TEXAS!

I wanted to share a few more pictures of our TEXAS trip, because - well, I just wanted to! ;)  (on that note, did you know that the posts I write with boring family stuff are my most viewed posts!?  Makes me giggle!)

We have been to Texas before with three of the kids, but it has been a while so we were excited to see the state again, this time a different area.  So off to Dallas/Ft Worth we went.

We joined up with some friends and had a week of fun.  Since not all of our friends love their life displayed on a blog for the world to see, I am trying to keep the pictures to our kiddos only, but trust me - we did go with friends!

The first day we went to Six Flags!  Who can resist an amusement park?  Actually I can, but hey, I am a team player.  Because CJ is too little for many rides we sat out a few, including one with a two-hour wait, but we managed to have fun anyway.  Heads up - when you go to these places at the end of the school year you should call ahead of time and ask if it is High School Physics Day.  That is my Public Service Announcement.  You are welcome!

We also attended a local baseball game.  While I am not a huge baseball fan, my family is.  It actually turned out to be a lot of fun.  CJ was most entertained by the mascot, of course!

The Sixth Floor Museum!  Where do I start?  This is one of the activities my 16 year old asked Julie, our cruise director, to do.  (her name is not really Julie, but she was a great cruise director!)  Everyone, me included, rolled their eyes about seeing a museum about the Kennedy assassination, she's a history buff- what can I say, but we tried to be good sports.  Some of us more than others - since TWO people skipped out, but I will NOT name names.

As it turns out, it was one of our favorite things we did!  Seriously.  The museum is actually on the 6th floor (hence the name) where Oswald supposedly fired the shots that killed President Kennedy. Who knew!  It is exceptionally well done.  It is an audio tour where you slip on head phones and follow the numbered signs. A bonus is that the 6 year old does not say a word for 1 hour, uhh...I mean...you learn a lot!  Actually - BOTH!  Score one point for museums that cater to the auditory learners!  No pictures are allowed inside, but we did take one of the road and the infamous X where the supposed second shot hit the President.   I am still amazed that as we stood staring in awe and contemplation that drivers ride right by and over the spot without any knowledge or thought.

Pool time.  This was the youngest's request.  So we did spend many afternoons at the pool, swimming and just relaxing.  Some relaxed more than others!  Gotta love when your kids can be in the pool without you in there with them!

Does anyone recognize this place?  Let me tell  you about Rudy's.  It is my husband's FAVORITE place in the world to eat.  To say he is slightly obsessed would be an understatement.  Ask his friends and family.  He gets Rudy's sauce for Christmas, ya'll!  (see, speaking like a Texan already!)   After passing two on the way down, he found one close enough to the hotel to eat at not once, but twice for lunch!  If we could figure out the details, that place could be our retirement venture.  Who wants to be partners?

 Oh, and what is so special about the place?  Turkey, barbecue,  ham.  White bread. Creamed corn.  Stuffed baked potatoes.  Banana pudding.  You know, a bunch of healthy stuff , I am sure.

We even got to visit the school that our oldest is doing online classes from.  She will graduate in December, so we were excited to get to see it in person.  She is in NONE of the pictures because they were ever so gracious and allowed her to spend a day in class just for fun.

We also got to go to the water gardens in Ft. Worth.  We did not expect much, and once again were pleasantly surprised.  It was beautiful and so much fun. One of the boys favorite places, in fact. I decided that Ft. Worth and I could maybe even like each other.  It is a fun place.

 

Speaking of Ft. Worth, we also went to see the Stockyards where they do a steer walk once a day. It was a little anti-climatic for the older kids, but still fun to see.  The shops and activities in that area are worth visiting and the food smelled delicious.  Someone would not let us eat there because of a certain obsession with Rudy's.  Just saying.

I have mentioned it elsewhere but the other really cool thing we got to do was get a private tour of the Wycliffe Linguistics Center.  I do not know what we were expecting exactly, but it was so much more for sure.  I had the privilege to meet a fellow TOS Crew reviewer and bloggy friend in person!  I reviewed Gwen's book Seed Sowers- Gospel Planting Adventures a while back and just love her.  She and her husband, John, with their 8 kids have an amazing life and are doing a great work in the world of Bible translation.  Plus, she makes me laugh!  A lot. You can find her at her blog Tolivers To Texas - tell her I sent you!

And of course, there was just goofing off and games in the hotel!

Fun times, fun friends and a whole lot of memories.  A successful vacation I would say!

Blessings,