Pasta, Pictures, and Plenty of Laughter

Pasta, Pictures, and Plenty of Laughter

When you sit down at Olive Garden with a party of eleven, you know you’re in for a long meal. Two hours later, between salad bowls and endless breadsticks, what could have just been dinner turned into something much bigger: laughter, memories, and the kind of night that reminds you why the bowling community feels like family.

Over plates of pasta, stories started flowing. Phones came out, and soon we were swapping old pictures from tournaments past. One from the Lubbock Pro-Am showed Colton standing beside one of the pros, while another video captured Bella throwing on the lane right next to him. Back then, we didn’t know each other well. We weren’t close friends yet. But without even realizing it, their paths were already crossing — side by side on the lanes, even if life hadn’t brought them together as friends just yet. His parents said that the very first time they saw Bella, they thought, this girl’s going to be good. That moment slowed everything down — everyone passing phones around, laughter rising, memories mixing with the present.

The night was filled with small moments that stitched the story together: Bella daring herself to eat a pepper for ten dollars (and doing it), the jokes about old hairstyles, and the realization that we’ve been watching these kids grow up together across countless tournaments in Texas.

But beneath all the laughter, there was something we were carrying with us. This is Colton’s last youth tournament before heading to SCAD. For three years he’s bowled state with Bella, run hallways at South Point, traveled to Odessa, and competed in tournaments across Texas. All those breadcrumbs led here, to this table filled with food, stories, and friends.

Looking ahead, I can imagine Bella and Colton crossing paths again, maybe at an adult tournament or a PBA regional. Their journeys will keep unfolding, even if the chapters look different.

So tonight was about more than just breadsticks and pasta. It was about friendship, family, and the moments that remind us of how much we’ve been given by this sport. And in the end, as we wrapped up the night, it became clear: this wasn’t just pasta, pictures, and plenty of laughter. It was, without us planning it, a farewell dinner for Colton.