Two Weeks In Row?!

This NEVER happens!  I don't mind my absolute there...

KICKAPOO JOY JUICE! Now, I don't know what Joy Juice means, but if we see Kickapoo many more times this summer, I think this blog will take an interesting turn.

Lawry and I spent part of our Memorial Day Weekend down in the Bishop Arts District of North Oak Cliff. It was quaint.  I like quaint things, and colorful things :)

 Lawry really likes graffiti.  I can get into it.

We found two awesome things down there.  A) The "Dude, Sweet Chocolate Shoppe" where we bought some Venezuelan chocolate covered nuts and this delightful ice cream.  Also, too, we found the "The Soda Gallery" with like every soda EVER (another absolute I don't mind).  Lawry got 'imself a sweet cream soda, Hank's Cream Soda.  Mmmhhhmmm!

Kickin' it,
MJ

MJ Sr. vs. Dry Rub Ribs

MJ Sr. won. Although it wasn't really an antagonistic battle, there was much love.  They were darn good ribs, too. :)

Another reason Texas is great? Barbecue.

Here comes Memorial Day,
MJ

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my BIKE!

This is my old bike.  I feel like it used to have a name.  Perhaps it was named Chuck, but that seems wrong since my car is named Charlie (she's a girl).  Anyway, I like to ride my bike, so I worked on this bike (a boy) a little bit to fix the brakes, which is great, but eventually it'll need a little more love in the coming days this summer.  I like bikes 'cause you get to see so much, you work out, you don't get shinsplints, you aren't using gas (or paying for it), and you can get around so quickly.  I wish Dallas suburbs were a bit more prepared for sharing the road, cause some roads make me quite nervous to ride on or near!  Anyway, hopefully I'll bring y'all some pictures from bike rides soon :)

Ridin' around,
MJ

Is it raining?

We were leaving Lawry's apartment late Friday night with our German friend Veronica and she turned as asked us, "is it raining?" Oh no... it's just SO HUMID that if feels like its raining outside.  Oh well, South Texas day trip!!

In Lawry's (and my mom's) opinion, the funniest street name in Texas ;)

Meggo, Blake and myself at La King Ice Cream Shoppe on the Strand in Galveston.  Really good ice cream and really quaint little store... Anyway, I heart these women, I wish I lived closer to them.

Galveston Island pictures... Lawry, the gals, and Veronica and I.  We had a great time down there... we have no pretensions about our northern beaches; they're just where the land meets the sea.  It was fab :)

Until next time,
MJ

That's What I Like About Texas

Went to the heart of Texas this past weekend to hang with my sister and meet Lawry.  I went to visit the Latin American library, which I did do... but I spent about 13.73% of my time in Austin at the library.  What did I do instead??? Ate really good Mexican food, and that inspired a thought.  Sometimes, when the folks up north ask me what is so great about Texas, I give the standard answers: food is better, the people are nice, sunsets are great, and something about that wildwest mentality is awesome (more on that to come).  And, I'm not just saying this stuff, I've been places, I can compare.  However, I feel that my answers are still so abstract, so I concocted a new mission for this summer:

Photo-document all the reasons Texas is the GREAT STATE!!!

...Well, at least in the eastern/central/southern/northern parts.  My apologies to the panhandle and El Paso, you are also part of the awesome, but it would almost take me as long to get pictures of you as it would to just go back up north.  Anyway, a visual journey o' the great state is in the works...

For now, some pictures of Mexican food and Austin-y things:

 Lawry with a brisket and a shrimp taco and my fried avocado and seared ahi tuna taco from "Torchy's Tacos" in Austin.  Their tagline is "Torchy's Tacos: Damn Good Tacos."  And I'll add because it is appropriately funny... hellzzz yes they are! Mmmm, tacos...

My sister drove us all there for dinner (thank you my Austin sensei and yogi) and she got the fried avocado (best) and the shrimp taco.  Apparently this place began as a taco truck and then expanded into a small place on what they call "the drag" just off of UT-Austin's campus.  As I've always said, you know it is good when it comes from a taco truck or taco stand.  Especially, if they made so much money on their stand that they also bought a little place in a hot spot of town.

Then we went to Amy's Ice Cream... Lawry was so giddy about the ice cream; he felt like a child :)

We got a pint of Mexican vanilla ice cream with pecan praline and crushed waffle cone and split it between the three of us while we sat at the children's table.  Ah, so good!

Now to work on that research I put off,

MJ

600 miles later

After about 15 hours in the car, a stop over in St. Louis-Louis, dinner at the Chuck Berry bar in STL, breakfast at St. Louis Bread Company aka Panera, a detour to Jesse James' hideout, the world's largest rocking chair (again), and a highly embarrassing moment at an Oklahoma toll-booth, I made it back to the great state of Texas.  Just finished my first year of graduate school at Indiana and it is crazy to think about the last time I made that long journey.  Without getting all saptastic, life has changed a lot since last August.  Graduate school been quite the adventure with several high moments and quite a few kicks in the hind parts.  All in all, I have been blessed.  God has been faithful, he has provided for me in unexpected ways, he has challenged me in my school work, aspirations and my relationships and he is shaping my life.  It's not always comfortable, but it has been good.  :)
One of those good things is that Lawry got to make the better part of the drive with me.  We met in St. Louis Louis, he met me at the airport!! And, then we drove the 10+ hours to DFW through Missouri all the way to Tulsa and then down to the Dirty Lew.

Lawry really wanted to stop at the Jesse James hideout.  This is us on the the lookout for the town sheriff!

 Once the world's largest McDonalds...

Russell as a frat guy... popped collar, tough guy face, big sunglasses... see big sunglasses aren't just for girls...

And now, STATE LINE Pictures! Not glamorous, I just like 'em for some reason.  Maybe cause the destination feels closer

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOklahoma!!!! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!

AND BEST FOR LAST...

AH!!!!!!!! TEXAS!!!!!!! The stars at night are big and bright (CLAP CLAP CLAP) DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

And the Oklahoma-Texas line... the RED RIVER!!!

Texas, Our Texas! All hail the mighty state! Texas, Our Texas! So wonderful, so great! Boldest and grandest withstanding ev'ry test! O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest! God Bless you, Texas! And, keep you brave and strong! That you may grow in power and worth throughout the ages long!

Eating tacos and saying "y'all,"

MJ