I used to love my girls' trips with Sheila, Jessica, and Paula. We had such good times together, but life happens and things change. I've missed them, though. A couple of years ago, some other friends and I started talking about getting a trip worked up. It sounded like fun, but we didn't really take off and run with the idea. Then last year, Lesa approached me at Zach and Morgan's wedding and asked WHEN were we going on our girls' trip?! It so happened that Diane and I had a sleepover planned soon afterwards, so we worked out the details. This was the week it happened.
Lesa and Kelli drove down together, and we all arrived at Diane's house Monday afternoon. We ordered pizza to be delivered for supper, visited awhile, and turned in fairly early so we could be fresh for traveling the next morning (best laid plans). About 5:00 a.m. the storm sirens started going off, and we all got up and turned on the weather. There were thunderstorms and up to 80 mph winds blowing through the area. We had a little hail, but it was small and didn't last long. I didn't hear of any tornados, but the straight line winds were horrendous! Since the winds were so fierce, the storms blew through pretty quickly. Thankfully, Diane didn't have any damage. We ate breakfast, loaded up, and hit the road.
Our first stop was Buc-ees in Hillsboro. It was Lesa's first time. We refreshed ourselves and bought some glazed nuts for the trip, then headed south towards Waco. Our next stop was the Homestead Heritage. I love that place! So many interesting shops to browse through and learn about the various crafts made there. We had lunch in their restaurant, which was yummy. I really enjoyed visiting with the fabric craft ladies. They do such beautiful weaving! After we exhausted our options, we drove by our rental house to make sure we could find it. We still had an hour or so until check-in time, so we headed back to West to get some kolaches for a treat. (It was also Lesa's first experience with kolaches.) About the time we finished our snack, I received a text from our "host" that the house was ready, and we could check-in anytime we wanted. We got settled in, played some rip-roaring ping pong games, and laughed until our sides hurt. Then the power went off. (The winds had still been fierce!) I notified the host, so he could make sure the local power company was aware of the problem. Then off we headed to Walmart to buy battery operated light sources. It was suppertime, so we stopped for a quick bite at Chick-fil-A; then headed "home". The lights were still off, so we started trying to figure out how to install the batteries in our new lights. By the time we got them working, the power came back on. So we enjoyed a quiet evening and turned in at a reasonable hour.
 |
| Our vacation rental |
Our next day started with breakfast at Magnolia Table, which is an experience in itself. We were so stuffed when we left that we decided to skip lunch and just have an early supper. The next stop was The Silos. What a lovely compound! I had no idea that it was such an expansive venue. There were a lot of shops with so many lovely things to look at, beautiful outdoor sitting areas with various activities available...and of course, the Magnolia Bakery. We spent several hours there. Afterwards we hit a few antique shops in the area. For our early supper, we decided on Mexican food at Ninfa's. We were having so much fun, we had to sit in the car for about 5 minutes until we could quit laughing. After filling our bellies, we drove down to the Brazos River and walked across the footbridge. Then back to the house for more ping pong, card games and a VERY rousing game of Apples to Apples.
 |
| The Silos |
 |
| Magnolia Table |
 |
| Crossing The Brazos River |
 |
| Breakfast at The Magnolia Table |
 |
Beautiful old pews in chapel at The Silos  |
Thursday was our "off" day. We didn't really have any plans...just decided to play it by ear. I found a bowling alley that opened at noon, so we had an early lunch in West at a family-owned Czech/American diner, then headed to bowl. None of us had bowled in a good long while, so our scores weren't impressive. We had a good time though. No serious injuries occurred, although we did suffer a few minor aches and pains (and one very graceful fall by person or persons to remain unnamed). More shopping at local antique shops and boutiques, then back to The Silos for one last time. After getting back to the house, we finished out the day playing games and laughing a lot more.
 |
| Bowling |
We got up Friday, ate some luscious pastries that we'd gotten the day before at the Magnolia Bakery, packed up and headed north. The drive home was uneventful, other than getting stopped in traffic for awhile when we hit the FW area. Once we got to Diane's, we all went our separate ways. Lesa and Kelli had a long drive home. It was a great trip, and we are already talking about what we want to do next year! I laughed more than I have in years and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these special ladies!
On a less pleasant note, I heard from Stephen Tuesday afternoon that Shepherd was in the ER with suspected appendicitis. They confirmed the diagnosis and referred him to Childrens Hospital in Dallas. He had surgery Wednesday morning, and they discovered his appendix had ruptured. Thankfully, it was contained to a small area, and he recovered very quickly. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon. I hated that I was out-of-pocket while that was going on! It put a slight damper on my mood, at times, but the companionship of good friends, and their support and prayers, helped me through the worry.
I am so very thankful to have such wonderful friends that I can spend time with, laugh with, pray with, and enjoy special times together. I look forward to next year's adventures!
Pr 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
