ABQ 2014

Our first stop in New Mexico was Albuquerque. And our second stop in Albuquerque was to grab a bite to eat! We sat down at a magnetic little restaurant with a bright blue fence and enjoyed our first New Mexican meal (it's a thing, New Mexican is made differently than the TexMex that we are used to)!

After our meal we walked around a bit, and quickly realized that we were in the University district!

So, we wandered the campus of the University of New Mexico! This is where it all started, the beginning of our national University tour with the children. However, we did not actually pick up our gear until the next day when we realized that we had failed to anticipate how cold the morning/night in the desert can be. This was the birth of our Collegiate gear collection, as well as the source of those oh so  recognizable red hoodies they bounce around the states in!

Lobos!

Before leaving Albuquerque and making our way towards Santa Fe, we stopped off to hike the Mesa Point Trail in the Boca Negra Canyon. The trail had over 200 petroglyphs! Amazingly, we happened to be hiking the trail along with a couple of historians who were eager to explain what each petroglyph meant as we discovered them!

Now, off to see what we can discover on the way to Santa Fe!!

Chronicles of the 48 Louisiana

One winter/spring Keith worked in St. Francisville Louisiana for 5 months. On Valentine's weekend, I decided to pack up all four of our birds and head for the swamp! We left Houston at 3pm and arrived in St. Francisville at a few minutes to midnight. Here is our adventure summed up in one blog post. 

 

This is the face a mama that sat in 9 hours of traffic on what was supposed to be a 5 hour trip with 4 kiddos to visit a husband she hadn't seen in 2 months.

We loved our Louisiana travels! Every morning we woke up, went downstairs for breakfast and then ventured the area until Keith met up with us midday for further adventures. We visited old plantation houses and running farms. 

We witnessed reenactments.

 

A carpenter demonstrated tool use and shingle production!

Some families collect pencils, some collect snow globes, or spoons. Our family collects Collegiate gear. When we travel we try to explore at least one campus which then earns us a souvenir. 

Mike the Tiger! One of the few University mascots still living on campus!

The Indian Mounds were not only a blast to run up and roll down, they were Cash's favorite rumination spot. He plopped down on top of the mound and contemplated for the next 20 minutes. 

Cohn Arboretum-the children encountered bearded dragons, snakes, fish, a plethora of turtles, and of course, what Louisiana trip would be complete without seeing a gator!

Possibly my favorite part of this trip was the caboose we happened upon!

If you haven't been to the Texas welcome center on the border of Louisiana, I highly recommend it! This decked trail went on fair distance, offering peaceful views and the opportunity to see an assortment of wildlife, it turned out to be a fantastic final stop before home.

Let's get home!

5 down,43 to go!

Rush-hour madness-I beg of you

On occasion I make it home after work literally thanking Houston "Great job guys, we all worked together today and made it home with time to spare!" Yes, I actually say these words out loud, this is how thankful I can be for a fantastic drive home.

Now that summer is over, vacation time is accruing, teachers are teaching, children are drudging up hill in three miles of snow to their schools just for the hope for recess....traffic is awful! Everyone is back at work, lives are more hectic than our lazy summer days of less obligation, less stress and less traffic; yet, the heat still remains and we sit in miserable commuter congestion, baking in our cars like a line of cookies on a cookie sheet. Some days, I fear rush-hour will swallow me up into the same black hole that the dryer throws all the single socks into...and I might never make it home. 

I can't help but remain hopeful with each new day that today I can thank all of Houston for a job well done. Please Houstonians, let's work together and get home today :)

First Day Jitters

Ms. Jones pose :)

First day of 1st grade!! She was both elated and terrified. Luckily she had her favorite color playdoh waiting to ease her nerves. One more year for Mr. Cash!

Chronicles of the 48 Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota

As a family, we decided to visit the 48 Continental United States together. We began this journey in Texas on to ....Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota

Have you stumbled on pinterest chore charts for young children? You know the ones that recommend that an 8 year old should be mowing the lawn? I'm not so comfortable with the lawn mowing part; however, I fully believe anyone three and older should carry their own gear, in each pack one will find their clothes, shoes, snacks, toiletries, games and emergency gear (whistle, poncho, flashlight). Off we go!

 Note to self: Research regions before travel. Enlighten Children. When we parked in front of the visitor center of Iowa, we were privileged enough to see an Amish family pull up in their horse and buggy, unload and enter the center. It was neat, being from Texas we never see that sort of thing! However, we went about our merry way, climbing the cow and a tractor to snap a few pictures. Four year old Cash was antsy and ready to visit the store and I had no idea why. Finally, after much wiggling and prompting us to go in the store he pointed to the door the Amish family had walked in and said "I want to see where the trick or treaters went!" Doh! On to Minnesota.

 

After hitting the farmer's market we lounged in a lovely Park in St. Paul, MN

The ability to climb the features made this is, by far, the best Sculpture garden we have visited! Minneapolis, MN

Parentals reflecting grumpy children :) Minnehaha Falls!

We also visited the Bridges of Madison County and John Wayne's birth place. Just FYI, it is not right off of I35, prepare for an hour detour to see these guys! 

I wish I had snapped photos of the giant windmill farms and miles and miles of corn fields, maybe next time!

Although Missouri is beautiful and the Ozarks specifically are stunning, this is one of the few photos we took. Oops! The airport in Branson is reminiscent of a Bass Pro Shop, pond and all! :)

I also wish we had snapped a photo of our van prior to cleaning it. Boy was it a wreck! And, we vacuumed it out in the middle of historic flooding! We learned a few valuable travel lessons that day. #1 None of our littles enjoy power bars #2 Said power bars will end up in the strangest of places.

Four states down, 44 to go.