Sunday, April 17, 2011

Everything's Bigger in Texas

Another weekend of New Year’s resolution fulfillment! I spent the last two days in Fort Worth, Texas, and I got to experience a bigger, better version of just about everything. From the hotel rooms to the family, there is no doubt in my mind that everything is, in fact, bigger in Texas (not that I had any doubt about this after my Houston summer…).

I stayed with my parents in downtown Fort Worth, an artsy, up-scale, and trendy city. Not to mention that we were there during a huge Art festival and people had flocked from miles to roam the streets. But the real reason I was in Texas for the weekend was not to peruse booths filled with hand-blown glass and textile art. The real reason I was in Texas was for family. A wedding, to be exact. The wedding of my cousin, Bridget Blinn, to Gator-grad, Brian Spears. It was a beautiful day, perfect for the uniting of two families. And speaking of families, I should add that the Blinn family comes to a grand total of 15 people (that’s two parents and 13 children, ladies and gentlemen). Just one more thing that proves everything is bigger in Texas.

I was so happy to have the chance to attend this wedding. You see the Blinns are such a large family that one doesn’t often have the opportunity to see them all together. But, oh, when they get together…I will try to paint a picture for you. The Blinns are known for their humor. They are a sarcastic family to the max. We (all the visitors) sat in a circle around their living room and just listened to them interact. It was like the most spectacular kind of comedy show. There was harassment, imitations, cynicism, and mockery. And, yet, when it was all said and done, no hard feelings were had. My favorite event of the weekend was a 25-minute long staring contest between two of my cousins. Yes, I said 25 minutes. Neither of them blinked for that long. That is the competitive gene at its best. The only reason the game ended is because another sibling came along and began to squirt water in the competitors eyes with the excuse of “adding elements” to the competition. Otherwise, it may have gone on all night.

It is always refreshing to spend some time with the family members who you seem to only know through Facebook. We connected over dance parties, chicken salad and 6-hour flight delays. Even though the weekend was jam-packed and caffeine-filled, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Even the 6-hour delay in Memphis on Friday filled my head with new and inspiring thoughts about what is to come (granted the same thing could have happened had my flight been on time…who knows?) But after all is said and done, I am coming away from the weekend refreshed in spirit and mind with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead and the certainty that no matter where life leads, family will always follow.

1 comment:

  1. Love! Wish we could have visited a bit more... which means you should probably come back. :)

    ReplyDelete