Birthday and a Trip

I come to you now as a 36 year-old

You probably could immediately sense the 

extra wisdom 

I've acquired being another year older.

My birthday this year was OUTSTANDING to say the least.

It lasted about 10 days.

(Wait, so did I get a year older with everyday I celebrated?)

Worth it.

Richard had a work meeting in Houston on Nov 4th.

We decided it was a while since we visited my family in Texas,

so we made a trip out of it.

I narcissistically proclaimed the entire trip in honor of my birthday.

(and I just coined a new word)

Back in my home town.

Main street Italy, Texas

(or what's left of it)

Back in my Dad's round dome home!

He and my step-mom Nan were fantastic hosts!

They had a permanent hot chocolate bar set up,

a bookcase full of spring water bottles,

the friendliest dog in Texas,

backyard fire-pit hot-dogs and marshmallow roasts,

and the family favorite Kubota

that apparently can be driven immediately adjacent to the highway 

with no legal repercussions whatsoever! 

That's the adventurous life of Grandpa Gary.  

The night of fire!

There is a large dome in his office complex that they have transformed into a theater!

Perfect use for a dome I say!

(Also, why did the kids get all the comfy chairs?)

This is a giant building that helps them make tarp material skin for the domes.

They inflate the tarp and then solidify it 

with insulation, rebar and sprayable concrete called Shotcrete.

When your dad sells them for a living, you pick up a thing or two.

This is what is looks like on the outside!

They named him Bruco.

That's the Italian word for caterpillar

(because it's in Italy, Texas)

Honestly, do I have to explain everything to you?

Anyway

enough talk of domes

Let's EAT!

When you can have this for breakfast, 

you know you're waking up in the right place.

And when you are having Whataburger for lunch,

you are STILL in the right place!

This is in Houston.

BEST CHEESEBURGERS EVER!

(is anyone else a little scared of Mitchell right now?)

Houston was very exciting!

We spent our time touring GIANT malls...

And scaling smaller ones...

(we've decided an exact miniature replica of the mall you are in as a play area is brilliant)

We headed over to the Houston Zoo.

( I know I said Richard was here for work... believe me... he really was)

As we were coming in,

we saw others trying to get OUT!

CHARGE!

"What do you guys mean there's no glass here?"

jk

were you scared?

Daddy will save me!

No Harry Potter funny business here.

HEY!

We have the EXACT same water fountain in Idaho Falls!

(Our water tastes better)

Crazy Scary African Masks (especially that one on the far right *shudder*)

Mitchell wants to live in a dome too!

Best picture of the day.

New phone wallpaper.

I'm thinking of getting a pair of these for all the kids,

so "I didn't hear you!" no longer becomes an excuse they can use.

(Also, Parker, what are you doing?)

I think he imagined them to be wings instead.

Back up from Houston, straight through WACO

we had to pay homage to Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Yes sir, we are in Fixer Upper territory.

I easily blew all my birthday money at Magnolia Market.

(And got shockingly little) 

haha. 

Still worth it!

Next stop was picking up my Dad and heading to

GREAT WOLF LODGE in GRAPEVINE, TEXAS!

I got special birthday ears!

We also met up with our favorite cousins:

LAURA AND CONNEL PETTERSON!

Each kid matches up with somebody.

Liam & Britta

Mitchell & Ethan

Hannah & Colette

CORA & Grandpa GARY

Cora walked hand in finger with Grandpa Gary all day.

(And the picture on the right give me a clue to how my left shoe got filled with water!)

step, squish, step, squish, step, squish.... the rest of the day

Occasionally she let him hang out with me too!

MAGI QUEST!

   

COUSIN InstaGram!

Love them all!

Even Cora peeking from the bottom.

(Where's Matthew?)

We asked that a lot during our stay.

He's very good at quietly sneaking away.

Nothing like a hotel with bunkbeds!

I love the things they tell the kids to do with the bear heart at Build-A-Bear.

It's so special!

And if you make it a dragon, it's still cool to sleep with it in the 5th grade!

My girl Violet from the Great Wolf Lodge.

She gave me a birthday hug!

(And she really truly smelt like violets. no kidding!)

Speaking of Smells...

They were building a REAL gingerbread house in the lobby of the Great Wolf Lodge.

I don't mean to overemphasize but

the house was made with REAL gingerbread and REAL icing!

It smelt yuuuuuummmmmmmy!

The water park here was phenomenal.

The boys worked on their stances for picking up girls.

I told them none of Squint's stunts.

If you haven't made it to a Great Wolf Lodge yet,

GET PACKING!

It's got it all.

The night before we left,

my sweet Dad and StepMom bought me a Wonka-caliber chocolate cake!

SOOOOOO YUMMY!

I still regret only eating two pieces.

After all the fun and games,

I guess we better pack up and go home.

Remember how I said there's nothing like a hotel with bunkbeds?

Richard found a GOLD MINE of a hotel on our way home with QUEEN BUNKBEDS!

Yes, Richard and I staked a top bunk.

(since driving to Texas from Idaho is a two-day affair 

for those of us who are fond of sleeping)

Other hotel nonsense involved this little terror.

I know when someone likes a set things on fire you call them a Pyromaniac.

What do you call someone who likes soaking things with pool water?

an Aquamaniac?

A Wet Bandit?

Call her what you like...

she rarely left a towel dry anywhere in the hotel.

She dipped them in pool water...

Then brought them to me for approval.

Sorry hotels.

At least we didn't steal them.

Now we are back at home and it's actually my birthday.

I made myself a cheesecake,

because it's delicious.

Michelle (my sis-in-law) brought me balloons!

My servant lit my candles...

Michelle (my sister) brought me a sweet SCENTSY!

get one ----> HERE!

Colette made me a wonderful card with pictures of us

and even slipped in a $1!

That's the ultimate widow's mite.

Parker made me a flower, and inside the center was a Rudolph Reindeer he made with Legos.

Britta gave me more hugs and kisses than ever before,

and Mitchell's gift was that he was the only child to remember.

First moment he woke up he came straight to me to say Happy Birthday.

I was really touched by that.

It's been great reliving all the Texas fun with ya'll

(I've been trying to work that pronoun in the entire post) 

Special thank you to Laura & Grandpa Gary for sharing their pictures! 

Until next year...