Days 2 - 4: Sunday,
June 2nd – 4th, 2013
If you’ve ever spent any good amount of time with someone
who’s originally from Texas, you’ve probably heard at least some passing
reference to how much bigger and better it is than every other place on earth.
Well, my family is from Texas – on both sides! So I grew up hearing the
stereotypical references to the Cowboys, Aggies, Dallas, GW Bush, Big Bend, and
future secession. I was born in Dallas, but since my parents moved to Georgia
when I was just three weeks old, without the borderline indoctrination I
experienced growing up, I wouldn’t necessarily feel a natural kinship to Texas.
And honestly, it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I realized how serious
my parents –and by extension, the rest of my family – truly are.
My dad was driving with me around downtown Atlanta, and he
knew all these back roads and connections to different places. When I asked my
dad how he knew this area so well since we’ve always just lived in metro
Atlanta, he said, “Well baby, I’ve live here for like 23 years.” Then he paused
and an odd look crossed his face. In a reflectively surprised tone that
bordered on repentance, he slowly said, “Well damn, I’ve lived here almost
longer than I lived in Texas.” There was a sense of sadness and loss in his
voice, and that was the moment it dawned on me how much my parents really do
love Texas. I don’t just mean they think it’s a cool state or even that they
like it because they have a bunch of childhood memories in that state. I mean,
they love Texas itself; the ideal of all things Texan. Ever since that car
ride, I’ve joked with my dad about him making his mandatory pilgrimage back to
the mother land every few years and praying toward the west everyday in the
meantime. So let’s just put it this way… when it comes to their adoration of
Texas, the people in my family ARE the stereotype.
To be honest, I never really understood the whole thing. I
like Texas, and I have a lot of great memories from this place. Let me just say,
though, that I don’t expect Heaven to be just another rehashing of the state.
But since most of my relatives who may be reading this right now are about
ready to disown me and excommunicate me from the homeland, let me take some
time to record the wonderful things that have happened in Texas over the last
few days on the first part of our journey. Because, truth be told, as we drove
into New Mexico and left Texas behind, I can admit to some fleeting thoughts of
longing for the fantastic aspects of this Lone Star State.
****
The Activities
While we were there, I think we found the perfect balance
between relaxing and doing things. We went to the Ranger’s Game, saw Yu Darvish
pitch a fantastic game, and watched Jeff Franceour strike out in a clutch
possibility (no big surprise); Rangers won 2-1. We went to the Fort Worth
Stockyards, where we talked to a real cowboy, I bought a hat and the smallest
snow globe I’ve ever seen (anyone else get the irony?), and I stepped in horse
crap (figures). We played Trivial Pursuit with the Churchwards, and Kathryn and
I beat the boys with a come-from-behind total upset win. It was pretty
fantastic, actually. This was especially cool since Ryan literally tapes
Jeopardy episodes and replays them until he knows all the answers to the trivia
questions, Derek is freakin’ smart with the most random knowledge, and I never
know any trivia answers. My AP Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Buchanan, would be
thrilled to know, though, that I knew the winning answer regarding Lady
Macbeth’s famous “Out, out damned spot!” comment. To say that Kathryn and I
were proud of ourselves is quite an understatement. Sorry, guys… better luck
next time! J
But I think one of my favorite activities was going to
McKinney Church with Ryan and Kathryn. We really enjoyed their pastor. He
preached on Ephesians 5 as he starts a new series on what makes a family
“successful.” Considering our prayer request to grow closer to one another on
this trip, Derek and I thought this was a very timely sermon to hear about
respecting and loving one another as a reflection of Christ’s love for the
church. The pastor challenged couples to go home and literally ask each other,
“How can I love you sacrificially today?” I would say that one of the strengths
of our relationship is our open, genuine communication with one another and our
ability to be inwardly reflective and honest with ourselves. But this was/is a
hard question to answer, yet it’s an important one.
When I was about to leave Mexico City and was questioning a
lot of things in my life, Gloria Sloan changed my perspective when she told me
“We shouldn’t marry someone because we fall in love with them since we can fall
in love with lots of different people, rather, we should marry someone because
that person helps you serve Christ better together than as a single person.”
Without a doubt, I know Derek draws me closer to Christ all the time as he
challenges me, teaches me, and loves me. But given the pastor’s
thought-provoking sermon, I came up with a few more questions:
How can we better demonstrate Jesus’ love for others through
our marriage?
Do others see that we love each other and Jesus, or do they
see frustration, sarcasm, and banter? Do I build Derek up when I talk about him
around others, or do we come across more like Ray and Debora Romano?
Are others able to draw closer to Christ and serve Him
better when they are friends with us, or do we challenge their ability to stay
focused on the Lord? I think we end up having lots of conversations with people
that somehow center around Jesus, morality, philosophy, or apologetics, but
what about those times when we’re just hanging out and not talking about
religion in some way? Do our lives consistently coincide with our conversation
topics? Would people think we’re Christians based on our lives alone if we
never talked about those topics?
I’m not expecting these questions to be answered, but I
think they are good to constantly think about. We want our marriage to glorify
God all the time, and I think that pondering these questions was a great way to
start off our road trip.
The Food
On a lighter note, the food in Texas is really awesome. We
started it off with an excellent, homemade Kathryn-Churchward lasagna. It was
fantastic! We also go to have El Fenix (if you ever go there, we recommend the
sour cream chicken enchiladas and the beef and fried onion tacos), which made
my parents really jealous. But don’t worry; we made sure to get some chips and
salsa to bring back to them! We ate at Chipotle for lunch on Sunday, which made
the entire time in Dallas worth it for Derek. And then last night we ate at
Desperado’s with our family (the brisket flautas were yummy!). Granted, Derek
and I are very picky when it comes to Mexican food since hardly any of the
“Mexican food” you can get in America is anything like the actual street tacos
you can get in MXC. But as long as you consider Tex Mex as a completely
different food genre, it’s really great!
The People
Honest to goodness, the people in Texas are just plain out
nice… at least in my experience! From random people who took pictures for us to
the Stockyard cowboy to the waitresses, everyone has been super friendly! I
like that about Texas. And of course, we have great family and friends here in
Texas.
Susie and David
Granger
My aunt “Scuzie” and uncle David are so funny and some of
the most generous people I know. Their hearts are gigantic, and they are so
“real” with you. There are no pretenses when it comes to Susie and David; you
get exactly what you see. They just love and give of themselves and their
resources. David also gives his unabashed opinion just as frequently as he
gives out the most genuinely warm compliments. He’s one of those tough-looking
Texan teddy bears. J
I love my aunt and uncle and am so blessed to have them in my life!
Houston Granger and
Cody Blankenship
My dear sweet Hooder-bug cousin is so much fun! She is a
hard worker who cares for others. She never holds grudges, and she laughs so
frequently. More than any other person in the family, I love how much she is
able to just let go and be herself, even if that means being super weird. She
and I have always gotten along really well growing up because of this, as we
always did the most random things. I miss her annual summer friendship, but I
appreciate her even more as an adult. And let’s not forget her really cool
boyfriend, Cody, who even spent two years living in Duluth, GA! He seems to fit
into the family really well, as he’s willing to both give and receive crap to
and from others. But he’s gentle, and he’s got a great smile. I like them as a
couple!
Rip and Vanessa Rowan
Growing up, my mom always told me how much I’m like my
cousin, Vanessa. But since Vanessa is a bit older than me, I didn’t really get
a chance to see that when I was younger. But as I get older and am able to be
around “Nessie,” the more I realize how similar we are in our interests, yet I
will constantly strive to perfect the qualities I admire in her that she so
effortlessly exudes. And Rip seems like the perfect complement to her. They
both have a sense of adventure and love for people just for people’s sake that
is completely unmatched. They are creative and laid back, willing to help and
get to know people because they truly care and are interested. They don’t let
the burdens of normal American life weigh them down, and they love to travel.
They’re so easy to talk to, and they have the most interesting and wonderful
stories of their travels. Yet they don’t hog conversation. They are truly
wonderful people, and I love not only being related to them but also being able
to call them friends.
Ryan, Kathryn, and
Maddie Churchward
We know the Churchwards from living in Mexico City together.
They met and fell in love in Mexico, too, so apparently if you’re single and
wanting to find your spouse, you might want to consider going to MXC. J Not only are the
Churchwards just fun people to be around, they are a true role model couple. I
appreciate their hospitality and willingness to be open in conversation. It’s
clear from just a little time around with them that they work together as a
partnership really well, as they both pitch in to do what they need to for the
good of their family. And Ryan and Kathryn have continued to make international
missions a priority. I also really love how they are raising their precious
daughter, Maddie. Kathryn gives Maddie choices instead of just giving into her
every desire; they talk to her in “big people” voices so that her communication
is already way above par; they view everything as a teaching opportunity; they pray
and play with her; and they so clearly adore her! And I get it, because now I
adore her, too. She is so funny and such a little diva. In addition to knowing
the Lord as her personal Savior, my prayer for Maddie is that she will never
lose her vitality and her love for other people as she grows up. Churchwards,
we love you!
The Beauty
Finally, Texas really is just a beautiful place. Granted,
downtown Dallas is filled with road construction, traffic, and tall buildings
just like any other city. But even if you aren’t one to find any beauty in
man-made things, I can’t fathom anyone being unable to take pleasure in the
vast expanses of sky, fields, and pastures. The puffy clouds spotting the blue
sky, hovering above the golden grass is the perfect backdrop for taking
pictures of cows and tractors. Even the towering windmills and billowing dirt
tornadoes look fantastic. People warned us that “it gets pretty desolate after
Amarillo,” but honestly that’s where I became the most enraptured with this
state.
****
Now as we’re driving on I-40, filling our memory cards in
record time, singing as loud as we can to “Semi-charmed Kind of Life” by Third
Eye Blind together, and laughing at the ridiculous trucker with the “It’s my
Birthday, FLASH ME!” message written on his truck (which we did not oblige by
the way), I’m thinking that Texas was the absolute perfect place to begin our
journey. And after taking the time to reflect while writing this post, I’ve
realized that maybe I’m more proud of having a Texan birth right than I had
originally thought.
Much Love,
Derek & Catalina
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