We left on Tuesday night after classes were done and they kicked everyone out of the dorms and drove through the night, arriving about 8 in the morning. Our sleep schedules were all messed up so we wandered around Harlingen as Audrey went off to work.
For Thanksgiving I helped Audrey make food and we went and ate with her coworkers/friends. There was so much food and it was all wonderful! On Friday we went to South Padre Island. Its fun, but also so touristy. It was entertaining enough just to drive past all the gaudy buildings. It was a little overcast, so it definitely could have been warmer, but I'm not complaining. It was still glorious. If I just remember to compare the weather to that of the Oregon Coast that I'm used to, even the worst day there (well, aside from Hurricanes) probably would still seem pleasant. The water was actually a decent temperature, which I think I still find it hard to wrap my mind around. I have such a block in my mind against swimming in the ocean from years of wading in the Pacific Ocean and having my feet go numb.
That evening Audrey insisted that to get the real Texas experience we needed to go to a cowboy bar, so we dressed up in our plaids and went to Winks. That was indeed an experience. There was line dancing and it was huge and overwhelming.
Saturday morning we went to the flea market, and I found some nice boots which I was excited about. There was so much stuff to look at, I don't even know how long it took us to walk through all the aisles. After we had ate lunch there, we drove to Progreso to walk across the border to Mexico.
We parked and walked across the bridge into Mexico, where literally all you have to do is put two quarters into a turnstile and they let you in. Nuevo Progreso, which is right across the border, thrives on tourists, so there were so many vendors everywhere. A warning, if you plan to wear boots, just know ahead of time that people will relentlessly ask to shine them for you. I ended up buying a couple blankets, and tried not to spend all of my remaining money on souvenirs. One exciting thing about being across the border was that Andrew and I, the only two under 21, could buy drinks. I decided to make my first purchase a memorable one and bought a pina colada served out of a pineapple. It was great. Once we got back to Audrey's apartment we were all exhausted, and since we were planning to leave at 4:30 am we played a couple rounds of Dutch Blitz and called it a night.
We drove back all day today, stopping in Dallas for lunch with Landon's uncle. We went to Jake's, an awesome burger place right by their house so we were all stuffed for the rest of the ride home.
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'm always thankful for opportunities to see Audrey, and it's such a privilege to have friends who will endure the 14 hour drive with me. We have one more week of classes left, then finals week and then I make the 26 hour drive home to Oregon with Landon and Jacob. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through these last two weeks to see another vacation! Thanksgiving was wonderful, but I got absolutely zero homework done, so I guess it's about time to get it in gear.
Thank you Audrey, for putting up with all of us for the week, and I can't wait to see you again so soon at Christmas. I love you!
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