Last week we ventured to Texas for our family's quarterly meeting.  On the agenda for this meeting: Hunting, walking, hiking, eating, and napping.  We had a great time and it was so nice to all be together.

We ate at some of our favorite places - here we are at the Salt Lick in Dripping Springs.  Our first stop after picking up the rental cars was Hill's Cafe for their famous chicken fried steak.  Because nothing says "welcome to Texas" like a platter of chicken fried steak.  We had breakfast tacos from Super Taco (which you know is good because it's attached to a gas station), enchiladas at Janie's, barbeque from Peete's Mesquite, and fried catfish at the Blue Bonnet.  The only place we didn't get to was Cooper's in Llano which is my favorite place for bbq.  Even President Bush says that it has the best bbq in Texas, which sort of endears me to him since it means we actually have something in common.  If we ever meet, that's what I plan to discuss with him.


We went on a sleigh ride (more of a wagon ride, really) in Johnson City to see their light displays.  The power company shows the town the beauty of their electricity by filling all the surrounding trees with lights, and the courthouse square is covered in strings of lights.  It was lovely, until Sophie started melting down and I had to turn my arms into a straightjacket.  That and the wagon driver who insisted in singing really strange and made-up Christmas songs which made my eyes hurt from rolling so deeply in my sockets.


We spent a lot of time going for walks and keeping the kids busy.  As my mom said "it's not all that relaxing of a trip, is it?"  Here's the family walking through the ranch.


We hiked up a path to the top of Picnic Rock which provides a view of the beautiful Hill Country below.  It is breathtaking and a little romantic...check out my mom and dad holding hands.

And, not to make anyone jealous, but don't I have the most handsome husband?


Here we are.  All of us together.  So very lucky.