We put 1,904 miles on Carrie-Anne’s Escape this past weekend to attend the wedding of our nephew Caleb and his beautiful bride Abbie in New Harmony, Indiana. Caleb is my sister Rhonda’s older son, a super-smart and determined young man with a killer three-point shot; Abbie is the hiking and biking fitness freak he met at Harding; and they are very very well-suited for each other. They make a really great couple and we couldn’t be happier for them both.

We took our time getting to this little community on the Wabash River. Carrie-Anne, Whitney, and I took advantage of Valerie and David being on their honeymoon (one year later; thanks, COVID) to stay in their apartment in Tulsa Thursday night. And on Friday, we took a 24-mile, 90-minute detour to catch some throwed rolls at Lambert’s Cafe outside Branson.

The day of the wedding, Saturday, we hopped in a couple of golf carts and did some sightseeing around New Harmony. The roofless church. The old abandoned bridge connecting Illinois and Indiana over the Wabash River. A couple of antique shops. Fields and fields of bright Peonies flowers. Several 200-year-old buildings. And a spooky burial ground. New Harmony feels like something straight out of a Stephen King movie: super old homes in a tight-knit community cut off from the rest of the world with a bit of a creepy vibe, like something’s going on here. Something horrible has happened here or could happen here.

The wedding, though, was perfect. Logan officiated an efficient ceremony on the banks of a Wabash tributary in the shadow of the New Harmony Inn, right after a brief rain shower that had us scrambling during the family pictures. The rest of the night was just as good: dinner, the dancing, the DJ, Asa’s really good toast, the shoe game, Joanna’s perfectly-timed leakage, blueberry popcorn, the new couple’s well-rehearsed exit, and three kinds of cake! The only miscue was Caleb’s throw of Abbie’s garter – a lame one-hopper that barely cleared two feet.

Sunday morning we all went to church together at the Christian Church in Carmi, Illinois where Abbie’s family worships and where she grew up. And then we loaded up the Escape for the 13-hour drive back to Amarillo. Brutal. Straight through. We got home at 1:30am. Asa, Rhonda’s youngest, is marrying the lovely Addie in November in Destin, Florida. I think we’ll take a plane.

Congratulations to Caleb and Abbie! We were so blessed to participate in your wedding and to share with you your love and joy and expectations. May the Father’s love bless your relationship together and all your relationships. May the peace of Christ reign in your home with you and everyone you know. And may the Holy Spirit provide you with wisdom and guidance and patience and everything you need so your marriage forever reflects our God’s love and faithfulness.

Peace,

Allan

Praise the Lord and pass the chips and salsa! The newest Chuy’s location right here in ruggedly beautiful Amarillo, Texas finally opened yesterday and, yes, of course we were there!

Carrie-Anne, Carley, and I vowed to skip lunch yesterday and then meet at the brand new Chuy’s at 4:00pm to beat the opening night dinner crowd for a super early supper. We walked right in – no wait! – and took our seats under the Chuy’s hubcaps and among the Chuy’s palm trees and had our chips dipped in Chuy’s amazing made-from-scratch queso in about two minutes.

Carley and I went with the traditional Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom, the roasted pulled white meat chicken enchiladas with the famous Boom-Boom sauce, a spicy blend of New Mexican Hatch green chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, and cheese. C-A ordered up her favorite crispy tacos in those homemade shells. And we just had a blast.

I have mixed emotions about famous region-specific restaurants expanding their reach outside of their territories. Chuy’s is an Austin original. Carrie-Anne and I would eat at the original Chuy’s on Barton Springs Road when we lived in Marble Falls back in the ’90s and the Chuy’s on Lamar has been our go-to Tex-Mex spot in Austin ever since. It’s nostalgic for me. It reminds me of the Texas Hill Country and great friends, when our kids were little and we lived in our first house on Hackberry, when C-A and I were trying to figure out marriage together, and life. I remember thinking it was weird when I first saw the new Chuy’s on I-35 in Waco in 2008. Shouldn’t you have to go to Austin to eat at Chuy’s? Up until ten or eleven years ago, all fifteen Chuy’s were in Texas. But on a family trip to Disney World in 2014, we saw one in Orlando, Florida. We were appalled! And we ate there twice!

It’s like the Chicago company buying Whataburger and planning to expand all over the country. I think it’s great that folks in Detroit and Boston might someday get to enjoy a #1 with cheese and everything on it, dip their fries into Whataburger’s spicy ketchup, and wash it down with a Dr Pepper shake. But shouldn’t you have to be in Texas to do it? Does it water down the whole thing if you can get it anywhere?

It’s weird to have a Chuy’s in Amarillo. And it’s great! I just might see you there today at lunch.

Peace,

Allan