Texas Part III

I talk a lot about my passions on this blog: my family, cooking, crafting. It's seems odd that I haven't spoken much about a certain group of people, so pardon the delay, and without further adieu here are 5 of my favorite 9 people in the world:

These lovely people started coming into my life when I was 2, then 4, then 5, then in middle school, and finally junior high. They have always been my closest, dearest friends. We are sometimes referred to as "the 10"- seven girls, three guys. We've become nutritionists, teachers, cpa's, doctors, producers, moms- but when we get together we're still silly junior high kids who astound all in our presence (and annoy our spouses) with our ability to pick up as if we graduated high school yesterday. Our group has grown as spouses join, and I'm delighted that it's about to grow a little more (and not just because I won't be the only one with a kid anymore!).

I wish the little baby shower that we'd planned for Nikki was all the blogging I had to do to cover how I spent part of my Texas vacation, but Nikki and Shane's road to parenthood got a little bumpy the third day I was in town. Many of you who read this blog already know the story and have been praying hard for their little family, and believe me, God has heard those prayers and is answering them. Shane had a massive stroke- a pretty rare event for a strapping young man of 29. They have yet to figure out the cause of the blood clot that triggered the stroke. After a few days in ICU- Shane had to have a very risky emergency brain surgery. Despite the severity of the stroke, Shane is making a remarkable recovery, and are currently in Dallas under the care of one of the best stroke rehabilitation programs. Their son Landon Shane is due August 26th. Prayers for his quick recovery and Nikki and Landon's health are still needed!

We changed our East Texas co-ed BBQ shower last minute to a girly night out in downtown Dallas. We stopped by the hospital to hang out with Shane for a bit and then whisked Nikki away to The Iron Cactus- a contemporary Mexican restaurant.

This is Nikki:

She is unbelievably strong, brave, and the best advocate for her husband's care that I've seen. And no, she is not drinking three alcoholic drinks while pregnant. We asked our waiter if they had any virgin versions of their famous drinks and when he said no we asked him to just make something pretty. So he did, and did, and did again. How sweet was that!?


And the food was FANTASTIC. This is my lobster ravioli with grilled vegetables and pesto sauce:

The cake was ordered in East Texas a month ago and had to be transported to Dallas, via Ft Worth. There is a very funny story about how it survived traffic and Texas heat only to have an accident in the parking lot at the very end, but it's best heard in person, specifically in the presence of Elizabeth Carter and her contagious laugh. It was still pretty darn cute and delicious (thanks to Lori Darnell in Carthage):

Did I mention we had a celebrity sighting at the restaurant? Thomas Haden Church

After taking Nikki back to Shane, the rest of us crashed at Cyndi's new house in Ft Worth. She has always been the best hostess, in part because she always feeds us the most amazing food :). Breakfast was strawberry soup, crescents, and scrambled eggs. YUM. I urge you all to try this- yogurt, milk, strawberries, and sugar, whipped into perfect submission.

Time to stop blogging and start packing!!