Texas - We Missed You!

Do you know how long it's been since I stepped foot on the Texas soil?  Nearly TWO YEARS! And it's been over two years since I've been to Waco, my hometown-turned-tourist destination.  However, with the pandemic somewhat under control* and myself and most of our family all vaccinated, we made the decision to fly out and see everyone during the summer.  Even if it did mean going in the absolute most hottest time of the year.

We originally planned an early August trip, until they sent the school calendar and showed an August 5th start date!  Fortunately we were able to move the trip up to July, but it meant James couldn't go with us :( Our first time traveling as a family without our family patriarch, but we survived (and missed him.)

Some A ton of pictures to follow!

One of the most important goals of the trip: see as many family members as we could.  With the exception of my sister's family (who were sick, sadly!) we got to see so many!  Uncles, aunts, great uncles, friends.  And of course, lots of time with Grammy and Gran Gran.

We spent a ton of time up on the hill at Uncle Kelly and Aunt Shawntel's house, swimming in the pool each day and feeding the donkeys.  The donkeys had missed us! And the 16lbs of carrots!  

One night my dear friend, Laura, and her kiddos came down from Dallas to swim, and they also got to experience donkey feeding. We got to catch up after several years (?? too long!!), caught up on the Midway gossip, and impressed upon our (unimpressed) kids that we've been friends for over 25 years!

We made the rounds at our favorite local spots.  No chains for us!  We had delicious Pho after church on Sunday, Mexican take out tamales, and then Poppa Rollos Pizza on our last night.  Gran Gran and Uncle Kelly introduced JB to the Three Stooges at the pizza parlor.  He's a big fan!

Aunt Shawntel had the great idea to make Big Red ice cream. Sadly, these kiddos didn't even know what Big Red was!  First, they have a mean mama who plans to avoid soda as long as possible. And, second, Big Red is not something you see that often outside of The Great State.  Safe to say they enjoyed it. 

A lot of the time was spent just hanging out and staying cool. (Fortunately the Texas weather cooperated and we had minimal rain and actually pretty decent temps!)  The kids explored some local parks, spent a ton of time outside at Grammy and Gran Gran's, JB got to do a ton of target practice with Gran Gran, and then Grammy had lots of "help" in the kitchen :)

We did venture out the Mayborn museum one day, as they always have the best traveling exhibits AND permanent exhibits, too.  This time we went into the Bill Daniel's historic village, and the kids got to hear me tell them all about it, recalling my fond memories from summer camp out there each year. 

Okay, and just because I've missed Texas so much... some beautiful pictures. My brother and sister-in-law have the most awesome Texas view!

After a week of fun and visits it was time to head back to Georgia, especially because we were really missing Daddy.  Although everyone was sad, we did take some of Texas back with us...Grammy!  

Until next time, Texas! Thank you for continuing to be the best!  

Summer Vacation to SSI

Well hello there summer!  And hello there July!  In fact, we're quickly nearing the end of our summer, as our older kiddos now go back to school on August 5th. While this seems early, after the past 18 months of interrupted school I am totally supportive of an early return.  

Though it seems like months ago now, our big "event" (thus far!) has been our annual Saint Simons Vacation.  

We had a blast!  And also found the right time to hit SSI (early June) - not so hot, not so crowded, and also very few mosquitos.  We did all our favorite things, plus a few new activities.

We started off the trip that day after arrival by getting our toenails painted - a necessity for the beach. Ms. Therlon, Maryn and I felt very pampered (and colorful)

Of course we hit up the Turtle Hospital! The kiddos were so upset when we couldn't visit over Spring Break, so we made sure to head over there early.  

The kiddos selected "turtle doctor kits" as their souvenir and this provided endless entertainment back at the beach house.  Not only did the turtles get frequent check ups, but the adults were all subject to lots of vaccines as well. :)

We headed over to the water park one morning and spent a good amount of time until a dark storm rolled in.  Wesley enjoyed the slide...and then quickly moved through all the snacks.  That's his favorite part of vacation, for sure! Def my kid...

    

Speaking of eating, we did lots of it.  Of course we hit up Crab Trap, then James and I enjoyed a nice dinner out with good friends who invited us over to Sea Island.  We also had a date night at a good Argentinian restaurant, plus cooked some good meals at home.  

Then let's not forget the daily trips to get Fro Yo.  We never missed a day, the WHOLE WEEK.

We visited the park several times, then also went to the beach a couple of days.  Because the house had a pool we certainly had to insist on the beach (but the kiddos were always so happy once we got there - just hard to get them out of a pool!)

We took a couple of fishing trips with a local guide, once just James and JB then the second time they let me join the fun. JB is quite the little fisherman and caught some amazing trout.  I wrestled with a very large shark on my trip.  

Our NEW adventure this trip:  Putt Putt! The kids had been asking to play so we braved it one night and took them.  The older ones actually did great, and Wesley just did his best to interrupt everyone's miniature golf game by jumping on the green and whamming the approaching ball with his firetruck or plastic club. :)

I took our annual beach pictures one night, and then also our annual group picture from the yogurt place. Of course everyone complained but I have to get the traditional photos!

It's wonderful to look back on all these pictures over the years and see how much the kids have grown and remember all the happy memories (lots of new ones from this year.) I treasure these summer vacations to SSI, and can't wait to go back!