Holiday Wrap Up

There was much for our little clan to celebrate as we close out another wonderful year together. We were blessed to see many of our family and friends over the course of this Christmas break. We didn't get the chance to all gather at once, but that just means we got to spread the holiday cheer a bit longer this year.


We started off our holiday tour of Texas with a trip down to Wharton to visit with Nanny and the crew down there. They rolled out the red carpet and welcomed us with open arms and a stuffed table. Our time ended too quickly, but at least we got to spend the afternoon together as a family. Nanny has had a rough year, health-wise, and it was a joy to spend this time with her. I am hoping that our visit helped to bring a bright spot to her day as well.

Just a few days later, the 3 of us enjoyed our traditional-for-us Christmas Eve festivities: an early service, a special dinner, a reading by Wonder Boy, and an always anticipated gift exchange! There were some FUN THINGS under the tree this year. One of the highlights (for me) was watching Wonder Boy open a seriously surprising gift: a melodica. As he unwrapped it, he looked rather confused and it was obvious he just didn't even know how to react to it! But by the time he unboxed it and tried out his first tune, he was hooked! I'm also pleased to say he entertained us throughout our holiday travels with it. NOTHING breaks up a 3 hour car ride like a lively tune from the back seat.

Christmas Day brought the Huntsville family into town. We enjoyed another over stuffed table and another afternoon of catching up with family. The 3 youngest had a great time unwrapping gifts and playing with Wonder Boy. Wonder Dad and I enjoyed having the littles around too. There is just nothing like the holidays with young kids. And while I am in no rush for grand-kids, I do get glimpses of things to come and it warms my heart.

After 3 separate family Christmas celebrations, we were able to prolong our holiday gatherings with trips to see friends in San Antonio and in Katy. It was a great way to wrap up our vacation. And it was our yearly reminder of the things that truly matter in life - precious time with those we love the most. I feel renewed after this time away from the hustle and bustle of life, surrounded by those I love the most, my heart completely full.

Operation Exodus: Part 6

For our last afternoon in CO Springs, one of the Cousins volunteered to show us around the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. She and Wonder Boy are only about 8 weeks apart in age, and though they haven't had much of a chance to just hang out together (since they do live a 14-hour drive apart), they got along marvelously. We all really appreciated her tagging along - it made a fun little excursion even more enjoyable to have her with us. And on the plus side, she inherited her mom's sense of humor and kept us grinning and laughing the whole afternoon.

Like so many places in the area, the CM Zoo is simply picturesque! Just imagine - a zoo on the side of a mountain! The drive up was so pretty and the zoo itself was quite a lovely setting all in itself.


It was such a nice way to wind down on our last afternoon in the area. The zoo closes earlier than I would have expected, but I guess the sun dips below those peaks a bit earlier than flat-landers like I are accustomed to experiencing. We missed a couple of exhibits since we had to duck out before the gates closed, so I am going to put the CM Zoo back on my list of things to do the next time we come back to CO Springs.

On our last morning, after checking out of the hotel, we made our way over to Manitou Springs to stroll along the main drag and check out the local shops. Shopping is not one of Wonder Boy's favorite activities, but it was a beautiful morning and I'll be honest, I was not quite ready to bid farewell to this little patch of Heaven on Earth, so we kept schlepping him from store to store until we had made it all the way up and down the street.

One thing I started contemplating while we were walking along is the ever-growing list of things I want to do on our next trip to the area. There were a few things we missed out on this time like the Broadmoor's Seven Falls and the Manitou Incline. If we find ourselves visiting again in summer, then next time I would like to find some place to go white water rafting or maybe we could bike Pikes Peak. There are quite a few places I would like to hike as well including Helen Hunt Falls in North Cheyenne Cañon, the Paint Mines Interpretive Park, or maybe the Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

And even though we've already been-there, done-that, I don't think I could return to the area with out revisiting the Garden of the Gods and probably even the Pikes Peak Cog Railway again. I would love to see the Garden of the Gods in winter. And I bet the Pikes Peak Cog Railway trip in fall is something not to be missed!

Our time here may have been short, but I feel like I left a part of my soul there. So I guess I'll just HAVE to go back some day to re-claim it.

Operation Exodus: Part 5

As our time in CO Springs started drawing to a close, our bodies were a bit worn out from all of the hiking we had done. So on our last full day in town, we decided to treat ourselves to a train ride up to the top of Pikes Peak aboard the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

Part of the reason we thought this would be a good idea was that I sometimes have trouble driving on twisty, turn-y, narrow mountain roads. And in general, Wonder Dad concurs with my sentiment in this matter. So we thought taking the train would give us a break both physically and mentally.

And it did. Sort of.

But it also scared the pants off of me! Perhaps it was because of my seat assignment - I was sitting in such a manner that I could see DOWN the mountain as we rode along the track.

But whatever the cause, I found the trip up to the top to be quite a harrowing ordeal. Truth be told, I was doing all I could to avoid a full on panic attack. This really isn't normal for me. I may not like heights like our thrill-seeking Wonder Boy, but I can usually keep it under wraps for as long as need be to get me through whatever we are doing with little more than a pounding heart beat. Unfortunately, that was not the case on this trip.

ANYWAY ... because I couldn't bring myself to take my hands off of my seat long enough to point the camera at all the pretty places around us, all of the pics from the first half of the trip were taken by Wonder Boy. Thankfully, he is getting very comfortable with my camera and has a really nice eye when it comes to composition!


Once we reached the summit, my nerves finally settled down but by then the altitude REALLY started to hit me. It's a bit over 14000 feet above sea level at the summit of Pikes Peak and we started our ascent at a mere 6500 feet above sea level back in Manitou Springs. A jump that big had all 3 of us pretty light headed, as you can imagine.

I was actually surprised at how COLD it felt up there as well (especially for a group of Texans)! Temperatures were at a brisk 32F with a windchill of 22F - in AUGUST! I was so glad we were in jeans and jackets. We saw a number of folks that were dressed for life at the base of the mountain and were in shorts and tank tops!

There was even a bit of snow and ice on the ground, but we opted to head inside the visitor's center to enjoy some donuts and check out the view sheltered from the driving wind.


I am glad to say that the trip DOWN the mountain was a completely different story for me. I'm not sure why - the train didn't turn around, so I was still facing DOWN the moutain the whole way, but this time I was OK. And I really enjoyed soaking in the many sights I had not fully processed on the way up to the top.

We talked about it and, if we ever get to go back, we all agree that we definitely want to ride again! But maybe the next time we'll take the option to get off at the half way point and hike down the mountain. It looked like a SUPER cool hike! And maybe I won't have as much trouble with the heights if I am firmly on my own two feet.

Despite the strain on my blood pressure on the ride up the mountain, this little expedition is one of the true highlights of our trip. Even Wonder Boy, in all his teenage apathy, couldn't contain his enthusiasm. I would even dare to guess that this adrenaline rush of a ride might be the most memorable moment of our vacation. And you can't get much higher praise than that!

Operation Exodus: Part 4

It's hard to top a full morning of hiking through the Garden of the Gods, but our afternoon adventure proved to be pretty fun for the whole family as well. Temperatures were a bit higher than on the previous day, so we were looking for something a bit more .... sheltered ... to fill our afternoon and the Cave of the Winds seemed like a good place to put that plan into action.

As a family, cave tours are something we all enjoy! We have sampled most of the big cave attractions in Texas, including the Cave Without a Name, the Caves of Sonora, Natural Bridge Caverns, Longhorn Caverns, and Inner Space Caverns. Though there are still a few more we hope to see in the future.

So you can understand why the Cave of the Winds was high on our list of Colorado Springs area "things to do" when planning our trip.


And while we all enjoyed the tour of the cave, I think Wonder Boy might have enjoyed the chance to indulge his thrill seeking tendencies a bit more. He got to ride the "Bat-a-Pult" which is a kind of zip-line ride that sling shots the rider over Williams Canyon at speeds of about 40 mph. The thought really didn't appeal to either Wonder Dad or myself, so we were glad there was another kid in line that needed a partner for this particular attraction. Wonder Boy always acts like it's no big deal to endure these heart thumping joy rides, but I can promise you that, even from the side lines, my heart beat more than fast enough for us both!

Wonder Boy also got to spend a fair amount of time on the Wind Walker Challenge Course, which is a three-story ropes course balanced on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon. And this is where I think Wonder Boy really enjoyed himself! It wasn't long before he was comfortable enough on the ropes and secure enough in his harness that he let go with his hands and practiced life as a tight rope walker. This lack of fear of heights is something for which I truly envy the Boy. Wonder Dad and I both have a .... healthy respect ... for heights. And while we will both swallow that fear when needed, we see a freedom in the Boy in facing things like this that neither of us experience first hand. It's cool!

Upon finishing up our time at the Cave of the Winds, we decided to try our luck at the Broadmoor's Seven Falls and see what the fuss was all about there. Unfortunately, the falls were closed for renovations. I guess we'll have to put that back on the list of things to do the next time we visit.

After the disappointment at Seven Falls, we just started driving around. While tooling around, we saw signs for Green Mountain Falls so we thought we'd follow the signs and see where it led us. And where it led us was to a tiny little mountain town with a pretty little park. We were a little disappointed that there was no public hiking obviously available, but it was still a nice stop.

And that's kind of the thing with Colorado - around every corner (or mountain pass), there is some pretty little place just waiting to be discovered!

Operation Exodus: Part 3

Our next day in Colorado started out much like the day before it - except there was no sleeping in this time - our bodies were still on Texas time anyway (which is an hour earlier) so it still FELT like we were sleeping late. We hit the breakfast buffet early with the hopes of some early exploring before the sun got too high in the sky. And after that first taste of Garden of the Gods, we decided more time was needed to FULLY explore the park. With backpacks laden with lots of water and walking sticks in hand, we set off for the park. The early hours were most certainly in our favor - both in terms of the cool breezes and the blissfully empty parking lots!


On this visit, we enjoyed several hours of ambling along the many trails. We covered paths we had missed the day before and got to see some familiar sights from a whole new angle. We took one trail that wound its way through a truly beautiful field of sun flowers. I loved meandering along with the red rock formations making for a stunning backdrop against the bright yellow flowers. Wonder Boy, however, was not as enamored with this part of the trek. Those sun flowers are a pretty big attraction for local insects - especially the honey bees - and while they were not interested in us in any way, he made sure we made our way through that section of the trail as quickly as possible.

Every time we visit Colorado, I want to pack our bags and bid a final farewell to Texas. And if ever a place evokes that desire in me, it is most certainly the Garden of the Gods! This place feels like a serious slice of Heaven on Earth. I would love to live close enough to make spending time there part of daily life. If nothing else, I certainly want to make sure we come back here some day - and not too far in the future. In fact, I would love to see the park in winter, with a fresh coating of snow transforming and recreating this amazing landscape.

Operation Exodus: Part 2

Our first full day in Colorado was a FULL day, in deed.

We started our day by sleeping in a bit to recover from the 2 days of driving that it took to arrive in this little patch of paradise. But not long after breakfast, we met up with the Cousins and headed for one of the most breathtaking places in the area, an amazing park called Garden of the Gods. Admission to the park and its accompanying visitor's center is FREE to the public, but I advise that you arrive early because parking goes FAST, especially on weekends.


We enjoyed a lovely couple of hours touring the park. The trails are well laid out and easy enough for just about anyone to amble along. There are also plenty of places for the young, or the young-at-heart, to climb and explore. And the advanced mountaineer can even get permission for rock climbing and off-trail hiking. But there are just as many amazing sights for those who want to stick to the main trails. I hardly knew where to point my camera, there were so many beautiful sights.

After the sun started to take its toll on us, we left the park in search of lunch. We enjoyed a satisfying serving of BBQ and then left the Cousins to do a little exploring on our own.

This time our wanderings led us to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.


There are a lot of really cool things to see at the Cliff Dwellings - once you survive the twisting, turning, dizzying drive up to the museum and grounds. Here you are allowed to walk through and TOUCH everything you see. We climbed through the different chambers and got a most magnificent view of Manitou Springs down below.

Touring the cliffs and enjoying the cool of the museum was a really nice way to wrap up our evening. And it set the stage for another GREAT day to follow.

Operation Exodus: Part 1

It's been a wild summer - both in personal and professional arenas. And to be honest, I was really starting to think that a family vacation might not be in the cards again this year. But somehow, some way ... the stars came into alignment and the guys and I managed to pull off a full week away from work!

You may recall that my goal for this year was to break away from my desk and my comfort zone to embark on more adventures. And, nearly 2/3 of the way through the calendar, I can look back and say that, as a family, we certainly made a good effort to that end. But I was still hoping and dreaming of MORE. So MORE is exactly what we set out to do!

Wonder Dad and I talked it through and decided we wanted to really push the Boy out of HIS comfort zone as well. So we thought taking him on his first trip out of the great state of Texas was a good way to expose him to something truly novel.

A few years before Wonder Boy came along, Wonder Dad and I took an amazingly memorable trip to New Mexico and Colorado. And that sounded like a good place to start in planning this next adventure for our family. On that last trip, we concentrated on the southwest corner of Colorado and northwest corner of New Mexico. This time we decided to explore the eastern portion of Colorado, with Colorado Springs being our home-away-from-home-base. And lucky for us, we have cousins living in the area who offered to show us around a bit!

As is always the case, clearing Texas is the toughest leg of the trip. So on our first day on the road, we didn't even attempt to approach the Texas border. Instead, we found a landing spot in the panhandle and hoped it would make for an easy drive to Colorado Springs the following day. The weather wasn't exactly in our favor and we had to endure a serious storm between Ft. Worth and Amarillo, but we made it safely to our hotel and prayed the skies would clear by morning.

The skies hadn't exactly cleared by morning, but it was only a light rain and the radar map promised a more pleasing horizon by midday. So we packed back up and bid farewell to Texas. We found ourselves crossing the state line long before lunch and we laughed and joked as the Boy took his first breath of New Mexico air. He seemed a bit underwhelmed by his time in NM, but we only skirted the northeast corner on our way to Colorful Colorado, so I wasn't worried about that at all. In fact, I think we were in NM for only an hour or two before we crossed into CO and found ourselves in the 3rd state of the day! For a kid who spent 100% of his life to that point in only 1 state, I would think that stepping in 3 different states in one day is quite the accomplishment.

The drive up I-25 is a pretty easy one. We stopped for lunch in Pueblo and then pushed hard on to CO Springs to find our hotel and unpack. The closer we got to CO Springs, the more excited I became to get out of the car and start exploring! But after 2 days in the car, my body was crying for rest more than adventure. So I was quite relieved when the Cousins invited us for a quiet afternoon and evening at their place. And their place is just this side of Heaven! Their whole neighborhood looks like something out of a picture book. House on the side of a mountain, butting right up to a national park. I mean REALLY, what more do you need out of life? Well ... this amazing view came with a cool mountain breeze and great company as well. Talk about icing on the cake!


I really enjoyed hanging out and catching up a bit while the teenagers enjoyed some quality "playstation" time. Then we piled in the car for a tour of the incredible neighborhood. And we followed that with dinner at a local diner with AWESOME burgers before the sidewalks were rolled up for the evening (seriously, everything closes early in these small mountain towns)! It really was about as good of an end as we could have scripted to a great day beginning our visit to the CO Springs area!

Happy Camper, part 2

After only being home 1 week, 7 short days, from his first sleep-over camp, it was time to pack Wonder Boy's bags again and get him started on his NEXT camp of the summer. For the Boy, I think it was just a week to re-charge before jumping back into some serious summer fun. For me, it was a week to soak up time with my young man, trying to get a picture of all he did on his first camp experience.

And while that week ended much too quickly for my taste, by the time Sunday rolled around, Wonder Boy was packed and ready to go with hardly a second look back.

For this camp, at least, he was housed at the University here in town. And I'll admit, it was a lot easier saying our good-byes when I knew he was not a 3 hour car ride away this time.

We checked him in to the Youth Adventure Program (or YAP) for six days of robotics classes (& races!) and a LOT of fun and time with friends (both old and new)!


I can't answer for the Boy, but the highlight for me was the robot showcase and time trials on the last day of camp. Families and friends were invited to campus to see the robots the teams had built in only 4 short days and watch them travel a special course mapped out on the floor of the Rudder Exhibit Hall. Wonder Boy's team dubbed their bot "L.A.B.B.Z." and styled it to look like a tank. I was very impressed watching it run the course. The drag race was first and while "L.A.B.B.Z." was not the quickest off the line, it made a respectable run. But where it shined was on the full course. Many of the other bots got confused in tight turns and back tracked or even ended up completely off the track. But "L.A.B.B.Z." stayed the course and managed a very good time both times it ran. In the end, they finished in 3rd place. I think the guys did a GREAT job!

YAP Robotics Races - Team L.A.B.B.Z.

I don't know why I worried so much about sending the Boy away this summer. As you can see, he has had two really incredible experiences already! It's been an adjustment for me (now *I* am the one struggling through transitions), but to see how much he has matured through this process is truly a blessing. It's hard to let go, but to see him stand on his own (and to do so well with it) really helps me loosen that hold on him.

We don't have any other sleep-away camps planned for this summer, so I get some time now to enjoy some family time with both of my guys. But I hope we are not done with our adventures for the summer.

Happy Camper, part 1

Every summer, since the summer between his first and second grade school years, Wonder Boy has attended a local day camp for the majority of his summer vacation. It's been a great experience for the whole family - a fun, active schedule for the Boy and the peace of mind for Mom and Dad that the he was in a stimulating, yet safe environment.

However, as the Boy moved on up to Middle School, he aged out of the summer day camp opportunity. *sigh*

I'll be honest, as we faced this summer, I knew we would have to look at more than just day camps as there are just not many local day camp options for teenagers. So, no matter what plans we made for the summer, I knew we would have to let Wonder Boy venture out on his own a bit.

I will confess that this caused some serious misgivings on my part. Prior to this summer, Wonder Boy had never even been to an overnight sleep over. And, I may have mentioned that, in days past, Wonder Boy hasn't been one to thrive in novel environments.

But I guess that this too is a rite of passage. And one that we were going to have to face sooner rather than later.

During the school year, Wonder Boy was honored to be selected as part of the Duke Talent Identification Program (or TIP). This program singles out academically gifted 7th grade students and invites them to take college entrance exams to further determine their areas of academic success. Depending on the scores received, students are encouraged to attend summer programs. Wonder Boy qualified for one of these programs and when we asked him if he was interested in this kind of camp, he surprised us and JUMPED at the opportunity.


The first week of June rolled around and we packed up the boy and his bags and made the road trip to San Antonio. We checked him into a dorm room and, as hard as it was, said our good-byes so he could enjoy THREE SOLID WEEKS of "Engineering Problem Solving" camp.

Looking back, I can see this was an amazing opportunity for the Boy. He had a GREAT time. He made new friends. He learned new things. And he got his first taste of life away from home - kind of an "early introduction to college life." And Mikey, he LIKED it!

I need not have worried. He was ready for this step. In fact, it's safe to say he was much more ready for it than I was.

But I suspect that is the way of the world in general.

I'm really proud of my Wonder Boy. And so very glad that he got the opportunity to attend this incredible camp! I just need to work on his communication skills so that I'm not so starved for information while he's away from home.

Road Trip - Part 4

Our last day was spent much like the first day - trying to make our way back across the great state of Texas. And like we did on Day 1, we planned a fun little caving adventure to break up the trip.

This time, we visited the Cave Without a Name in Boerne, TX.

We have been able to visit about a half dozen caves around Texas and I just have to tell you that this cave, the Cave Without a Name, was one of my most favorite experiences. I think maybe only the Longhorn Cavern northwest of Austin tops the Cave Without a Name in my book.


The tour was not as long as some of the others we have visited, but for some reason I just felt like we were closer to the formations. While touching is a strict no-no, everything in that room feels like it is right in your face. And for some reason, that just made the whole experience seem more personal.

We learned that the owners occasionally host musical events inside the cave. I would truly LOVE to experience a concert of this nature at some point. I'm going to have to keep an eye on their calendar of events for the next opportunity.

All in all, it was another great stop in a whirlwind adventure that I will carry in my memory for many years to come!

Road Trip - Part 3

Day 3 of our Spring Break Adventure didn't go quite like we had planned.

We had PLANNED a second day of exploring Big Bend. But a huge storm over night and continued rain off and on all day forced us to consider other options. In the end, that's pretty much what we did - we explored other options.

To start off the day, we drove from the tiny West Texas town of Alpine to the even smaller West Texas town of Marfa. Marfa was a pretty little town, but it is definitely one of those places that rolls up the sidewalks except on major holidays. We were a bit taken aback by how many things were closed. Even finding a place for lunch was a challenge - though the place we ended up had some of the best, fresh food I've ever enjoyed.

After lunch, we hit the road in search of more to see and do. And to that end, we wound our way to Fort Davis. Fort Davis was an unexpected and most pleasant surprise! It's a truly pretty little town with a lot to see and do. Our first stop was at the Davis Mountains State Park. We got really lucky and the weather cleared off a bit allowing us to get in a short, but enjoyable 3 mile hike through the park.


After all that hiking, we made our way back to town and strolled up and down the town square taking in the fun shops and storefronts surrounding it. The one thing that struck me as we ducked in and out of each place was the friendliness of the Fort Davis locals. We were welcome in each spot and made to feel right at home.

When our legs became weary from the walk, we hopped back in the car and headed back to Alpine, where we did some exploring as well. We spent some time in a couple of really lovely art galleries and some local artisan shops. Then we topped off the day with a tasty dinner and a soak in the hotel hot tub.

So while the day was not as planned, we ended up getting to visit areas we had noy planned on our itinerary. I also added a few places to my "must see if we ever come back here" list, most notably the McDonald's Observatory. Due to the weather, it was not an option for this particular visit, but I hope one day to head back in that direction in order to check it out.

Road Trip - Part 2

Day 2 of our Spring Break '15 Adventure we finally made it to Big Bend National Park as planned!

Day 1 of our trip was rainy and we worried we were not going to be able to spend the day outside hiking as we had hoped. But the weather cleared just enough to make it work. It stayed grey and cloudy all day, but that worked to our advantage as there is not a lot of shade in this arid part of Texas.

I have to tell you, as much as I enjoyed each and every adventure on this vacation, hiking Big Bend was the highlight of the trip for me! I spent the whole day in awe of the raw, natural beauty all around me. If it were not such a long drive to the park, I would go back monthly for as long as my car holds out.


We chose a mountain trail day hike called the Pinnacles trail. We parked at the Chisos Mountain Basin Lodge located in the park and started climbing from there. We covered about 8 miles of trail round trip and climbed to an elevation of about 7,000 ft above sea level. We had been hoping to make it all the way to the top of Emory Peak, but the Pinnacles trail proved to be enough of an effort for our first day of hiking.

Signs along the trail kept warning us about the presence of bears and mountain lions. We never saw any such beasts, but we did see a deer (mule deer are native to the region) and a Mexican Jay.

I would really love to stay at the Chisos Mountain Basin Lodge if we ever get the opportunity to return. To be able to just BE in that environment would really be a treat.

Road Trip - Part 1

I am not at all sure how it happened, but this year for Spring Break Wonder Dad and I managed to wrangle a couple of days off (at the same time) so we could embark on a family adventure!

For those that don't know, distance in Texas is not measured in miles - it's measured in hours. And we have played out about every tourist attraction within a 2 or 3 hour radius from home. So for this family expedition, we decided to broaden that radius to include just about any spot within the great state of Texas. In the end, we chose a location to which no member of the family had yet had the chance to visit - Big Bend National Park.

However, getting to Big Bend from home is no small feat, so we decided to take a leisurely path and planned several stops on our way out West.

Our first big stop was at about the half-way point for day 1 at the Caves of Sonora.


The caves turned out to be just about the perfect spot on our trip to stop, take a break from the car, and stretch our legs. Things were hopping and we had to hang around a bit before our tour started, but it gave us plenty of opportunity to check out the peacocks hanging around the grounds.

The grounds were fun, but of course, the highlight of the stop was the trek through the caves themselves. We took the "Crystal Palace Tour" which covered almost 2 miles of cave passages, taking us to a depth of 155 feet below the surface.

Unlike some of the cave tours we have taken in the past, this was a really warm cave. They told us that the air temperature was about 75F, but with the humidity nearing 100%, it felt more like 85F. It was MUCH cooler outside, but it did make for a nice walk.

If we ever come this way again, we'll have to try the "Discovery Challenge Tour" which takes you off trail passageways and even includes a rappel fifty feet into a chasm dubbed "the Devil's Pit." That's a weekend-only tour and not available on the Wednesday afternoon we came through. But it definitely sounds like fun!

After this sweet little stop, we pushed hard to make it to Alpine, TX where we made home base for our adventures over the rest of our trip (more on that in the next post).

Merry Christmas!

I'm actually posting this on the way far side of Dec 25, 2013 (it's now 2014, but I'll be back dating this post). I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to work on this. Perhaps it's because our holiday this year was so nice and peaceful that even taking the time to write a blog post seemed like an intrusion on our family time. Whatever the reason, here is a brief review of our 2013 holiday ...

Instead of one big family gathering, our celebrations were a bit more spread out this year.

We launched our family festivities with the Christmas-ification of the house, both inside and out, on Thanksgiving day. And we kept adding decorations and other such signs of the holidays all the way up until the week of Christmas!

On Dec 20th as schools (both big and small) shut down, we kicked off our long winter break with a family wedding. The next day Wonder Boy tested successfully for his purple belt in judo (post coming soon). And the day after THAT we welcomed our first visitors and had a great lunch and early present exchange.

Christmas Eve found us at home, just the 3 of us. We enjoyed an early service, had a super special (though quite non-traditional) dinner, a reading by Wonder Boy, loads of Christmas movies, and the exchange of our gifts to one another. Christmas day started pretty early with more presents and was followed by another wonderful family visit for yet another great lunch and even MORE gifts.

*WHEW* That was exhausting even to type! Honestly, It was a whirl-wind of excitement and we have all enjoyed it immensely. Here are a few sights from our season of celebration:


We'd like to wrap up our holiday re-cap by wishing each and every one of you a happy and healthy 2014!

Project Unplugged

As the grade school calendar winds down to a close each spring, summer knocking on the door, kids everywhere start to dream of summer vacation.

Wonder Boy is no different. For him, it means a little bit of extra sleep in the mornings, day camp trips to area pools, and (maybe most importantly) no homework!

For Wonder Dad and I though, it means the "busy season" is upon us.

But totally out of character, we actually planned a week of vacation to kick start Wonder Boy's summer! We ventured out and about to the greater Dallas area and took advantage of some of their tourist attractions.


And while we enjoyed each of these activities, the absolute BEST PART (for me, anyway) was spending the time totally unplugged. Phones turned off. Available wi-fi ignored. I mean, I read a book (an e-book, but still a BOOK)! And finished it! And then I even started another one!

But most of all, we had fun together. We laughed. We lounged. And we made some memories.

What could be better? Except to plan our next family excursion!

Summer Break

Despite our best intentions, we've fallen a little behind in the upkeep of this little blog. It's the 2nd thing to go by the way side when life shifts to high gear (the first being housework, of course). But slowly things are returning to some kind of normal, so we thought it was time to get back into the blog groove.

One event that took us away from our computer was the first full-family, out-of-town, longer-than-a-day vacation we've had in many years! And really, is there ever a better reason for neglecting home and computer than FAMILY FUN TIME?! Not likely.

We weighed our options on all the wonderful things to do for our vacation and decided that a trip to San Antonio would be the way to go this summer. We love San Antonio. There are so many things to see and do. The people are friendly. The food is fabulous. And we have a plethora of friends and family to share in the good times with us when we visit there.

SO ... after much juggling of work, camp, and various other schedules, we set out on a Sunday morning for SA. Our first stop on the trip was in New Braunfels at the Exotic Animal World and Snake Farm made famous by its appearance on the hit TV show Dirty Jobs. Wonder Boy has been itching to see the place since he saw the episode taped there. The heat was pretty rough on us, but we did see all manner of odd creatures.



It was a good way to break up the trip (as the drive to SA takes at least 3 hours). And after leaving there, it was only a short jaunt to meet up with our dear friends, the F-family.

They joined us for the next several days on our little adventures and made each of them more special by doing so.

Our next such adventure was to Natural Bridge Caverns. We got the opportunity to go on two different tours and spent an enjoyable snack (in the a/c!) in between soaking up the lovely scenery. The sights were amazing and we managed to get in quite a bit of walking (so no need to find a gym).



You would think after all those hours going down to the bottom and back up to the top of those caverns we would have had enough for one day, but that was not the case. We decided to top off the experience with a stop at Guadalupe State Park. We enjoyed a late lunch under some nice shade and then let the kids hit the river.



It was a great day! Capped off by another awesome meal and plenty of quality time with our friends.

But at this point the fun was only just beginning! Our next day was spent in kiddo heaven (aka FIESTA TEXAS)! We rode basically every ride that the kids were tall enough to ride! We got to the park just as it was opening and with only a short break for lunch at a nearby establishment, stayed at the park until just before they shut everything down for the day. I don't know how the kids kept going in this heat, but they did just that - ALL day long!



How do you top a day like that? Well ... unless your next stop is Disney World, I'm not sure you can. But to be honest, after that kind of a day, a bit slower pace was just what the doctor ordered (at least for the adults). So we decided to try out the Ripley's Believe It Or Not attractions just across the street from the Alamo.

We started off with a tour through the Odditorium. Next we found ourselves in the Wax Museum. And finally we capped it off with their 4D movie experience. The Odditorium was just plain ... well ... odd! So many strange things to see. I think the highlight for the adults was standing on the back side of the disguised 2-way mirror watching the kids make faces while trying to roll their tongues. For the kids, I'm certain the highlight was the spinning room. It left us 'big kids' ready to call it a day, but the real kiddos loved every second of it. The Wax Museum was fun. It's always a treat to imagine yourself on the set of your favorite movie or even as President of the United States. But I am confident I can say without exception that we ALL enjoyed the 4D movie experience! There were 2 movies - a skate race and a snow ride. And the snow ride was just plain FUN! They even shot artificial snow all over us. What more could we ask for on a hot summer's day?!



It really was a nice way to spend our final day in San Antonio. We wrapped up our time downtown with a few pictures outside of the Alamo court yard. We'll have to actually do the tour there next time we're in town.

Thank you so much F-family! Our home away from home in SA is everything we could ask for and more. And our vacation was certainly one to remember for a lifetime!