Texas: Part Two (A Dog Hike, McKinney Shopping, and Texas BBQ)

We woke up, Erin made me a lovely breakfast, and we took the boys on a hike. But first we stopped by a patch of wildflowers. I told Erin that I never know the difference between a wildflower and a weed. But apparently wildflowers in random locations are a thing in Texas. Also on the other side of us was a family getting their photo professionally taken so it seemed legit. It took a little while to get the boys to sit but they were good little sports.

Then she took me to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve which was the shit. We walked through a little door shaped opening in the woods and were instantly on a trail. There are signs everywhere but without a map or knowledge of where specific trails lead it got confusing. When the path split we'd just pick a direction and walk. We weren't in a hurry nor were we trying to get to any particular destination. We were just there enjoying time in the woods with each other and her pups. We found a little creek that lots of kids were playing in. Charlie wanted absolutely nothing to do with the water but Tucker walked right in and splashed with his little paws. It was the cutest! We followed the creek for a bit and then came upon a big open field with more paths. Some were small and dirt and others were wide and made of concrete. There were lots of people out and about with us but it wasn't overly crowded. We'd go 5 minutes or more without running into anyone. Thankfully it was overcast so the heat wasn't as bad as it could have been. But let me tell you we were still so sweaty and gross by the end of it. Poor Tucker had to be carried part of the way because he was just beat. And both of them just passed out the minute we got back into the car.

We both showered back at her place and used her fancy schmance shampoo and conditioner which made my hair feel like I had just got it trimmed. She even helped me fill in my eyebrows because yinz know I need help with those suckers. We also both wore our new 'Waco' shirts we bought at Magnolia Market. Twinning! At this point we were starving and ready for lunch. I was SO in the mood for a good sandwich and boy did she deliver. She took me to Great Outdoors which I find somewhat comparable to a Jersey Mike's in the fact they freshly slice their meat to order. It took forever to get through the line but it was worth it because that was one damn good turkey sub. 

 

She then took me to McKinney which is about 10 minutes away from Frisco, where she lives. They have a cute little downtown area full of shops. They reminded me of downtown Deland but with a Texas spin. Each shop had all sorts of one-of-a-kind finds. Also I loved the buildings themselves. Sure the store fronts are cute but I especially loved walking inside and hearing the original wood floors creak beneath our feet or touch touch the wood railing wondering who else had done the same so many years ago. It got me thinking... was this a saloon or a pharmacy or some kind of business office once upon a time? I would have loved to keep browsing but Erin had to pee and it was hot as hell so we headed to her sister's house. 

Erin told Meagan "Don't tell Sienna Ashley's coming because I don't want her hiding in the closet." Ha! Sienna was very excited to see Aunt E but not too sure about me. She first hid behind Meagan but within 5 minutes she was playing with play-doh like I was part of the fam. Meagan's new house is so pretty and spacious and reminded me a lot of the one they lived at when they moved to Texas. Not only did Sienna (and Asher too) warm up to me but she drew me in a photo and my heart just about melted. She also drew "Bad Guy E" which is Erin as a bad guy which made me crack up. Also there was mention of Erin and a taco which is just hilarious. You had to be there. It was nice to be able to stop by and say hi. As we drove away I was telling Erin how cool it is that I've been able to be apart of so many phases of her life. I remember when she lived at home with her dad and the various places in between. I remember when she became an aunt and how excited she was about it. I'm so grateful to continue not only watching but participating in her life all this time later. 

She took me to dinner at Hutchins BBQ and they do not play because that line was out the damn door. It was a lot like 4 Rivers. It was incredibly hot outside. We started to melt and whine but still we had our eye on the prize. We waited for quite awhile but finally it was our turn to order. Erin got brisket and I got chicken. They cut it right in front of you and then you serve your own sides. I only got the mac-n-cheese because I didn't think there would be any way I could eat another side. The chicken and mac were incredible. My only criticism is the BBQ sauce was super runny. I like my sauce thick. It tasted good but the consistency wasn't my favorite. Not only was the actual meal great but then you get FREE dessert. There's a little dessert bar where we both chose banana pudding because DUH. It was perfection.

We got back to Erin's and Facetime'd with my family. Dustin told me that while I was away Cheeto would sleep on my side of the bed by my pillow and would breathe his gross little breath in his face while he slept. I got a kick out of that. Also the fact Dustin had to scoop the litter. This is a task that I do and don't mind doing. When the cats first came along and we started talking about taking them in his argument was "I don't care but I'm not scooping poop." Well he doesn't scoop poop for the most part but he does other things like take them to the vet and brush them. So it's all good. We said goodnight and Erin and I rented 50 Shades Darker. First of all, this is a total guilty pleasure of ours. Neither one of us have read the books. Neither one of us has seen this movie in theaters. During my last visit to Texas we rented the first one and were like yeah this is totally cringey but it's also kind of great. We just figured we'd keep our tradition going. The second one was better especially now that I've let go that Dakota Johnson can't act. That was my biggest pet peeve in the first one. She's like Kristen Stewart in that way. We had a good chick flick time which is all that matters. 

The morning of my last day I sat at Erin's coffee table and wrote give or take 12 postcards. Erin was impressed I kept stamps in my wallet. Oh yeah, I'm prepared with all things mail related. I found it hilarious that Erin didn't even know where the outgoing mail was in her apartment complex. HA! I hope you all got your postcards!

For breakfast she took me to 5th Street Cafe. They had a lot of "normal" breakfast items but when Erin told me they are known for their special Captain Crunch French Toast it was GAME OVER. Let's order. That was one of my favorite breakfasts I've ever had and you better believe I ate all of it. We had some time to kill before going to the airport so we walked around Ross and Kirklands. Erin is the only person I know who shops at Kirklands and I don't mean this as a negative. It's just one of those stores I always forget exists - kind of like Kohls. 

She dropped me off at the airport and instead of feeling sad I felt rejuvenated. I felt grateful. I felt satisfied. I felt happy. I love my boo something terrible and I hate that we don't live in the same city and we probably won't ever again, but knowing that we are important enough to one another to put in the effort of a long distance friendship is everything. We made a deal that as long as we're able we will visit each other at least once a year and so far we're 3/3. 

Side story: We call each other boo, boo-bear, boo thang, boo bop, etc. You'd think we were dating with all of our little pet names we have beginning with boo. It originated way back when we first met in 2004ish. We watched '10 Things I Hate About You' together (you know the one with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey). There is a part in that movie where Kate's character is trying to be extra annoying and calls Ben (Matthew's character), Benny Boo Boo Boo. And for whatever reason it stuck like glue. And now she's my boo. And I'm hers. 

There were ZERO people in front of me in the security line. Can you even believe that? ZERO! Also I only had to walk a little bit to my gate. No shuttle needed! I looked at the directory of the airport on my phone to find the Dallas Cowboys store for Jo. I've got to be honest, it certainly doesn't have as much as the Steelers one in the Pittsburgh airport, but it got the job done. I had been collecting little Cowboys goodies throughout the trip so I wanted to make sure there was nothing else she needed. Ha! 

I had a window seat on the ride home and miraculously no one else showed in my aisle so I had the whole thing to myself. Not only that but on this fancy American plane there were TVs in the headrests where you could watch a variety of TV shows or movies for free. Let's go! I was pumped. This was going to be an easy peasy flight. 

FAMOUS. LAST. WORDS. 

Even though I wasn't feeling anxious I took a xanax just in case. I'm an OK flier but the minute something feels slightly off I'm in a full on panic. I'm on daily anxiety medicine but my doctor prescribed xanax for my "breakthrough anxiety" which really only happens during blood draws and flights. 

The pilot mentioned that it would be a little bumpy for the first 10 minutes and then we'd be fine. Shit was not "a little bumpy". It was like full on rollercoaster in the air. The plane felt like it dropped 10, 000 miles and then it would stead and go back up and then it would shake. I started to panic. I think I even screamed once during the drops as one of the kids on the flight was like "Weeeee!". I wanted to throw a pretzel at him. It got so bad that I had the barf bag at the ready. I thought for sure I was going to need it. I'm even extra grateful no one was by me because I would have grabbed their arm so fast and then they probably would have reported me and BAM next thing you know it I'm the latest person kicked off a plane. So yeah it was an awful experience. Hands down my worst plane ride ever. Even though the rest of the flight was smooth my nerves were just shot. I was on edge and I wanted to be home on the ground. There's something insanely cool about seeing your home from an aerial perspective. I got to see good ol' downtown Orlando from up above and it looked like a little miniature. Just seeing that was a relief. I'm home!