My Small Town Tour

I must pre-warn you....this will be a lot of rambling, but hey my life has been VERY uneventful lately.

Yesterday, my dad and I were supposed to go watch Canyon & Palo Duro play at PD, but he had a meeting come up in Lubbock and our trip got cancelled. (Side note: the game was a great one, PD was up at half, Canyon ended up winning by 3....87 straight wins in district, pretty impressive if you ask me). So me being the bored and random individual I am, I called Laine and asked her what time her girls played that night.

So a little background information would probably help in this story. Once upon a time before my parents were married they both were coaching & teaching in a little town called Hamlin. Well they both showed interest in each other--my mom showing much more than my dad. Well there was this couple in town, David & Janice Wade. Being a small town, everyone knows everyone and there aren't many secrets. Well my mom and Janice would be considered "stalkers" at the time and would drive around town in different vehicles searching out David and my dad. So maybe it wasn't as stalkerish as it sounds, but long story short, they finally started dating and got married, so David & Janice have always gotten partial credit for my parents being married. Well nearly 2 years later I was born. David & Janice have a daughter named Laine, who was in high school at the time. In fact, my mom told Laine she was pregnant before my dad. So needless so say, we are very close family friends, and I have always considered David & Janice my other set of grandparents and have spent a considerable amount of time with them. Laine married her high school sweetheart Brad, and they have 3 children, Wade who is in his 3rd year of college at Angelo State and twin girls, Samantha & Shalaina who are seniors in high school.

So now you are caught up. I called Laine about 2:30 and she told me that the girls played at 6:30 in Stamford, so I do the math and figure out I can be there in time for the game, so I ask my parents if they care if I head that way and they look at my like I'm crazy. So I pack my bags and head out the door. Now this is a 3 hour trip and while driving I realize I am definitely on a small town tour....so just bear with me through this. Most people in Texas don't even realize some of these places exist. So here's the list of the booming metropolises that I traveled through:

Tulia (pop 5,117)
Lockney (pop 2,056--random fact: their high school burned down on Sunday night....keep them in your thoughts, 2 15-year-old students of the school have been charged with second-degree-felony arson....they were hoping to get better equipment & facilities; the school was still smoldering when I drove by today)
Floydada (pop 3,676--this is the largest town I pass through)
Cone (no pop listed & no school)
Ralls (pop 2,252)
Crosbyton (pop 1,874)
Dickens (pop 332---no school here either)
Spur (pop 1,088)
Gilpin (no pop, definitely the smallest "community" I pass through, there is one little tiny farmhouse thing between the two signs; obviously no school here either)
Girard (no pop, no school....)
Jayton (pop 513)
Swenson (no pop, no school, biggest building in town is the First Baptist Church)
Aspermont (pop 1,021)
Sagerton (no pop, no school, biggest building is the Faith Luthern Church--or the school that has been turned into the community center as with most of the towns where the school has shut down)
Stamford (pop 3,636)
Hamlin (pop 2,248)

Not a Sonic to be found other than in Tulia and my somewhat final destination of Stamford, have no fear I survived. It was great to spend some time with David, Janice, Laine, Brad, Sam, Shakey (even though she will alwyas be Laina to me) & Mercedes (she's friends with Sam & Shakey--her mom used to work for David & Janice and she has an older sister that is the same age as Emily & they lived across the street from D&J for several years, so we grew up playing with them). To my surprise this morning Wade had come into town the night before and I got to spend some time with him today. All in all it was a GREAT trip. I hadn't seen any of them in about 2 and a half years so the trip was long overdue. The girls won their game so that was a plus. I got up early, ate breakfast at Drew's (a long standing tradition with David), who has watched me grow up, spending time with Wade, morning coffee break with Janice and the ladies she works with, lunch with Sam, Shakey, Mercedes, Jaylen, David & Janice; going up to school to see Aaron (Drew's son, who is a few years older than me, that I grew up with and went to undergrad with) & finally getting to see Laine & Brad's new house (it was finished like 2 years ago). It was a quick trip, but definitely worth it.

And I made it back in time for date night with mom, so that is always a plus--can't skip a great meal at El Sarape. Tomorrow I am headed to Lubbock to hang out with Katie and go see my friend Jeri & her precious baby girl Jorja (and maybe her hubby Clay). My time at home is nearly to an end, which is bittersweet. I am bored out of my mind & ready to see my friends in CoMo, but know that when I leave I will miss my parents.