Lubbock or Leave It

This weekend, I made a nice little trip up to Lubbock, TX. As I said before, my friend is getting married in a few months and I was thrilled to be invited to her engagement party in her hometown of Slaton, about 15 miles South of Lubbock. They had delicious BBQ that her dad made (made!), and the sangria was perfect. Most guests gathered outside around their lovely pool drinking, eating and talking the whole time. Without any tall buildings or windmills in this town of 6,000 people, I enjoyed the beautiful sky as the sun went down. Those West Texas sunsets get me every time.

It was odd going this time, however, because all of my go-to friends who would usually sweetly put me up for a night or two aren't there any more. The bride was there, of course, but is there anyone more annoying than a house guest when it's your engagement party? I don't think so. So I had a mini-vacation in a hotel room all to myself.

Despite the wind knotting my hair at every turn, the dust that gets in my contacts, or my utter indifference toward Texas Tech football (except their coach...), I love to go to Lubbock; some of my favorite people live or have lived there. I used to visit for work quite a bit, and my trips were a nice mix of seeing friends and eating good food, with a little work thrown in here and there. I'm always being taken to a new place to eat with friends (it was Lubbock Pancake House this weekend) and as a restaurant-lover, it makes my heart melt with happiness, just like the butter on those pancakes. Mmmm, now I want pancakes.

I'm sure I'll continue to visit Lubbock, and I'm sure more people I know there will move on as the years pass. I'm not saying I'm going to go on craigslist and search for new friends in Lubbock (unless Kliff is on there), it's just another reminder that people move, jobs change, and life goes on.

And now it's time for one of my favorite songs by my favorite band from Lubbock, the Josh Abbott Band. Enjoy!

I literally...

And I'm adding these, just for a reference. Just so you know who I'm talking about. No other reason.

....cannot even..

Also, he and Ryan Gosling may have been separated at birth.