Deep in the Heart of Texas: Conclusion

Just got back from Texas!! Well… a few days ago. Alright, I’ve been back for a week or so (where did the time go?). And, I came up with a cleverly alliterated list of points, which Christine says makes me sound like a pastor. But anyway…

Return: 2009 is the third year in a row that I’ve visited Texas. To a northerner like myself, this isn’t a favorite destination… but chance (or providence) continues to take me back there. Just think, in a few more years, I’ll probably have the Dallas highway system figured out!

Remote: As previously mentioned, East Point is about 2 hours from Dallas. The countryside is so spacious! I’ve already noticed that my 20 minute drive to Southpark or 50 minutes to York, SC feels like nothing in comparison!

Reduce: Some things that I used to think were crucial to my life and well-being… …aren’t. Isn’t it always good to eliminate non-essentials and refocus on the truly important aspects of life?!

Rustic: I can honestly say that I have a new appreciation for the simplicity and natural beauty of… a farm. Living on a farm. And considering that Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl‘ is like my “anthem,” that’s saying a lot!

Regrets: None!

Rest: It was surprisingly easy to get a week off from work for this trip… reminding me yet again what a truly amazing guy I work for. <grin> Thanks, Dad.

Reflect: There was so much to observe and think about during this trip! Both families I interacted with, the Schoenwalds and the Niedrauers, have a lot in common with my family, and a few interesting differences… which made for thought-provoking discussion.

Relationship: For years the Spurlocks have been telling us about their cousins, and it was fantastic to finally meet the families I’ve heard so much about. I can’t wait to see these new friends again next month at a conference up in Wisconsin!

Rejoicing: What an exciting Passover celebration! The familiar seder ceremony was even more meaningful to me this year.

Romance: So, I met a guy. And we’re getting MARRIED!

 

That about sums up the Dallas trip. Oh, I threw that last part in just to see if anyone was paying attention.

(it’s a quote from Father of the Bride… don’t overreact. Here’s hoping my Texas friends have a sense of humor.)

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 8

Today is the last day of unleavened bread, which is a Shabbat, so we’re sitting around eating ‘matzo’ for the last time this year (although it’s kind of like Thanksgiving: left-over matzo lasts for another week, and you end up with and extra box or two… anyway, we’re sick of it.) and feeling just a tad nostalgic. The Traveler is spending her last day in Texas today <sounds of parties dying… on our end>, and spending her last hours “taking pictures of everyone” so we can match names with faces, as she related to us in a phone call tonight. We asked her to get a picture of her with the dogs, since she’s apparently “buddy-buddy” with them now. Or maybe not, since she still says (and I quote) “I don’t touch dogs!” so… not even a friendly pet or pat from Country Princess goes to the dogs which surround her. <sigh>. Oh well, her loss.

Back at The Residence we got a phone call (as I mentioned before) from TX, which assured us that everything is still going as great as before, and she misses us… she sounded homesick… for ME! Anyway, we’re all excited about tomorrow and praying that her flight home goes smoothly (our family has some… let’s say “interesting” airport stories) and safely.

Safe travels, Country Princess!

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 7

by Julianna Squicciarini

We are all very grateful to Country Princess for so unexpectedly giving us a break from our series of posts Plus, it was interesting hearing a little more about her time directly from her.

Today, we were very busy working, schooling, and trying to finish up our taxes before Shabbat started (sundown starts the last day of Unleavened Bread, and we are resting). One of the curses of getting older is having to pay tax. <sigh> I cannot believe how much money I am going to fork over to the government tomorrow. <heavier sigh>

But on a brighter note, Christine had a nice long chat on the phone with The Traveler. I’ll let her fill you in on any tidbits she may have gathered there via a comment. We’re glad Morgan is having a good time, but I think we’re all ready for her to come home.

*NOTE*: Morgan has indicated that she is now fine with dogs. (!) While skeptical, we are excited that this trip may have been such a huge turning point in her life…

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 6

Here it is, Day 6 of the “Texas” posts, and I just now discover what my suspiciously quiet family has been up to. It would have been wise to check this website sooner, I think… always good to know what’s BEING SAID.

Just between you and me, the frequent reassurances of “we aren’t having *any* fun without you” … “no, it’s pretty quiet here” … “you haven’t missed much” … are highly doubtful. My family may think of me as gullible (they do) but this is certainly not the case. I have my sources.

Talk about “unplugged”… my phone barely works, my laptop is a distant memory, I’m slowly killing off the few electronics I brought with me… if anyone’s looking for a chance to truly UNPLUG and DISCONNECT then I recommend East Point, TX.

I’d like to share a personal achievement… yesterday, I, a princess whose delicacy is of great repute, pulled off my lovely white shoes and ventured outdoors to go barefoot in the mud while practicing *cartwheels* in the front yard with instruction from darling Julianna Schoenwald. Julianna took me on the trampoline, running beside the lake with their two dogs, and high into a giant moss-covered tree deep in the woods. We were both near the top of the tree when I realized that photographic evidence might have been valuable. I haven’t been that dirty or had that much fun in a long time!

So anyway, I’ll have to check back here in a few days, to see what else I’ve been up to.

Hugs,
moi

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 4

By Christine Squicciarini

Wow. What an INCREDIBLE Sabbath!

I know we’re all still in Passover mode, so you’re probably thinking like I am, “What made this Sabbath different from all other Sabbaths?” Let me tell you. THIS was Bella Torah’s first Meetup publicized event since our move to Meetup.com on March 23 of this year! What a success! We had a healthy turn out for Shacarit morning prayers, and how encouraging to see some new faces! There was some wonderful discussion over the weekly Torah portion… another blessing. ;-)

After prayers, a delicious oneg gave everyone a chance to meet everyone else… the house was filled with laughter and conversation, and more guests arrived for Dad’s class Animal Sacrifices and How They Apply to Us. You’ll have to get on www.bellatorah.com to hear the class, ’cause that’s another post. Obviously Dad has a gift for presenting material in a clear light! It’s always a phenomenal learning experience to sit under his teaching. I got rave reviews all afternoon about how great the class was!  

Class ended and people stuck around to debrief with us, which was awesome. It’s so neat having a a congregation of like-minded believers, why didn’t we Meetup sooner?  I do need to mention that in Morgan’s absence, I took over working the coffee bar. Very nifty. I’m gonna have to do that more often. :-D I got to talk with like EVERYONE, but I stayed in one place… definitely a new experience…:-)

Speaking of Morgan, we didn’t hear a peep out of The Traveler, but that was to be expected since it was  the Sabbath. We have since found out that she enjoyed some very tasty vegetarian sushi… and she is adjusting very well to the numerous dogs (so she says ).

Well, that’s it. It was an INCREDIBLE Sabbath! And now you know why.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 3

Well, we got another call from The Traveler today, and this time most of us got a chance to talk with her. Apparently everything is going extremely well, except for the fact that she doesn’t have any pictures of us, so I very sweetly posted a picture of the family on Facebook for her to show all her friends.

Morgan says that the adult seder was *so much fun*, and lasted until after 2:00am!! Admitedly ours didn’t last quite that long, but almost. It makes me think of a movie or something: “The Seder Wars: Who can have the most seders, stay up the latest, have the most guests, have the most fun, have as many new people as possible and win the Passover Prize!?”. Seriously, I think she’s winning. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we haven’t had a lot of fun too… (not to mention many attempts to get a hard-boiled egg through the neck of a grape juice bottle… okay, a *lot* of attempts.)

There have been rumors of 11 dogswhere they are staying, and she seems to be handling it just fine, since she’s still alive and well Also that the Schoenwalds are very much like us in that they use Organic Jason Soap and Tom’s Toothpaste. Both items we use.

Well, I didn’t hear anything like “…missing you guys…”, “…wish you were here…”, “…wish I was there…”, or anything like that, so it’s good to know everything is up to par over in the ‘Heart of Texas’, also evidently in the ‘Heart of Nowhere’, since it was at a remote location nearly 2 hours from the airport. But never fear, Morgan seems to be keeping in contact, and she’ll even have Internet access soon on someone’s computer. So if you’re missing her, please comment on this post (or an earlier one) and express yourself. I’m sure it will be greatly appreciated.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 2

by Julianna Squicciarini

This morning, we heard from The Traveler. Morgan called us at around 9:00. Of course, due to our absolutely fantastic Passover seder last night, none of us were up except our father. They had a nice little conversation - yes, she has arrived in Texas safely. She is currently preparing for her own Passover seder, which should happen in…about two hours.

Christine also received a text from her, with assurances that she is, in fact, having lots of fun

So, to spread the love – hugs from Morgan

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 1

by Julianna Squicciarini

As many of you may already know, Morgan is spending a week in Texas this month with relatives of some friends of ours. We are all excited that she has this opportunity

So I dropped her off at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport at 8:45am this morning to catch her 9:24am flight. For some reason, she brought an enormous suitcase. Like, big enough for a month’s stay. Apparently our mom had suggested doing so – if you’re going to check a bag, might as well make it a big one, so you can bring back presents for the homestayers

I left her (and her suitcase) outside the airport doors; she promised to call us when she arrived. We have not yet heard a single whisper from her. BUT – no news is *good news*, so assume the best. She must have gotten there safely and is having too much fun.

Right?

Right.

Um…right??

Right!