It has been over a year since we were last home in the United States. So much has occurred since our move to Turkey. As the covid-19 pandemic took hold of the world, opportunities to travel abroad were restricted, making it impossible to visit family. Once restrictions were lifted, we booked our flight to Texas.

Texas is the second-biggest state in the United States, occupying approximately 268,000 square miles, almost the same size as the country Turkey. With family spread out across the state, it was necessary to rent a car. Traveling by car is the best way to explore the Lone Star State, giving more flexibility to move about more quickly.

Houston

Arriving in Houston late evening, we decided to stay the night at the Embassy Suites Eldridge Park. The accommodations were comfortable, with a full breakfast included in our room.

At sunrise, we packed up the car and headed to my hometown of Victoria, Texas.

Victoria

Happy to see my grandmother’s smiling face and hear her giggle as she welcomed us into her home. She was looking amazing and beautiful at 94 years old. We quickly began our catching up on smalltown news of Victoria and family affairs.

Doug and Terry (not pictured), referee friends for 20+ years, met us at Red Lobster to catch up and share old soccer game stories.

Pat, whom I worked with while teaching elementary school, joined me for a bite at Olive Garden , and Kim and I had a delightful cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I loved my time with my dear friends!

Now it was time to hit the interstate to Dallas, a 6-hour drive.

Waco

As we made our way to Dallas, we stopped in Waco for a quick bite to eat at Rudy’s BBQ. Ordering our favorite plate of brisket, we were shocked at the prices! Due to the pandemic and a cyber-attack on meat processing plants in the U.S., the cost of meat doubled ($21lb.). Even so, we indulged in a delicious plate of brisket!

Temple

A popular travelers-stop to visit in Texas is called Buc-ee’s. You may ask what the big deal about this Texas-size store is, but until you experience it, you won’t understand. In addition to your typical convenience store items, inside, you will find a complete meat market, restaurant, along with unique gifts and specialty Buc-ee’s items.

Dallas

After miles of road construction, heavy rain, and lots of traffic, we arrived at Farouk’s and Donia’s (home of Omar’s brother) safely. A family favorite restaurant is Culpepper’s Steakhouse, where we had a delightful dinner over conversations about family, politics, and other pandemic-related topics.

The following day my son, Ross, drove in from Abilene, where he’s stationed in the military, to spend the weekend with us. Omar arranged a family get-together at Primo’s Tex-Mex Grille, where we had a delicious meal followed by an evening at The Harbor in Rockwall watching the sunset.

Because it was Ross’ birthday, we took him shopping at North Park Mall and Bass Pro Shop. Hard to believe he is 26 years old! We are so proud of him and excited about his future move to South Dakota.

While living in Dallas for a short time, we made many friends. Therefore, throughout the week, we scheduled visits with friends catching up and sharing our experience of living abroad.

Austin

The next stop was Austin to visit our other children, Sharif, Jennifer, and Nick. Because we had planned to stay for a week in Austin over the July 4th holidays, so we sought an alternative option for accommodations.

We became a member of Trusted House Sitters that offer house/pet sitting in various cities throughout the world. The first sit, located in Steiner Ranch, was fabulous. Kathy and Mark were hospitable and a pleasure to be around them and their two well-mannered two golden retrievers.

Bee Cave

We drove up to Bee Cave (west of Austin) to the Hill Country Galleria, attending their July 4th festivities. Vendors lined the streets selling homemade goods, jewelry, artwork and so much more. Throughout the Galleria, artistic bee sculptures lined the walkway.

July 4th isn’t complete without a scrumptious savory hotdog! So, we stopped at the Whole Foods booth, ordering up a few hotdogs while enjoying the live music. With temperatures in the high 90s, a drink to quench your thirst was essential. Runaway Luna, a cute coffee/tea shop, offered a refreshing lavender tea with a relaxing place to lounge.

Back to Austin

Jennifer and her boyfriend, Ryan, met us at The Boat Restaurant for a plate of salty oysters. Ryan invited us to his home that evening for a few matches of ping pong (table tennis). The following day Omar met with Sharif and Jennifer, catching up with their life activities.

Next, we popped in to see Nick at his apartment. Then we took him to Fonda San Miguel, a beautiful restaurant offering distinctive and authentic Mexican cuisine. The following night, we met up at Bufalina Pizza, offering Neapolitan-style pies along with an impressive variety of wine. After dinner, we walked next door to Licks Honest Ice Cream for pure ingredients artisanal ice cream. A couple of days later, before leaving Austin, Nick joined us at Tumble 22, serving up spicy fried chicken. Time flew by, but it was wonderful to spend time with Nick and listening to him telling us about his new job.

Wondra and Bernard, our cherished friends from San Antonio, traveled to Austin to reunite with us for lunch at Bucca Di Beppo. Wondra recently released her first novel, Sonju, while Bernard is happily enjoying retirement. We always find so much to talk about and never enough time.

Proud of her father’s talent in cooking Lebanese food, Jennifer arranged a dinner party for her friends for a beautiful evening of fellowship and delicious food. Both Ross and Nick were able to attend and celebrate. Omar did a fantastic job, and it was a lovely dinner.

Lockhart

As we returned to Victoria for one last visit, we stopped in the small town of Lockhart to eat lunch at Black’s BBQ. It is one of the oldest family-owned BBQ restaurants in Texas. So if you want some mouthwatering BBQ, this is the place to check out!

Houston

With only four days left of our vacation, we had a few more family and friends to see in Houston before flying back to Turkey. We stayed near the Houston Galleria Mall at Sonesta Extended Stay.

Li, a filmmaker from California, was in town working on a documentary and joined us for dinner at Merus Grill to fill us in on the progress of the documentary. Dr. Khail and Doug, long-time soccer friends of Omar’s, met for lunch at Pappa Seafood House. Ray, whom we met at an international meetup, joined us at Barnaby’s Cafe. We think highly of our friends and are happy to have had the time to visit with them.

The last night in Texas, my youngest brother, Chuck, and his girlfriend Randi met us for dinner at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. Fun listening to Lennon tells us about her upcoming cheerleading camp.