We've really enjoyed spending time with Tim's great-aunt Nancy and great-uncle Dan in Plano. We've only known them for a few months, but it feels like they've been in our lives forever. They are so sweet and kind. And Nigel is smitten*.Last Saturday Tim and I took them up on their offer to watch Nigel for a few hours so we could have some alone time. Between my mom and several trusty sitters, Tim and I were never without an opportunity to go out in RVA. But the last time we'd been out alone was July. We were overdue.
Being the planner that I am, I racked my brain and hounded Tim to come up with the perfect afternoon. We couldn't blow this opportunity. Trouble was, everything we came up with we could conceivably do with Nigel. When we left the house the only thing we knew was we wanted to go to the Ethiopian restaurant Desta in Dallas, which you can read about here.
Not having a plan was the best option, though. When Tim stayed with Dan and Nancy his first week in Texas he took the train to FW. One of the stops along the way was at a mega Whole Foods in Dallas. So of course he knew I had to go. Now I know what you're thinking. Going to a grocery store is something we could do with Nigel. True. However this was more than a grocery trip. As soon as I walked up to those giant doors I felt myself exhale for the first time since November. I felt like I was home again. Yes, I'm obsessed with Whole Foods, but I'm talking about the vibe I felt and the people I saw. For starters, Dallas has more of an East Coast vibe to begin with. If a highway speed limit in FW is 60, FW drivers go 55; if a highway speed limit in Dallas is 70, Dallas drivers do 75-80. Secondly, while FW has more blue collar companies, government agencies and cowboys, Dallas has mega corporations. So with all of that comes more diversity in Dallas. MUCH more diversity in Dallas. We saw no less than 10 Habesha people while we enjoyed our coffee on the patio, and I saw more Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese people in that one store than I have the entire time we've been in Texas. There were VWs in the parking lot; patchouli was in the air. I was among "my people."
With that recharged energy, we drove through some cute neighborhoods in north and west Dallas. Some were way out of our league, but others might be doable. We also walked a few blocks in downtown Dallas, where we saw the spot that JFK was assassinated. (Strangely enough, there isn't a marker here. Next time I'd like to check out the museum.)
After our dinner we bought some Ethiopian groceries and pastries and picked up Nigel. That's it. That was our perfect day. We both felt re-energized, but I was giddy. Not to get cheesy, but since I've had a lifelong obsession with Texas I figured that once I got here I'd see why. I mean, Texans have such strong state pride, so there's got to be something amazing about this place. Where was my "a-ha!" Texas moment? It has happened to me once before. My entire life I'd also been focused on Ethiopia and adoption, separately. Obviously, the two came together. The moment we stepped out of the airport in Addis, I felt myself exhale for the first time in a long time. I knew at that moment why I had been thinking about that beautiful country — of which I knew very little about at the time — for my entire life. It was magical. So I had assumed that my "a-ha!" Texas moment would be Texas-related... cowboys, longhorns... something to make me realize this is where I was supposed to be. Turns out, it was the big(ger) city that did it. We ended that night with our eyes toward our Texas future. We'd been planning to move to the mid-cities next fall, but now we're angling toward getting to Plano/Dallas by next spring.
Among other things, that move would bring us closer to Dan and Nancy, which brings me to smitten Nigel*. As you can see from the above picture they wore him out! They played with Play-Doh, made pudding, ate ice cream (and dinner), fed ducks and went to the playground. He honestly didn't want to come home with us. He was so tired from such a fun day that he fell asleep in the car on the way home — something he hasn't done in a long time — and stayed asleep while Tim carried him into the house — something he's NEVER done. Have I said yet that it was a magical day?
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