Good evening everyone,

The farmer and I had a wild hair Saturday and thought… What if we explored Texas throughout this year and shared it with our kids? There is so much to offer RIGHT HERE in our backyard… The timing is perfect. We are just now at the point with the two little boys (twins- 22 months old) that we do not feel like we are absolutely drowning. (Seriously yall… Twins as your last babies is rough. You would think you have this baby thing down after having two but it’s a whole other level of crazy!) Plus…we know that Hunter (6) and Finnlea (4) are at such in impressionable age. Now is definitely the time to do this!

WHY: First of all I don’t want to look up and realize that all we did today or this week or even this month was sit around the house and watch TV. I feel like I’m going to look up and think our lives completely passed us by! I want to be here in this moment and know without a doubt I have SHOWN UP. We have done ALL the THINGS. We are an active participant in their lives, and have allowed them to experience everything that we could possibly throw at them. Don’t get me wrong… We LOOVE movies! I’m talking about a much bigger picture… Get what I did there? 😉 It really is one of our favorite past times…. with popcorn- always make popcorn! BUT It’s so easy to get sucked in and I want to show them the world! They NEED real world experiences. They NEED culture. I want them to have an adventurous spirit! I want them to learn how to go with the flow. I want them to explore and ask questions. Most importantly I want them to know that there are no permanent obstacles in life and if you want to do something- all you have to do is – do it! Take the action for your desires to have some forward motion. I have lots of regrets in my life and they all involve me not going for things that I wanted. WHY!!!!? NO MORE. I cannot change the past, but I can LIVE and teach my kids to live which is what I have set out to do… Hopefully you have seen this in me! I’ve definitely done this on a smaller scale previously. Remember that one time I got a wild hair to take (2) 6 weeks old babies, a 2 year old and a 4 year old to Waco…. That was a GREAT IDEA until we couldn’t find a hotel ANYWHERE and had to sleep in a Subway parking lot! It all turned out ok though… Waco was a gem and Magnolia was an ABSOLUTE DREAM! On a larger scale Hunter and I just got back from Nepal (Recap of that is coming soon…. I Promise) Nepal was completely life changing.

WHAT: So how is all of this going to work? We will take a day or two out of our lives each month and pick a place in Texas to EXPLORE. It may be far, and it may be close. The basic idea though is that we are not at home- we are learning and exploring new things! The farmer might not get to come with us EVERY TIME but we will try to plan it so he can! We are doing this on a budget and we are including the kids on this task! We have a VERY TENTATIVE want list that will probably change depending on life or new finds of locations we might want to go to more! As it sits this is what we are thinking. We would love advice at locations or new ideas if you think we missed something! It’s a lofty goal… but we have to try!

• January: Abilene Zoo
• February: Lubbock Museum Day- Buddy Holly, American Windmill, Texas Tech, ect…
• March: San Antonio- The Alamo, Sea World
• April: Dallas- Texas Rangers Baseball Game
• May: Houston- Space Center
• June: Buffalo Lake camping/fishing
• July: Fredericksburg
• August: Corpus Christi
• September: Austin
• October: Big Bend
• November: Palo Duro Canyon
• December: Cadillac Ranch

Now lets chat about the Abilene Zoo!

• Total Drive Time: 5 hours
• Total Cost: Less than $100.00 (Including Gas, entrance fees, lunch, and train rides.) 
• Experience:  Wonderful! We visit zoo’s many places that we go and this one did not disappoint. Their crown jewel is the 10 giraffes on the property which was absolutely worth the drive if that was the only thing we saw.
• Some of the other animals we encountered: Flamingos, Yellow Billed Duck, Sandhill Crane, Snakes, Lizards, Spiders, River Otters, Cougar (Hunters Favorite), Hawk, Bobcat, Monkeys, Owls, Giraffe, Hogs, Stork, Lion, Camel, Rhino, Zebra, Ostrich, and many more!      

Experiences they offer:

• Giraffe Encounters- Free- unless you want to feed them which is 4.00. They will come to you without food though.  
• Paddle Boat Excursions- Closed until March. 
• Safari Express- 2.00 per rider and under 2 are free 
• Wildlife Carousel- Under Construction
• Kilamanjara Mining Co.- Closed until March.
• The Watering Hole- They actually had great food and where we had lunch! 
• VIP Tours- See link for more info: Behind the Scenes Tour Info
• Keeper Chats- Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Still want more info? Check them out here!