Chapter One-Hundred-and-Five: BFFs Take H-Town

So, May is coming to a close, and school is out for the time being. Coming home for many of us means reconnecting with parents (apologizing for not calling enough), finding or returning to summer jobs, and visiting friends from our hometown.

After packing up my dorm and driving home with my dad, I packed again to head to Houston, Texas. My best friend, Kimmy, goes to school in Houston and has been begging me and our third musketeer, Victoria, to come visit her. And so we did! 

Kimmy, Sarah, and Victoria

Kimmy showed us most of her favorite spots in her city, including cute pubs, large chess, and of course her university! She actually works in admissions, so she gave us the grand tour with all the facts we didn't need to know. She attends a very small campus (less than 4,000 total students!), so the campus set up is very different than my huge school (35,000+ students). She showed us her different classes' buildings (which looked like little homes), the "labyrinth", and of course the Chapel of St. Basil. 

Chapel of St. Basil

The Labyrinth and Meditation Garden

Completing the Labyrinth

We also visited various art exhibits and chapels, which I could not photograph. However, since one of us is very much involved in art (Victoria) this was very cool to experience together! Y'all know I frequently look at Lubbock's local art, so it was cool to see prestigious art with great company. 

We ate lunch at the Black Labrador, a pub inspired by Great Britain. 

The servers wear cute outfits, too!

We enjoyed the quaint and fun atmosphere in the pub, but we enjoyed the food even more!

Beautiful!

Outside of The Black Labrador was a giant Chess game! Apparently there is a large Chess board in Dallas, but I've never seen it. It was still way cool to look at!

Chess, anyone?

And, according to Kim, is useful when messing with people.

Victoria: "Stop"

After walking around for awhile in the hot humidity (Sarah is used to dry Lubbock), we ran to the store and grabbed some ingredients for the next couple of days' meals. That night we used a lot of Kim's leftovers and created a beautiful pasta dish from a recipe Victoria saw online (God bless the internet). It was delicious and filling! We then spent the rest of the evening watching Deadpool, eating ice cream, and enjoying each others' company. 

The next morning we woke up early and made a magnificent breakfast, and prepared for a day full of hiking and exploring! Kimmy drove us out of town to Brazos Bend State Park, a marshy habitat full of trees, moss, ponds, and alligators! The only alligator we saw was a small one near the parking lot, but that doesn't mean we weren't seen by others...

Our trail is flooded...

Algae-covered pond!

Moss-ridden trees

We finally found a trail that wasn't too flooded that we could walk along. It was so much fun to experience nature, especially with my friends! We had great conversation among the mossy trees, and stopped often to observe and chat about the mysterious world around us.

Tiny frog!

Complaining about stupid professors

Baby Gator

We then returned back to Kimmy's apartment (but we got ourselves some sweet rewards from the Tapioca Teahouse first). We then gussied ourselves up in some cute outfits and fabulous lipstick and headed over to a Cajun restaurant. I was feeling spontaneous and actually tried crawfish for the first time!

"Look at how little they are!"

The crawfish were delicious, and the seasoning was perfect! We all really enjoyed our spicy Cajun food. This makes Luke happy, since he is part Cajun! But we were more excited for what was to come after dinner...

Earlier that day, Kim and I both jokingly talked about getting tattoos...but then we both agreed that we actually wanted tattoos! We looked through our Pinterest boards, but we both drew back to the tattoo idea we had come up with years ago. We of course put our own spin on it, but it was decided that day...we were getting tattoos. 

Victoria had actually gotten a tattoo a couple of weeks before, so we continually bounced questions off of her hours before Tattoo Hour. "Did it hurt?" "How do I clean it?" "Wait...how much did it cost??" 

Anyway, we went inside and nervously approached the counter. We discussed our ideas with the tattoo artist, and then it was time. Kimmy went first. 

Buzzzzzz

Kimmy took it really well! She even recorded it and watched the tattoo artist work on her foot. I was impressed, and honestly more nervous for her than she was for herself. However, as the person next in line, it was relieving to watch my friend get her tattoo and not scream in pain. 

Okay, then it was my turn...I'm a worry wart so I was very nervous. 

"I'm good!"

To cope with my anxiety I told my friends about my past guinea pigs. I mostly talked about Cocoa, my first guinea pig, because that's how quick the tattoo was! Apparently I talked really loud, too, but I don't remember yelling at all...

Buzzzz

So, here is my review over my experience... The tattoo artist was very nice, but also sarcastic, so he made the whole ordeal fun and more enjoyable than it could have been. The tattoo itself didn't hurt that bad, but it was uncomfortable. Like I said earlier, it was over before I even finished my story! And, here's the best part, I don't regret it at all! I have to admit, it was a spontaneous decision, but the tattoo itself and reasoning behind it transcends all of that. 

The three of us, years ago, talked about tattoo ideas and came up with the roman numeral XX, which is 20. This represents our friendship, our thankfulness for have met, and that we don't believe in mere coincidences. Kimberly, Victoria, and I were all born on the 20th of a month, making 20 a special number. I'm so glad I got this tattoo because I love these girls so much, and I feel like it's almost a tribute to how they have blessed my life. Kimberly introduced me to Jesus Christ, and showed me what a Christian looks like. Victoria helped me see life in a new perspective, and also helped me in my journey to become Catholic. Both of these girls have made such an impact in my life, and I cannot express how thankful I am to call them "friend". 

<3

To conclude our weekend in Houston, we all attended Mass Sunday morning at the Chapel of St. Basil. It was sad saying goodbye, but we knew we would see each other in the summer at home. We had so much fun! And, despite knowing each other for so long, we still are continually learning more about ourselves and each other. We have a special bond, and, trust me, I'm not letting go.