhead beds.

I have left my website sadly untended since October, so I shall make amends today. Today is the beginning of the 2nd half of the semester, and I’m glad to say that graduation is in 7 weeks and 5 days. I’ve had much happen since October, including finishing my portfolio, enjoying the holidays, a pre-select interview, and lots of time with family and friends. I spent 5 days of my Christmas break at my Mom and Dad’s house, and for that time, I’m immensely grateful….
I cannot post without also speaking of my losses, but I won’t say much. Beginning in November, I’ve lost my cousin, a dear Aunt, my Mom, and my Grandma. It, at times, has seemed like too much to bear over a 4-5 month period of time – particularly over Mom. But I’m trying to think of happy memories. I’m thinking how she loves her plum tree and the fruit it bears each year. And I fully intend on making plum preserves this summer for that very reason. This is a start to refreshing my blog…

Goals for the next 7 weeks:

• Continuing lifting weights and running with Ryan
• Putting my best foot forward with schoolwork
• Spending time with Rob and Karen before they move
• Car shows with Dad and family
• Improving myself