Howdy Ya'll

I have come to realize I'm not so much of a blogger in the sense that I like to read other people's blogs, I just like said other people to read my blog. If you are like me and are a skimmer because people write so dang much and you get bored and only really like to analyze every one's pictures and covet outfits and new hairdos ( I have offended a few by my lack of blog reading depth) then skim away my friends because I have ten million pictures and I will probably say something incredibly witty and hilarious about each and everyone. I won't be offended. Maybe a little. But not really. Go ahead. Skim away.

Poops and I recently went to Texas. Hence the "howdy ya'll". And yes people really say stuff like that there which makes me want to be a southern bell sipping sweet tea-minus the tea-on my huge white front porch in my huge rocking chairs even more. I swear I was meant to be born Scarlett not Jessie. Ballsie had to stay home because as many of you know she is a teenager now, a teenager who plays sports, and I guess coaches think that means that these girls are their teenagers, not ours, and they therefore need to spend every waking minute including Christmas break with them not us.

I let Matt make the travel arrangements because, let's be honest, I was having a little mental breakdown about the whole thing. I like things to be easy and when they aren't easy I just say no thanks and move on. Matt is an investigator and will find a way to make it work. Matt got us tickets out of PDX. Great I think how will we get up there? We only have one car and had to leave it home for Molls and I didn't want her to drive us up there and have to drive back over the scary mountains and thru the woods all alone. Matt's solution? Ride the Greyhound bus of course! Gasp. Mental breakdown round two. It was all that I imagined it would be.

This is us waiting in an awesome line with awesome people to get our tickets. The whole building smelled like smoke. There were gangsters, I'm sure that's what they were even though Matt insists they weren't. There was a confused lady with mad chin hair. I chain smoking dad with lots of tattoos who couldn't control his children...one of which was named Jesse...I thought I was getting yelled at for 4 hours.

This my friends is what was at our feet. The used towel was the icing on the cake. I had the best posture I've ever had because I was scared I would get some unknown disease if I let my head touch the seat. I went to the back of the bus to try to use the bathroom, but the boys just out of some sort of rehab informed me that they "wouldn't use no greyhound bathroom if I was a chick...just one sit on those seats and you'll get an STD and I ain't kiddin" Yikes. Guess I can hold it.

We got on the bus in Medford. We stopped for "lunch" in Central Point. That's 10 minutes away from the bus stop if you drive slow. Awesome dad with crazy kids said I should smoke now because there won't be another stop for awhile...what he meant was there wouldn't be another stop until Roseburg...a hole hour without a smoke is tricky I guess. While we were stopped for "lunch" for 45 minutes I took the opportunity to buy some rad new hand sanitizer. It sprays and it rocks. It was gone in two days. Good thing it was a two pack.


We survived inspite of all my fears. Hello Texas!

Spence and Sara wanted us to feel like we were on a "real" vacation. Because going to see them just to see them is not enough I guess ; ) They sure did a good job. We had a blast. The first day we went to these beautiful Japanese gardens to feed the koi fish and walk around. Pretty huh?

We went shopping at La Cantera. It was also beautiful. I felt like I was in some tropical shopping paradise. It's a good thing I wasn't alone because I could have spent some serious time there.

These are my rad new celebrity wannabe sunglasses that cost me a whopping three dollars. Never mind that I look like a bug. Three dollars!

Matt and I went on a date to get lard burgers at Longhorn Cafe. If you ever happen to be in San Antone and want the best burger of your life you should go to Longhorn. Only don't call them lard burgers when you order...apparently lard in burgers is not as uncommon as I think.

After our fill of lard burgers we went to a Spurs game. My fav part was people watching and dreaming about getting nachos. I love fake cheese nachos. I was bummed I ate my whole lard burger because I had no room for fake cheese.

"Go Bucks" That only makes sense if you are Sara and I don't have the time to explain all our awesome inside jokes. "Oh dear"

We went to look at the lights on the Riverwalk after the game. Pretty much the most awesome feeling ever down there. I wanted to live there. In my Southern Bell house I'm going to have big trees like these with awesome hanging lights so they look like weeping willows. Love it.

Matt talked and dreamed and talked about getting some real cowboy boots because, just like me wanting to be a Georgia Peach, Matt fantasizes about being a real live cowboy who has guns and horses and rad boots with spurs. Well after hours, and I mean hours, of trying on boot after boot he finally decided on these beauties. He had to wear them home because they wouldn't fit in our bags. He rocked. A real cowboy said that they were good boots, now he thinks he needs to wear them everyday.

We went to the Nutcracker one night. Matt wore his boots of course. I had cheesy nachos on the brain since I didn't get any at the game. I waited in line twice for this nutritional treat only to get the last nacho boat. Cold. Gross. I only like classy fake cheese nachos and these were not classy.

Matt was hot and bored but I loved it. I was however very distracted by how it's possible for people to move their bodies like that. Dancing on my tip toes? I can hardly walk on my tip toes.

Addy used to like to wear my shoes. I guess Matt's are cooler. I have been replaced.

One of my favorite parts of the whole trip, aside from discovering HEB whole grain mac n cheese, was going camping on the beach in Corpus Cristi. Seriously. Amazing. Is that a fly I see? Oh no it's just Jessie rocking her new shades.

Sara wasn't kidding when she said we were camping on the beach. Not a campground by the beach. Can you even believe? Camping in the middle of December on the warm Texas coast.

Cute Addy.

Building our fire. Are you jealous? I am and I was there.

You could not keep this boy away from the ocean. He was in love.

We all slept together in one tent. Big happy family. It was awesome and cozy and this pic doesn't do it justice. We had a blast sitting around the fire, singing Christmas songs, eating junk, laughing and loving.

Good warm morning to ya

We packed up the next day and drove around to some different beaches. We saw dolphins and big turtles and got sunburned. Perfect day.

On our last day we went down to the Riverwalk again. We went on a boat tour and walked around the Alamo and ate some Mexican food on the river.

This is a rad old cathedral. It's really fancy and really old and that's pretty much all I know about that.

This is at the Alamo. While we were walking around I saw an awesome little boy with red hair and freckles dressed up in a full on cowboy outfit looking at a Davy Crocket dvd. I said "hey-you are just the cutest boy I have ever seen! look at how cute you are!" And he said "Why thank you ma'am" And I said "how cute! you really talk like that! you are just so cute I can't stand it. Do you love Davy Crocket?" And he said "ma'am?" becasue I was rambling like a crazy old lady but seriously could he be any cuter? Then I asked him again and he said "why yes ma'am I sure do!" I wanted to keep him but his parents were there and probably wouldn't have allowed that.

"Ya'll can go to hell but I'm going to Texas"

All to soon our trip was over and we headed back home to stinky old Ashland. Boo. In Matt's awesome, I can make anything work, travel plans he booked us to fly out at 6 am - Texas time mind you. Awesome. Needless to say this is where mental break down number three comes in. We went to bed at midnight, we were up at three...recipe for disaster anyone? Good news is I only yelled at two people. And then once more when we landed and FINALLY got to eat. We went to Red Robin specifically because I knew we could get fries on the double. Newsflash. Teased hair girls at Red Robin will cause a fuss if you try to order fries right when you sit down these days. Luckily I looked crazy enough that she brought them anyways.

We had such a blast and it was a much needed treat to get away for awhile. Sure love you Texas Lakes.