{Weekend Wrap-up}

Why do weekends always fly by so fast? We had a pretty busy weekend, which always makes it seem even shorter. Despite it being busy, it was a fun weekend. Here's a look at what we did...

{SUMMER 2023 BUCKETLIST}

It's officially summer (as of June 21st) and I am a bit late in sharing our 2023 Summer Bucketlist. Summer for us usually starts in May and goes through September! The Internet says summer is from June 21st through September 23rd, to be exact. When Texas hits the 90s, that's summer enough for me. Plus, Mason is homeschooled so we can make our summer dates whatever we choose. Here's a look at all the things we hope to do this summer. Since I'm super late in posting this, we've already checked off quite a few! 

{Currently // July 2023}

It's time for a "currently" post! I haven't done one since January and these are some of my favorite posts. Linking up with Jennifer to share what we are currently loving, savoring, celebrating, remembering, and trying this month. 

{Roadtrippin' // Weatherford, TX // Texas Tuesday}

Weatherford is an adorable little town in Parker County, TX. After we ate at Herd's Burgers we headed over to Weatherford to tote around the town square. We found this adorable antique store called Miss B's Antiques and Collectables. They had the cutest stuff and the best prices.

{Roadtrippin' // Herd's Burgers // Texas Tuesday}

A couple of Saturday's ago we decided to make another day trip! I am really loving our Saturdays lately.  This time we drove to Jacksboro, TX to eat at our favorite hole-in-the-wall burger joint, Herd's Burgers. We found this place one October while camping at Mitchell Resort and now we eat there every time we camp in the area!  It's by far one of our favorite burgers. 

{Big Rocks Park in Glen Rose, TX}

On the way home from our Strawn trip (after going to Lake Mineral Wells State Park) we also stopped at Big Rocks Park in Glen Rose, TX.  We've been here many times before and it's always a good time. We weren't prepared to swim this time, we just wanted to see how much water was in the river. It wasn't much! Texas is getting a lot of rain lately so hopefully this will change.

{Father's Day 2023}

Father's Day this year was really sweet and special this year! Mason asked me if he could pick out, order, and pay for Nate's gift all on his own. Of course, I obliged, and he did so well! 

{HOCKEY UPDATE}

I mentioned in this post that Mason started the Rookie hockey program at the Star Center.  It's been a while, so I thought I would post an update. Mason is still going strong with hockey!! He completed the Rookie program, then moved on to Pre-Hockey Academy, and is now in Hockey Academy! 

{Mineral Wells State Park}

On our way home from Strawn, we stopped in Mineral Wells to check out Lake Mineral Wells State Park. We had heard lots of great things about it. Side note - Nate and I love to drive through state parks to check them out! We like to see if it's somewhere we'd enjoy camping one day. Anyhow, the state park was kind enough to let us do a drive-through. 

{Grad Party}

Last Friday we attended a grad party for one of the kiddos in our friend group. It was so much fun! It always is when our friend group gets together. We ate, drank, took pictures at the photo booth, danced, and talked the night away. 

{Rainbows and Sunsets}

We were on our way home last night and saw the most incredible and vibrant rainbow in the sky! We then made our way over to our secret little spot near Waxahachie lake to watch the sunset. I love how pretty the sunset can be after a storm! 

{Ranger Game}

The Texas Rangers are on fire and so fun to watch lately!! Don't get me wrong, we are die-hard Ranger fans over here, win or lose, but this new team is just exciting!! We got to attend Monday's game and had a blast! We had an extra ticket so we invited Nate's mom! 

{Roadtrippin' // Strawn Texas // Mary's Cafe}

This past Saturday we decided to do something a little different after hockey! We made a day trip to Strawn, TX. We had been wanting to eat at Mary's for quite some time and decided to finally make that happen! Strawn holds family memories for me. My Grandmother lived there as well as our family farm (where we had family reunions at).

{Ellis County Jeep Meet}

Our local Jeep meets on the first Thursday of every month. These meets are most often at a local restaurant in the Waxahachie/Midlothian/Ennis area. This month we met at Bluebonnet BBQ. We had an amazing turnout and the food was delicious!! 

{Midlo Scoops // JGM Ellis County Meet}

I've mentioned here before that I am a club vice president for a nationwide all girls Jeep club. It's such an amazing community of women and one that brings me great joy. We frequently have meets at local restaurants, arcades, movies, etc. It's just a night to get together and have community!  Our Ellis County chapter recently met at Midlo Scoops - an ice cream place in Midlothian. 

 

{Memorial Day Weekend}

Holiday weekends are just better when spent with family, am I right? I love these good, wholesome weekends of quality family time. We were missing two members of the Hall clan. And, we sure did miss them. Nate's parents rented the most beautiful lakehouse for our weekend stay. It was perfect and the time together was so sweet. 

{Memorial Day Weekend // The Jolly Pirate Ship}

On Saturday, we rode on the Jolly Pirate Ship in Conroe, TX. It was a fun activity to do with the kids. The littles were so excited about it! Mason might have been excited but he's a teenager now and too cool to say so! :) 

{Memorial Day Weekend // Pirate everything!!}

One of the main reasons we went to Lake Conroe over the Memorial Day weekend holiday was to ride on the Jolly Pirate Ship! Nate's mom and I decided to put together a cute little pirate-themed scavenger hunt on one of the days (before our ride on the ship). It was so fun to put together with her. Check out my TikTok for videos on that!

 

{Our Lakehouse Rental for Memorial Day Weekend}

Nate's parents booked the most beautiful house for our family Memorial Day trip! The house was on Lake Conroe, just a couple hours from home. 

 

{Mason's 13th birthday}

Mason is THIRTEEN!!! We officially have a teenager and it feels so strange to say that. I know every parent says this and it's incredibly cliche, but I am not sure where all the time went. It has flown by in a flash. If I wasn't already, I am now hyper-aware of these fleeting moments!!  I can't even think about that right now. 

Happy Birthday my sweetest boy!!

{Michelle's Birthday}

We spent Sunday afternoon celebrating our sister-in-law Michelle's birthday! We went to Firehouse Gastro Pub in Grand Prairie for lunch and it was delicious. We were able to get a table out on the lawn/patio and it was the perfect day! 

 

{Mason's Special Visitor // Victor E Green}

 Mason's grandparents pulled off the ultimate birthday surprise for him...

{Ranger's Game // Lexus Club}

On Wednesday we were able to attend the Texas Rangers baseball game! We were gifted some amazing seats in the Lexus Club section! This was our first time ever sitting in the Lexus Club! The tickets came with an you can eat/drink option and the kids loved that. We had 8 tickets so some of our friends were able to join us. 

{Mother's Day // 2023}

We had a really lovely Mother's Day this year! It started with church and then ended with lunch at Nate's parent's house! 

{A Sweet Saturday with family}

We had such a sweet and wholesome Saturday! I always love days that are filled with family time. We started with hockey in the morning, then baseball in the afternoon, and then a late lunch together.  

{STARS PLAYOFF GAME // GAME 9}

Nate and I were able to snag some Dallas Stars playoff tickets against the Seattle Kraken! It was one of the most fun (and intense) games we have been to yet. The whole vibe was a little more electric - which is saying a lot since these games always are! They had so many things going on outside of the AAC before the game. 

{A Sunday well spent}

We had such a good, wholesome Sunday!! It was mixed with just the perfect balance of work and chill. We worked on the chicken coop, went fishing, visited with Nate's Grandma for her birthday, and let Willow outside for a bit. 

{More Chicken Coop Work}

 We spent some of the weekend finishing up the work on the chicken coop. We put up a new (heavy-duty) aviary net to help keep predators out of the coop and run. This net is legit and so much better than the previous one we had up! 

{Spring has sprung // Home}

Spring-time is my favorite time to be outdoors at home! The flowers start blooming, the grass is turning from brown to green, the birds are out, and it's not a million degrees outside! We spend a lot of time on our porch during the spring and it's my favorite. 

{Our shop makeover}

 After we worked on refreshing the chicken coop, we were inspired to give our shop a makeover! It was in dire need of a makeover!  

{Chicken Coop Update}

 Our chicken coop was in need of a little updating...so we spent this past weekend doing just that! Some of the wood was flaking off and we needed to do some reinforcements around the edges now that I have chicks residing there! We had some tin lying around not being used so Nate had the idea to use that instead of new wood. I have to say, I love the way it came out. Gives it that rustic flare that I love so much. 

{Hockey...All day everyday}

Can I just say that watching your child develop a passion for something is one of the greatest joys in life? A fire ignited in Mason back on December 1, 2022, and there's no slowing it down! He is a million percent invested in Hockey.  If he's not on the ice, he's out in the driveway on rollerblades practicing, if he's not outside practicing, he's watching videos about Hockey and learning skills, and if he's not doing that, he's watching old games, studying teams and players, researching stats and scores, etc. He lives, eats, and breathes hockey! It's amazing to watch! 

{Easter}

The older I get, the more I love the Easter holiday! There's nothing better than celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus!! We started the day off at church. I always love our Easter services at church. 

{Top Golf with Friends}

 This past Saturday our friend group got together to celebrate Dylan's 14th birthday! We met at Top Golf in The Colony! That location is so nice!! Due to the number of us, they had to split us into three bays. They put two of the bays together and then 1 was about 10 bays down. The ladies and kids took the bays together and the guys went down to the other. We all had so much fun!! 

{The Chicks have moved}

Yesterday was an exciting day for the chicks!! They have moved to their new home. I'm sure they are so excited to have all the space in the coop! They were starting to run out of space in their brooder. It's funny how big they look in the brooder and then how small they look in the coop. 

{Fat Tuesdays // JGM Ellis County Meet}

 This past Wednesday, I met the girls at Fat Tuesday for a Jeep Girl Mafia Ellis County meet! It was a little bit cooler than we hoped, but we still had a wonderful turnout! Despite the weather, we were eager to hang out with fellow Jeepers!  

This location is decorated so cute!!

{Dallas Stars vs Philadelphia Flyers // Game 8}

 We went to another Stars game!!  This was our 8th game this season!! At this point, I really wish we had season tickets. Maybe next season!! We truly love the games and how thrilling they are! There is so much action the entire game and it makes for an enjoyable time. Not to mention the fans are some of the best sports fans, EVER!  

{Hockey at Home}

 Mason has been putting in some work at home! He has been spending anywhere from 4-6 hours a day outside practicing hockey! He uses rollerblades at home. We can really tell how much it helps when he is on the ice. Nate and I are so proud of him and all the hard work he has put forth!

{Bristol & Bluebonnets // Round 2}

This past Sunday we made a trip out to Bristol to see the Bluebonnets and to grab some supper at the Bristol General Store! This has to be one of my favorite Sunday traditions of ours. The Bluebonnets are only here for a short season, so we try to make as many trips as we can. 

{CEDAR CREEK LAKE}

We spent Saturday at Cedar Creek Lake remembering our dear friend, Chuck! He has been such a great friend and honorary member of our family ever since my two aunts first bought their lakehouses. His sister (who also lives at the lake) had a celebration of life for him at her house. It was a nice day! 

 

{WESTERN KOUNTRY KLUB // KIDS SLEEP OVER}

Our friend group dusted off our boots and went a' two-steppin'!! We went to the Western Kountry Klub in Grand Prairie. It's famous for the fact that some of the movie "Pure Country (with George Strait) was filmed there! It's a fun little dancehall! We had the best time!!

{DALLAS STARS VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS // Game 7}

 "Do you want to go to the Stars game tonight?" may perhaps be the best question I've ever been asked on a Thursday! I mean, is that even a question? Yes is always the answer to a Star's game! We secured some tickets and we were all ecstatic. These games are the most fun! 

{Nate's first Rookie class}

We found out that the Stars Center offers an adult Rookie class so Nate signed up! Mason was ecstatic to have his dad on the ice and to be able to watch him play!! Plus, this gets Nate all the gear he needs to be able to attend parent/child open hockey sessions with Mason! 

{PNut's Birthday Celebration}

We celebrated one of our dear friend's birthday over the weekend! The whole friend group was able to come and it was a blast! It's always a great time when we get together. 

{Rookie Graduation}

 Mason graduated from the hockey Rookie class on Saturday! Nate's parents, brother, and sister-in-law came to watch! He gets so excited to have people come to watch him.

{Texas Tuesday // Bristol & Bluebonnets}

It's no secret around here that a drive out to the Bluebonnet fields (in the Jeep) fuels my soul! The drive from our house to Bristol is so pretty and it feels so good to be on some Texas backroads! We took a drive to see the Bluebonnets and pick up some food at the Bristol General Store. 

{College Station // Weekend Roadtrip}

Nate and I snuck away for a little weekend road trip. Mason opted to stay with his Grandparents.  Our friend's daughter was playing in a tournament in CS and we thought it would be fun to go! Nate and I headed out after Mason's hockey on Saturday morning and got there late afternoon! We checked into our hotel, then went to grab some food, and then site see. 

{College baseball in Frisco}

While driving to the Vic's Kid's Party we saw that there was a college baseball tournament going on at the Frisco Roughriders stadium. Our favorite team was even there! So we decided after the party to head over and catch a game. 

{Vic's Kids Party // Skating with the Mascots}

As part of the official kid's hockey club, Mason got a special invite to attend Vic's birthday party! He got to ice skate and hang out with the Dallas Stars Mascot, Victor E Green, and four others!! This was exclusive to only kids in the official NHL hockey club!  He was ecstatic!! 

{A new flock // 2023}

Starting fresh with a new flock of chickens this year! I was able to find the breeds that I wanted right here in town at Atwoods and Tractor Supply.