Wednesday, June 20 – Thursday, June
21, 2012
Wednesday, June 20 (Continued)
Our trip from
Mineola to Lubbock was uneventful, thank goodness, and we rolled into Lubbock
amid wind and blowing dust (it seems that some things never change) at
5:15. We went immediately to our home
away from home for the night, the Best Western Plus Palms, checked in and took
in what was necessary for our overnight stay.
Barbara:
Since Jaycie was unavailable to us this trip, we asked
Becky if she’d like to go out to eat with us; but after talking to her, we
decided it would be a lot more comfortable and private to eat in the breakfast
nook of the motel. So…after ordering pasta dishes from Orlando’s that’s what we
did! What a wonderful night of catching up on each other’s lives, hopes, and
dreams. Where there is Becky, Barbara,
and Jim there is laughter, tears, and joy since she and I have walked a million
miles together and though Jim is a late bloomer in this relationship, he has
blossomed and walked the walk with us!
+++++++
Thursday, June 21
Late last night Jim got a text from
Michelle, his cousin’s wife, saying that they were also in Lubbock. So…we made
plans this AM to meet them at the Discovery Center.
Next on the agenda was a quick trip to
find windshield wipers for Big V. Took stops at two places, but found them!
We arrived at
Ann’s at the designated time so we could see her son Brad and his wife Corrine
who were visiting from Colorado. Thank goodness she had warned Brad’s family
that a photo hound was coming because everyone was very gracious! The youngster
in the top pic with Ann is Valerie’s son…
However,
unbeknownst to Ann, I had a inspiration this morning…I asked Jim if he’d take
us to Wheelock and be our photographer as we wandered through our old stomping
grounds. So, it was there that we met up with her daughter Val, in the bottom
right picture above.
Imagine our surprise when Ann and I
went in to Wheelock to find that the new principal who was cleaning closets,
etc. was Cindy Andrews, a friend of ours! What an “old home” moment!
Ann and I toured the old tree where we
used to stand while on recess duty, the work room, the front of the building,
the lounge, and, of course, the lockers that were once in my room…but that same
room became Arnold’s and then later Ann’s! It was such a perfect environment
for the super kids we had at Wheelock! Last, but certainly not least, we had
Jim take our picture in front of the door of Arnold’s old room (when we taught
together). It was a bittersweet moment as we told Arnold stories! He was such a
wonderful man, husband, father, teacher, and co-worker! And, yes, he would have shaken his head and
declared Ann and I crazy to take this pic! We rather exasperated him at times!
Lol!
Next stop was
back to Ann’s for a short visit and to sign her up on Facebook! She finally
agreed! Yay! Then more photos before putting Lubbock in our rear view mirror.
“Truly great friends are hard to find,
difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” - Unknown
On the road,
but Lubbock on our minds,
Jim/Dad/Gramps
and Barbara/Mom/Grams
