Cotton Bowl, Conclusion

Okay-- final update on our trip.

Sunday began with a trip to Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Northeast El Paso. This is the church my parents have attended for over 40 years. Our previous church, Christ the King, merged with another church to form this one in the early 1990s, and set up shop a good bit closer to home. CTK is the church I was raised in, near Fort Bliss.

Anyhow, I was happy to get there and see people I worshiped with all those years ago, and hadn't seen in a few years. I was also pleased that my Aunt Cynthia joined us. Following a meal and taking the First Lady back to the hotel (she still wasn't feeling well), I drove about town for a bit. Looked at some of the old sights. It's when I drove past what was left of the old Northgate mall, as mentioned earlier. There really wasn't a whole lot for me to see-- I remember the old stomping grounds well, yet there was an air of unfamiliarity for me.

Ann and me, with Uncle John (dad's brother) and Aunt Marianne 

Next came the whole reason for this leg of the trip-- gathering in the parish hall for my parents' 50th anniversary shindig. It's when I got to see the folks who have been most prominent in their (and my) lives over the years. 78 people signed the guest book. So many celebratory cards, a well-decorated cake, (really) old pictures, good food, good people, and old friends. The whole family, Ursula (who is family, as well), who baby sat me as both parents worked, Father Martin, who baptized me at age four weeks, and various friends of the family all came by to share in their joy. And mine-- I was so happy to see them be the center of attention and be celebrated like this. I also enjoyed seeing and saying hello to more old friends. This was another event I wish could've ended around midnight. There was a postgame event at the house, which involved more storytelling and fun.

The next morning, which was getaway day, started with an early breakfast with the whole gang. After saddling up and leaving the hotel, we stopped one last time at the house for some goodbyes and photo ops. The only regret of my wedding day is I didn't get enough pictures taken, and I wasn't going to let that happen again.

The two of us, with my folks, plus Uncle Chuck and Aunt Cynthia (mom's sister)

We touched down late afternoon in Dallas' Love Field. One thing that should clue you in as to how sick Ann was is that she flew to and from El Paso without getting her customary copy of Vanity Fair magazine. She was very strong throughout, showing no signs of trauma. We were eager to get on up the highway, since this was the night of the national championship football game, and we wanted to get to our hotel in Longview to see Alabama play. We listened to the first half on I-20 and saw/celebrated the second half and beyond in our room. I spent halftime finding beverages suitable for celebration, since at the time, it seemed like it could be a good night. So I found a local Big Box Store and loaded up. And man, what a game.

The following day, Tuesday, got a leisurely start for two reasons. One was that was it was our last day of vacation, second was that we celebrated a little much the night before. We stayed on Interstate 20 the rest of the way and didn't really wonder why traffic got pretty thick with Bama fans where 20 merged with I-59 near Meridian, Mississippi. These were folks headed back home from New Orleans. I'm guessing it was a late night on Bourbon Street for many of them.

We touched down at the estate about 6 that evening, a little tired and road weary, but definitely happy to be home.