Ritual, Continuity, and Joy

This week in Dallas was shaped by family gathering around a meaningful milestone. The entire family came together to celebrate my youngest brother’s wedding, filling the days with shared meals, music, conversation, and the special kind of fellowship that happens when multiple generations occupy the same rooms.

The weekend began with a rehearsal dinner at Campisi’s, an old-school Italian restaurant founded in 1946. The place carries a certain weight of history. The Campisi family has long been rumored to have ties to Dallas’s mid-century mob era. With our large family gathered around tables in downtown Dallas, the scene matched the setting. Abundant food. Overlapping conversations. Hugs and toasts rising above the steady hum of the room.

The wedding itself took place in a Catholic church in Dallas, followed by a warm and generous reception at the bride's family home. Good food, libations, and lively conversation carried the celebration into the night. It ended the way it should: music, dancing, and congratulatory wishes as the couple departed for their Italian honeymoon. A weekend anchored by ritual, continuity, and joy.

Weddings endure because they ask something of us. Time. Attention. Presence. They slow people down long enough to mark a transition that matters, not only to the couple, but to the community that surrounds them.

This weekend carried traces of older forms. A church ceremony shaped by inherited liturgy. A long meal in a place built for conversation rather than efficiency. Multiple generations gathered in the same rooms, sharing stories that reach backward as much as forward, blending nostalgia and function. These forms persist because they do real work.

In a culture that often prizes novelty and informality, ritual can appear unnecessary or ornamental. Moments like this reveal the opposite. Structure creates meaning. Shared forms allow people to step into something larger than personal preference. They give weight to joy and shape to celebration.

Travel often sharpens our awareness of culture through difference. This week was a reminder that continuity matters just as much. Certain practices endure because they help people mark change without losing themselves in it. A wedding, done well, is not just a party. It is a public act of belonging.

Even in a week shaped by family events, the usual food stops still mattered.

We returned once again to Torchy’s Tacos for lunch. Familiar and reliable in the best way.

One evening, we had dinner at Meso Maya Downtown, where earthy Oaxacan flavors and thoughtful preparation reminded us why this remains a steady Dallas favorite. The mole negro alone is worth going back for.

And no Dallas visit feels complete without a stop at Jimmy’s Italian Food Store. The Italian Stallion sandwich still delivers great value at eight dollars. Generous. And exactly what it should be.

Between celebrations, we stayed in our groove. Gym mornings, focused workdays, neighborhood walks, and meals with friends and family provided continuity. We also made time to attend our niece’s basketball game, one of those small family moments that matter more than they seem.

This balance between meaningful events and ordinary routines is what makes a place feel lived in rather than merely visited.

This week also included significant progress on the practical side of our upcoming transition.

Establishing Texas Residency
We updated our auto insurance from Nevada to Texas. We completed the Texas vehicle inspection ($18.50) and registration ($201), and our Texas plates are now installed. Driver’s license applications have been finalized ($67), and voter registration is complete.

Vehicle Readiness
We purchased a car cover for long-term storage ($107). We still need to pick up a fuel stabilizer and trickle charger, though we plan to disconnect the battery entirely.

On the travel front, we continue to book major lodging and transportation roughly three months in advance to secure availability and strong long-stay options. This week, we finalized lodging and transportation for North Macedonia in April. Later this month, we will secure our stay in Croatia for May.

Dallas, TX

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This coming weekend, we head toward the Mexico border to spend a few days in Big Bend National Park, putting our America the Beautiful Pass to use one more time. We booked a quiet camping spot via Hipcamp just outside the park boundaries for $55 total (2 nights).

Wide horizons. Cold mornings. Sunny days. And time spent moving slowly through a desert landscape that rewards attention.

January in Texas is a season of intention. A month to stay in place, to move at a human pace, and to let relationships and responsibilities take their proper shape before we leave. This week's wedding confirmed it. Celebrating a new beginning while surrounded by family is a reminder that motion means more when it's grounded in the bonds that hold through it.

As we spend these weeks in Dallas, the work is simple but not small. To be present. To tend to details. To share meals and time with family and friends. To honor the people and places that have formed us before we step into something new. The road trips are brief departures within a wider stillness. Overseas travel will come soon enough. For now, this is a month for attention, gratitude, and gathering. It deserves to be lived fully.

Last week’s newsletter reflected on Dallas as familiar ground encountered with fresh eyes. We also spent that time documenting the city on film.

If you’d like a visual companion to that reflection, the video is here:

Until next week,
S&S

Some Great Place
Living local in a global world