Spring Break 2015

I can't believe we are already halfway through March and finishing up Spring Break.  Time is flying way too fast.  It has been a nice week.  Is our time off ever long enough?

Saturday, March 7th
I spent the morning with three Writing teachers working with a group of students on their writing skills.  I can't wait to read their final papers that they are to bring back after Spring Break.  It was truly a great morning of working with students and perfecting writing. I even took some time to write a draft using their prompt and their strategies.  Now, for me to finish my paper.

My mom got home with my niece and nephew.  I'm so excited to spend some time with them in our neck of the woods.

Sunday, March 8th--Girl Scout Sunday
Check out this Cadette Girl Scout who got to join me at church this morning.

With the kids home, they get to pick what we do and where we eat.  I give them the planning power.  Since they were infants, we have made them a part of our daily planning and events.  Now, as a teen and preteen, they know how to plan a day.

Monday, March 9th
Today, we got tickets to the Perot Museum.  We had to figure out which day still had tickets available, so it went into the plans for today.  They have a traveling exhibit on Sir Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, so we checked it out.  It was very interesting, and we enjoyed solving the crime.

My nephew has read The Outsiders for school, so I introduced him to the movie.  You know the one.  The one with all the cute guys from the 80s.  :-) My niece said she didn't want to see it until she read it.  Of course, my copies of the book are at work, so it will be a little longer before she reads it.  We didn't actually see the end of the movie b/c he wanted to keep the book's ending in his mind rather than the movie's.  I loved discussing the book and movie with them.

Tuesday, March 10th
Today, they wanted to go to the Dallas Zoo.  When deciding on the zoo to attend, my adorable niece wanted to go to the zoo with the most animals.  Well, I compared the Ft. Worth and Dallas Zoos.  I'm not sure about the number of animals, but the Dallas Zoo is older and larger by acreage.

We have gotten their picture taken on this tortoise every time we have gone to the zoo.  

I wish I could find the first one to do a comparison.

Wednesday, March 11th
Because my nephew had so much homework to complete over Spring Break, he requested to go back by tonight.  We asked all the way back if they wanted to visit anywhere--Cameron Zoo (Waco), Dr. Pepper Museum, anything in Austin, etc.  They just wanted McDonald's for lunch and to spend time together.  When we got them back, we had dinner and then had them finish all their homework.  With it done, we can do something fun on Thursday.

Thursday, March 12th--Girl Scout's 103rd Birthday
Before Mom and I left to head home, we wanted to do one last fun thing, so we went to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.  I have never seen so many people there.

When we finished, we went to have a burger/hot dog and fries and finished with custard to celebrate Girl Scout Birthday.

Friday, March 13th
Mom has a serious cold, so she has rested.  After going to Curves, my 200th visit (Woohoo!!), I did chores around the house.

Saturday, March 14th--Pi Day
Happy Pi Day!  Will you be eating pie today? What were you doing on 3.1415 at 9:26?  I was walking into Curves for my 201st workout.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

My amazing niece and nephew with me on the last seat of the train at the zoo.

My talented niece and nephew with my wonderful mom on Christmas Eve.

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Nephew!

Happy 13th Birthday to my adorably handsome, talented, intelligent, fun-loving, tender-hearted, kind, book loving, amazingly wonderful nephew! 

Bub, you changed our lives forever the day you were born, and I can't wait to see what your future holds. I hope you have the most amazing birthday and year yet! Love you more than you can imagine! Love, Auntie

A day of making memories with a little shopping, the movies to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a little celebration with cake and presents.

Let the Birthday Spoiling Begin!

I am so excited that I got to spend the whole day with my niece and nephew.  With my nephew's birthday right around the corner, he got to plan our weekend of fun.  Today, we went to Chick-fil-A for breakfast, Main Event for a day of fun, and Genghis Grill for dinner. We finished off the day shopping for school supplies.

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 6

Today, we headed back, but we wanted to see what we could visit along the way.

During breakfast, we discussed our plan for the day.  We could either see anything else they wanted there near Ft. Davis (really, not much left) and then see whatever was available in the towns along I-10 on the way back OR we could go to Big Bend National Park and then see whatever we could along I-10 on the way back if it wasn't too late.  

We decided to go to Big Bend National Park.  We overlooked the Rio Grande Valley, saw the Rio Grande River, and looked across to Mexico while at the Hot Springs area.

My GPS said BBNP was a little over an hour away from Alpine, where we had out motel.  Well, that wasn't exactly true.  That must have been to the northern most point, but that was fine.  I can't remember how far it was to Marathon and then it was 70 miles to the park "gate" and then 2 miles to the check-in and then 26 miles to Panther Junction (kind of in the middle) and then 20+ miles to the Rio Grande Overlook and Hot Springs.  All was fine. Let's just say that I didn't adhere to the 45 mph in the park.  Too dang slow!  We figured we would actually see the Rio Grande River at the Rio Grande Overlook.  Nope!  We went to the Hot Springs, and we found water (a stinky portion of the river) and could see Mexico across. To get in and out of the Hot Springs area, you had to drive on the edge of a cliff (literally).  There were rocks jutting out on the passenger's side and nothing but drop off on the driver's side.  Yes, I was driving.  I was unnerved! There is one way in and one way out.  We went back to Panther Junction (had to get gas) and then back to Marathon.

We got to experience Border Patrol on our way back--3 officers and a dog.

Make sure you have plenty of gas in this part of the state.  Gas in Marathon was $3.95 a gallon, and it was $3.80-$3.85 in the Park.

The next town we came to was Fort Stockton.  Still not a lot of choices for places to eat.FYI:  They have no idea what gluten is, what it is in or not in, or even how to pronounce it.  Do not go to Subway b/c they do not have gluten free bread or Thousand Island dressing.  Also, the Sonic Manager was not friendly either, and thanks to him, we just ate on the road as we drove.  I was never more ready to leave a town than I was Fort Stockton today.

Our final stop was in Ingram where there is a replica of Stonehenge and the statues on Easter Island.  When I visited Stonehenge in England in June 1994, I was so disappointed I couldn't go stand in the very center.  I got to do that today in Ingram!

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 5

As we drove from Alpine to the Fort Davis Historic Site, we stopped to read two Historical Markers along the way.  One was the first location of a school back in the 1800s.  The other was the ruins of a ranch home of a pioneer, which was abandoned in 1854.  It was later used as a Ranger Station from 1880-1882.

We decided to stop at the Chihuahuan Desert and Nature Center too.  It had a botanical garden completely made up of native plants to the Fort Davis Mountains and Chihuahuan Desert.  We walked through the botanical garden and a cacti greenhouse.  We then took a hike down to a creek, which we thought had water in it, but it did not.  It had a mine with items actually used in mining.  We thought it was a working mine or an area where the kids could mine, but it was not.  More of a little museum dedicated to mining. While it is situated in the desert area, it was a neat experience.  Take bug spray and sunscreen or an umbrella.

At Fort Davis Historic Site, we watched a movie about the history of Fort Davis and visited the museum.

We then walked the Fort.  A few of the buildings were open as museums for us to see how life would have been.  When comparing life there then to life now, they are very different.

We asked a few people at the Fort for lunch recommendations.  They told us about the Fort Davis Drug Store, Lupita's, and Cueva de Leon.  We decided on the Fort Davis Drug Store for lunch and we would choose one of the other restaurants for dinner.

We arrived for a late lunch, somewhere between 12:30 & 1:00.  It was a "seat yourself" kind of place, and it was full, so we waited. The people in front of us got tables, and then we took a table--a little small, but with 5 chairs.  During this 15-20 minutes, no one greeted us or even spoke to us.  We sat at the table for several minutes before a waiter came to clear part of the table from the former patrons.  He said he would get menus and a waitress.  Didn't happen.  We waited and waited.  Either Mom or my sister-in-law went and found menus.  We changed to a larger table.  Still no waitress.  Finally, a waitress walked by, and my sister-in-law stopped her and asked her to get us a waitress.  You should have seen the look the waitress gave my sister-in-law and heard the tone she used.  If there was anywhere else to eat, we would have left!  Once our waitress showed up, things got a little better.  She was kind, apologetic, and took our order.  However, a very large group of ladies came in after us and got their orders well before us.  Thank goodness the food was delicious (or maybe we were just starving).  By the time we left, we had been in there well over an hour and a half to two hours.  

Not only are towns few and far between in this part of the state, but restaurants are few and far between in each town.  Also, they do not have the best customer service.

We decided to go back to Balmorhea State Park to swim until dinner.

After our swim, we went to Cueva de Leon for a Mexican buffet of fajitas, enchiladas, rice, beans, and more.

We ended our night with a visit to the McDonald Observatory.  The view of the stars was AMAZING!!  We were able to look through telescopes after the constellation discussion to see Saturn, Mars, a galaxy, and a nebula.

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 4

When my niece and nephew were tiny, my brother and sister-in-law took them to the Fort Davis area on a rare family vacation that did not include Mom and me.  We did a little research, figured out how far it was, and decided to go for a weekend.  We hit the highway by 8:00 am and headed west.

We made it to Fort Stockton for a late lunch.  FYI:  They do not have anything gluten free at Pizza Hut except salad.  That just is not enough when you have gone that long without a snack.

When making this drive, you must get gas whenever you are in civilization b/c the towns are few and very far between.  Also, make sure you have snacks and water on all trips and blankets/coats during the winter.

We decided to drive straight to Balmorhea State Park to swim.  It is a spring with fish and turtles.  The water seems really cold when you are getting in, but once your body is in, you don't notice the cold at all.  I wish there was more shade around the swimming area.

When we finished swimming, we decided to go find our Value Lodge in Alpine.  I got a really good deal on this motel, and the pics looked decent for a family on a budget.  We weren't quite prepared for the dilapidated bathroom, but overall, the stay was fine.  You can tell the couple is working to fix up the place.  If you are used to fine hotels, this one is not for you.

We did a little research on places to eat.  We finally settled on a little Mexican food place.  When we arrived, we found it to be a house, and we noticed a sign saying they only took cash.  We made sure we had cash.  When we entered, we were greeted with "Do you have a reservation?"  We did not and had no idea we needed one.  Needless to say, we left.  We drove around town and saw a few saloons, but other than a McDonald's, we didn't see any place to eat that interested us or that looked kid friendly.  We decided to drive to Marfa to eat and then we could see the mysterious Marfa Lights on our way back.  We drove around Marfa and found even less than Alpine.  We finally found a restaurant, so we got out and went in.  Again, we were greeted with "Do you have a reservation?" Of course not! The waitress gave us a restaurant suggestion.  On our way out, a nice gentleman sitting at a table outside gave us the same suggestion.  Thank goodness for kind people!  We went to their suggestion--a Mexican food place.  We got out and went in.  This time we were not greeted with "Do you have a reservation?" but we did have to wait for them to clear a table.  The food was good, service was slow, and everyone in the place knew one another.

On our way back to the motel, we stopped at the Marfa Lights viewing area.  It was neat standing out in the cool summer wind watching the lights blink on and off making our own predictions.

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 3

Today, we went to the Cave Without a Name near Boerne.  We forgot to ask why it doesn't have a name, but we did enjoy our visit.  It is a fairly small cave--about a quarter of a mile in and a quarter of a mile back out.

They had a labyrinth outside, so I explained what they are and had my niece and nephew experience it.  They didn't quite get it, but they enjoyed walking around the "maze."  They had an area outside to pan for gems too.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Guadalupe River State Park and then we took a swim.

Bowling with My Man

Tonight, while my niece was at dance, I took my nephew (and brother & sister-in-law) bowling with arcade games and to dinner.  I love spending time with him doing what he enjoys.  Gosh, I love this little man!

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 2

Today, we went to the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham.  After our tour of the factory and eating a heaping scoop of ice cream, we drove through Chappell Hill, which holds significance on Dad's Mom's Mom's side of the family, to Washington-on-the-Brazos, the birthplace of Texas.

The Barrington Living  History Farm was a big hit.  The lady on duty was completely in costume and in character.  She was great!

We stopped for photos at Junk Gypsy in Round Top.  Sadly, they weren't open.

Summer Vacation 2014--Day 1

On our first day of Summer Vacation with my niece and nephew, we went to the San Antonio Zoo.  The kids love visiting zoos, and we love doing what they love, so we braved the near 100 degree temps and visited the animals.  We rounded out our day trip with a train ride and picnic.

Order of the Arrow & Boy Scout Camp

Tonight, we had the privilege of watching my nephew be tapped out for Order of the Arrow, a special recognition in Boy Scouts.  I am so proud of him!  This is an honor bestowed upon him by his fellow Boy Scouts.

He probably would have gotten it 2 years ago had they not moved.  I have been upset for him that he was not chosen in his home troop, here where he used to live, b/c he wasn't here in person (as a reminder to them that he does exist), he wasn't known well enough in his new troop, and that it has taken so long.  Finally, he was chosen by his new troop, and we got to go to Summer Camp to watch/experience the ceremony.

Way to go, Bub!  Gram and I are super, super proud of you!  Love you!

He was lounging when we first arrived at camp.

Telling us something about his camp experience.

He was in charge of their Flag Ceremony.  He was so good and a great Caller.

Walking and talking with his Gram.  Moments like this make me sooooo happy!

Before the OA Tap Out.

After the Tap Out Ceremony.