I’m back! From a month-long hiatus, from a month of book busy-ness, and from a weekend trip to Waco with my lifelong friends, the Tapestry women.

Tapestry is a group of women who started out at church as a Bible study group, then progressed to book study, wine and dessert, then to wine, dinner and dessert, then somewhere along the way jettisoned the book study portion of the evening. We have been meeting once a month for over 20 years now and have traveled to Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Idaho, Broken Bow, a lodge somewhere south of Dallas, Mineola, and now Waco. We love a trip.

And so after my last trip to see Adam and Corey, I asked the ladies if they would want to visit all things Waco. Their answer was a resounding YES, and that trip came to fruition last weekend when we piled into my smallish Rav 4 and journeyed cheek to cheek (so to speak) down to the Magnolia mecca. It wasn’t that far and though we joked a lot about it, five women, all our luggage, a pot of soup, and a frozen casserole made it down comfortably.

We stopped first at HEB, which, when you’re from Dallas, is like going to a foreign country. What foods do they have that we don’t? Will we be able to find what we need? Do they speak English?

So, they have a bigger variety of everything and yes, different things, and no, kinda the same. No, we did some wandering. Melinda struggled to find the dairy. And yes, they spoke English.

So we gathered what we would need for three dinners and three breakfasts. We are older women. We can only eat out once a day. Yes, it’s a rule. And why spend that money when we are fully capable of chopping a vegetable?

But it was a challenge in our beautiful, spacious VRBO with the great beds, and a bathroom for each of us. Because there was no ice, or we couldn’t find it…not sure. And there weren’t enough paper towels, or dish soap, or trash bags. Never mind, we are also resourceful and made do, plus we called the manager, and Karen and I made a run back to HEB. We didn’t mind.

Thursday night we enjoyed Nancy’s tortilla soup (actually our friend Ginny’s recipe) and the first of a three-part Diane Keaton retrospective: Baby Boom.

On Friday, we started the day with Karen’s steel-cut oatmeal. We all agreed that steel-cut is the way to go. It was chewy and hearty and yummy and all the Y words.

Then we headed over to the Magnolia offices, where son Adam works. We received the warmest welcome from him and Teresa, the beautiful and welcoming gatekeeper. Adam took us into the coffee/lounge/library and told us all about the office, which used to house the Waco Tribune. The makeover is stunning with a double decker library, the manifesto on the high wall, old photos and memorabilia, and a gorgeous coffee bar called, aptly enough, The Press (which is also echoed at the Silos.) You can read more about the offices in my earlier blog: Travelogue Waco.

We said our goodbyes and left for lunch at Magnolia Table, which was also redone by Chip and Joanna Gaines, the founders of Magnolia (for the uninitiated.) We received VIP treatment there, probably because we were so cute. (It couldn’t have had anything to do with Adam calling ahead.) And lunch was beyond delicious. We sampled choices from the Farm Eggs Benedict, featuring the biscuits I had watched Joanna make on her show Magnolia Table, to the Gaines Brothers Burger, the Harvest Salad, Pimiento Grilled Cheese, to the mile-high Turkey Club. Everything was oohed and ahhed over. We bypassed dessert, but only because it was Nancy’s birthday and she wanted to get something sinful at the Silos Bakery.

The Silos was (were?) our next stop. Adam told us where to park, which was right by the entrance to the Shops at the Silos, a charming collection of boutique stores, anchored by a quaint church. We visited them all, and I collected some gifts and decor at the very cute Christmas shop. But only after we had exhausted every nook and cranny of the Home store, which features furniture, linens and tabletop, plus the delicious Gathered candle. This comforting scent made an appearance at every Magnolia venue and is now making an appearance on my island.

We eventually made our way around to the food trucks, enjoying a giant lemonade in a bucket, or, in my case, a Diet Coke. Then through the antiques barn, past the baseball diamond, next to the garden and Herbarium (saving that for another visit) and into the Magnolia Market. I go crazy in this store because I want everything, but limited myself this trip to just a spoon rest and picture frame stocking holder (which will hold a picture of Scott wearing a reindeer nose) and his stocking.

After the Market, we hit the Bakery for Nancy’s cupcake (and Kathy’s and Karen’s.) I opted for the Prize Pig biscuit, which I had also watched Joanna make and had to have.

We drove back to the VRBO for Kathy’s chicken casserole dinner and the second Diane Keaton movie: Crimes of the Heart.

An aside about my driving. The friends won’t tell you this, but I am a terrible driver when distracted or trying to follow my hunky Irish GPS guy while folks are visiting. We never really learned how to get from one place to the other cause I kept having to make U-turns and circle the block and back up and Lord knows what else that frightened the heck out of my passengers. Someone else may want to drive next time (and in their bigger car). Just sayin’.

The next morning we enjoyed Melinda’s egg casserole, then set out for The Castle, another Chip and Joanna reno. I blogged about this before, but suffice it to say, I enjoyed it just as much and learned new things from our very young and enthusiastic tour guide. It is well worth the trip, but make reservations in advance.

Afterward, we toured the Dr. Pepper Museum, which has been completely renovated and expanded since Scott and I were there years ago. It was fascinating and very well done. We got a $1 voucher for a DP, but upgraded to a Dr Pepper float. Yes, it was right before lunch.

Oh, please. We are of a certain age. We can go crazy and have dessert first if we want.

For lunch, we opted to go to Brazos Landing for the expansive view of the river, just outside the rustic, shoreline restaurant.

Then I tried to get us up close and personal with the bronze cattle drive statues along the river, but an event of some sort was being held and streets were blocked off. So we decided to go home and relax for a while.

At 5:30 we piled back in the car and went to Hotel 1928 to have drinks on the rooftop. This is where Adam and Corey and I tried to go before, but were literally blown away by the cold and rain. This time, there was an event (who knew Waco was such a celebration hub) and we were once again blocked. So we went into the bar/restaurant and ordered an array of drinks like we knew what we were doing. My Manhattan was really strong, but since it was the first one I’d ever had, who knows if it really was or not. It did blow my hair back.

Then another hair-raising trip back to the house where I made a taco bar, and we watched our third Keaton movie: Something’s Gotta Give.

Sunday morning we ate leftovers and more oatmeal, visited for a while, then packed up ourselves, our bags of goodies from the Silos, and all the leftover food.

It was Tetris loading the car. Then another close encounter for the ride back to Dallas. It’s a good thing we love each other.

Speaking of love, let me say that we laughed until we couldn’t breathe, we did some tearing up, we shared a lot (including some TMI medical stuff which shall never be spoken of again), and we stared into our respective screens long enough to catch up on Facebook, email, texts, and games. I have spent more than 40 years with these women and we have been through life with each other: babies, teenagers, weddings, grandbabies, and the loss of parents and spouses. Now we struggle when our kids struggle and we suffer through illness (our own and our spouses and our children) and we share each other’s pain and joys and sorrows and fears and worries. And we have a lot of all of it.

And I thank God for them. I hope they know how much they mean to me. And how much fun this trip was.