Musician's Widow

Today was my last day in a quick trip to Texas to my family. It’s been a whirlwind trip, and I can’t believe its almost over!

My first day was relatively quiet. I worked in the office at the family business for awhile, followed by a trip to the store and late night sewing of hot pads to give to my cousin as a bridal shower gift.

Leopard print because the wedding is jungle themed, and leopard print is the most common “design” throughout the plans. I think they’re cool looking! Go Mom and me getting those done!

My next day here (Saturday) was spent at the bridal shower, and then spending time with Mom, some of my aunts and my cousin. After most of the day spent that way, we went to church, had dinner out and did a little shopping.

I spent over 12 hours in high heels. My feet and legs were NOT happy with me. But my soul and heart? Smiles all around from the day.

Sunday, since I was here, we celebrated Father’s Day early. My brother and his family came over for the afternoon, and we had a nice big barbecue lunch. I was overfed. And it was a good thing.

Later, I went to my brother’s house to see their new project car. I got to ride and drive my first convertible! WOO HOO!

I had another great day that day… priceless family memories.

But I was exhausted after two days running non-stop. So today? Today I slept. A lot. And it was wonderful.

Then I went to my niece’s softball game. When it was 103 degrees outside. And the wind was whipping.

And their team lost. In overtime. Sadness.

But once again. Priceless memories, followed by a really nice supper with my parents.

Tomorrow, I head back to Nashville with a suitcase full of good times and memories I wouldn’t trade for the world. It was a fast trip, but I successfully crammed a lot into it.

Soooo thankful for these days. So very thankful.

I can’t remember if I have yet explained why I am in Texas long-term right now. If I have, forgive me for being redundant. If I haven’t, forgive me for my failure to share with the rest of the class.

My parents are small business owners. The “family business” is a bookkeeping and income tax preparation service. (Trying to find someone to do your taxes? We’re here for you!) I’ve worked with the business since, basically, high school. I do things like designing advertising and the web-site. Then I do a lot of basic office stuff, data input and stuff. I also put the final touches on the tax returns. In other words, I just make them look pretty.

So, for the last few years, I spend about 90% of my time from January – April in Texas with my parents. It’s when I’m the one “on the road for work.” My husband and I are pros at this, remember?

Even so, sometimes… sometimes the miles are felt a little more than other times. When you start to wonder if your spouse misses you as much as you miss them. Last night, I was having one of those nights. We were chatting online, but… I dunno. I just wasn’t with it, I guess.

Then he said it. “I miss you.” And… that made me feel really good.

Oh, I really deep down didn’t have any doubts that he did. I truly didn’t, in my heart. But sometimes the brain takes over and starts going places it doesn’t belong. It’s in those times, those little reminders mean the world. It’s like giving the brain a little kernel to lead it back to where it belongs… brings it back to focus on reality.

Generally, you assume your loved ones know how you feel, and chances are, they do. (Heck, there is SERIOUS sense of comfort in knowing how people feel about you, and knowing they know how you feel about them.)  But those little reminders… those moments when you truly say how you feel… those moments are priceless.

Oh, like I said, I knew my husband was missing me. I did. But man, I had an extra spring in my step all day today after he said it last night. Because sometimes… sometimes you just need that reminder. And last night, I got mine.

My alma mater competed in the state football championship tonight. Thanks to Fox Sports Southwest, I was able to watch the game online. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter I was able to watch it with fellow alumni, as we all screamed at our computer screens. Jumped up and down. And scared our children (literal for most of them, my cat just stayed far far away).

My Cameron Yoemen lost by 6 points in the last 30 seconds of a game that Hollywood could not have scripted. This game was what Texas High School football is all about. My friend told me via text that this game would be better than any collegiate or NFL game I’d watched all year…

…she was right.

I have always been proud of my alma mater. A school with family history. A school whose traditions so mirrored my college’s that the transition from one to another was seamless. But over time, I’d forgotten. I’d forgotten the adrenaline of a great high school football game. I’d forgotten the pride my school has. I’d forgotten how I am forever a Cameron Yoemen, with a loyalty that I find is hard to find in schools here in Tennessee. (Oh there’s a school pride, so no Nashvillians hang me for saying that. There’s just an almost rabid quality to it back home. There is a reason all the football movies made are set in Texas.)

I found myself glued to the computer screen, literally yelling and cheering for my team. I could hear the band play and found myself chanting old cheers along with the cheerleaders. I was 18 again for awhile.

To any Cameron Yoemen who might stumble upon this blog: HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH. What I watched tonight was the most incredible high school football game I’d ever witnessed. You’ll be back next year, fighting for that state title again. You played an incredible game, an incredible season. I wish I could have been in that high school parking lot in front of the athletic building, right along side dozens of other Yoe fans and alumni, welcoming you back home after a long ride back. You probably spent the ride going over the, “Coulda, woulda, shouldas” but they do no good now. No, now you need to bask in the glow of the best season this school has had in thirty years.

Congratulations, Yoemen. You did the whole Yoe Nation proud… you played an amazing game. Amazing. And when I come home at Christmas, I WILL be getting myself Yoemen swag to wear proudly around Music City… Because you have reminded me of a part of my roots I’d “forgotten” about, a part that I am ready to tell anyone who asks about.

GO BIG YOE!

It happens to all of us at some point, if you ever travel by car… getting stuck in traffic.

I’m currently on a quick little road trip to see my family in Texas. In fact, I write from my phone in the truck. WordPress app for the win!

Don’t worry, I’m not driving and blogging. Promise.

I’m in Northeast Texas on a state highway I’ve never been on before. It’s beautiful! Luckily, storms that were through here today have long moved on… blue skies and puffy white clouds, wide open fields.

This is not where I was supposed to be, though. I usually take the Interstate the whole way. I like to just keep moving. No small towns with Barney and his one bullet and ten stop signs. It’s fast and I can go into auto-pilot on that route.

However, today, we got about half an hour out of Dallas, and it was a parking lot. Our handy dandy smart phones informed us this was due to road construction. No love for TxDOT from me due to this. Especially when you see traffic as far as the eye can see, both ahead of you and behind you.

Oh okay, it was a little amusing until a Barney stopped people from cutting across a closed Interstate on-ramp onto the access road to catch an FM road away from the madness. Then I got annoyed. There seemed no way out. No end in sight. 45 minutes passed, we moved about a mile.

In comes the handy smart phone and a crossover and a state highway. Yay! Now we are moving and enjoying better scenery. Live in the moment and find the positive in the situation.

Stuck in traffic stinks, but it forced us to take the path we’ve never traveled. There is something cool about that.

This morning, as my husband and I were on a nice drive through the country, a car started to tailgate us. My husband commented that they needed to back off, and we were frustrated at how they were driving. It’s not like we could do anything on a two lane road with a car in front of us, but still the girl stayed right on our back bumper.

We turned; she turned. We stopped at a stop sign, then went when it was clear. She, however, cruised right through it behind us. We finally opened up to a four-lane and were glad she’d be passing. She didn’t get in any hurry to pass, though. We were slowing down to enter a parking lot when she finally cruised past.

That was when I saw it. Right there in the middle of her back window. A Longhorn sticker.

I have a Former Student sticker for Texas A&M on my back window.

*sigh*

This is not the first time I’ve had a Longhorn tailgate me (which is amusing considering that I’ve never been known to be “slow.”) I’ve had a Longhorn heckle me in bumper to bumper traffic through an open window. When in college, I even had someone try to run me off the road, flashing a horns symbol at me as I tried not to go into the ditch and hit a road sign.

At the heart of it all, these events scare me even more than they anger me.

Seriously, I am the first to say Texas is a good school. I respect the school and the education people get there. The rivalry, for me, generally exists on the field. And as I said in a previous entry, I’ve always viewed that particular rivalry as one that has an undertone of respect (unlike other rivalries).

Sadly, you do have those on both sides that fail to remember that, and therein lies my fear. Its to those people, I plead… no matter what, keep it off the highway. A school rivalry is NOT worth someone’s life — be it you, your rival or an innocent bystander. We all put stickers on our vehicles to personalize them, to show allegiance to our schools, organizations, businesses, politics, etc. They are not there to be used as a target. Don’t tailgate, heckle, cut-off, or try to sideswipe someone because of their school allegiance. That’s dangerous and has potential consequences that are bigger than any rivalry.

So to the young woman who chose to tailgate us on the way home… grow up. We’re not even in Texas. We’re not playing today. I have nothing against you personally. I actually respect your school (just not the actions of people like, well, you.) And, at the end of it all, my vehicle is over twice as big as yours. If you had rear ended us in a sudden stop situation, I would have gotten out of my truck and run over to see if you were okay.

Then (assuming you were) I’d slap you upside the head for hurting my truck. Because, really, that would piss me off. A lot. A lot more than any rivalry. Because seriously… this crap does not belong on the highway. Leave it on the football field. ‘Kay?

Kay.

Thanks.

For some reason, my mind and body decided it was time to get up after only maybe 3 hours of sleep. Yeah, I don’t get that either. However, after tossing and turning for a couple of hours, I decided it was just silly to lay there. I might as well start my day like any other normal person would do.

I am very saddened to be following this story:

I may be an Aggie, but my heart is going out to the University of Texas right now. I’m trying to follow this story via Twitter as best I can, and I hope everything comes to the best conclusion possible.

See, in general, the rivalry between TAMU and Texas is a respectful one. In general. You have your people on both sides that can be nasty about it, and they will lose sight of being respectful. But when its come to things like this, both Universities have supported one another in the past, and they will support each other in the future.

I will be following this to the end, with thanks to the invention of Twitter. I am sitting here at my desk wrapped up in my Aggie Snuggie, feeling very overwhelmed by the things I need to do. But in the same breath, I feel a sense of relief that it appears that at the moment, the University Police have things under control.

For all UT students, faculty and administration, I send thoughts and prayers.