Lubbock or Leave It...

My child is now quite mobile and I will use that as my excuse for the span of days that pass between each post. If I head towards the study, Isaac races towards the kitchen where he has found the joy that is opening and closing the cabinet doors. If I am putting sheets on my bed, he is attempting to unplug the fan in his room. And so it begins....

Saturday morning Tobe and I headed for the spacious plains of Lubbock, Texas for his cousin, Bubba's wedding. My mom stayed behind at our house with Isaac. I felt like I should not drag a ten month old to a wedding, especially considering I did not allow children at my own nuptials. Because we weren't in a hurry, Tobe and I were able to take our time in getting to Lubbock. There was no child in the backseat to feed or entertain, which also allowed us to enjoy the road trip (however, we often looked back at the empty seat and talked about how much we missed Isaac). We stopped at the famous SmokeStack Restaurant in Thurber and took the time to read all the historical markers in this legendary ghost town. We noticed that the museum they had been advertising all during the time we were in college was finally built and open for business. We decided to research the history of Thurber some more and visit the museum on another trek to Lubbock.

The ACU Tower of Light beckoned us from I-20 so we stopped at the campus. It was dead considering it was a Saturday in the summer. We snuck in Chambers Hall, the site of our psychology education. I attempted to break into the classroom where supposedly the poster of my thesis resides but my attempts were futile. We marveled at the changes on campus, from the new dorm to the Larry Sanders Memorial Field ("memorial" although Larry is quite alive). The library was locked tight so we could not see the impressive downstairs study area, complete with Starbucks and wireless internet. We then headed over to the Campus Center, where the clocks above the entrance to the Bean are still set to the wrong times and the club boards are now moved downstairs. Of course we each had to read our respective club board, despite the fact we knew no one and neither had been in club in over five years. We jumped in the car and took a drive down the famous Washington Blvd, noting that University Church has now bought out several blocks and made an impressive expansion. 1017 Washington Blvd still sat in all her glory, with Peeper still living two houses down. We checked out Tobe's old houses on North 10th and 12th street. A couch still resides on the porch of the house on 12th that was put there by the residents who moved in after Tobe in 1999. The Taco Bell mat is still missing from the doorstep though.

Hunger called us and we decided to eat at one of the famous Abilene establishments. Because it was too hot for Towne crier cheese soup, we opted for Joe Allen's. As we drove down Treadaway, we noticed that Joe Allens was closed. Not only closed, but MOVED! Gone are the days of the crowded dirt parking lot and hot atmosphere as you wait to order your prized sausage plate. Apparently we missed the memo that Joe Allen built a new building next door to Cahoots. It is nice, but it wasn't the same for us. Where is the bread drawer or the vegetable bar? When I went to the restroom I did not have to wait outside the door three feet from the meat pit. Although the food was just as good, the atmosphere was completely different. Tobe and I both hate change so we had a hard time with this new location.

We made it to Lubbock in time to change clothes in a secluded parking lot and brush our teeth at a Starbucks. The wedding was beautiful and the food and drink flowed at the reception. We spent the night at Tobe's grandparents' farm and headed back for DFW the next morning after breakfast (and missed seeing some Blogging friends at Broadway :( ) . Isaac was glad to see us and was sporting his "I Heart Daddy" onesie. Tobe had a nice Father's Day and enjoyed his gifts (new Mavericks wear for the entire family and a picture of Isaac).

Isaac has switched from his rolling/army crawl/yoga to almost a full crawl all the time. Friday night Tobe was having Isaac find him in the hallway and they would chase each other. When Tobe would stop playing, Isaac would sign "more." Too cute. Tobe was quite excited that Isaac finally wants to "rough house" --- something he has wanted since we came home from the hospital. Isaac can also brush his own hair. If we hand him the baby brush and say, "Brush your hair." he will hold the brush up and brush behind his ear. Again, too cute. If there is a pile of toys, you can say, "Isaac find your book." and he will search out until he finds a board book. Sunday night before bath and bedtime, Isaac spent at least 30 minutes putting assorted toys into his yellow shape sorter canister and taking them out to rearrange the positioning of each block. It was quite fascinating to watch and we all really wondered what was going on in that little mind of his. The whole time he was sorting, he had quite the serious expression on his face. Isaac also has a new toy called "Monkey Chase". It is a battery-operated Monkey that moves when baby hits one of its arms. The purpose of Monkey Chase is to encourage baby to crawl. Isaac likes this toys as long as Monkey doesn't turn around and come back towards him, as it is known to do. When Monkey starts chasing Isaac, he begins to cry and attempt to get to me to be "saved."

Finally, did anyone catch the Matt Lauer and Brittany Spears interview Friday night on Dateline? My mother and I saw the last twenty minutes and it was a train wreck. Tobe described Brittany's appearance correctly when he said she appeared to have just returned from shopping at Wal-Mart. Does she not have a stylist or the money to hire one? She was wearing flip-flops, a jean skirt with thighs currently not able to sport a mini-skirt, and a plunging gauzy purple shirt. Yikes. I also think Baby Sean Preston has been pulling on her extensions because they were quite noticeable in the back. When Matt questioned her about the driving incident with Sean in her lap, she at first used the "Papparazi chasing me" excuse and then went on to say, "My dad used to drive with me in his lap all the time. We are country." Oh dear. This woman is about to have a second child. I am starting to wonder if K-Fed IS the better example in this mismatched family.

I have pictures to post on here today, but Blogger is not letting me. I will attempt to add them later this afternoon when the Lord has blessed me with more patience.