Stop #4 - Edgewood/Forney

Edgewood is a little town east of Dallas on highway 80 where Barrett's great-grandparents live. We were really excited to see them and stay at the farm for a few days! We also visited another little town called Forney, where Jerry and Grandad work and where Aunt Julie and Uncle Tom live.

Playing at great-grandma's house

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best...

so I will just post them all!! :)

Hanging out with great-grandma and great-grandpa

He got SO excited when Jerry's dog Abby showed up. He just giggled and laughed and wanted to grab her ears and fur. I think he was really missing his puppy dogs by this point!

Watching birds on the lake

Barrett and Jerry

Hanging out with Jerry at work

Jerry was brave enough to volunteer to watch him while I went out and had a pedicure and manicure. It was a nice break for me, but Barrett certainly gave all the office ladies a challenge! Fussy, tired boys really miss their mommies sometimes... :-(

We went over to visit Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie while we were in town. Uncle Tom had just had a big surgery, so he wasn't in the mood for pictures. Barrett was happy to see him, though!

After a few days in small town east Texas, we headed north to Wylie!

Stop #3 - Fort Worth

I loved living in Fort Worth, and I enjoy the chances I have had to go back and visit. I especially enjoy going back to visit the TCU campus - they have been making a lot of improvements over the years since I have been there! A couple of my friends still live in town and are always excited to have us over to visit. We stayed at Sperry's house for the night we were in Fort Worth. We had a great dinner at Uncle Julio's restaurant with Sperry and my other friend, Jen Howell. It was fun to catch up with both of them!

Barrett with Sperry, wrapped in the quilt that she made for him

The next morning, we headed to the Fort Worth Zoo with two of my other college friends: Emily and her son Ryan and Mara and her daughter Riley

Barrett saying hello to the snake

(This feels almost like a scene out of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone...)

Enjoying lunch with the crocodiles 

The stroller brigade hanging out in front of the antelope

Mommy's favorite - the otters!! They are soooo cute!!

And the monkeys and apes, of course :)

Barrett was exhausted after the zoo and very ready to take his nap. He fell asleep instantly when I put him in the car, but I couldn't leave Fort Worth without a quick visit to the TCU campus. I had several pictures in mind, but Barrett was NOT happy about waking up from his nap, so I am lucky to have this one picture in front of Frog Fountain:

The poor boy was so tired, but he sat there and let me take pictures of him. No amount of noises or excitement from mommy would make him look at the camera or smile, though. :)

So, we got back in the car, and that tired baby finally got his nap as we headed to our next stop: Edgewood!

Stop #2 - Austin (Part 2)

Austin, continued...

My fortune cookie on St. Paddy's day weekend - very appropriate!!

On Sunday morning, we went to the Central Market in Austin for lunch with our cousin Richard. The cafe had a huge outdoor patio, playground, and walking trail around a fountain and a lake - it was amazing!! We had a great lunch and morning there!

It was hard work to feed himself his lunch, so Aunt Katie helped him out with his bottle. Lazy boy!!

Barrett and cousin Richard

We enjoyed pointing out all the turtles and fish in the lake 

and pretending that Barrett was looking at them too. :-)

After lunch, we headed downtown for a few photo ops. I ran in my first 10K in Austin on a course that went around the Capitol building, so I was excited to take Barrett there too! 

(Not to mention the fact that it's also the capitol city of Texas...)

My little boy in Austin, Texas

(This picture turned out exactly the way I hoped it would! LOVE it!!)

The next morning, my "designated wingman" and I headed up to north Austin

Canyon Ridge Middle School is where I spent my first four years of teaching. I moved to Austin straight out of college and didn't know anyone there except the people I worked with. This school helped to shape my teaching career, as well as my coaching career, and my life in general. I taught 7th and 8th grade math; I coached volleyball, soccer, and track. I qualified for a CDL driver's license and drove a big yellow school bus for the athletic teams. After my brother passed away, the staff and students were my support and motivation. Later on, they listened to my endless stories about Travis, the amazing guy I had met from Del Rio. Travis then proposed in my 8th grade classroom in front of those same students and staff. Needless to say, this place is pretty special to me and will always be a fun place to remember!

Susan Sullivan, my first boss and principal

I made quite an impression on the first day of work by crashing into the metal gate outside of the school and completely shattering my windshield. (I was so nervous about starting work!!) I was just going to worry about it later, but heavy rain was, of course, predicted for that day. Susan, along with some of the other assistant principals, not only came out the parking lot to cover my car with a tarp, but also located a repair shop and helped me get there later that afternoon. Such a wonderful group of people!

Carie Kinder, the 7th grade department leader who was an amazing friend and coworker

Brenda Edwards, my coaching mentor

April Chauvette, my teaching mentor

I would not have survived my first year of teaching without her!!

Carla Kind, one of the best listeners I have ever met! She let me sit in her office for hours and ramble on and on (...and on!) about Travis and was always excited to hear stories about him! She also had lots of great insight into military life, and I had the privilege of teaching her son, Trey. I still miss her dearly!

The Millers - our host family for the night

Kristina was another math teacher at the school who came a few years after I did. She was a new teacher too, and it was so fun to work with her! We really hit it off and taught together in 7th grade for a year. She is now teaching 8th grade math and is thinking about a high school job. Her daughter Naomi is an absolute joy to be around, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to catch up with her! I love this dear, sweet family so much!

Our final stop in Austin was to visit with two other math teachers who are now stay-at-home moms to some of the cutest kids ever. Kristen Anderson (on the left) taught 6th grade. Her daughter Kenzie (pink bow) is four, and her son Dawson (who had to stay at home sick) is two. Kristen Gohean (on the right) also taught 7th grade, and her daughter Meg (on the right) is two. Annie, her four year old, was at school that morning. We keep in touch through our blogs, but it was fun to catch up with them in person!!

It was very hard to drive away from Austin that day. I love and am grateful for the wonderful life that Travis and I are building together, but my time in Austin and the memories I have there will always have a special place in my heart.

Next stop: Fort Worth!

Stop #2 - Austin (Part 1)

Our next stop was Austin, the city where I lived for four years after college. We had lots of places to see and people to visit, so we stayed in town for five days!

We stopped at Sarah's house first to hang out and have some lunch. We went out to a fabulous place by the UT campus where I had the BEST pad tai EVER. It was SO good, it deserved to be in a picture. :-)

For the rest of the weekend, we stayed at my friend Kate's apartment in south Austin. Here's Barrett having his breakfast on the patio by her awesome cacti collection.

Kate's shower curtain was a huge map of Texas, 

so it was only appropriate that Barrett take a picture in front of it!!

For St. Paddy's day, we spent most of the day waiting for Barrett to wake up from an epic four hour nap. Once he finally woke up, we headed up to north Austin to Emma Long Park. It's a beautiful place, right by park of Lake/River Travis, and it was the perfect day for a picnic!

Aunt Katie came with us and enjoyed helping Barrett eat his delicious lunch of sweet potatoes and carrots. He was orange for the rest of the day! :-)

At the park with my baby!

My friend and coworker in Austin, Jennifer Niestradt, also came out to join us with her son. Gabriel is 18 months, but he and Barrett still "played" pretty nicely together.

It's me first St. Paddy's day!!

Sarah, Aunt Katie, and Kate: our hostesses for the weekend!

Posing with Aunt Katie

Niestradt was one of my best friends in Austin, and it was really good to see her again. We coached volleyball against each other in our school district and coached together with our club teams. You might recognize her as one of the members of my wedding! She is still teaching math and coaching volleyball in Austin, as well as raising her cute little boy.

The next place we stopped by on the way home has some very special significance for me. It's a random empty lot in the middle of a neighborhood with a set of stairs leading up to a balcony that overlooks the hill country and downtown Austin. It is absolutely beautiful, and at night, the view is amazing. I found it randomly one weekend while I was looking for a place to see the stars.

This place has a special significance to me because it is the place where Travis first told me that he loved me. :-) I was so delighted that the lot was still empty and I could take Barrett there to see it!!

Looking over the view of downtown Austin and the hill country

After the park, we headed home for some green beverages! (We also stopped at McDonald's for one of their green milkshakes, but it was less than impressive...)

Barrett changed into his second St. Paddy's day outfit for dinner.

Kiss me, I'm Irish!!

For the first time ever, I ate corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy's day. Kate is a great cook!

At this point, Barrett is still very eager about eating and feeding himself, and he makes HUGE messes! Kate's kitchen floor, cabinets, and walls were covered in food after breakfast on this morning...