While Doug was off on a three week adventure of his own, the kids and I headed to Texas for two whole weeks. Here is our top 10 favorites from the visit.

1.) Granma Mary. Granma Mary is my Dad’s mom and we don’t get to see her nearly as often as we would like. Her house is always full of love and food. We love her dearly.

2.) Cousins! We all enjoy our cousin time. I was especially grateful for all the unexpected time we had with Carter, my nephew. Carter is fluent in Nacho Libre quotes so we have a special bond.

Not pictured (how is that possible!): my sweet nieces, Cora and Maya.

3.) Baby George. George gets his own number because he’s kind of a big deal.

4.) Grandparents. We stayed with my parents but fortunately managed to see Doug’s parents too for a couple of days.

My parents and all their grandchildren.

5.) NASA! Granma Mary lives in Houston, so we finally made it out to the Johnson Space Center.

Lucy was chosen to participate in the MythBusters show. NASA was a blast!

6.) Old Friends. The Farmers were in our newlywed Sunday school class and small group in Oklahoma but now live in the Houston area. Although the visit was brief, we were all grateful for their company as we toured NASA.

A robotic shark from an episode of MythBusters.

In San Antonio, Kayla found us on the Riverwalk. We miss her and our other college kids so much!

7.) The Alamo. I finally walked INSIDE the Alamo instead of just taking a picture in front of it. Jack was especially interested in the historical significance of the mission. He’s still asking me questions about it.

8.) The Creek House. The middle of nowhere in Texas makes for a perfect Summer day.

9.) BLUE BELL ICE CREAM. Ya’ll knew this one was coming. I made sure to stock up when I arrived, but my supply was pretty low by the time we left.

10.) The General Awesomeness. Texas means family, friends, fun, and food. Thank you, H-E-B, Taco Cabana, and any establishment that serves real enchiladas and tortillas. Thank you. And no one thought it was weird when I said, “ya’ll” or “soda.” You don’t always know what you have ’til it’s gone.

This sign was posted at Gramzy and Papa’s neighborhood pool. Shouldn’t that sign read, “Pool Closed?”

Tammy, Jonathan, and George took me on a day trip to Waco to visit the Magnolia Silos! I heard there is a college there too or something.

Uncle Jonathan shot some pictures of the family.

Farewell, Texas. We’ll be back soon.