Farewell Captain

You've Earned Your Pinstripes 

September 2014 

This weekend marked the end of the 2014 MLB regular season and more importantly the end of a 20 season long career with the New York Yankees for Derek Jeter. I personally am a die-hard fan of the Yankees organization and ball club (You can read a previous blog entry about this topic HERE) but I understand that many people are NOT fans of the Yankees (you're wrong... but that is beside the point). However, if you are between the ages of 30-35 and call yourself a baseball fan of any team or of any kind you have to admit that Yankee short-stop Derek Jeter is one of the best baseball players of your lifetime. I am not saying he is THE BEST but he certainly has left a legacy. However, if you fall in that age category than he IS baseball and defines the Major Leagues. 

Derek Jeter has spent 1/2 of his life, 23 years, with the Yankees organization and been on the Yankees roster for 20 solid seasons. He has had 16 seasons where he has played 140 games. There have only been 3 other players in the history of the major leagues to achieve this. The fact that he spent his entire career with one team really speaks about his character and moral attitude in my opinion. 

Derek Jeter is the Yankee Renaissance. His personal qualities, statistics and circumstances combined make him one of the greatest players of all time. Having the priviledge to wear the Yankee pinstripes means you have a hard act to follow considering some of the great baseball players of all time wore these same pinstripes. I am talking about players like Wille Randolph, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Don Matingly, Yogi Bera, Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio and none other than Babe Ruth himself. But Derek Jeter's name will be added to this list of baseball and Yankee greats and he has more than earned it. 

His Final Season
The 2014 MLB season began in April with Jeter's "Farewell Tour" where each of the MLB franchises honored Jeter and his legacy in their own stadiums. I was lucky enough to be at Minute Maid Park for stop #1 as the Astro's ball club honored and recognized him.  

Allison and I at Opening Day 2014 and Derek Jeter's 1st stop on his "Farewell Tour" 

Bottom of the 8th RBI single for Derek Jeter and his last at bat I would witness LIVE. 

The season ended with him playing his final game in Yankee staudium on September 25th. No one could have dreamed or scripted a better finale to his amazing career. He started the evening with a RBI double and ended it with a game winning RBI single. 

The traditional Derek Jeter cheer and excitement!
You could not have scripted this moment if you tried!

Retired teammates Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite and manager Joe Torre congratulate Jeter on a remarkable career and game! 

These are "my boys" and will ever hold a place in my heart!

Derek Jeter stands alone on the "Diamond in the Bronx" and will forever be a baseball legend, despite which team you cheer for. My grandfather used to tell my sister and I stories about Babe Ruth and now I will tell my grand-kids stories about Derek Jeter. 

I've been a Yankee fan my entire life and I have never seen a better Yankee than Derek Jeter. There will never be another player quite like #2. Thanks for the memories Captain!

God is good... All the time!

Kindergarten- One Week Down... 36 to Go

August 31, 2014 

Natalie's 1st Week of Kindergarten 

I have had a very hard week letting go of my little baby and Natalie too has had a long hard week adjusting to all of the changes made in her life. She is going to my school so I am able to take her to school with me, walk her to class every day, teach her in music class and even check up on her from time to time. This is a privilege that most parents would not have and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. However, this also means that I am able to see and know a lot more about her, her classmates and classroom than most parents as well. 

I chose to put Natalie with a phenomenal kindergarten teacher who has been teaching for 11 years and even won Teacher of the Year for our school last year. Needless to say, SHE IS AMAZING! However, this teacher is on maternity leave for the 1st 2 weeks of school so this made for a very interesting opening week of school. The clientele and overall atmosphere of this school is not at all what I expected and pictured in my mind when I pictured where I would be placing my baby for kindergarten. The school I taught at in Shawnee was a very small and community oriented campus. In fact, it was basically started by rich doctors and lawyers who didn't want their kids in the "public" aspect of school back in the early 1900's. It had a "private" school feeling and was very prestigious in and around Shawnee. This is where I thought of when I dreamed many dreams of Natalie (and Luke too) in kindergarten. My eyes were awakened on Monday as I saw a much different picture. 

Not necessarily a worse picture but just different. The kids in her class come from all different walks of life. Some are living with grandparents or other family members and have not seen their real parents in years. Some, on the other hand, have never left mom's side not even for daycare or preschool and this is their very 1st taste of real school. While still others have been in school before, in fact some in this exact school for Pre-K where they had 3-5 different teachers and even more subs throughout the 2013-2014 school year and are starting the year off with yet another sub. Natalie's class has 17 children in it 10 of which are boys. The remaining 7 are girls but 5 of those are "sun-burnt" (African-American) as Natalie told me and are playing really well with each other but are not very inviting to Natalie and the other non-sun burnt girl in her class. Each day this week when I asked Natalie about playing and making new friends she said "they didn't want me or Allison (name has been changed) to play with them". I almost feel as if Natalie is the one being segregated. 

On Tuesday as Natalie and I were making our commute back home Natalie told me that she had not made any friends because "the kids in my class are all acting bad and you told me not to play or hang out with the bad ones mommy". This just made me cry and cry (and cry) as this is in fact what I told her to do, knowing the situation at this school, but it still didn't make me feel any better. I cried and cried that evening thinking about changing her classes/ teacher to help get a better start and in hopes that maybe there would be more girls in that class or just a different classroom environment possible. However, after talking with a dear friend and fellow kindergarten teacher I decided to stick it out and give her real teacher a chance when she gets back in Mid-September. 

On Wednesday Natalie seemed to have a great day and told me that she was able to play with a girl from her class last year  at West Conroe Baptist Dayschool during recess. Unfortuneatly this little girl is not in Natalie's class but is across the hall and Natalie sees her frequently at recess and PE time so I felt better knowing Natliae was not all alone. 

On Thursday as the kindergarteners came to SPECIALS time in the gym I was able to really observe how Natalie interacted with the others in her class. On this day she was in the back of the line and had to sit far in the back of the gym. I noticed that as other students got in trouble for not listening or pay attention they were moved to the back near her. Natalie too was beginning to not pay attention and make bad decisions. She was distracted the whole classtime and while she reamined on GREEN the rest of the day I knew I had to talk to her and explain distractions and how to avoid them. I also learned on this day that this class was so far behind because there is a sub and the kids were taking so much of this sub's attention that the learning environment was lacking that the Pre-K classes are already ahead of them and are tracing and writing letters. I have not seen anything of the such come home in Natalie's folder. In fact, I spent the majority of 2 of my own planning times setting up a binder for Natalie to use to practice writing letters while she waits for me after school each day. 

On Friday, after the 2 hour long talk and tear session with Natalie on Thursday evening, she was much better in SPECIALS time and completed her 1st week in kindergarten on SOLID GREEN. She even got to go to the treasure box. Her substitute teacher told me that she was very smart and got all of her work done and then went and helped the rest of the class finish theirs. My response to him was "She better be good". 

I have cried about this situation every night this week with thoughts ranging from 1. Quit teaching and home school them both to 2. Put her back in the private day school until next year BUT I have prayed and decided to continue to stick it out and wait to see what happens at the end of the 1st grading period at the end of September after the real teacher has returned. 

Natalie is a very smart, bright and socially advanced child but this will be a learning experience for us all. Not to mention a "trust issue" for me! Despite this week being emotionally tormenting to me, I have found some peace in knowing that every mom has gone through at least some of what I am going through and this is just part of growing up! 

I have always been incredibly close to my late grandfather and I learned today that he would have told me "Pray about it, pray some more and then keep praying". Well Grandpa... That is exactly what I am going to do! 

I will update y'all in 5 weeks! I appreciate and covet your prayers! 

God is good... ALL the time! 

The Evolution of a Birthday Party

August 2014 

Natalie's 1st - 5th Birthday Parties 

As a mother one of our duties, or some might say challenges, is to throw a "great" party on your child's birthday. I knew being the mother of a daughter would be even more of a challenge in the birthday party department and this year proved just that. Natalie's 1st birthday party was very elaborate and detailed for a 1st birthday party but it was mainly for family. Between the 1st and 5th parties we had several family and friends present for these parties but the overall presentation, attendance and overall effort put into each one has exponentially grown.

Natalie's 1st Birthday Party

This was held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee and was a "1st Princess" themed party. We served numerous small desserts, all of which were homemade. In fact my sister, Auntie Allie, took time off of work to come and help me bake all of these delectable treats. There was not any real entertainment as the only other children at the party were all under the age of 2. All of the guests were either family or friends of mine or Chris'.

The treats and goodies available at her 1st Birthday Party! 

Princess Natalie chowing down on her "smash" cake!

The decorations for Princess Natalie!

A priceless picture of a fun Grandpa!

Happy 1st Birthday Natalie Grace! 

Natalie's 2nd Birthday Party

This was held at Incredible Pizza Company in Conroe, TX and was just for family. My sister, Auntie Allie and Gigi Shirley and Poppy came into town as well as Gigi Jackie and Grandpa and even Aunt D'Ann, Chris' sister drove in from Dallas. This was barely even a party as all we did was eat at the pizza buffet and then go and play in the arcade. We celebrated with cake and presents back at Gigi Jackie and Grandpa's house.

Our ladybug themed Birthday party decorations at Incredible Pizza! 

Birthday cake and treats at Gigi and Grandpa's house!

Playing skeetball in the arcade! 

Riding go-karts with Aunt D'! "Again, again" she said! 

Natalie's 3rd Birthday Party

This was held at The Woodlands Mall in The Woodlands. We invited friends from Natalie's Sunday School class whose parents were in our Sunday School class plus my parents, Chris's parents and Auntie Allie. However, we did have a very special guest in attendance... Luke! This was minimal in the decorating and cleaning up department as all we had to do was reserve the table in the food court. We fed the guests Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, Capri Sun and cupcakes. It was a "Minnie Mouse" themed party.

Natalie and her guests, all of which were BOYS! 

The guest of honor at this party... BABY Luke!

The decorating we did for this party... very minimal!

Natalie and Mommy at her 3rd Birthday Party! 

Minnie Mouse cupcakes... yummy!

Natalie's 4th Birthday Party 

We had the motto of "if it ain't broke... don't fix it" and we had this party back at The Woodlands Mall Food Court. We basically did the exact same thing as her 3rd party but the theme was "Princess Sofia" and we had several more guests in attendance, several from ours and her Sunday School classes, but we also had a few friends from Natalie's day-school there as well.

Natalie and Lauren riding the carousel! 

Natalie loves her some Cookie Cake! 

Natalie and her friends! And the extent of our decorating!

More of her friend by the carousel! 

Natalie and her BEST friend! 

By far the best picture of the party! 

Natalie's 5th Birthday Party 

We bit off a little bit more than we could chew. We decided that we should try to break up the monotony and have this party somewhere other than the mall. We opted to have this at our house since many of the people coming are friends of our and they have never been to our house (despite living here for nearly 3 years and have a rather "entertaining/ inviting" home). This was a "FROZEN" themed party and the decorating, set-up and cleaning up was much more than I ever imagined. This party was held the weekend before school started and it made for a very stressful weekend. My parents came into town early on Friday to help me clean and set-up for the party and we were still awake and baking/ decorating until the wee hours of the morning.

This party was so cool even Elsa and Anna made an appearance!

The favor table!

Another activity table!

These letters and banners were about to be the death of me! 

I'm so glad my tall mom was here to help me!

"Do you want to build a snowman" table! 

The handmade cupcake toppers! 

"We finish each other's sandwiches"

Sven's snacks

Snowmen... These were just powered donuts but for whatever reason they were really bad! 

Shame on you Little Debbie!

Olaf's Noses

Anna's FROZEN hearts

"I want to stuff some chocolate in my face"

Olaf's Arms

The whole spread... It was a lot of work but turned out GREAT!

All of the kids enjoy their snacks!

Time to play "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Natalie getting built by Aubrey and Gigi Shirley

All of our snowmen! This was a HUGE hit and a LOT of fun!

Natalie's very 1st BARBIE! She was ecstatic!

This party went off without a hitch but it is amazing how much more detailed and fancy this party was compared to the previous 4 parties! I am afraid it will only get worse as the years go by! I think we have decided through this party that we will opt for a different weekend though. This was a great weekend spent with family and friends but the amount of time and stress it took on us the week before school starts definitely took it's toll on us.

I love my Natalie Grace and I cannot wait to see what the next 5 parties look like! I love you Nattie!

God is good... All the time!

My Personal Testimony

October 2014 

This month at our home church in Conroe, TX we are focusing on presenting the Gospel to others by means of our personal testimony as well as scripture itself. We began the month with an intense study during our Sunday School time where we were then presented with "homework", which was writing down our personal testimony and presenting it to the pastor, his staff and the church in written form. Later in the month we "marked the New Testament" and took home our very own copy of the Invitation New Testament to share with someone we know. I do not have a very interesting testimony on how I became a child of The Lord but it is mine and I cherish it. The assignment of writing our testimony was in 3 parts: 1- Your life before Christ 2- How you became saved 3- Your life after Christ. 

My life before Christ

My dad is a Baptist preacher and my parents have raised both my sister and I in a very Godly and honorable way. In fact, I like to think I was born in the sanctuary. My parents had me in church every single time the door was open, no lie. This was in part due to the nature of my dad's job but more because my parents knew that is what God wanted them to do as Godly parents. When I was 5 years old I remember beginning to understand all of the concepts my parents had been teaching and I was really active in Girls in Action (GAs). I remember asking my dad one day lots of questions and him saying "Kellie Rhea, you are getting close". 

How I became Saved 

It was a Sunday evening in 1988 and my parents and I had just finished our Sunday night meal of "Breakfast for Dinner". This was a staple in our house on Sunday nights and I am sure this night, like many others, featured this classic menu. After dinner my dad was in my parents room preparing for his week and I came in and began to ask questions. Right then and there on June 8, 1988 at the foot of my parents water bed I asked Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior and wash away my sins. I took his gift of everlasting life as a 5 year and I have not looked back since. 

My life after Christ 

In the past 27 years since I became a Christian there have been many struggles as well as times of joy. I have seen my own family members join the family of God and I have led several friends of mine to The Lord during this time. I have faced times of trouble and desperate need and this only brought me closer to The Lord. I have since found an amazing Godly man of whom I chose to marry and we now have 2 kids of our own who we, too, are raising in a Christian home. In October 2014, my firstborn, Natalie Grace, took this same gift as a 5 year old and asked Jesus into her heart with Chris, my dad and I present. I have now experienced the greatest joy a parent can have; having their child become HIS child. Tears of joy ran down my face as I walked my 5 year old, glowing with a smile, down the aisle of Mims Baptist Church on Sunday, October 26, 2014. It was a day I will NEVER forget. The Lord has truly blessed me with an amazing family and life and owe it all to him. He took me as a young child and sinner and washed my sins away and I became white as snow. 

As I ponder and reminisce on the events during my life and my personal salvation testimony I cannot help but think of and sing "Jesus Paid It All": 

Jesus paid it all 

All to him I owe

Sin had left a crimson stain 

He washed it white as snow

All to Him I owe... Thank You Lord for dying on the cross to save my sins and for continuously forgiving me for my sins! I owe it all to you! 

God is Good... All the time!

Hello BIG TEX

The Texas State Fair 2014

 October 3-4, 2014 

The Night Before Rituals

The kids and I traveled up on Friday afternoon after Natalie and I got done with school to meet my parents and sister in Dallas for our evening activities. This year they were able to find an indoor pool so the kids could go swimming as soon as we got there. We got there shortly before 8 PM and the kids were in the pool by 8:05. Natalie has always been my little water baby and loves hotels with pools especially indoor pools; however, Luke, this past summer especially, has not been a fan of the water or pools. But when Chris and I went on our most recent cruise in August my parents took the kids on vacation where they also stayed in hotels with indoor pools and Luke has become quite fascinated with the pools and especially the hot tub. He looked and appeared like a brand-new child to me it was hard to believe but he loved swimming especially with Gigi Shirley.

The kids swam for nearly an hour and a half and then we decided we needed to go and get dinner which led to another Klingsick tradition which is IHOP at night-time. Luke ended up opening five packets of sugar and pouring it all over his bacon and eggs which he never ate but it was amusing to say the least. We all got back to the hotel shortly before 11 and we were in bed around 11:30 or midnight but I personally stayed up to watch the Royals win in extra innings while everyone else bugged out before midnight.

The Morning Of

We all woke up and got ready and packed our cars and then headed down to the hotel lobby for the complementary breakfast.  This was a traditional bacon and egg those fancy waffles in the shape of Texas however this had a little bit more excitement than any of us expected. Luke seem to be very tired... of course he didn't go to bed til' midnight and he usually is in bed by 7:45 PM so  I was trying to get him a little bit more excited for the day by playing Peekaboo with him. He would hide behind the chair I was sitting in and he would walk around and I would say "BOO" and we did that three or four times before he all of a sudden tripped over his own legs and hit his head very hard on the hard steel chair next to me. This was a very hard-hit and he immediately started crying and within a minute a huge dark blue bruise had developed right between his eyes. 

Poor Luke... He didn't feel good the rest of the day! 

We truly were in Texas because everyone around us who was enjoying their own breakfast stopped and tried to help us in any way they could. In fact, one old man even went and got us a Ziploc bag filled with ice to put on Luke's face. The citizens of Texas never cease to amaze me. Luke seem to be okay and we put ice on his head for a little while but he didn't like that very much at all. We started to make our way from Lewisville back down to Fairpark in downtown Dallas, making sure that Luke did not fall asleep just in case he had a minor concussion. We arrived at the State Fair and in perfect time and headed towards the gate. 

We're here... Ready for a GREAT day!

Big Tex
We were inside the fair gates before 10 o'clock. We decided we wanted to go to see "Big Tex" before the rest of the state of Texas showed up. This proved to be an excellent idea as the rest of the state of Texas literally showed up around 2:00-3:00 PM. We took the traditional family pictures in front of "Big Tex" and in front of his new boots that he had specifically made for this year's fair! Luke was so funny and said "Wow, he is BIG!" 

I LOVE Big Tex!

Gigi Shirley and Poppy with Natalie and Luke in front of Big Tex!

We tried to take a good picture but it just wasn't happening!

"Go Texan" Pavilion

We then headed off to the "Go Texan" pavilion which is one of all of our favorite stops at the state fair. The kids were able to sit in a GIANT tractor simulator which was awesome and we were even able to see a Cow Milking demonstration,  which was interesting to say the least! They have these new automatic pumps that milk the cows instead of manually doing it and honestly it reminded me of my breast-feeding days. Natalie thought it was awesome and Luke was not interested at all.

Natalie LOVED the John Deere Tractor and Corn simulator!
It was AWESOME!

Luke got a turn driving the tractor and loved it too!

Children's Barnyard
After that pavilion we went to the Children's Barnyard where we were able to see and feed most of farm animals. This particular experience was really awesome because we were able to see a goat give a live birth while we were in there.  I saw this massive goat laying on her side and then she started to make these weird grunting sounds and it dawned on me she was having a baby. Sure enough about 10 minutes later this tiny little baby goat with the sack and all popped out. Natalie and Allison thought it was gross and disgusting but I personally thought it was kind of cool and I felt like I witnessed a miracle that right there in the little Children's Barn. After watching that Natalie and Luke were able to feed all kinds of animals including some goats , a camel, a lama and even a zebra.

This mama goat did pretty well giving birth in front of 100s of people!

Natalie and Auntie Allie feeding some goats!

Little Hands on the Farm
We all washed our hands really good and then we headed over to our favorite exhibit of the fair and an annual stop for us called Little Hands on the Farm. This is an awesome experience where the kids get to put on apron, take a basket and actually be farmers. They walk through a series of buildings and little barns if you will where they get to milk the cows, pretend of course, feed the chickens and even plant the seeds to grow vegetables. And then at the very end they get paid for all their work and  get to go to the "Country Store" and get treat. They even get to ride a mini John Deere tractor which makes the 30 minute exhibit worth the wait.

My little farm animals!

Luke told Gigi Shirley he wanted "one of those for birthday please"!

Haha,,, We will see about that! 

"Look mommy, now I pull cow"- He was thinking about the Cow- Milking demo we saw earlier I guess! It was too cute! 

"Here cow. Eat this"

Deep-Fried Lunch
We decided after that since it was after noon we would go ahead and try to get some lunch so we headed over to the Midway to find some of these extravagant fried foods that we all wanted to try. We walked around aimlessly for several minutes before Allison found something that she wanted, Deep-fried Chicken in a Waffle. Allison really enjoys the dish chicken and waffles so this was a pun on that so-called favorite. It was basically chicken strips inside a waffle cone with gravy and maple syrup. Although I didn't taste any of hers it looked really good. 

Mom went for a more traditional dish of a GIANT Philly Steak and Cheese sandwich. Natalie  and Luke went for an even more traditional dish... cheese pizza!  I personally was on a mission to find and try the 2014 Big Tex  BEST Taste winner... Deep-fried Shrimp Boil. This was basically all the ingredients of a Texas shrimp boil fried into a massive ball. It basically cost $8.50 for two of these balls and I had to wait about 30 minutes in line for them but it was fantastic and I wish I would've bought two on the spot. Dad wasn't really sure what he wanted so he went and got some  Fiesta Nachos and a hot dog and was satisfied. After everyone got full from their deep-fried favorites we decided it was time to go and ride the rides.

Amusements
I had forgotten how much it cost to really enjoy the fair. The state fair of Texas does not have an unlimited ride band or bracelet for children or adults to purchase so you had to purchase coupons and then present these coupons at each of the rides. Each of these rides required eight coupons which was basically $4 each ride. Natalie and Luke each rode five rides but if you sit there and think about it that means that they only rode five rides and it cost $20 for those 5 rides. Kind of a rip off if you ask me but my kids had fun so I'm not complaining. 

Luke... the future NASCAR driver!

Natalie tried this tilt-a-whirl type ride out but started crying so they stopped it for her to get off! 

Natalie and Luke loved the mini whales!

And the Beary-go-round!

Shopping and Pig Races 

After the kids got to ride several rides we decided we wanted to head back towards some of the pavilions and see some of the exhibits that we were  not able to see that morning. We went into several different stores including a western store where dad was able to buy a brand-new hat for him to wear when he plays golf. After that we waited for the 4 o'clock pig races to start where we sat inside the pavilion waiting for the gates open for nearly an hour. During out wait we went into a small convenience store that was selling FAT BOY ice cream sandwiches. These were some of the best ice cream I ever had in my childhood  and we found them for the first time in Philadelphia and we haven't seen that since.  Natalie even had one and she said "Wow mommy these are really good!"

It kills me to say this but this was better than Blue Bell's Ice Cream Sandwich! 

These things are amazing!

Despite him feeling bad ALL day and being needy and whiney... 

I loved being with him and sharing these memories!

At the entrance to the Cotton Bowl- 12 years later! 

BOOMER SOONER BABY!

We were able to get inside the coliseum or the pig races took place at about 3:45 and that's when Mr. Luke woke up from an hour long nap and let me tell you he was not a happy camper. You could tell he had a headache most of the day from his little mishap from the morning however he was especially irritated and fussy after he was woke up. Fortunately the fussiness quickly went away as soon as the little pigs started running all over the coliseum. We all thoroughly enjoyed the pig races and after that we decided to go back to the "Go Texan" pavilion and purchase some of the items that we saw from that morning. By this time it was incredibly crowded and perhaps the most crowded it has ever been since I've been there and I've been there several times including two OU/Texas game days!

More Amusements
We decided we needed to start wrapping up this day so we headed back towards the kiddie rides so Natalie and Luke could ride one more ride!  Allie and I even got to ride The Viper! It was awesome and I wish we could have ridden more! By this time we only had a couple of coupons left so we decided we would go and try out some of the sweet items that could be deep-fried. We tried one of the 2014 Big Tex winners called a Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet. This was basically a blueberry muffin with a scone-style batter that was filled with cream cheese and white chocolate and then deep-fried and  topped with whipped cream, blueberries  and more white chocolate. I only got a couple of bites but it was amazing. We also had another one of my favorites a Deep-fried Twinkie. Mom, dad and Allison had never had a Deep-fried Twinkie so I was sharing it with them but even the two bites and I had where fantastic and I'm so glad I got it. We used our last coupons on Funnel Cake Fries, which both of the kids LOVED, and Deep-Fried Mac-N-Cheese bites! These were awesome and will become favorites for us all! 

The ADULT amusements! Allison and I on The Viper! It was awesome! 

Pretty much the happiest Luke was the entire day thanks to Gigi Shirley's bubble machine!
She even went and got a 2nd one just for him! Can you say SPOILED!
Thanks Gigi!

Bye Bye Big Tex
We took one last family photo at the gate at the front gate at the state fair and then be headed back to our cars. We were loaded up and said our goodbyes and I was on I-45 by 6:45 PM. This was somewhat of a reward trip for Natalie as she has behaved so well for the first six weeks of school that I knew she deserved this type of reward. I talked to her and explain to her that this was only a once in a while type thing but this led to an even better conversation about the whole day which basically took place for the next 50 miles as we traveled down I 45.  Her and Luke just talked and talked and talked about how much fun they had at the fair. So I know it was a good day!

Another GREAT trip to the State Fair! See you in 2015 BIG TEX! 

I absolutely love being able to go to the State Fair and I wish they offered it more than one time a year. I also wish they offered it while we were not in school so we could go on a less crowded day! We owe a HUGE thank you to my parents who offered to take us in the first place and paid for not only the tickets to get in but all of the ride and food coupons as well as the hotel itself. We cannot thank you enough for the awesome day and experience we had! We love you guys! 

We will see you again next year Big Tex! 

God is good... ALL the time!