Weekend Recap

Normally I would give each day of my weekend its own post, but for the sake of my sanity, they're all being lumped together.  Okay, then.

Thursday: After a quick breakfast at Chick Fil-A, I dropped N at school with an extra chicken biscuit for 2nd period (after Athletics) and headed out of town.  It was glorious to have the windows down and the radio up and the breeze blowing through the car...for about an hour.  Then it got muggy and disgusting.  I made it to my dad's in record time (before noon), and made a few stops before collapsing on my favorite chair in his living room.  He was still at work, so I just basked in the quiet while I waited for him to get  home.  When he finally got home, I was showered and ready to go celebrate his friend's 51st birthday.  We were meeting her at Benihana for dinner along with her two nieces who've never eaten at a hibachi style place before.  It was fun!  We all talked and laughed and had a great time! 

Friday: My original plan was to go observe my friend in her classroom today, but my dad told me he was taking his "MDO" (My Day Off) to hang out with me.  I was super-excited, and starting thinking about all the things we could do, and he said, "I know what we're going to do today."  With him there's never any clear indicators on what will follow this declaration, so I was happy to hear that he followed up quickly with, "We're going to go look for a new house for me."  Say what?!  Hold the phone...this man just built his house from the dirt up 2 years ago.  He had just settled in and hauled a bunch of stuff up into the attic and now he wants to move?  He explained he wanted to move closer to work and my Seester, which would also make it a little closer for me to drive to his house when I come down.  And the search began!  We spent ALL day looking, and kept finding the same floorplan, but it was WAY too much house even though it was all extremely functional space.  At the last moment, we stopped in one more neighborhood before calling it quits, and it made me do some thinking, but I had to put it on hold because we were headed to meet Seester and David for dinner.  I love my sister.  I love my brother-in-law.  They're two of the best people I know.  And as much fun as it is to hang out with them during family outings, it's even more fun when it's just grown-ups.

Saturday: We got up and hit the ground running.  I'd made a list of neighborhoods with homes by a particular builder, specifically floor plan sizes I thought my dad would want to look at and we spent 2 hours at the first one, asking questions, looking around, asking more questions, making lists, and looking at lot sizes/prices.  I knew he didn't want to build again; he's looking for an inventory or resale home, but he seemed really interested in this neighborhood based on location alone.  Meanwhile, Seester text me to tell me they were hanging out watching football...did we want to come?  We wrapped it up and headed on an adventure through parts of Houston we've never seen before and finally got to Seester, David & company.  I got to meet my "niece" whom I've dubbed "Fee" and we had to watch UT and TTU lose.  Bummer.  After the games were over, I suggested looking at one more neighborhood because it had the floorplan my dad was interested in available as an inventory home.  He was intrigued, so we grabbed some lunch (Grilled avocado stuffed with shrimp and cilantro rice?  Yes, please!) and headed over.  Right away, the neighborhood felt oddly familiar, and the sales guy was hilarious.  We drove and looked at two homes, and my dad discounted each of them.  He had found out the price on the one he was interested in was higher because of the lot (it backs up to a lake), but as we headed to look at it, he said, "Aubs, if I buy a house here, it'll be the one on the lake."  We walked up to a house that looks a lot like his now, and when we walked in, we saw tile throughout, vaulted ceilings, open spaces, double vanities, a kitchen island with granite countertops, 42" cabinets and an extended patio with roof which were all on his "MUST" list.  I knew, then and there, that we were in his new house.  He did, too.

Sunday: We got up early and went to breakfast before church.  The message was given by the senior pastor's father, and that was really awesome to witness.  It was all about the gift of giving, and I felt like he was describing me and my life.  Afterward, my dad said the same thing...about his own life.  It was a great message!  We went home and said "Now what?" so I made a list of ingredients for chicken tortilla soup and we made my customary trip to HEB.  How I waited 3 days before going is beyond me...seriously.  One of his friends came over to watch the Cowboys game and eat soup, so I finished making the soup, had a bowl, then went to my room to read/take a nap.  I wanted to watch the game and hang out, but I just wasn't feeling it...so I skipped.  My dad and I spent a couple of hours after the game talking and discussing assets in his house versus assets in the new house (that he continues to refer to as "my new house" which makes me smile) and I think he's pretty excited.  I know I am!

Monday: Dad had to work, so he got up at dark o'clock and I heard him rattling around, but I didn't move.  My pillow was in the exact right spot and I just couldn't!  When I woke up an hour or so later, it was to this "thunking" noise coming from the back of the house.  My dad had told me about this crazy black crow that would try to peck through his window, but I didn't believe him.  HOLY CRAP!  That thing is massive, and since I've seen "The Birds" entirely too many times (especially as a young child), I was freaked.  I hauled ass out of there...and into the heaviest storm I've ever been dumb enough to drive through.  It was raining so hard, and it took me 2 hours to get to just outside of Houston.  Luckily, it cleared up and the wind was only trying to throw me across the highway for the remainder of the trip.  I spoke to my dad later on and found out that he had discussed pricing with the sales guy AND mentioned to his neighbors that he was thinking about selling.  Within 15 minutes, he had a guy from the neighborhood inquiring about his house for a family member.  That, my dear friends, is a God thing.

I'm so excited for my dad and this new sub-chapter of his life.  I think a (slightly) smaller house will be such a good thing for him, and the great thing about this house is that it is literally almost exactly like his current home, just missing an extra bedroom.  The bedrooms are slightly smaller, but the common areas are large and full of natural light.  It looks out over a huge pond, and it's super close to work and my Seester.  I have no doubt that God lead us there this weekend.

My dad is one of my favorite people in the world.  This weekend did not go as I expected it to, and that's okay because it was time well-spent with my dad.  Sure, we drove all over creation (or Katy), and we spent a lot of time weeding out what he didn't want, but we did it together.  These memories are ones I hold dear and will always treasure.  The father-daughter time is so special when you're a little girl...and it doesn't get any less special as an adult.  I already miss him!

I've missed my boys, too.  N was disgusted when I told him I missed him because it had only been a few days.  B had so many things to tell me on the phone, and my joy boy didn't disappoint.  I didn't get anything accomplished this weekend that I wanted to do, but this visit wasn't about me.  It was about time with my dad, and that other stuff?  Well, it can just wait...

Aubs