Monday, June 19, 2017

Waco Weekend Recap! {Part 1}

Hey guys!!  Happy Monday!!  Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day Weekend!

We are back from a long weekend in Waco and we are all in that weird funk that comes from being away from your normal routine for awhile.  Everyone is exhausted, the house is a wreck, the laundry pile is enormous, we have no groceries and I found what looked like a science experiment gone horribly wrong growing in the stainless steel tumbler that held my Thrusday smoothie. If anyone wonders what happens to a smoothie that is left to sit out for 4 days, I'll save you the trouble and tell you that it is not pretty.  There was moldy fuzz involved.  #welcomehome

But back to the weekend.

Sometime last year, Craig's side of the family started talking about having a family reunion.  Craig's Uncle Rusty (aka, Uncle Rah Rah and/or Uncle Shiny) and his aunt Kathie volunteered to host this shindig and we were pretty happy to hear that!  Rusty and Kathie live in Waco (technically, Lorena) and they have THE PERFECT property for big family gatherings.  Plus, Waco is also the home of two of my favorite TV people ever--Chip and Joanna Gaines, of course! #fangirl

Waco is only 2.5 hours from Mckinney so it's not a long drive, thank goodness.  So on Thursday afternoon, after I finally got all my orders for the week shipped out, we packed up the car and got on the road!

(Snapped up a new pair of $12 aviators in Rose Gold at Nordstrom the other day.  I love how cheap these are and don't feel stressed when I sit on/scratch them up/lose them completely.)

We had reservations at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in South Waco.  We picked this place for two reasons.  One, Craig's parents were already booked there so it would be easier for us all to stay in the same hotel.  And two, it had a full kitchen which we knew we wouldn't be using to cook but the full-size fridge was going to come in handy!

When we arrived, we were shocked at how TINY our room was but the boys were just excited to be at a hotel so we got over it.  (For awhile...)



The plan was to meet up with everyone who had arrived by that point at Salt Grass Steakhouse which was within walking distance from the hotel.  So we laid around the room until it was time to get ready.

When it was time to head over, the boys met up with cousin Scarlet! who is their FAVORITE  The cousins were so excited to be back together again!  Scarlet is Craig's brother's daughter.  They live in Prairieville, Louisiana so we don't get to see them that often.  But Scarlet usually comes with Craig's parents on Thanksgiving to our house and spends several days with us and they always pick up right where they left off.


The tall guy is Dalton, Craig's other nephew, and Scarlet's half-brother. :)




Craig and Uncle Rusty. 


After dinner, I took the three amigos down to the pool for a little night swimming.




And then they all came back to our room to hang out for a little bit before bedtime.  Scarlet was staying with Craig's parents in another room but if we had had more space, she'd have ended up with up us I'm sure!


Which brings me to our room...

We chose the room with 1 king bed and a sofa bed for the boys.  Based off the pictures we saw online, we were under the impression this would be plenty of room.  We were wrong.

Here's what we thought we were getting.



Looks nice and spacious, right?  Plenty of room for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Here's what reality looked like.



That fold out sofa was awful.  For starters, it wouldn't fold out all the way.  The bed was blocking it from going any further.  We asked the front desk about it and they told us to push the bed back against the wall as much as it would go.  But that wasn't the issue.  When Craig looked at it again, he realized one of the box springs under that giant mattress looked about 4 inches longer than the other.  They told us they didn't have any other Studio Kings and basically just shrugged it off.  We were tired so we made it work.  (I was hoping for maybe some kind of upgrade??  But I am way too passive to suggest that.  I really should have though.)

Problem number 2 was that the sofa bed was right up against the AC unit so whoever was sleeping there would freeze most of the night.  But as soon as the a/c would stop blowing, it would get really hot in there again until it was time for it to kick back on.  Sigh.  

And while I'm complaining, I'll throw in that those awful, fuzzy, cheap blankets hotels always have are the worst.  (The off white blanket in the picture is the one I'm talking about.)  And it was the only blanket they had for the pull out.  

Y'all, I promise I am not high maintenance by any means.  I am pretty laid back and easy and shrug off a lot of things.  I don't usually sweat the small stuff.  But don't mess with my sleep!!  Or the sleep of my kids!  ;)

The next day (Friday), the guys left early in one car for a golf game, so Craig's mom had mentioned wanting to take the kids to the Mammoth Museum/Monument and then I wanted to go visit the Silos!


Craig's mom (Susie), Matthew, Mason, Scarlet, Dalton and I climbed into my car and we headed to the mammoths.  We met up with Aunt Kathie and her daughter, Emily and Emily's two kiddos.

We had a tour guide and he told us a lot about the Columbian (not Woolly like I was thinking of) Mammoths that they had discovered buried there however many years ago.  (Listen, I didn't take notes.  So I may get some facts wrong.)

Here's what I do remember.  Columbian mammoths were bigger than Woolly Mammoths (the ones from Ice Age!) and they were named after Christopher Columbus.  And they found an actual camel buried right next to the mammoths.  So at one point, Texas had some type of camel.  Who knew!?

Now I'll just show you pictures because this is not school.  ;)





Mason got caught in mid-yawn.






This is Emily with her baby boy, Lincoln.





Top is Target (sold out) and earrings are Bauble Bar (here)



Overall, it was a neat experience.  It wasn't very crowded when we were there and that's always a plus.  If you want to check it out more, here's the website.  Tell them Amanda sent you!  (Ha!  Just kidding. Don't do that.  They'll have no idea what you're talking about.)

After the mammoths, it was time for the SILOS!!!  I was so excited to check this all out!  But I knew since it was a Friday during the summer, the place was going to be packed.  And I wasn't wrong.

Parking was really easy (and free!!).  We parked in the lot connected to the property.  It may have just been dumb luck that there was a spot open.

This was my first picture as we walked through the gates.  That line you see there was for sweet tea.


We walked in and I felt like I was on a movie set.  Susie had already been once and then we had 3 little kids who could really care less and then Dalton.  I'm not even sure Dalton has ever heard of Fixer Upper so I'm pretty sure this wasn't on his "must-see" list.

So basically, I knew that I was not going to get the whole experience I'd been wanting this time around.  It's hard to get fully pumped up about something when you have the feeling you are the only one who wants to be there.  




Once we got inside, it was hot, crowded and crazy.  Susie ended up taking the kids back outside so I could look around on my own for a little while.  (Bless her!)

But I found it really hard to focus and "shop".  When I am shopping, I like to browse, take my time, stand back and picture if something will look good in my house or not...I like to contemplate.  There was no contemplating here.  This picture doesn't even do it justice.  It was a lot more crowded than that once you get down there and start looking at everything.


I loved seeing Jimmy Don's signs!  I definitely found some inspiration for my own signs walking around the sign section. 

\

And Chip's Corner had a lot of cool stuff the men.


I ended up buying a pair of earrings at the little jewelry stand but that was it.  



I went back outside and we wanted to go to the bakery but of course, the line looked the line for Texas Giant at Six Flags in the dead of summer.  There was no way we could stand in the heat for that long without someone having a meltdown. (Pun intended.  haha) I was also dying to try the Gourmet Grilled Cheese food truck but the line was so long for that too.

So we played on the swings and snapped a few more pictures before heading back to the hotel.


He makes the most God-awful faces...











After we left the Silos, we headed back to the hotel to grab our swimsuits and things we'd need for the rest of the day at Rusty's.

This is also when I realized that our refrigerator in our room wasn't working.  All of our leftovers from Salt Grass were spoiled (and we had 3 full boxes of food).  So that made me a little upset.  Remember, having the fridge was one of the reasons why we chose this hotel in the first place!  The reception desk people were always really nice but the fridge did stay broken the whole time.  However, when Craig got back from his golf game, he saw the maintenance guy working on it and while he was there, they managed to fix the box springs so the sofa bed would work right.  So at least there was that.  :)  #silverlining

Tomorrow, I'll be back for the reunion recap. Rusty and Kathie's property is GORGEOUS and I fell all over myself gushing to him about how much I loved it.  We swam, played cornhole, took golf cart rides through the nature trails, shot fireworks, caught lighting bugs, played in the bounce house, watched cousin Cassie's "Mystic Drums" performance and got to hear a little presentation about the Baker family ancestors.  They totally nailed this reunion.  We all had an absolute blast.

So see you back here tomorrow!

(Part 2 here!)


Linking up with Heather and Johannah for Hello Monday!




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12 comments

  1. I feel the exact same way about sleep, don't mess with it! I would have felt the same way you did about the hotel. What a fun trip though. There is a big teaching conference each year in Waco and I would love to go to it...mainly for a chance to go to Magnolia :) Hahaha! I hope you have a great week!

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    1. I'd love to go back with a group of girlfriends and do it all over again! I think it would be much more fun!!

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  2. Ohhh your room issues!! That really stinks. When you are paying good money to stay in a hotel room your have some expectations, so it stinks it wasn't the room that you had in mind.

    I want to get to Waco at some point in my life to see the Silos!!!

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    1. I hope you get there!! But go in the fall and during a weekday! haha

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  3. My daughter and I took a little trip to Texas in March and that is when we went to the Silos. We got there before they opened so it wasn't nearly as crazy as your time but by the time we left for the morning.....it was. I wouldn't have waited for cupcakes if we hadn't of gotten there early. It is a neat set up and we ate a turkey crepe from the crepe truck. thankfully we could ship everything home. Everyone here in California has asked me if it was worth it. I just say....I wouldn't go there just to go there but we had a lot of places on our whirlwind tour, so for us it was perfect!

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    1. I saw where they had a whole shipping station!! Such a good idea!!

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  4. Oh my goodness, all of the hotel room problems would make we want to cry!! I have wanted to take a girls trip to the Silos but I don't think I can handle all of the lines and I agree with you when it is so hot outside no one wants to stand in lines :( At least you got some super cute earrings. Looking forward to your family reunion post.

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    1. If I go back, I'm doing it in the fall and on a weekday! ;) And yes, I do love my earrings!

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  5. I am a very passive person and will not make a stink about anything, but girl you deserved to let them have it! That is terrible!! You sound like me when you say "that feeling you get when you know you are the only one who wants to be there" haha that is so me when I take my family of 4 to the beach, LOL

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    1. I definitely made a stink---except it was only in my head. ;) I absolutely had a running dialogue of what I'd say to them if I was brave enough. It is definitely something I need to work on!!

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  6. My best friend sells her earrings through Magnolia (the leather straps Joanna wears a lot). She started that show when it was a no name...no idea how big it'd get. I cannot stand crowds, so I'm waiting for cooler weather and the least busy time to go. Bet it was still fun though!

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  7. That totally stinks about your room! I would have said something!!
    So neat that you got to go to the Silos. My mother in law and I want to take a road trip and see them!!

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