On Going to the Big D (and I do mean Dallas)

Mom and I drove from Hot Springs and camping last Thursday to Dallas.
Boys Love Maps

We got to visit with my grandma, aunt and uncle, and sweet cousins…

Making friends with “cousin kitty” Rosie
Hang out with friends at the mall,
Explore to the Dallas World Aquarium,

 

Ride the DART to Fair Park to see a few dinosaurs,

I got to cash in on my Christmas present from my sexy-man…
I got to hear (and see) 
Juanes (five rows back from the stage!)

Video taken by my honeyCamisa Negra by Juanes

I chalk it up to the best concert I’ve seen since James Taylor.
(And my man gets major props for being brave enough to let me see this Colombiano hearthrob in person…)

& then on the drive home a stop at IKEA for breakfast!
(Again, I had no camera with me so “Gracias” to mami and Scott for the pics.)

On Spring Break (part 2)

Camping at Lake Catherine in Hot Springs with sweet friends was 
the first “real” part of our Spring Break.
Playing around at the Mid-America Museum

Can you spot my frozen kid? (Can’t keep them out of the water.)

Sweet when they are sleeping

Boating on Lake Catherine

Luna Moth Newly Emerged

Spring -Sprung
When is our next camping trip??

A special thanks to my mom for all the pictures.  I forgot my camera and my phone battery decided to play dead for the trip.  Thanks, mom!
Part 3 Tomorrow!

On Being Outside… (or Spring Break part 1)

We just finished up our Spring Break and sad to go back to the norm…
We started with a hike up Pinnacle Mountain (along with the rest of the county I think…)
 to put our rock climbing practice to the test.
Climbing Kid

Almost to the Top
Fairies or Gnomes live here

Stuck in the Cypress
What I saw the most of…

Mayapples
View from the top

Wordless Wednesdays

My girl scaling the walls at her birthday party on Saturday

J’s first soccer game
Water break
Can you see we’re keeping them busy? 
Spring break starts Friday and I can’t wait!

Writer’s Workshop: I’m Outta Here

In response to Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop this week…
The prompt was…

 2.) What would it take for you to pick up and move?

Honestly,
Not a lot.  (I am a Sagittarius, you know.)

I have always felt restless since I moved here almost 19 years ago.
I miss the ocean so terribly.  I miss the jungle.
I want to see all there is to see in this beautiful world.  I want my kids to see it too.
They LOVE to travel and we all can’t wait for the next vacation (the minute we get home I think.)

My family has a dream to travel the world for a full year.  We want to rent a house every 3-4 months in a different area (Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, North America) and just use that as a hub to travel from for a specific time period.   It is a beautiful thought that keeps me going when the days are grey. 

But then I wonder…
Is this a test?

  • I moved a total of 19 times in my life (about 17 or so were before I was an adult) and as a result I think I never feel like I’m “at home.”  
  • We never feel satisfied with what we have.  (The house is too small, the yard too strange, etc.)
  • My husband and I love house-hunting.  A fun weekend for us is going to open houses on Sundays.  (Our kids hate us for this.)  We even used to take long walks when we were dating to look at houses and make mental notes of what we wanted one day. 
  • Should I just learn to be still?

I like my friends and my neighbors, my kids’ school and extra-curriculars.  I love knowing that my family is close and that I have people I can call if I’m in a pinch.
We’ve become so established/comfortable here and didn’t even realize it.
But to me a house is just a place to rest your head, home is where my family is. 

Sometimes I think we like to travel so much just because the family gets to be together for the whole trip.   It makes me happy to think we like each other that much!
   
So,
Would I take off if you gave me a suitcase and a ticket (well, five tickets?)
Yes.
But, now I might want to come back!

Mama’s