Once again, I'm sorry I've missed several days of posting. As a result, I have much to relay tonight. The busy-ness of the past few days is what has kept me from posting--that and the exhaustion that results.
It all started with the wedding on Saturday. The chaos began early in the morning and lasted all day. It was a beautiful wedding and reception, but I missed most of the wedding. Patrick finally fell asleep for his afternoon nap on me in the chapel where the wedding was to take place about twenty minutes before it began. He slept about ten minutes until he felt the presence of a pretty girl next to him (Matt's cousin) and woke up to flirt. That didn't last long, and he started screaming just before the ceremony was to begin. I had to flee over all of Matt's family in the pew next to us to get out of there in time. I found a quiet place to feed him and hoped he would finish eating before the ceremony ended. Just as the recessional music began to play, we snuck back into the chapel. Great timing. At least he didn't interrupt the ceremony. For the record, though, that makes two weddings this year that I've mostly missed because of him. He was much better behaved at the reception, taking the opportunity to flirt with every woman there. He fell asleep just before Matt gave the best man's toast (tear-jerking, by the way) and stayed asleep until the wedding photographer woke him up to get a few pictures of him. That impromptu photo shoot went well. I'm looking forward to seeing how Patrick's first official professional photos turned out.
As soon as we could escape from the reception, Matt and I hurried home to pack for our overnighter to Lubbock. Although it was a rushed trip, it was a great one. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed west Texas, especially those endless miles of flat fields. I have some great pictures of the scenery on the drive, but I haven't had a chance to download them yet. Maybe tomorrow...
On the drive there, we experienced a frightening, yet typical, west Texas storm. Somehow we avoided the worst of the rain and hail, but we thought we saw a tornado. Fortunately it turned out to be only an unusual cloud formation that closely resembled a tornado. Still, it produced a few moments of mild fear (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it). That was the closest thing to a tornado I've seen in my experiences in west Texas.
The time in Lubbock was awesome. Matt and I drove around the town, showing each other our old haunts. I particularly enjoyed walking around the deserted campus of my college, Lubbock Christian University. We had the place almost completely to ourselves. It was so much fun sharing that special time of my life with Matt. The saddest part of the trip was seeing the ghetto of Lubbock gone. Before I graduated, a real estate mogul in the area was negotiating a deal to tear it down and turn it into a huge and luxurious commercial zone. The residents were fighting the deal because they would be displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. Although I only saw the former ghetto in the dark, it still hurt to see it. Not only was it different than I remember--I don't like to see change--but I also really felt for the people I had known who lived there and might now be without a home.
The bed and breakfast where we stayed was really neat. It was only a few blocks from campus on a road I frequented hundreds of times while I was in Lubbock. It's funny to think how many times I passed the place and never gave it a second glance. It is a beautiful old ranch home called the Clawson House. The owner is a really nice lady who owns and runs the place on her own. It was a much more quaint experience than the b&b where Matt and I stayed for our honeymoon in Denton. Kamie (the owner) even took the time to sit and eat breakfast with us on Sunday morning. It was more like visiting someone's home than staying at a hotel. Between the beautiful place and the personal touch, I would highly recommend that anybody planning to stay in Lubbock at least look at this place.
When we got home on Sunday, very glad to see Patrick again I might add, we only had a short time to relax before heading out to socialize with my friends from Big Spring. Yes, even though this is Matt's hometown, I have friends here too. They are people I knew when I went to LCU that I've met again via the Internet and blogging. We ate dinner with Lauren and Scott and their son Will and Harmony and her daughter Raylee. Will just turned one and is anxious to cruise around and explore everything. Raylee is about six weeks younger than Patrick and increasingly mobile, on the verge of crawling. This was the closest thing to a playdate Patrick has ever had, as the last time he was really around other babies was when he was in the NICU. It was also a momentous occasion for Matt and me because we really don't get opportunities to socialize much. They are all really good people and easy to converse with, so we had a great time. I also think Patrick liked getting to be around other kids about his own age. I'm hoping watching Will essentially walk and Raylee sit so well and almost crawl will encourage Patrick to try some of those skills himself. It was actually a little sad to see how much farther behind Patrick really is with those skills, at least compared to Raylee. I know between the prematurity and the acid reflux, it's to be expected, but somehow in my mind I'd convinced myself he was right on track, if not ahead. While his doctor is anything but worried about his progress, it still disappoints me to think maybe he isn't the smartest baby ever and that maybe the prematurity affected him more than I'd let myself think.
Today was mostly a lazy day, but we did have a couple of neat outings. We took Patrick to the top of the "mountain" in Big Spring. While it may not be a mountain in the truest sense, it is definitely one of the tallest hills around, and for someone who grew up in south Texas, farther south Texas, and Lubbock (flat, flatter, and flattest), I think I'm justified in calling it a mountain. We could see all of Big Spring from the top. We went back later in the evening, just after sunset, and we could see the lights of the city, and even on the horizon, the lights from the next town over. I'm disappointed that I forgot the camera both times we went. Patrick really seemed to love the wind up there.
The second time we went on the mountain, we were accompanied by Lauren, Scott, and Will. We'd had dinner with them again and then decided to get our money's worth out of our day pass into the park by making a second trip. It was fun seeing the city from the perspective of Matt's parents--native Big Springers--and Lauren and Scott who are relatively new to the city.
Ok, take a deep breath...I think we're caught up now. I apologize for saving up all the many stories from the weekend and then throw them all at you at once (or most of them anyway). I'm also sorry that I don't have any pictures ready yet. It might not be until Wednesday night for those. We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes. Also, if I remember any other stories or anecdotes I've forgotten tonight, I might just be throwing them into the next few days' posts.
It all started with the wedding on Saturday. The chaos began early in the morning and lasted all day. It was a beautiful wedding and reception, but I missed most of the wedding. Patrick finally fell asleep for his afternoon nap on me in the chapel where the wedding was to take place about twenty minutes before it began. He slept about ten minutes until he felt the presence of a pretty girl next to him (Matt's cousin) and woke up to flirt. That didn't last long, and he started screaming just before the ceremony was to begin. I had to flee over all of Matt's family in the pew next to us to get out of there in time. I found a quiet place to feed him and hoped he would finish eating before the ceremony ended. Just as the recessional music began to play, we snuck back into the chapel. Great timing. At least he didn't interrupt the ceremony. For the record, though, that makes two weddings this year that I've mostly missed because of him. He was much better behaved at the reception, taking the opportunity to flirt with every woman there. He fell asleep just before Matt gave the best man's toast (tear-jerking, by the way) and stayed asleep until the wedding photographer woke him up to get a few pictures of him. That impromptu photo shoot went well. I'm looking forward to seeing how Patrick's first official professional photos turned out.
As soon as we could escape from the reception, Matt and I hurried home to pack for our overnighter to Lubbock. Although it was a rushed trip, it was a great one. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed west Texas, especially those endless miles of flat fields. I have some great pictures of the scenery on the drive, but I haven't had a chance to download them yet. Maybe tomorrow...
On the drive there, we experienced a frightening, yet typical, west Texas storm. Somehow we avoided the worst of the rain and hail, but we thought we saw a tornado. Fortunately it turned out to be only an unusual cloud formation that closely resembled a tornado. Still, it produced a few moments of mild fear (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it). That was the closest thing to a tornado I've seen in my experiences in west Texas.
The time in Lubbock was awesome. Matt and I drove around the town, showing each other our old haunts. I particularly enjoyed walking around the deserted campus of my college, Lubbock Christian University. We had the place almost completely to ourselves. It was so much fun sharing that special time of my life with Matt. The saddest part of the trip was seeing the ghetto of Lubbock gone. Before I graduated, a real estate mogul in the area was negotiating a deal to tear it down and turn it into a huge and luxurious commercial zone. The residents were fighting the deal because they would be displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. Although I only saw the former ghetto in the dark, it still hurt to see it. Not only was it different than I remember--I don't like to see change--but I also really felt for the people I had known who lived there and might now be without a home.
The bed and breakfast where we stayed was really neat. It was only a few blocks from campus on a road I frequented hundreds of times while I was in Lubbock. It's funny to think how many times I passed the place and never gave it a second glance. It is a beautiful old ranch home called the Clawson House. The owner is a really nice lady who owns and runs the place on her own. It was a much more quaint experience than the b&b where Matt and I stayed for our honeymoon in Denton. Kamie (the owner) even took the time to sit and eat breakfast with us on Sunday morning. It was more like visiting someone's home than staying at a hotel. Between the beautiful place and the personal touch, I would highly recommend that anybody planning to stay in Lubbock at least look at this place.
When we got home on Sunday, very glad to see Patrick again I might add, we only had a short time to relax before heading out to socialize with my friends from Big Spring. Yes, even though this is Matt's hometown, I have friends here too. They are people I knew when I went to LCU that I've met again via the Internet and blogging. We ate dinner with Lauren and Scott and their son Will and Harmony and her daughter Raylee. Will just turned one and is anxious to cruise around and explore everything. Raylee is about six weeks younger than Patrick and increasingly mobile, on the verge of crawling. This was the closest thing to a playdate Patrick has ever had, as the last time he was really around other babies was when he was in the NICU. It was also a momentous occasion for Matt and me because we really don't get opportunities to socialize much. They are all really good people and easy to converse with, so we had a great time. I also think Patrick liked getting to be around other kids about his own age. I'm hoping watching Will essentially walk and Raylee sit so well and almost crawl will encourage Patrick to try some of those skills himself. It was actually a little sad to see how much farther behind Patrick really is with those skills, at least compared to Raylee. I know between the prematurity and the acid reflux, it's to be expected, but somehow in my mind I'd convinced myself he was right on track, if not ahead. While his doctor is anything but worried about his progress, it still disappoints me to think maybe he isn't the smartest baby ever and that maybe the prematurity affected him more than I'd let myself think.
Today was mostly a lazy day, but we did have a couple of neat outings. We took Patrick to the top of the "mountain" in Big Spring. While it may not be a mountain in the truest sense, it is definitely one of the tallest hills around, and for someone who grew up in south Texas, farther south Texas, and Lubbock (flat, flatter, and flattest), I think I'm justified in calling it a mountain. We could see all of Big Spring from the top. We went back later in the evening, just after sunset, and we could see the lights of the city, and even on the horizon, the lights from the next town over. I'm disappointed that I forgot the camera both times we went. Patrick really seemed to love the wind up there.
The second time we went on the mountain, we were accompanied by Lauren, Scott, and Will. We'd had dinner with them again and then decided to get our money's worth out of our day pass into the park by making a second trip. It was fun seeing the city from the perspective of Matt's parents--native Big Springers--and Lauren and Scott who are relatively new to the city.
Ok, take a deep breath...I think we're caught up now. I apologize for saving up all the many stories from the weekend and then throw them all at you at once (or most of them anyway). I'm also sorry that I don't have any pictures ready yet. It might not be until Wednesday night for those. We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes. Also, if I remember any other stories or anecdotes I've forgotten tonight, I might just be throwing them into the next few days' posts.
Labels: Feelings, Special Events/Outings
2 Comments:
Sounds like you had a great time Kathy, other than missing 2 weddings already..lol the b&b sounded so nice and getting to visit all the old places you used to hang out in would be fun as well as sad (the ghetto) being torn down which probably left people homeless.. I bet the sunset from the mountain (big hill..lol) was beautiful.
And dont you worry about Patrick.. He is doing fantastic and although it seems to you that he may be behind in some things.. all babies do things in their own time being premature or not! I know babies that NEVER crawled.. went straight from sitting to walking.. so just keep that in mind!! He will be doing all those milestones when he is good and ready.. and im sure before you know it!! Then he will be more of a handful because you will have to chase him around.. lol
It sounds like you are having an awesome time! Have fun and a safe trip on Wednesday.
Post a Comment
<< Home