This spring we found out that my niece Kaiya was accepted to do a summer internship/intensive with the Houston Ballet. My mom and my sister-in-law Meki thought that it would be fun to have Ailey and I join them on a big girls trip to Texas. It did sound fun except for one thing...we would be driving. I was NOT excited about that aspect but I knew that it would be a fun adventure for Ailey. So I accepted.
The timing was not great in that Ailey had to miss the last day and a half of school. She also missed choreography week for dance team and we missed Kameron's big grad party. But what can you do? Kaiya had to be there on a certain day to check in to the program so there was no rearranging the trip.
I guess it wasn't *technically* a girls trip. My 3 year old nephew Kirin ended up coming along.
It was good to see my brother and his family! I was happy to see my nephew Kaiden and even saw my ex-sister-in-law Jayme. Meki's oldest son Tarren was there and he had gotten us a huge box of assorted cookies from one of those cookie stores that Utah has...wish we had one here! Ailey and I have seen them all over Instagram... you can order hot delicious cookies delivered to your doorstep. In what kind of world does this happen?! They were delicious and that was so sweet of Tarren. Kirk got us all loaded up and then we were ready for leg two of the the journey... a 24 hour drive straight through to Texas.
My nephews Kirin, Tarren, and Kaiden
Kaiya and Ailey all ready for their Texas adventure to begin!
Ailey and Kaiya are the same age and they have so much fun together. They love and support one another in all that they do. They are both dancers...Kaiya is a classical ballerina and Ailey is on her high school dance team...but they both love and respect and encourage each other in their different genres. They were a lot of fun on this trip!!
One of our first stops was Arches National Park. I was super excited for Ailey to see red rock. She had never seen it before! We go to Utah a lot but never down south. I forgot how amazing it really is!!
Ailey was blown away by the arches and red rock country. I was too. It had been a long time since I was down in this part of Utah. The scenery could not be more different from where we live.
We stopped and ate in Moab. Wow! That town has sure changed since spring breaks in college! LOL. That used to be one of our favorite road trips when I was at BYU. After Moab it was onto Albuquerque and driving through the night. We divided up the driving shifts...my mom during the day, Meki about 6pm-1am, and I took the night shift. I am pretty used to driving through the night with Tyler. It was the only way to travel when our kids were little.
We saw a bunch of places that I haven't seen in many years...Monticello Utah....the four corners area...New Mexico. When I was in college I would occasionally have to drive from Houston where my family was living at the time to Provo and Provo to Houston. Sometimes I would catch a ride with my grandparents who were going to visit us or sometimes with kids from my ward in Houston who also went to BYU. It was too long of a drive and I eventually just flew each time and that made it so much easier. This road trip brought back a lot of those memories. And...made many new ones! Who could forget the great pukefest in Cuba, New Mexico. (Is is even a road trip if someone doesn't throw up?) The terrifying drunk/asleep/medical emergency semi-truck driver who was literally all over the road and side swiping other semis at about 2:30 am near Santa Rosa, NM. Seriously one of the scariest things that I have ever seen and tried to avoid while driving!!
I drove through the night and it was interesting to hit Texas and drive through sleepy little Texas towns in the dead of night. I lived on redbull, gummy worms, podcasts, and 80s music! It got us safely through the night. I switched driving with my mom at 7:30 am somewhere in Texas and about 2 hours outside of Waco. We stopped for breakfast and then continued on to our next destination...Magnolia and the Silos in Waco, TX. We are all Chip and Joanna Gaines fans!
I'm not sure what I thought Waco would be like...perhaps a bit more charming? From watching Fixer Upper I guess I just had a different idea of what it was like. I am sure that there are some charming areas and I saw a few pockets of charm here and there. But I do feel like Waco owes the Gaines some undying gratitude for bringing tourism to that Texas town.
We were all super excited to be there!
It was a hot, windy, super humid day. I don't hate humidity. I don't love it but my philosophy is to not fight it and to just embrace it. It served me well for *most* of this trip.
We did a lot more videos and instastories in Waco since we had so many people back home who wanted to see what it was like. It was actually really cool. I have had a lot people ask me if it was worth it or if it was just a tourist trap. To me...it was totally worth it and I would go back again. We were on a rather tight schedule (someone is a much slower driver than the rest of us. *ahem* My mom.) So there were some things that I didn't get to do that I would have liked to and I would totally go back to do them. We didn't get to eat at the Magnolia restaurant. The line for the Magnolia Bakery was EXTREMELY long and so we didn't have time wait in line. There are a bunch of really great food trucks and one of them sells the Magnolia cup cakes so you don't *technically* have to wait in the long lines. The Magnolia store was better than I expected. I thought it was great and that the prices were very reasonable and that REALLY surprised me. We didn't have a lot of extra space to buy any big items so we bought things like candles, bags, t-shirts, ornaments etc. The people who work there are SUPER nice and even though it was really crowded I liked the whole experience. They are going to be doing a big expansion and taking over a few more city blocks in the next year and I am excited to see what happens with that!
I loved all of the displays. They really are amazing!
We also went to the first Magnolia store on Bosque. That is their discount store. I heard about this from a friend prior to going but when you buy something at Magnolia you get a discount at the old Magnolia shop too. My friend bought a bunch of Joanna Gaines' old display pieces. It was actually worth the trip there and we bought quite a few things and they had some food trucks there as well.
While in town I wanted to stop in and see a vendor friend of mine...Theresa with Linen and Cake. She used to live in Spokane and did some of the same vintage shows that I did before she and her husband moved to Waco. She has the most darling shop in the downtown area. It was so fun to see her and to catch up.
Then it was onto Houston! I was super excited to show Ailey my old hometown. I LOVE Houston! Our first stop was the home of a dear family friend Mary Jane. She and her husband Eric hosted a fabulous dinner for us. It was an odd juxtaposition...our bedraggled car trip/driving all night selves with an elegant sit down dinner in Mary Jane's beautiful dining room but it was just what we needed!! Southern Hospitality!! Is there anything like it? It is wonderful. We were also introduced to the fabulous Mary Beth (Mary Jane's BFF who lives 5 houses down from MJ). We were instant friends!!
Mary Jane, Mom, Mary Beth
Those southern ladies are something else!! Ailey and Kaiya were in AWE!! Meki and I were too. We kept saying, "We want to be them when we grow up!!" Mary Jane and Mary Beth are the epitome of of style, sass, generosity, kindness, and character. They knew that after 24 hours of driving that what we would most need would be a fabulous fancy dinner and pampering. We perked right up and suddenly had a hidden reserve of energy to talk and laugh the night away. We never wanted to leave!! The food was fantastic!! Mary Jane's famous cranberry chicken and Texas chocolate cinnamon cake with Bluebell ice cream for dessert.
And there was THIS:
HEAVEN!!
They also sent us off with a gift basket nearly the size of Ailey! That is no joke! We had her stand next to it. It was full of quintessential Texas goodies. It was amazing! And...not one but TWO beautiful flower arrangements for our Airbnb. That is hospitality!
We had a gorgeous Airbnb in the University district in Houston. It was like a gorgeous brownstone. Ailey was fascinated by the lizards in the yard!
I wish I took more pictures of the inside! It was really pretty!
The next day Meki had to check Kaiya in with the Houston Ballet. They had orientation and had to get her dorm room all set up and had a bunch of things going on so we kept Kirin and headed out to show Ailey the city. We also had kolatches for breakfast! How I have missed those!!
We drove all over and showed Ailey the downtown and the hospital and women's center that my mom ran in the 90s. We showed her our favorite neighborhoods and places. We went to lunch at one of my favorite Tex Mex places...Chuy's. It is so good! Especially for this Spokanite who has no access to this kind of food! It was pretty spectacular!!
You guys! The Queso!! God Bless Texas!!
Later we picked up Meki and headed north the to The Woodlands. This is the area of Houston where we lived. I LOVE it! Ailey did too. It was fun to show her our old neighborhood and the houses that we lived in.
Here is a picture of our house on Pathfinders Circle.
I showed Ailey the pool where we spent every single day of summer at and all of our favorite places in The Woodlands. It was fun to show Meki where Kirk went to school and the bayous we would have to drag him out of. He was forever catching frogs and snakes and all kinds of things.
This is the TCBY that I used to work at! LOL. We had to go in. I had my heart set on some white chocolate mousse yogurt with hot caramel sauce. (We don't have TCBYs here.) They didn't have any!! That was a BIG disappointment. HUGE. We stayed in The Woodlands until late and had dinner there. I can't get over how big it is and even more cool! If we ever moved to Texas that is where I would want to live again. It kind of looks like Spokane with all of the pine trees and water. I took lots of video for my brother and sisters.
Then next morning we got up SUPER early, checked Kaiya out of her dorm (Sunday is their day off) and drove to Galveston. We had kolatches again!! When in Rome! There are no kolatches where I live and it is unfortunate! The girls were super excited to go to the beach. Meki had never been to Houston or to Galveston so it was fun to show she and Kaiya around.
I love the architecture here!
We did some shopping before we hit the beach. My mom found herself some jewelry and I found most of my gifts for my family here. Kam's request was "something patriotic" that is VERY easily done in Texas!!
Then we got on a ferry to head to Crystal Beach. Ailey and I were hoping we would get this one. Ha ha! No luck.
This was a VERY exciting ferry ride because we saw a school? A pod? of dolphins!! That has never happened before. In fact, it was my very first time seeing dolphins in the wild. Ailey and I were SO EXCITED!!
Crystal Beach was crazy crowded due to the fact that it was Father's Day. We did not think about that. It was also SUPER hot and humid and we needed to get in that water ASAP. Ailey and Kaiya were loving it! This was Ailey's first time swimming in WARM ocean water. LOL.
I forgot that in Texas you can drive on the beaches. That seemed scandalous...but convenient!
Both girls said that this was their favorite day of the trip!
That night we were starving and salty and sandy...and all of the good restaurants were packed or you needed reservations because...Father's Day. So we ended up eating at Bubba Gumps (wouldn't have been my first choice) on the Seawall. The kids loved it!
We dropped Kaiya off at her dorm late that night and came home and crashed. We were so tired!
The next day was a bit more low key. Meki had to be at some parent meetings with Kaiya. So we again kept Kirin and explored more of the city. We went to Old Town Spring, TX which used to have some fun shops when we lived there. Unfortunately on Mondays most of the shops are closed...there were several open and we did get an opportunity to do some shopping. I found a gift for Reilly and Ailey found a super cute church dress. It is still an absolutely darling place.
We were sad to see that one of our favorite restaurants had burned. We were looking forward to eating there. They had such great food especially their pies. I was glad to see that it was in the process of being rebuilt. Next time!
After that we drove over to the Galleria. That was always such a fun place to go and shop. We showed Ailey the Water Wall. It is still impressive!
The Transco Tower
Then we had to run to meet Mary Jane and Mary Beth who were taking us all out for BBQ that night.
We went to such a fun place and the food was delicious. They promised us delicious Texas BBQ and the "World's Best Pecan Pie"...I was all in! That pecan pie was amazing!! Mary Beth sends it to her friends around the country as a Christmas gift. How cool is that? I need to get on the list! Ailey loved the chocolate cinnamon shakes that they served there too. I forgot that chocolate cinnamon was a Texas thing. The BBQ was good too...BUT... this might anger some Texans...Kansas City BBQ is better. Nay...the VERY BEST!! I've lived in both places and enjoyed the BBQ in both but you just can't beat KC BBQ! You can't! My sister Jordin recently went back to Kansas City for a high school graduation and brought me some Gates BBQ sauce as my birthday gift! Tyler and I are straight up HOARDING that stuff. The kids only get Sweet Baby Rays! LOL. No sense in wasting good sauce on the unappreciative, right?
After that Ailey had money to burn and Mary Jane knew just the place for her to burn it. A Sam Moon store. Cheap but fun stuff. MJ was totally right! Ailey loved it! And...to sweeten the deal Mary Jane gave her $50 and a challenge. To buy something there for all of her siblings!
Mary Jane tried to give Ailey $100 but Ailey assured her that she could buy gifts for everyone for under $50 and she did! Mary Jane also graciously bought Ailey something. That girl was spoiled rotten and she loved it. Kaiya was busy with ballet so missed out on the Sam Moon experience but she was left in Houston under the watchful eye and loving care of Mary Jane and Mary Beth (and Eric) and I know that she will be spoiled rotten too! Mary Jane and Eric have a luxurious guest bedroom all set up for her to stay with them whenever she wants while she is in town. Lucky girl!
This was another one of Ailey's favorite days and mine too! A perfect last day in Houston. Ailey got the full Texas experience that day! BBQ, riding in a fancy Cadillac, shopping with these ladies who can run circles around anyone, introduced to the joys of the HEB grocery store, chocolate cinnamon shakes...and learning the ways of Southern womanhood from two perfect examples. They had lots of advice for Miss Ailey and she was happy to hear it and take it! She just adored them and has already written to both of them. I love it!!
We had breakfast off of the Riverwalk and then headed to the Alamo. I love the Alamo and historical sites. Those kinds of things are always top on my list of things to do when traveling.
I had an interesting experience visiting the Alamo. The first time that I went and toured the Alamo I was a sophomore in college and when I saw it I was kind of underwhelmed. I had read so much about it and it just seemed so small. This time I wasn't underwhelmed at all. It was better than I remembered it being. It was bigger and better...and ended up being one of the highlights of my trip. Isn't that strange? You would think it was because I am older and have more of an appreciation for history but I have always been that way and was well-read and a history lover even in college. It was weird. Usually things seem smaller and less grand after time passes but this place seemed even bigger and better than I remembered.
We didn't have as much time to spend in San Antonio as I would've liked. We were again on a tight schedule to get to Fredericksburg that same day. This trip was a whirlwind of running here and there and still not enough time to do a lot of things that I wanted to do. Frustrating. I look forward to another Texas trip with Tyler.
Fredericksburg, TX holds a special place in my heart and my mom's heart. It is the sight of the origin story for Sisters Creed approximately 26 years ago. One Christmas break when I was home from BYU my mom decided to take a little trip in between Christmas and New Years and go to Fredericksburg. We had heard that it was a cute little German town in the Texas hill country. We loved the area and all of the cute stores. One in particular absolutely blew our minds... a store called The Homestead that was owned by Carol Hicks Bolton. It was actually about three stores all together that were under the Homestead banner. My mom and I could not believe our eyes. The decor was like nothing that we had ever seen before. It was magical.
Everything was so beautifully staged. A combination of old and new, striped down and raw, vintage elements and found objects intermingled with fabrics and furnishings. High end European antiques curated with things from old farm houses mixed with religious artifacts. There were layers upon layers of objects and decor that told a story. Every amazing display was loaded with details that we could only just stare at in wonder. This was WAY before Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic style became popular. This kind of design was unlike anything that we had ever seen before. Right down to the most minute detail. This might sound crazy but we had a spiritual experience. No joke. A calling of sorts.
My mom and I were changed. We could not stop talking about this kind of interior design and home decor. This was before cellphones and digital cameras...so the entire drive back to Houston we racked our brains and wrote down on paper all of the amazing things we saw, ideas we had, inspiration we had, projects we wanted to try, things we wanted to make... to say that we were inspired would be an understatement. A fire was lit inside of both of us. I guess we got a glimpse of our future. Years went by. I met Tyler, got married, and had three kids. We continued to be inspired and crafted all kinds of things for our homes trying to somewhat replicate that incredible style. Twelve years went by before we started our vintage home decor business Sisters Creed. But in Fredericksburg, TX the seed was planted. So... we were super excited to go back for another visit. We were not disappointed.
Her style is still AMAZING and INSPIRING! Her vignettes are to die for. She is an unbelievable curator. So cool. I'll post a few pics here and will do a big post with more pictures and video about this on our Sisters Creed blog.
26 years later we were back! We were still inspired!!
Those books are curated PERFECTION!
Nothing is haphazardly placed. It is all methodically done to tell a story.
Okay... I'll stop but...wow...stunning!
After we could tear ourselves away from Carol's shop we went to the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. This was also a favorite place. We both found a perfume that we loved from there years ago called Dewberry and we have never found anything like it since. You can't buy it online either.
It is still so pretty!
The sad news was the Dewberry fragrance has been discontinued. We talked to the owner and she said that it was her least popular fragrance! What?! Not possible. Disappointed we grabbed some lunch... our final Tex Mex of the trip... and hit the road for another long 24 hour drive.
That stretch of driving seemed to go faster. We listened to a ton of podcasts and TED talks. We also didn't stop much this time and just drove. GPS took us some interesting routes. I did wake up once around 1 am while Meki was driving and found us on a dirt road in Roswell, NM. No alien sightings for us... LOL. Love that memory!!!
We arrived back in Salt Lake around 9 am. That was actually perfect. We had a whole day to recoup before the long drive from SLC to Spokane.
I do love seeing Utah mountains in the morning. My favorite mountains are Timp and Cascade. No surprise there. :)
Once we got to Kirk and Meki's we were able to take a nap and relax. Later that day Meki, Ailey, and I went shopping. Meki wanted to rearrange and restyle some areas in her house while my mom and I were there. That was fun!
We also had lunch at such a good place. It's called Corelife Eatery. I wish we had places like that in Spokane. Healthy and good food choices!! We had the best salads!!
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| Our niece Liv, Tyler's sister Lori, my sister-in-law Marissa, and Tyler's brother Brett |
My mom and Meki's step-mom, Sherri.
Ailey has so much fun with her cousins on both sides of her family...Kaiden on my side and Liv on Tyler's side. Liv is actually the only cousin on Tyler's side. They had a great time!
I loved being with these bonus siblings of mine. We have weathered many storms together over the years and it has forged love and affection. We really missed having Tyler and the rest of the kids there too. I love my own brother dearly and Meki too for making this night a reality.
The next morning we left super early but made sure to stop at my favorite place for breakfast before we left Utah. Kneaders for raspberry bread pudding! The breakfast of champions!! But it is SO GOOD!!
My mom wasn't feeling great on the ride home. I think the trip really tired her out. She slept most of the way which was fine with me. I made good time and got home even earlier than expected to Tyler and the kids!! I missed them so much! It was a fun trip and we made memories to last a lifetime but it was also so nice to be home!!
