Thanksgiving

Oh my goodness do I have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is such a good time to enter the holiday season with a grateful heart. This was definitely one of my favorites yet in terms of getting to see so many of our loved ones in the span of just a few days. Being in the car was definitely worth it! We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Colleyville, with my dad’s side visiting from Mississippi, then spent the weekend in Georgetown with Dan’s family, including a day trip to Waco to visit his extended family. Our holidays are never relaxing, but they are very full of all the best things 🙂

I hadn’t been home since the beginning of August and it felt SO good. My mom is a superhost and kept us all well-fed at a beautiful table. I also really cherish any time I get to spend with extended family since it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. I still can’t believe how big my cousin’s little girls are! They probably spent half their time cuddling up with Barley, which he greatly enjoyed. My grandparents also treated us to ICE at the Gaylord where we wrapped ourselves in parkas to endure the 17 degree temperature. The theme this year was Christmas Around the World and I thought it was really well done. It’s amazing the time that goes into the sculptures considering how impermanent they are. The Gaylord has the best Christmas decorations I’ve ever seen in one place. It’s pretty magical.

Then at Dan’s parent’s we finally got to meet our new niece!! Holding babies gives you a feeling that can’t be beat, and this baby was just the sweetest. She looked really cute in Dan’s arms too 😉 And Ellie & Robbie were so much fun- it’s awesome to see their little personalities. I’m looking forward to having Dan’s sisters back in Texas (I know his parents are loving it) and can’t wait to have them all visit soon in Houston! This weekend, Dan asked if I was sure I was ready for kids. I responded with, “Yes, one… not three.” In Waco, we built our own pizzas (Dan was really proud of his cheese stuffed crust) and spent time chatting next to the fire with all his family. It was lovely! Another thing to be grateful for- marrying into a wonderful family.

Now we can officially start celebrating Christmas! We picked up & decorated a tree last night 🙂

Barley Meets Cows

We kicked off our weekend with Mexican food at Teotihuacan over on Airline. Margs were cheap for HH and food was delish. We had tried to eat here a few weeks ago but it was packed! So we came earlier and had no trouble.

IMG_7735 IMG_7736

We followed up our dinner with beer. Is anyone surprised?!? 8th Wonder Brewery in EaDo recently re-did their taproom so we had to check it out. Definitely felt less like a brewery since you couldn’t see much of the equipment, but it was nice. Dan chatted up one of the owners and he gave us a little private tour. He’s been researching a lotttt lately about opening up a brewery. According to the 8th Wonder guy, there are about 50 breweries in the process of opening in the Austin area right now… crazy. Anyway, I finally tried Rocketfuel (Vietnamese Coffee Porter) and it was really great. 8th Wonder hasn’t even started canning/bottling yet and they are consistently sold out just selling to bars in the Houston area. Plus they get about 1,000 visitors on one Saturday alone. Booming.

IMG_7741 IMG_7748 IMG_7749 IMG_7752 IMG_7744

On Saturday, we got up early for a drive to Waco to see my littlest sister presented as an AXO! While the presentation may have been incredibly boring (sorry Abby), it was neat to see the third of the Box girls as a part of the sisterhood 🙂 Us girls spent the afternoon shopping in Waco. We also stopped by Joanna Gaine’s shop (the host of Fixer Upper on HGTV that I love) called Magnolia. Which was of course adorable, even if minimal.

IMG_7775 IMG_7766

While the ladies were out, Dan introduced Barley to some new creatures at his grandparents house. The cutest, oh my. Grandfather let me feed the sheep 🙂 who are incredibly shy. Or should I say sheepish? 🙂 🙂

IMG_7786 IMG_7787 IMG_7789 IMG_7788

We also got to see a bunch of Dan’s cousins and aunt & uncle, which was a nice treat. However, the drive home wasn’t fantastic as I was hit by allergies and Dan is currently throwing up in the bathroom (fortunately we made it home before that started…). SO we are enjoying a lazy Sunday in bed while I pity poor Daniel and his temperamental tummy. At least we have an excuse to stay in and watch the Oscars!! We’ve seen several of the nominees so it should make for a fun show. My favs were The Imitation Game and Wild!

Dan is currently giving me details on the state of his vomit and I’m trying to ignore him. ENJOY THE OSCARS!