Don't mess with Texas, or Jell-O shots.

This past weekend, your own Little Miss Westchester traveled into the heart of Texas to visit old college friends Spanish Houlihan and her husband Sergeant Houlihan for a long weekend of fun and respectful conversation. Originally, Sergeant and I had intended to SURPRISE Spanish by flying me down in the morning so that I would be in their apartment by the time Spanish got home from work.

Clearly, the element of surprise was key here, so for the entire week leading up to my trip, I spent my days daydreaming about the fun ways I could reveal my presence to Spanish. In one scenario, I would hide in a large box and Sergeant would tell Spanish a package had arrived for her-then when Spanish came close to the box I would pop up with a clown nose on and goggles! In another version, the one I ultimately settled on, I would quietly hide in the back of Spanish's closet; and then, when she went to hang up her cowgirl hat, I would jump out at her with spirit fingers ablaze. In both scenarios Spanish would react first with a scream and then, once she realized it was ME standing there behind the folds of her hangers and clothes, she would dance around the room gleefully-and oh how we would laugh and laugh.

What Sergeant and I did not plan for, and what I could not have foreseen, was that Spanish had somehow known about our plans since the day after I booked my airline ticket. Spanish offered to act surprised if I wanted to hide in her closet, but I declined. Respectfully.

Over the course of the weekend Spanish, Sergeant and I ate burritos, attended Halloween parties, drank the “cerveca,” and then spent large portions of the following day sleeping OFF the effects of the cerveca and some ill-advised Jell-O shots.

I think the trip went really well despite the fact that during the first 24-hours of my trip, my luggage was lost on the flight down, the Houlihan family pet got her paw cut at the vets office requiring a stitch and medication, Sergeant’s car was towed resulting in a $100 ticket, and we were all hung over for the entire Sunday of my visit. Could this be a strange set of unfortunate coincidences, maybe? Or MORE likely, it was fate’s little way of "Trick or Treating" Spanish and I for wearing slutty Halloween costumes.

Many thanks again to Spanish and Sergeant for their warm Texan hospitality.