Texas Bucket List: Road Trip

My Texas Bucket List began taking shape shortly after we arrived in College Station. At first the list consisted of only a few touristy day trips and experiences (think Six Flags, SeaWorld, etc.) I'd thought of or heard about prior to our move. But as we made new friends, especially new friends who grew up in Texas, we learned from them about the lesser-known - at least to Midwesterners - but not-to-miss sights and sounds of the Lone Star State.

Each time I cross something off my Texas Bucket List I document it here, both because Chasing Roots serves as my Texas journal and because looking back on these posts and "watching" our love affair, if you will, with our now-home state unfold is a beautiful thing. 

You can see my full - but ever-growing - Texas Bucket List here. Feel free to let me know what I'm still missing!

A few weeks ago Tom and I escaped College Station to spend a grand total of 28 hours together, just the two of us. (We had planned for a slightly longer trip, but when we realized TAMU doesn't recognize Presidents Day and Tom had to teach at 11am that morning, we had to cut our time away from two nights to one.) We managed to pack quite a bit into those 28 hours though, crossing three small experiences off of our Texas Bucket List.

First, we drove to Shiner and went on a tour of the Spoetzl Brewery. While Spoetzl, the birthplace of Shiner Beers, is the oldest independent brewery in Texas, it certainly doesn't show its age; the buildings, production and assembly areas, gift shop, and grounds are all clean, updated, and well cared for. We enjoyed our free tour, and were pleasantly surprised to receive a few free samples of different active and seasonal beers.

Following our brewery tour, we hoped back in the car and drove on to Gruene, where we ate at the Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar, listened to music at the famous Gruene Hall, and walked through the quaint and historic downtown. As the sun set we drove back in the direction of home, stopping in Bastrop where checked into a hotel, watched a movie, and ate Cinnabons for dinner.

The next morning we woke up WHEN WE WOKE UP (my favorite thing EVER), ate breakfast, and headed to Bastrop State Park. After talking to the park ranger, we decided to hike two different trails totaling about six miles through the park. We could not have dialed up more perfect weather - sunny and temperatures near 60 degrees - and truly enjoyed our hours spent walking and talking. (I insisted we talk the entire time to scare away any snakes.)

We made it home by mid-afternoon on Sunday - too early for the kids' liking, as they were thoroughly enjoying their weekend with just Grandma and Grandpa - so Tom would have time to prep for work on Monday. The trip looked different than what we had originally envisioned for our 15th anniversary celebration, but I'm proud of us for making something work and then making the most of what our state has to offer on this little getaway.

Perhaps a more traditional vacation awaits us for our 16th anniversary? 😉

High Five for Friday (3.8.19)

1. Spring break starts today. Hallelujah!

Funny thing... Both of my kids and I love school and school days. Both of my kids and I hate waking up with an alarm clock and having to get up before the sun. We've been looking forward to spring break not because we need a break from school, but because we need a break from our alarm clocks.

2. Also on tap for today: Tom's dad and brother arrive from Nebraska and Tennessee, respectively. They plan to help Tom work on (finish?) his Mad Scientist Laboratory, but I know we'll find time for a little fun when they're not sawing, hammering, and painting.

3. Let's rewind a little, to last Friday morning, when we brunched. Mimosas and eggs and bacon and cheesy grits and biscuits and bonuts, oh my. I wish I had the time and money to brunch with friends more often. I also wish I had remembered to take photos of our bonuts.

Bonuts are donut holes made from biscuit dough and are as delicious as they sound.

4. On Saturday afternoon, Hallie danced at one of my favorite collegiate events: Dance Marathon. I have such wonderful memories from my five years of involvement with the University of Iowa Dance Marathon, and I love that even though she isn't yet old enough to participate in the actual event, Hallie has now experienced just a bit of that wonder twice through the Aggie Dance Marathon.

One of my new favorite pics of her dancing.

I've posted pics of this lift before (Hallie's
bestie Kara is on top and Hallie is holding
up Kara's torso), but I'm sharing this one
because I love the awed expressions on the
faces of the college students watching. 😍

Since its inaugural event 25 years ago, the University of Iowa Dance Marathon has raised more than $27.5 MILLION to support the pediatric oncology department at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Project highlights include the $5 million University of Iowa Dance Marathon Pediatric Cancer Center and the $2 million University of Iowa Dance Marathon Chair in Pediatric Oncology, Clinical, and Translational Research. Dance Marathon is the largest student organization at the University of Iowa and the third largest Children's Miracle Network Dance Marathon - out of more than 300 - in the United States. Just thought my alma mater's event deserved a shout out...

5. Happiness Highlights

Maybe someday she'll become a rock star.
(She'll need bigger biceps to do so though -
this bass weighs as much as she does.)

This view makes me feel lucky.

Will's official 6th grade orchestra pic.

He's been particularly needy lately. I don't alway love it (like when
I'm trying to mop the floor), but other times I appreciate the snuggles.

Hallie's art class creation (it's a bowl - the event is called Empty
Bowls), for which I paid $10 in support of our local food bank.

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here.

Monthly Medley: February 2019

Writing
This month's Texas Living magazine includes an article I wrote about the three Presidential Libraries and Museums - those associated with Lyndon B. Johnson, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush - located in Texas. This article was a challenging one to write and therefore a satisfying one to see in print - I hope you enjoy reading about these three gems here in the Lone Star State!

Reading
My library struggles continue (perhaps a countdown to June 7th, the day my branch *should* reopen,  would be therapeutic), but I did fine a deliciously mysterious book the last time I made the trek to the branch in Bryan. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Ruth Ware books I have read throughout the last few months, and The Woman in Cabin 10 was no exception. From what I can tell, she has only one more novel I have yet to read, and while I was a little disappointed to learn this fact, I have to think she has additional books in the works. I was also excited to learn that three of Ware's books - the three I have read - have been optioned for screen.

Watching
I didn't make it to the theater at all this month, but Hallie and I discovered two delightfully fun - though very different from one another - shows on Netflix. First, Carmen Sandiego. This animated action/adventure origin series paints Carmen as a modern day Robin Hood who steals from the Villains' International League of Evil in the name of its victims. While many reboots hit the fan, I think this one hits the nail on the head by appealing to a broad age range of young people as well as their parents, who remember components of the original media franchise. Second, Kitten Rescuers. This series, also on Netflix, follows English veterinarians and animal welfare officers as they attempt to rescue kittens and cats from various catastrophes. Hallie and I both adore the show for four reasons: 1) we love kittens and cats, 2) we love medical shows (Kitten Rescuers shows quite of bit of the medical procedures performed on its subjects), 3) we love English accents, and 4) we love happy endings.

Listening To
Last month I mentioned that I had started listening to and liked Up and Vanished, and now a month later I have returned to confirm that this podcast is the real deal. I still haven't finished season one - there are 66 full, bonus, case evidence, and Q & A episodes, and despite listening regularly while on the elliptical at the gym, walking outside, and getting ready in the mornings, I have still only made it through 38 episodes. The creator of the series, Payne Lindsay, did not plan for the podcast to become so long, but the publicity he generated surrounding this 12-year-old case contributed to a break that unfolded in real time and led to the need for additional episodes.

Wearing
As a little girl I used to page through the cumbersome JC Penney and Sears catalogs in search of - among other things - matching mother-daughter outfits. At the time, I couldn't understand why my mom didn't want us to wear identical mauve and dusty blue flowered dresses with Peter Pan collars. Now I feel badly for ever even suggesting we spend money on such hideous attire.

Hallie has never really asked me to match her, however when we came across her Love Rules shirt a week before Valentine's Day, she noticed a (much) bigger shirt toward the back of the rack and suggested that perhaps it might fit me. When I tried it on (discovering that yes, size XL 14-16 does fit me) and saw a gigantic toothy grin spread across her face, I knew we had to match on Valentine's Day.

The only other addition to my wardrobe this month was this black and green wrist "accessory" from Mueller.

As lovely as this wrist brace is, I'm ready to be done with it. 

Trying/Using
Though I don't like wearing it, the Mueller wrist brace I mentioned above does a better job of keeping my wrist stable while not causing additional problems than many I've tried. If you're in need, I would highly recommend this brand as well as this particular brace.

Perhaps because we fell in love with the packaging, my mom, sister, and I tried Color the World lipsticks. These natural, vegan, and cruelty-free artisan lipsticks are each connected to a different charity, and for every tube sold, 10% of the profits are donated to that cause. We purchased quite a few to start, and while we struck out on a couple of hues, we each found one or two that suit our individual coloring and preferences.

Eating/Drinking
February didn't leave me much time for trying new recipes, however we did indulge in quite a few new Dine-In Dude meals this month. If you live the BCS area and haven't yet tried one of his meals, you're missing out. If you don't live in the BCS area, I'm sorry, and I hope you can find something similar in your neck of the woods!

Feeling Good About

• I love stories about random acts of kindness.
• I completely support crazy women.
• I adore this language, and the reason these kind-hearted neighbors are learning it.
• I don't think Tux would do this for us. Well, maybe for Will...
• I imagine this small and simple gift - of time, really - won't soon be forgotten by the recipient.  

What's new in your world this month?

High Five for Friday (3.1.19)

One
On Friday afternoon, Tom gave two lunchbox speaker presentations about human factors and workplace safety for groups of third and fourth grade students at Hallie's elementary school. Tom's activities - especially going outside (in the rain) and measuring how loud they could collectively yell (while wearing earplugs) - went over incredibly well with Hallie and the rest of the attendees.

Two
On Friday night and while Will attended a surprise birthday party for a friend (happy birthday, Jax!), Hallie and I took friends to Snow in the Grove at Will's intermediate school. Other than that ONE amazing snowfall we received a little over a year ago, this is about as good as snow gets here in Texas.

I neglected to take any snow pictures myself, so I
 borrowed this one from a friend - you can see Hallie in the
background, waiting for her turn to "sled" down the "hill".

The best part of the evening, however, was not the snow - it was Sheila, a baby kangaroo from the new Aggieland Safari! Sheila's human mom shared with us that unlike what we see in YouTube videos and movies (I kept remembering the interaction between a kangaroo and Steve Carell's character in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), kangaroos do not behave aggressively toward humans unless threatened or provoked. Sheila was delightfully friendly, and OH so soft, and we just fell in love with her.

Three
On Saturday afternoon Will learned he had won the 6th Grade UIL Chess Puzzles competition. Earlier that day he left the test with a pit in his stomach, so to place first in this event - his favorite and the one in which he has held the title for the last two years - was a relief for him and a joy for me.

Four
On Tuesday evening, friends and I hit up Taste of Aggieland in celebration of one of our tribe. (Happy birthday, Jenn!) None of us had ever attended the event before, so we didn't know what to expect; we walked away completely full of (sample-sized servings of) delicious drinks, appetizers, salads, entrees, sides, and desserts and with plans to attend again in 2020!

Five
Happiness Highlights

These boys had a blast celebrating Jax and
playing hours of video games at Nerdvana.

A few years ago my mom made my then 3yo nephew
a bear costume. He outgrew the costume, so we passed
it on to Hallie's best friend's little brother. On Saturday
the costume appeared in a production of Goldilocks -
turns out Hallie it still "fits" Hallie! 

We had AMAZING weather last Saturday and
Sunday - a sweet taste of the spring to come!

My new favorite snack.

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here.

The Tradition Lives On

For those of you follow Chasing Roots regularly, you know that every winter I - along with any family members brave enough to join me - make a snow angel...in my swimsuit.

When we lived in the Midwest, swimsuit snow angels happened every year, no matter what. But since we moved to Texas, keeping the tradition alive depends not on our desire to do so but on Mother Nature almost entirely. If she sees fit to send snow during our week-long visit to Wisconsin, Nebraska, or Illinois, we make snow angels; if she doesn't, we don't. And unfortunately, this year she dropped from her oppressive, ominous clouds only the smallest dusting, which was no where near enough in which to make swimsuit snow angels. (There are few things as painful as making swimsuit frozen dirt and dead grass angels, which is what ends up happening when there isn't enough snow.)

So a couple of weeks ago, my dad...he carried the torch for the rest of us.

Apparently he also carried a beer.
He is from Wisconsin, after all.

Rock star.

The tradition lives on.