The Weekly Slice

Life in Terlingua | A Hard Week, Running a Restaurant & Real Life

This week started off really strong.

We had a great reopening weekend at Long Draw Pizza, and after being away for the summer, it felt so good to be back at the restaurant, around our people, and settling into our normal routine again. I even had a couple of days to catch up on work and spend some evenings relaxing by the pool at Lajitas.

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Then, the week went downhill pretty quickly.

One thing I’ve promised myself with Weekly Slice is that I’m going to share real life, not just the highlight reel. I love the life we’ve built and what we get to do, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the weak.

There are nights I lay awake thinking about the responsibilities that come with owning a business. The decisions Andy and I make don’t just affect us, but our staff, our customers, and the people who depend on us. When you’re the person in charge, sometimes it feels like you’re not really allowed to have a bad day. There are things that still need to get done, people still need you and things, and the business keeps moving whether you’re having a great week or a really hard one.

I’ve also taken a little step back from posting lately. I absolutely love sharing Terlingua and Big Bend, but sometimes the messages and comments about what’s happening here become overwhelming because this isn’t just a place I post about online. This place is our home, our livelihood, and our lifeline. And, yes we’re doing everything we can to protect it.. in our way.

Wednesday night, our little chihuahua, Chilly, got really sick again. I stayed up with her all night, and early Thursday morning we took her back to the vet. Her kidney levels were high, and our vet wasn’t sure she was going to make it. We chose to hospitalize her again and see if fluids would help, and thank the good Lord, they did.

After a very long couple of days, we were able to bring her home. She’s been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, and we’re now giving her fluids at home three times a day. We’re leaning on a dear friend who has been helping us through this, getting additional opinions, and doing everything we can to make the best decisions for her.

Andy and I don’t have children together, and these dogs are our babies. I’ve been an absolute wreck and haven’t slept much, which makes it hard to focus on work and everyday life when you’re so worried about something you love.

We don’t know what the future looks like with Chilly, and we know there may eventually be some really difficult decisions ahead. For now, I’m just grateful she’s home.

I’m so grateful I get to hold her, love on her, and have more time with her.

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This week reminded me that you can love your life and still admit when it’s hard. And, you can be grateful and overwhelmed at the same time. You can also love being a leader and still feel the weight of leadership.

More than anything, I’m grateful for our family, friends who have become family and for our faith. They’re the foundation that keeps us grounded when life gets hard.

This wasn’t the happiest Weekly Slice, but it was real life. Right now, we’re taking things one day at a time, loving on Chilly, leaning on our people, and remembering how much we still have to be grateful for.

Here’s to a gentler week ahead.

-Mallory