Shuffle Off to (New) Buffalo

New Buffalo, Michigan, that is.

As part of our "staycation series," we headed to the shores of Lake Michigan to the quaint town of New Buffalo for an afternoon.  No agenda, no timeline, and no expectations.

We discovered a fun, beachy restaurant called The Stray Dog, where we relaxed over yummy food and local beers.  We let ourselves be mesmerized by the colorful boats in the harbor, and pretended we were by the ocean.  Honestly, this town was every bit as delightful as being near the ocean for real.  Colorful, weather-beaten, small, and breezy ruled supreme, and time seemed to stand still for just a few moments.

A brief visit to a streetside ice cream shop capped off our time in New Buffalo.

The short drive home was almost as nice as our time in the little Michigan town.  Windows down, hair whipping around, old country music playing, local peaches for sale along the route. . .for a period of time, life seemed slower.  Easier.  

One of the things I've noticed about our move back to Indiana is that this is more often the case than not.   Life here DOES seem slower and more pleasant.  More about family and friends than about traffic and chaos.  More about small town pleasures like ice cream stands and fresh fruit farms than work events and pressure to keep up an intense pace.  That's NOT to say I don't miss parts of Dallas.  Our a-ma-zing neighbors, our tight little community of friends, our "Nana," my tutoring "kids," Rip's family's, good Mexican food, an abundance of great SHOPPING. . .I definitely miss those things.  But at heart, I am a small town, hometown kind of girl who loves her seasons and county fairs and her alma mater and her momma.  . I am HOME.  (Or closer than ever, at least!)

Potowatami Zoo

Yet another of my "must do" summer activities was to take the monsters boys to the zoo.  Rip took two days off last week, and on one of those rare days off, we made our first ever trip to Potowatami Zoo.

What a delightful place!  We arrived right after the zoo opened, and it honestly seemed as though we were the only ones there.  Maybe this time, procrastination did pay off, and going at the eleventh hour of the summer worked to our benefit.

Mason LOVED riding the train.  Cute, yes.  Awesome?  Um, no.  Unless you enjoy sullen, miserable, sarcastic old men as tour guides.  But whatever.

Both of the boys were excited about the IDEA of petting a snake, but not nearly as excited to actually DO it.  I was nowhere near this creepy guy.  Believe me.

My favorites at any zoo are the large cats.  So pretty and graceful, and so similar to housecats in how they move and lie.  Mom, does it look like Spice?

These are actually butterflies feeding at a nectar station. . .the other side of their wings was a glorious cobalt blue, but it was virtually impossible to catch one of those open.  I tried several times, and that blue blur in the picture below represents my best attempt.  The little boogers.

This tiger was RIGHT on the other side of the glass.  So in reality, I bet the kids were a mere eight inches from this ferocious, yet amazing beast.  His little (big?) nose was virtually pressed against the glass.

While Mason's favorite thing was the train, I think Brody was happiest about finding a "faffer" (aka "pacifier" for those of you not fluent in Brody-speak) on the ground.  It was pink, and dirty, yet he was determined to snag it for himself.  At that point in the day, we knew it was time to go home.

Our small-town zoo = great success!

Country Music & Honky Tonks

A few weekends ago, Rip and I took our own road trip adventure!  My gracious parents agreed to watch our kiddos for three days, and we were off!

First, we had a DATE NIGHT in Nashville. . .we saw the LAST EVER Brooks & Dunn concert!  Rip got lucky and had two suite tickets offerred to him through work, PLUS a delightful dinner before the concert. 

The concert was so awesome, and I was surprised at how many of the old songs I knew.  The best one?  Red Dirt Road.

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn, rented a U-Haul trailer, and hit the road for Dallas.  Just my handsome hubby, his big ol' truck, me with my stack of gossip magazines, our iPod loaded with fun sing-along music, and an empty trailer in tow.  And we had an absolute blast!  We talked, sang, and laughed for the whole 11 hour drive.

We were driving as fast as we could to make it in time for Christina's birthday dinner. . .and we made it!  We went straight to one of our old haunts, Papi's, for yummy food and beers. . .

And then we went to the Pickerings for cheesecake, singing, and of course, PRESENTS! 

After all our celebrating, Rip and I headed to our house two doors down for a good night of sleep.  We had to spend the whole next day loading our U-Haul full of furniture and stuff for Rip to take back to his apartment in Nashville, and toys and coats and Christmas stuff for me to take back to Indiana for the kiddos.  NOT the most fun part of our trip!  However, we completed the task in record time, and managed to squeeze in an hour of swimming before having to get ready for the BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY!

The birthday girl had a country music style party. . .complete with Mason Jar luminaries, a dance floor coated with sawdust, and attendees in boots!

We had a great weekend, and surprisingly, we managed to do everything we wanted to back at "home" (meaning our house in Texas!), spend some great quality time together as a couple, AND we got all of our tasks done.  A successful trip to Nashville, Dallas, back to Nashville, then Indiana.

The Hoosier State

By day nine of the Great Road Trip Adventure of 2010, we were in my home state of Indiana.  It had been two years since I'd visited, and I was SO EXCITED.  And I think it's safe to say that the kiddos were excited to get out of the car!

Once we got to my parents' house, the real fun began!  "Grammie and Grandpa" were ready to play all weekend, and we had BIG plans!  First thing on the list?  A trip to Arni's, the BEST pizza joint ever, then to my dad's high school for a Friday night football game.

Next, a relaxing day swimming and playing in the pool.  To be out of the ridiculous Texas heat and instead in "normal" heat (90 instead of 105) was a great change!  I'm proud to report that Mason finally learned to swim by himself over the weekend, which was awesome!  Go, Mason!

Of course, we couldn't imagine leaving Indiana without a stop by the Frozen Custard for a fruit drink.  I'm sure that place also has delicious custard, but I can never bring myself to order anything other than a good ole' fruit drink.  Yum!  While we drank the refreshing delights, we walked around the little zoo at Columbian Park, which was free, clean, and a great way to end our day!  Although Brody Boo wasn't too thrilled about the petting zoo. . .

The last thing we HAD to do before leaving Indiana was go to Barb and Eric's.  They have been family friends for 25 years, and Barb has always been a special person to me. . .kind of like a bonus mom.  They live on a farm, so there's a ton of fun stuff for the kiddos to do there.  Eric took us all for a ride on the Ranger, and Barb made her "famous" Cowboy Cookies.  MMMMMMMmmmm.  My favorite for the last 25 years. 



At the end of our first four days in Indiana, we started thinking about leaving on our return trip.  Ugh.  We were almost two weeks into our big road trip adventure, and the next leg of the trip was all about getting back to Texas.  Via Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and then home to Dallas.  I hated the idea, and kind of dreaded returning to an empty "husband-less" home, but Mason needed to start Kindergarten, so we had to get on the road soon.  



According to the State of Tennessee. . .

According to the slogan of the State of Tennessee, the state represents "America at its Finest."  I think you'd be hard-pressed to argue with that.  We arrived here on the second day of our big road trip adventure, and here's what "they" had that we liked. . .

For one, "they have" Daddy.  AKA Mr. Rip Ray, husband and father extraordinaire.  He had been living in a corporate apartment since June while we were back in Texas. The kiddos were missing him so much by the time we arrived in Nashville, they were literally hanging over the balcony rail, waiting for him to come home from work.

"They" also have the Tennessee Titans!  And because Rip's Aunt Sharon is Jeff Fisher's assistant, the boys got to go to training camp and play around with the players and their kids on the practice field.  Fun stuff!

Because there were four of us in a little corporate apartment designed for just one person, we had to get out and about fairly often to keep ourselves sane.  So here's what else we got into during our week in Nashville:

Krispy Kreme!

family pizza night

the Williamson County Fair

the petting zoo

At the end of our week in Nashville, we were a little sad to leave Rip, but we had a plan:  one week in Indiana visiting my parents, a few days in St. Louis to see our friends The Whites, then BACK to Nashville for a long weekend before heading back to Texas in time for Mason to start Kindergarten.  Oh, how I love a good plan!









The Great Road Trip Adventure of 2010

Wow, it sure has been a long time since I've posted, but life has been CA-RAAAAAY-ZEEEEE for the last few months.  A quick summary of what's been going on:

1.  we were on vacation for 10 days

2. while we were gone, Rip got a job after being unemployed for 7 months

3. a week after returning from vacation, our house was on the market and Rip moved to TN

4. I stopped tutoring and turned my beloved business over to someone else

5. it was like 106 DAILY and I was alone with the kids in TX trying to keep the house clean for showings. OH, AND BY THE WAY, I was losing my mind in the process.

Seriously. No husband around, no adult company, no job, no childcare, no ability to take the kiddos outside because of the heat. Not a lot of fun. So I hatched a plan. . .

THE GREAT ROAD TRIP ADVENTURE OF 2010!!!!!

Since we had nothing else to do, I planned a month long road trip.  People, you have to be a little messed-up-in-the-head (if you know what I mean) to take two small children on a cross-country road trip by yourself.  But I've always been a bit wacko, so it seemed like a great idea. . .and in all honesty, it was a blast.  It was planned meticulously, so that we'd have well-timed and pre-selected places to stop, eat, use the facilities, etc.  Here's what we did on the first few days:
 

  had a picnic lunch at a lovely park in Texarkana, TX,

arrived in Little Rock, AR in time to see the famed March of the Ducks,

trashed hung out in our room at the Peabody Hotel

 stopped by our old house in Little Rock, and even managed to WALK THROUGH the house!

 

 get BACK to the Peabody in time to see the ducks one more time

and stop at the Casey Jones Railway Museum in Jackson, TN for an afternoon

I was so happy we had embarked on the insanity of the trip. . .the time I was spending with my little boys was so priceless.  Up next?  Nashville, Tennessee!