"I Thought Happiness Was Lubbock Texas In My Rearview Mirror"...but I was wrong!

After the nightmare that was Christmas 2020, I knew that Hannie and I needed to get away!  And we needed to celebrate Hannie's graduation.  And if we're getting away, why not invite Glo too? ;-) I asked Hannah where she wanted to go (taking COVID restrictions in mind), and she just wanted to go to another national park.  She suggested Florida, but honestly, what is there to do in the everglades? Next she suggested Texas, and it sounded perfect.  Turns out, the two Texas national parks are easily accessed from Lubbock, MY HOME TOWN! Tickets were the right price, and the trip was on!

Honestly, I wanted to get away ASAP but Hannah had a doctor's appointment, so we left the day after her appointment (and holy smokes, I'm hoping she's going to write about THAT day because it was literally God opening windows for her).  You know those parents who don't tell their kids they are going to Disney until the night before because they'll be too excited? That's exactly how I felt as we boarded the plane in Detroit.  It's been 37 years since I've been back to Lubbock, and it felt surreal to think about returning to my childhood home.

As we approached Lubbock, I could hardly believe my view out the window.  My childhood memories hadn't let me down.  It is seriously one of the ugliest places on earth! ;-) No, but really, there's not really any reason for anyone to visit Lubbock which is why I believe most people who live in Lubbock were born there...and never leave. But for me, in that moment, it looked pretty dang good because it was just so familiar.  Brown dust, flat, and not much else, and I freaking LOVED it!

We weren't sure that we would be able to find a Lubbock t-shirt anywhere in Lubbock, and the guy on the plane told us that the airport might be the best place to find one, so we stopped IN the airport before we even left to buy a t-shirt (turns out, there are LOTS of options outside of the airport, but I did find the best magnet right next to the cashier in the Hudson News shop).

Something I noticed and appreciated right away is how friendly everyone is.  When I moved to Michigan in 1983, I was bullied daily for over a year in my middle school because I wore overalls and spoke with an accent.  I see Michiganders now as really great people, but it was a very difficult cultural transition, and I was reminded of my very rich heritage.  People who speak with "yes ma'am"s and "no sir"s, and men who open doors for all women, and just down home kindness.  With that, though, Texans know what they think and they aren't afraid to say it--an unfortunate trait I inherited that hasn't stood me in good stead over the years.  Anyway, it just felt good to be back home.  And we didn't make it more than a half mile out of the airport before we saw cotton fields, and Hannah asked me about it.  I was happy to pull over to let her get out and pick a piece.

That night, Glo was flying in and we were staying in Lubbock until the next morning, so Hannah and I had fun exploring the city.  I remembered so many places--the hospital where my mom would take me on nights she was on call, and the museum where she would drop me off in the mornings during the summer and come pick me up at the end of the day--and there were new places to explore as well including the temple!  It was so crazy to think that Lubbock now has its own temple!

I wanted to visit Reese Air Force Base where my dad was a pilot instructor, but it was closed back in 1995.  The base has been repurposed as a community college, but it felt eerie seeing the buildings and the control tower which had all been part of my dad's life.

  

I wanted Hannah to have a taste of really good Texan steak, so I looked up the best steak house in the city. The Double Nickel didn't disappoint.  We got dressed up, had great service and ate really delicious food.  I got filet mignon, and Hannah got beef tips.  It was the beginning of several days of amazing food! And Hannie was SUPER excited about her tin foil swan!

Glo then flew in, and I pulled over to let her pick cotton as well.  She wasn't as impressed, but she played along.

The next morning, the girls and I were up early to see the two homes of my childhood.  5714 37th street was the first home my parents bought back in 1972.  My dad actually built a glider in the front yard of the house.  

Glo asked about the "random dirt road", and I realized that the girls had never seen an ALLEY where everyone takes out their trash.  I showed them what one does to get around the privacy fences ;-)

5714 37th Street now

My dad and I soon after the house was built (1972)

After my mother finished her residency in 1979, we moved to 7807 Kenosha Ave.  I felt badly for the girls who had to listen to all of my horrific childhood memories that were just "normal" to me, but that I realized were really awful when I vocalized them to my girls.  They just felt pity for me <3  How fun it was though when an actual childhood friend of mine with whom I am FB friends contacted me and asked if I wanted to have lunch! Yes, Gust Kallas, I DO! We're going to have lunch on our last day in the area.

We then headed over to The Cast Iron Grill. "It's all about boots, pie, and chicken fry," is their motto.  I had looked over their menu before, and they brag about their chicken fried steak.  That's right, folks.  It's not "country" fried steak.  It's called "chicken" fried steak. (Seriously, I've thought for years that I was remembering that wrong and that I was crazy, but nope, it's EVERYWHERE here....and I've tried it ALL!). It was the best food I've had since Iceland.  For real.  Everything was home cooked, and it all could've been cooked by mom, or her dad.  It was from scratch, it was so real, and it was delicious.

I then took the girls to tour Texas Tech University.  My mom graduated from their medical school in 1976, and although she never talks about it or really shares that information with any of her fancy Michigan colleagues, it's where it all began for her.  So it was fun to share that with the girls.  It's a beautiful campus and again, it's eerie to think of four years of my mother's life embodied on that campus.

We quick stopped by the museum so I could take a picture, and those good old Texan winds (that have led to a lifelong hatred of wind in any form or location!) appeared ;-). After that, we hopped in the car and began our four hour drive down to Marathon, Texas where a beautiful resort was waiting for us.

We drove through cotton fields which turned to oil fields which turned to desert and mountains.  It was a stunning drive!  And thankfully we didn't blink, or we would've missed our hotel and then entire town of Marathon ;-) The Gage Hotel used to be the summer home of some oil magnate, but it's been converted into something really lovely, and it stands like an oasis in the middle of nowhere.  The hotel has gone all out with the connection between Mr. Gage and the gauge of bullet shells with the name of the restaurant being "12 Gage".  There are amazing antiques throughout the hotel, but we didn't see many of them, because the only room available for us to rent for three days was "Casa Jardin", the guest house across the street.  Holy smokes! It was the coolest place I've ever stayed! It looked like something out of a western movie, but it had all the modern conveniences.  As John said, it looked like we were staying somewhere from "The Bachelor" ;-) 

Waiting for Hannie was a charcuterie tray and chocolate-covered strawberries from John along with a note congratulating her on graduating <3

   

What we didn't know was that the "Gage Gardens" sat right outside our house, complete with 27 acres of walking and running paths.  So Glo threw on Hannah's running shoes to get her four miles in, and Johannah and I went walking. We got all of about 25 feet outside of our house, and we found a putting green!  Like I said, it was like a dream!

When we got back, we decided to go to the Brick Vault Brewery for dinner.  There are only 7 restaurants in Marathon (they literally sit side-by-side for a quarter mile down the one road from the hotel), and 3 were closed down for COVID, 4 are owned by the hotel.  We thought the BVB was going to be sit-down, but turns out, we ordered any kind of meat and sides Subway/Qdoba/Chipotle style and took it home!  The girls kept asking me what brisket was, and so I told them to get it.  My mother made more brisket for me as a child than I could possibly eat in a lifetime, so it's not my favorite, but the girls loved it.  We also got pulled pork and REAL potato salad (no eggs, no celery--just potatoes, mustard and mayo).  It was FANTASTIC food!

I had read that the area is one of the few in the nation that is considered a "dark sky" meaning there is little to no light pollution, but I wouldn't have imagined how amazing the sky could look until I saw it.  It almost felt like there were more stars in the sky than black space in the sky.  They were a literal blanket of stars!

I kid you not, we crawled into our beds that night, and although we had barely been there longer than 24 hours, it felt like a week of fun and relaxation already!