Wildseed Farms

Spring wildflower season in Texas is a sight to behold. The dramatic backdrop lends to many a Momma posing her children on the bluebonnet covered hills. Seriously... it's quite common to see kids in their Sunday best on the side of the road just sitting in a big patch of blue. Yes, I'm guilty of torturing Trouble with this Texas tradition, see...

Just east of Fredericksburg you'll find the largest working wildflower farm in the US. Wildseed Farms is a plant nursery, gift shop, boutique, biergarten and flower garden with an incredible selection of wild flower seeds cultivated on the premises.

Nana and I spent the afternoon strolling through their lovely gardens and wildflower fields.

We sat on many a bench and just watched the flowers dance in the breeze.

I have to admit that as much as I love Texas bluebonnets...

 it's the fields of poppies that always take my breath away.

Ahhhh.... poppies!

Check out Wildseed Farms in the Spring, it's splendid!

Warrior Dash

A few weeks ago, Bestie and I ran a 5K but not an ordinary 5K. We ran in a Warrior Dash. What the heck is a Warrior Dash you ask? Imagine what would happen if some fraternity and military guys decided to make a 5K run. There's lots of mud...

barb wire, beer, obstacles...

and people dressed up in crazy costumes.

As you can imagine, cleaning up after all the dirty fun is quite a challenge as well. Water trucks hose you down for a makeshift warrior wash.

We happily donated our shoes to be cleaned and passed on to someone in need.

 

Maybe it's not exactly good clean fun but we did have a blast in the muddy mayhem of Warrior Dash.

before

after

Thanks Bestie.  I can't wait to do it again!

2K Stables

We spent last weekend visiting one of my oldest, nearest and dearest friends. She and her family own 2K Stables, a horse boarding facility outside Houston in Hockley, TX.

We met tons of horses.

BIG beautiful horses...

and sweet little horses.

Both Trouble and Mr.Perfect loved riding!

Trouble fed the chickens...

then proceeded to catch a chicken. Only a boy would enjoy catching chickens... and only their parents would enjoy watching the chicken catching occur.

2K is even home to a few goats who seem to eat just about anything. By the way, a goat tried to eat my jacket when I was 3 and now I keep my distance... unless they are baby goats or very, very cute goats.

Thank you 2K for some wonderful memories!

Texas Zipline Adventures

Friday afternoon Bestie, her Hubby, Mr.Perfect and I played hooky from life and had a mini stay-cation at
Lake Travis Zipline Adventures.  None of us had ever been ziplining before and had no idea what to expect but we were all thrilled to embark on a new adventure so close to home.

We started the tour with a short boat ride to a lake side beach that had lounge chairs, clean bathrooms and lots of cold drinking water available for us to use at our leisure. Luckily it happened to be overcast and not one of the many 100+ degree days we've had this summer. Hiking the beautiful trails to each zipline platform was great exercise and the views of Lake Travis and the Hill Country couldn't be beat.

Our tour guides were attentive, knowledgeable, professional and patient. They took care of our every need and made sure we were always having a great time.

I fell in love with ziplining! To feel the rush of wind in your face and hear the gentle hum of the cord as you soar above the trees and canyons is absolutely exhilarating.

My favorite part was the grand finale. Bestie and I decided to race their longest run tandem. Screaming and laughing as we zipped 2000 feet is a priceless memory that I'll never forget!

Bestie and I Preparing to Zip

Zip On!

Cruzin' the Caribbean

Our family recently took a vacation. We were celebrating both Mr.Perfect and my mom, Nana's, zero ending birthdays. My theory is that vacations help the birthdays go down, just like sugar helps the medicine go down.

Deciding where to go on a group vacation tends to be a big pain. Throw a kid in the mix and you're in real trouble, literally Trouble. We opted for an Caribbean voyage on the Carnival Victory.

There are a million different reasons why we chose to take a cruise but mostly we really love the amount and variety of activities that are available on a ship. Everyone in our group always had something to do or a fabulous place to relax. Trouble was a big fan of the mini golf.

All of the boys thoroughly enjoyed the waterslide.

Papa on the waterside

My mom and I loved reading and relaxing in the adult area... the view could not be beat!

The childrens program, Camp Carnival, was great. Trouble was able to hang out with other kids on the ship doing fun stuff like pirate hunting and disco dancing. So while Mr.Perfect and I went scuba diving in St.Kitts, Trouble was safe on the ship having a blast with his new friends.

Trouble The Pirate Hunter

Excursions offered by the cruise line are a great way to explore the ports and try new things. Although they tend to be on the expensive side you are always well taken care of. We gave snuba a try in St. Lucia and had an amazing time.

At some ports we opted to explore on our own. In St. Thomas we took a taxi and boat to the island of St.John for a day on the beach in Trunk Bay, which by the way has to be the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

In Barbados we took a taxi to a beach and spent the day relaxing in the crystal clear water.

My parents were in the cabin next to us and we were able to open up our balconies to widen our view and give us more shared space (where we enjoyed many a cocktail and the fantastic view). Trouble loved being able to escape to Nana & Papa's cabin when his parents were being a drag... and we loved it too.

With a tear in my eye I said good bye to our cabin steward who always made my bed, took out the trash, tidied up, left fresh towels and chocolates on my pillow. (Then I told Mr.Perfect that he totally had some competition in the 'perfect department' because if Mr.CabinSteward could have fit in my suitcase I was seriously considering taking him home with me.) We all had a terrific vacation filled with unforgettable memories!

Cameron Park Zoo in Waco

Traveling on I35 from Austin to Dallas is not the most pleasant driving experience. Between the awful traffic and constant construction, a person is liable to have a nervous breakdown. This Easter weekend we made the trip a little less stressful by taking a pit stop in Waco to enjoy the Cameron Park Zoo.

We found lots of interactive activities for Trouble to enjoy.

hangin' out like a monkey

feeling a ssssnake

digging for dino bones

making friends with an Orangutan

I completely fell in love with the beautiful giraffes.

The tall trees that cover the park, make some fantastic shade from the hot Texas sun. Even the meerkats appreciate the shade. (I love meerkats too!)

The zoo was fantastic! The natural habitats, thoughtful exhibits and park like setting made for a wonderful side trip.

Now, back on the road.