The Top of Texas

We're up and dressed

in our hiking best

and our destiny rises in front of us...

Our first park of the trip:

After a lot of consideration,

Mom and Dad decided we could do it.

We were going to summit 

the tallest mountain in Texas.

So we packed our water and lunch

and set out

Can you see Jack and Wes?

Despite multiple warnings about possible mountain lions

(for real--they are in the area),

the continually forged ahead of the rest of us

Me and B were a bit slower

but definitely steady

The views just kept getting better

and our spirits stayed surprisingly high

We just kept climbing

and resting

and "watering" the plants

until we made it!

After 3 hours,

a few "false summits,"

and a lot of calories burned,

we made it to the top

of Guadalupe Peak

One for the Christmas card

Here's the view from the highest point in Texas--

we may be able to see Mexico...

It wasn't all that high I suppose,

but not bad for a 5 year old.

We hung out and admired the view

We ate lunch

and sang "Happy Birthday" to Wes

along with the other summitters

We took some selfies

and publicity pictures

(would you believe we met

2 other groups from KC on the way up

because of this shirt?)

But after a bit of a rest

it was time for one last picture

and the trek back down

The hike down was a lot more enjoyable.

We paused to appreciate the bridge

and more of the overlooks

Beckett and I really liked these

bright red trees

(although it didn't show up very well in the pictures)

Mom hugged her favorite pines

and then we sang the WHOLE SONG

of "99 Bottles of Coke on the Wall"

as we traversed the last of the switchbacks

which got us in just the right mood

for celebration drinks at the bottom.

9.5 miles,

3000 feet elevation gain,

5.5 hours.

All in a day's work.

Celebrating 11

How do you celebrate a birthday 

on a hiking/camping vacation?

With banners and bear knives

and brownies with as many candles as you need

Happy Birthday, Westie!

On the road again!

We've become big fans of camping and campers

thanks to Covid (#covidsilverlining)

so we were REALLY excited to plan our next

camper getaway over Spring Break.

The moment we got off the bus,

Mom came squealing in on 2 wheels

hot off rounding on all the area hospitals

and we hit the road to start our latest adventure.

After pigging out on some Braum's burgers and ice cream,

we landed in Oklahoma City for the night.

The awesome front desk attendant

let us "sneak" into the pool for a bit after hours

Mom and Dad skipped the rather cold pool

and settled for a cold beer instead

Who's on vacation???

The next morning

we got up bright and early to pick up

our home away from home for the next week:

A Jayco Whitehawk.

Mom and Dad had been interested in seeing

what all the fuss was about on this model.

It didn't disappoint.

We had to take some pictures for insurance...

allow me to share.

Now if you know me

(this is Jack),

I love luxury.

This is luxury!

We were excited to get going!

The drive was...harrowing.

Oklahoma and Texas

(and maybe everywhere this week)

were WINDY!

And I mean, blow you off the road

with your big ol' trailer WINDY.

Poor Dad.

It was a long 8 hours.

With a bit of distraction from Percy Jackson audiobooks,

we finally made it to New Mexico.

There were some strange sites there...

And our favorite:

Mom and Dad had to explain 

the alien/Roswell connection to us.

Once we were in on it,

we thought it was pretty cool.

We finally arrived in Carlsbad

and settled in for our big day tomorrow...

Just you wait.

Teamwork

I'm a pretty good reader now--

so good I can help Tucker with his reading.

Mom and Dad said it's little bittersweet

to not be needed so much anymore...

A new hobby

I've been asking to "make something" for a while.

I made chocolate chip cookies a week or so ago.

They were ok--a little crispy.

I was determined to improve my recipe this round.

Mom and I looked up

how to make them softer 

(high temp for shorter time)

and decided to try some M&Ms this time too

They turned out great...

but my plan didn't stop there.

Ice cream cookie sandwiches

really improved this round!

They were a BIG hit!

Fried chicken Saturday night

Tucker rode his bike today

(with 2 wheels!)

and so he got to choose dinner

(we probably should have got a picture of the ride...)

Good choice, Tuck!

We're big fans.

The soccer gang

No offense,

but Jackson's soccer games are LONG.

But hanging out with this crew--

Fisher, Camille, Ellie--

makes the time fly.

We promise we watch some of the game too!!!

All the green

It's St. Pats!

We started our day with new

blinking necklaces in our surprise Bugs

and then trekked to the kitchen for

a very green breakfast

from Dad

Only Wes actually wore green...

until Mom and Dad broke out their

Rolla Green to make this a real

St. Pat's party!

Erin go brach!

The not-so-triumphant return of Soccer Saturday

It's grey.

It's rainy.

It's cold.

It must be opening day of soccer season!

My Pirates were up first.

We played the second place team from last season.

They were out to bring down

the two-time champs.

I played hard.  We all did.

But we lost.

It stung a bit.

We haven't lost a game in over a year.

Something to draw on get better.

We'll get 'em next time.

We headed to Jack's next.

We was "warming up" before the game.

Did I mention grandparents are allowed this season??

It was good to have Papa Kim and Grandma Phyllis

back on the sidelines again.

Mom forgot to get a good pic of Jack

but I promise, he played hard.

The finale of the day was Tuck--

he turned on his speed

and got 3 goals to seal his teams victory

It was cold and rainy and grey

and we were 1 for 3 on wins,

but playing soccer again with fans in the stands?

It was a good day.