Texas ~ Part 2

Today is my part 2 of our Texas trip re-cap.  

If you missed the first part, click here.

We took a day trip to Gruene, Texas, which is the cutest little town.

We ate at the Gristmill Inn, which is such a unique place.  If you are ever in this area, you must go eat here!  Walking in was unique and there was so much seating, inside and out.  It was the perfect time of year for outdoor seating in Texas...70 degrees!

Our food was delicious.  I had grilled chicken, with homemade mashed potatoes, zucchini and squash.

Such a fun time!

And we all had dessert, which was the first I had had since finishing whole 30.  I finished every bite of my lunch and dessert.  Needless to say, I didn't eat anything else the rest of the day.

This is the oldest dance hall in Texas and there is so much history here.  When you step inside, there are photos of so many musicians who have played here, including George Strait, who got his start here.

Random note, there was also an episode of The Bachelorette filmed here a few years ago with Kaitlyn and Ben.

Inside the dance hall...

We also made a stop to Buc-ees...a phenomenon in convenience stores in Texas.   It is also unlike anything we had ever seen.

Look at all the gas pumps!  It was a huge place.

Texas is known for its Blue Bell Ice Cream, and it was represented here.

I came out with a reusable mug and a magnet to remember our trip to San Antonio.

It was a great weekend and the final and part 3 continues in Houston.

Have a great day!

Friday Favorites / Valentine Decorations ~ 2020

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Today, for Friday Favorites, I have a few things to share.

First, I shared earlier this week about our weekend trip for a belated birthday trip for our daughter.

We also saw 3 inches of snow fall Saturday morning!

I also shared about the first part of our Texas trip, including a visit with past Survivor winner, Kim Spradlin Wolfe, who is on the new season of Survivor:  Winners at War, that started airing this week on CBS.

Third,  I am sharing my Valentine decor in honor of the holiday.

Dining room table decor...I am hoping to buy some flowers for this vase by Friday (I took this photo midweek but I did get some flowers for this vase...will update next week with a new photo).

Entryway with printable 

Display of old Valentine cards 

Welcome sign on our back door...It has been so busy the past few weeks, I haven't bought anything new for my front door. I am hoping to buy something on clearance after Valentines :). 

Mantle

On the hearth.... 

In the den, I have some old artwork hanging up from Brook when she was 5 1/2. 

Valentine pillow and candle 

In the kitchen, I have my winter wreath still hanging and a Valentine dish towel. 

I will post next week of our celebration.

May you celebrate those you love and most importantly, feel the love of our Saviour!

Texas ~ Survivor / Part 1

Avery and I had the best Texas get-away a few weekends ago!  I had not flown anywhere in a year and a half, so it was so fun to get away. 

It was so, so cloudy as we left.

But always so cool to see the clarity above the clouds...definitely a spiritual parallel.

We finished the Whole 30 the day before in perfect timing for our trip.  These Cheez Its were so good!

We went to San Antonio to spend the weekend with our dear friend, Larry.  We met him in 2005 and since that next year, we have called him a dear family friend.  He even came to see us for a week when we lived in South America!

While in San Antonio, we were also looking forward to seeing some other friends.  We spent time with Joel and Cayce, whom we met through church about 14 years ago.  They moved to San Antonio about 10 years ago.  We saw them when we were there 9 years ago, so it was so great to see them.

One of the coolest things that happened was we met Kim Spradlin Wolfe from Survivor!  She won in 2012 and is on the new season beginning tonight on CBS!  We were at her house and she was so kind to facetime our girls, who are huge fans.

Really, she could not have been more kind and down to earth.  This was such a fun treat to meet her.

This is her promo picture on CBS for the new season.

The next day, we started our day like this.....

If you have been to Texas, you know breakfast tacos are everywhere.  Mine was full of scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado on a homemade tortilla.  We also got some doughnuts too.

We answered one of life's puzzling questions...how many doughnut holes does it take to make a doughnut?  We decided on 6 :).

We went to look at Larry's new house he is building and then took a guided boat ride on the Riverwalk. 

For dinner, we had brisket.  This is the brisket grilled cheese....so good!

After dinner, we went to visit some other dear friends, Doug and Colby, who we met as well in 2005.  It was just like old times visiting with them.  We loved all the time with our dear friends.

Part 2 coming up tomorrow......

Weekend Wrap-Up ~ Isabella's Birthday

We spent our weekend in Chattanooga for a belated birthday celebration with our college student.  It was the first time we did not see Isabella on her birthday, which was last week.  She was celebrated well by her friends at college the weekend prior then we came to celebrate with her on Saturday.

We drove over late Friday and woke up Saturday watching beautiful snow fall. A few inches fell, but by the evening, most of it had melted.  So it was really pretty to watch fall, but yet it didn't slow down the city too much.

 We went to an escape room as a family.  Our girls had done this before, but Avery and I had not.  It was really a fun activity for us as a family and better than we thought it would be.  Plus, we escaped with 2 and 1/2 minutes to go!!

The theme of the room was Saving Christmas.

That night, we went to dinner and a friend came along as well.  We enjoyed good local pizza and then went out for gourmet hot chocolate.  There are so many good restaurants there.  Sunday, we drove back after eating breakfast at Maple Biscuit Company.  It was super good and so not Whole 30!

So thankful for our girls.  Can't believe my oldest is 19.  Time goes fast...love on those kids.