Texas Trip: Waco and the Total Solar Eclipse

When we originally booked our Spring Break trip to Texas, our plans included a return date on Sunday out of Houston, to get home in time for school on Monday.  My mother kept reminding me about the total solar eclipse on April 8th, that Monday after Spring Break, and how Waco was in the "path of totality".  She asked us to reconsider and stay a couple more days? I guess we didn't think about it too hard until finally I realized: this is a pretty big deal! So - very unlike us - we change our itinerary, flights, rental car drop off, and return date so that our family could experience the total eclipse in Waco that Monday.

And I'm so glad we did!!  

We left Galveston on Sunday and drove the 5ish hours to Waco, amazing the kids with how long it takes to drive what Texans would consider a short distance within the state.  No one knew what to expect in Waco, as most all towns on the path were preparing for an influx of people, so we made the decision to eat an early dinner at our favorite (Poppa Rollos) and then stay put. 

Kids got in lots of extra time with Uncle Kelly and Aunt Shawntel, which they loved.  

Totally forgot that this time of year means BLUEBONNETS!! And I didn't even think to bring coordinating outfits for the kids so we could grab some shots!  My kids reminded me they are "getting out of that phase". Whatever...Mama can try...

The next day brought a mixture of pure anxiety (waiting for the eclipse, as the weather wouldn't seem to cooperate and threatening rain clouds would cover the sky every 30 minutes or so) and then pure awe during the actual eclipse.  Very hard to explain and I won't even try to capture on words. I'm just glad our kids are old enough to remember it!  

The period of totality (the moon completing blocking the path of the sun) was 4.5 minutes for us in Waco.  During that time the sky grew very dark, we could see the aura of the sun as well as see actual stars, the temperature dropped significantly, and a very weird feeling came over the environment.  Super cool. My measly iPhone didn't do it justice (and I also made myself leave it down most of the time, to actually EXPERIENCE the eclipse).  Once the moon slipped off and sunlight peeked through, all the roosters and turkeys in the area started to crow and gobble.  Super fun and funny and it's what the kids love to report out the most.

What I didn't anticipate was all the time leading up to the total eclipse (the slow movement of the moon orbiting in front of the sun) and afterwards as the moon moved away. We occupied our time by taking lots and lots of silly pictures.

The Kerrs all made a "simple" meal to commemorate the event and we enjoyed an early dinner after all the day's festivities. 

The next day our 8 day Spring Break trip to Texas came to an end!  We had one last delicious meal with Grammy and Gran Gran, said our goodbyes, drove through a terrible storm up to Dallas, waited and waited and waited at Dallas Love, then finally got home around 11PM (just to be up at 630AM for school).  

A little crazy? Yes. Worth it?  Absolutely Yes!!  I cannot believe all the memories made during this trip, and all the wonderful family time we had together (and with our extended Kerr family).  Until next time... :)

Texas Trip: Galveston

After our Houston trip, with the quick stopover at the Houston Space Center, we ventured on to Galveston to meet up with all the other Kerrs.  This is our third time to meet up down near Jamaica Beach - a perfect place for our family to congregate and fish.  

I thought it still a bit cold for the beach, especially in the wind, but the littlest guy insisted on going each afternoon. He played and played and played in the sand (by himself) and loved every second. 

Most of our days were quiet and calm, enjoying the quiet Texas gulf. Missy and Martel took a (not so) quick trip down to Corpus Christi to spot a rare bird up here from South America. We got to watch the Final Four (Women's Basketball) while we were there, and see a little bit of history (herstory) with Caitlin Clark. What a player...

We didn't do too much outside of the houses, but we did take a quick trip to play Putt Putt at an old (but very active) course off the beach. 

The Watsons had to do a lot of waiting on the Sassers :)

I tried to find ONE SINGLE FAMILY PICTURE for this post, but the Kerrs are notorious for not taking photos!  Why is that!?  Next time, as I suspect there will be another Galveston trip in the future. It's easy for us all, plus lots of fun. 

Texas Trip: Houston

We took an extended Spring Break trip to Texas this year, spending time in three different cities, seeing so much of the Kerr family, and experiencing lots of new things!  

First stop: Houston, Texas.  We flew in Tuesday afternoon on a direct from Savannah, grabbed some delicious BBQ and settled in for a couple of days.  

The next morning we took off for Kingwood to visit Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy, spending a very special time with them and enjoying their home, their stories, and their sweet (and lively) company. Too much time had passed!

By the time we got back to Houston, Grammy and Gran Gran had arrived! Yea!  We walked around, found a park to play in, and then got ready for Gran Gran and JB's Christmas present: an Astros game!

This kid was SO EXCITED about this.  I mean...so excited.  And I think Gran Gran was pretty excited, too :)

Me: I was just there for the cold beer (and to watch two of the favorite guys in my life have such a great time!)

They talked stats and players and all sorts of stuff I could not follow along with...

And the game... WOW.  Not only did the Astros win, but they scored FOUR HOME RUNS!! It was so exciting!

Safe to say that we had a fantastic time. Not sure how we could top this game.  But pretty sure that JB will want to come back and try :)

The next day was a transitioned from Houston to Galveston with a little (well, BIG) sidetrack on the way: Houston Space Center!  JB and I had watched Apollo 13 this year - one of my favorite movies of all time - and so the two of us had a list of things to see. The others enjoyed it too, of course, so much history in the NASA building!

(Poor Sis was not herself, and now I feel bad we kept getting on to her for whining and dragging because we later found out she had an ear infection!)

NASA had several talks throughout the day on the upcoming TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE!!  We made sure to sit through them because - spoiler alert - we experienced it ourselves less than a week later :)

I cannot believe I have never been here in all my life, living in Texas and traveling to Houston and Galveston. What a cool experience! 

And from there...on to Galveston!