Vacation Bible School

This has been a crazily busy, fun, exhausting week that can be summed up in three words:

Vacation. Bible. School.

I did recreation again this year and was super excited when my girl decided to join me. We've had a blast playing games with 120+ kiddos, y'all, and they have also given us a run for their money. Which is what they're supposed to do, right? :-)

From ring around the crew leader to pool noodle jousting...

...and lion tag...

...to fallen knights and duck, duck goose...

...it's been a FULL week. That I wouldn't trade for the world.

Also wouldn't trade our pastor for anything either. Because who doesn't love a man who keeps it real, fist bumps with 4/5 year olds and isn't afraid to lose at duck, duck, goose?

And here's to a relaxing, full, fun weekend ahead. :-)

Summer Days

Summer days are upon us. And that means I end up taking a lot of field trips across campus. It may seem like you would save those for cooler days but, let's be honest, not having as many students on campus makes parking much easier.

This week I headed to the BRIC...

...and the Ferrell Center. Both amazing in their own right.

Summer days also mean some of my sorority sisters find themselves on campus as well. And I love that they're so sweet to stop by anyway. My sweet Heather came by last week. Looooove her!!!

Summer days also mean weekends are either incredibly full or pretty lazy. We had a crazy busy weekend at Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor the weekend prior so the last one was much more low-key. That means I spent time doing exciting things like grocery shopping and cleaning. :-)

But I also found some super cute patriotic flowers so I freshened up my Fourth of July wreath...

...and did an inordinate amount of baking.

Because sometimes you just need a lazy weekend at home.

Father's Day

Because it was Tonto's regularly scheduled weekend to work, we celebrated Father's Day a little early. We met my parents at Buzzard Billy's on Friday evening because who can turn down Cajun food? 

Not. This. Girl.

Though this man may not be my biological father, he's the one who raised me (for the most part). The one who taught me to drive a stick. The one who put my heart back together when it was broken and who defended me at all costs. At all times.

And the one my girl calls Boppy. The one who has turned his life upside down for her from the moment she was born.

For these things - and so many more - I will forever be grateful.

I'm also incredibly grateful my girl has had Dave since she was 18 months old. Because he's done the exact same for her. Scrolling through Instagram and finding this post from her on Sunday pretty much stopped me in my tracks. In one of the best ways possible.

Our lives aren't perfect. But I do believe there's a special place for men who take in and love children who aren't biologically theirs like there's no tomorrow. Without reservation.

And I'm thankful both the girl and I have one of those in our life.

Visiting Our Bruiser Boy

Because we had to pick up the puppies from my parents' house once we got back in town from our trip, we decided to make the trip a little longer and visit our long lost boy - Bruiser!

Though he was confused, he did recognize his name and is still as precious as ever. Even if he is a giant now compared to when we last saw him. Of course, that probably has to do with his continued love for food.

His new dad, Stan, is absolutely precious and loves all of these goats with everything he's got. In fact, he's currently bottle feeding a triplet whose mom rejected it. Heart as big as Texas.

But the thing is that he's not handled on a daily basis like he used to be so he's a bit skittish these days. Nothing a little food couldn't overcome, though.

It was so good to see this little fella. But what I wasn't prepared for was just how much I wanted to load him up in the back of my car and take him home with me. It. Was. Rough.

And can I just tell you how many pictures I have of him doing this exact same thing?

The good news is that he's happy as a lark. And has a phenomenal home where he can play with other goats and roam. The only two things he's ever wanted to do.

And that's really all I've ever wanted. For him to be happy.

Yes, my girl was there and she was really excited about going. And happy to see him. But, in true Taylor fashion, she just wanted to observe and not get too close.

In retrospect, that may have been a really smart move. :-)

All in all, it was so good to see him. And to know he's happy. Of course, you can bet your bottom dollar that this will not be the last time we visit the boy...

Hurricane Harbor

Continuing in our adventures last week, we hit Hurricane Harbor bright and early to avoid the crowds since the weather was supposed to be perfect for a day at the waterpark. These two beauties were READY.

And I'm actually a self-admited adrenaline junkie so their enthusiasm was not lost on me.

The lines were really short when we got there so, after we secured some lounge chairs for later in the day, we hit slide after slide after slide. And, y'all, it was so uncharacteristically cool for Texas in June that the water was COLD.

After the first round of thrill rides, including a straight vertical drop that I had to coax the girls into conquering, we hit the wave pool for a snack and a rest.

Because these girls can't hang with the old folks. :-)

And then it was time to conquer the other side of the park. Which was equally as awesome even if the lines were a bit longer since it was now later in the day.

And then they were in need of another snack (hello, teenagers!) but this time of the sweet variety. Taylor picked a Dippin' Dots root beer float...

...while the rest of us indulged in a Funnel Cake Sundae. And, y'all, it was phenomenal. And will be added to the tailgating menu this fall. No. Doubt.

Once we made a third trip to the rides, we deemed ourselves full spent. And made plans to hit the movies again - this time it was The Internship. Which was so funny. Loved it.

And, of course, it was time to feed the kiddos again. So we hit up a late night Pizza Hut. Which was eaten hastily in the hotel before we all passed straight out so we could head home early on Saturday before making another trip - this time to visit a long lost family member. :-)

Six Flags and Such

Last Thursday morning, we hit the road relatively early (for summer anyway) for Six Flags. And, because it's road trip tradition, we stopped at Whataburger on the way.

We arrived shortly after the park opened and were delighted that there were very few people there, to be really honest. We went during Spring Break last year and ended up buying a Flash Pass in order to conquer the park in one day. It's a fantastic option but it's kind of pricey so I only pull it out when necessary.

And this time - thankfully - it wasn't.

We went straight to the Texas Giant, which we weren't able to ride last time, and were able to ride almost immediately. Next up was the Titan, which is honestly one of the best roller coasters ever.

After a jaunt across the park, in which we decided water rides should be put off until later in the day, we decided to hit Superman next. I looooove this ride. And Theresa is an adrenaline junkie like I am. Taylor, on the other hand, always has some anxiety BUT comes through in the end and rides everything like a champ.

Mr. Freeze had been closed the last time we were at the park but we were able to ride it this time. It was fun but the whole backwards thing made the girls a bit skeptical.

And somewhat queasy, truth be told.

Right after getting off Mr. Freeze, we snapped this pic and I am so grateful we did because next up was Batman. And you know what I did not realize until we were actually ON the ride? It. Was. Raining.

But not heavily. So we headed over to the newest ride - the Sky Screamer. Of which I was actually somewhat afraid. Until it started raining. And, by "raining," i actually mean POURING.

Imagine my delight when we were absolutely drenched and it was FREEZING at the top of the ride because, oh my word, the WIND.

Photo cred on all Sky Screamer pics: Theresa :-)

Funny thing was it wasn't fast or scary. AT ALL. But we did look like drowned rats so we did what any drowned rats would do - grabbed a snack of onion rings, hit the Judge Roy Scream and then decided to hit the water rides after riding some really spin-ny ride that T insisted upon.

And once we were sufficiently soaked again, we had conquered the entire park. In less than five hours. And EVERYONE was ready for a shower so we headed to the hotel. The girls went swimming for a bit (thank you, Embassy Suites, for atriums and indoor pools so I don't have to worry about them getting into trouble) and then we headed to Studio Movie Grill where we saw Now You See Me.

Which. Was. Awesome.

And the concept of being served dinner while watching a movie pretty much blew the girls' minds. Which I loved, y'all, because it's pretty darn hard to blow their minds these days.

Once it was over, we headed home and the girls hung out in the hot tub before everyone crashed. We had another big day ahead - Hurricane Harbor. :-)

And 7th Grade Comes to a Close

Seventh grade was both the longest and shortest school year we've experienced thus far. On one hand, we ran from one activity to another and the days became a serious blur. On the other, it was a big transition. And a rough one. For all involved.

So when Midway Mania - aka field day on steroids - came around, the girl was definitely ready to have some fun in the sun with her friends. 

And, yes, I understand it does not look that way from the pics but trust me...fun was had by all.

At that point, we began counting down the days until the last day of school. But, of course, we had to study and take finals first. Because after spending two solid weeks doing nothing but having fun and watching movies at school, the kids should immediately fall back into full on study mode, right?

Clearly I have some thoughts about this particular subject. :-)

This beautiful girl has grown in so many different ways since the first day of school when she was in her "British phase."

And on her last day of school, I celebrated with her because she fought tooth and nail to get through this year. She's such an awesome, funny, phenomenal teenager. For which I can take very little credit but am soooooo grateful for.

After running around like a mad woman trying to get a giant to do list tackled before noon, I picked up these precious girls and headed to Wing Stop where we had celebratory wings. And then I realized they were, indeed, 8th graders.

Silly 8th graders.

And also pretty amazing ones.

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready to head out of town for a few days so we could start the summer right with Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Good times ahead, y'all!