Texas, week 2

If I have learned anything on my second week in Texas, it’s that I really don’t know what to do with myself without an agenda. I make all of these plans and then lack the resolve to see anything through. I won’t say that I moped about. I had a great visit with Doug and Sarah and their kids, but without Liam or the rest of my family, I drifted about a little aimlessly. I did a little bit of shopping (the novelty of Costco having worn off by the second visit), watched a little bit of TV, did a little bit of reading and did my best to evenly distribute the weight amongst my various pieces of luggage. I spent enough time on Skype that there won’t be much time catching up when I get back home. I’m most grateful to Skype for giving me the opportunity to hear my wife tell me daily that she missed me. Sometimes I worry that I create more problems by being around and it’s nice to know my absence is felt.

However, by the end of the second week, the novelty of seeing their Dad on Skype had pretty much worn off which meant they felt free to fight and carry on as if I were actually in the room with them. It is not an easy thing to try and instruct and discipline one’s children over video chat. It’s too easy to moderate my voice by turning down the volume and escape my gaze by stepping out of frame.  Any threat to take away toys is met with skepticism, for obvious reasons.

I regained my footing a little when I picked up Liam on Saturday morning from EFY. It had been nearly a week since I had talked to him. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone more than two or three days without talking to him. Of course, I told him that he could call me if he needed anything, but I didn’t want to be one of those hovering parents. The campus where it took place was only about twenty minutes from my sister’s and I wouldn’t have been the only parent to drop in to make sure everything was OK, but sometimes being a parent is about stepping back and closing your eyes.

The EFY high lasted long enough for him to give me an overview over breakfast at IHOP. As What I learned about Liam’s EFY experience:

First words upon seeing me: “It was awesome!”

How much longer he would’ve been happy to stay there: “About a month.”

Newly acquired skills: “I’m definitely more comfortable talking to girls now.”

Why he didn’t call me once: “Too busy.”

How it changed him: “Definitely going to spend more time in my scriptures.”

As soon as we got back to Sarah’s Liam pretty much crashed for a couple of hours. Awesomeness does take its toll.

Aunt Sarah helped get Liam set up on Facebook before EFY and by the time he was home he already had a number of friend requests. Anyone who spends a lot of time with Liam knows that he tends to play things pretty close to the vest. He’s very diplomatic when it comes to expressing himself emotionally. It was refreshing to see him express himself so enthusiastically.

Saturday afternoon was the “worst barbeque in Texas.” We all went to an authentic pit style BBQ restaurant in a converted gas station. The food was great and the atmosphere was everything you could hope for.

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This is what BBQ should look like.

Sunday was church, and there is always some comfort in its familiarity no matter where you are. We had a moment of panic when Liam thought he lost his scriptures. It wasn’t the physical thing that worried him. Liam is not one to get too attached to artifacts. What was tragic about his loss was all of the notes and markings he had made in his scriptures over the week at EFY. He worried about losing knowledge not stuff. We did find them, but I was glad for their momentary loss and what it told me about Liam’s experience.

Liam's mad Lego skills were not wasted in Texas.

Monday was Liam and I and roller coasters at Six Flags. About eight hours of continuous roller coaster riding in the blazing sun does not do wonders for one’s stomach, but it was a lot of fun. Liam hadn’t been on a roller coaster since Space Mountain about seven years ago and I wasn’t sure how he would take to some of the epic contraptions at Six Flags. Well, he took to it just fine.

Liam just before getting soaked.

Soaked Liam.

The Goliath,  a favorite of ours.

For some reason, I decided to go to a midnight showing of Spider Man with Liam and Doug. Probably not the most prudent of decisions, but I wanted to see at least one movie at the Alamo Drafthouse before I left, and I was glad I did. The movie itself was fun enough, but the theatre was great even if I didn’t get to take advantage of the Draft part of the experience. The quality of the projections, the food and beverage selection and the theater’s attention to maintaining a quiet and focused experience made for as good a movie going experience as I have ever had. I’ve written about watching movies in Abu Dhabi, and this was pretty much its antithesis.

Yup, it's 2:30 AM, the morning of our departure.

It was hard to say good-bye to Sarah and her kids. We were so well taken care of over the two weeks we were there. No doubt we were a major inconvenience and disruptions to their routine, but we were never made to feel anything other than welcome.

Liam's got a fan club.

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