Before I blew my birthday candles out, I had already made a wish. Between the constant distractions at work, busy time with the kids, sporting events, the beginning of bow season and other things that came up, there had been no time to catch our breath. I made a wish for time away with the boy – going somewhere with no worries, no laundry, no dishes, no settling arguments, no school work and no business matters. No distractions, period.
I searched for two weeks, enlisted the advice of facebook friends and could not decide where to go. There were cabins in east Texas but I felt like with them having kitchens we’d have to cook there, there were bed and breakfasts all around, which is what he had been researching – but that would put us in a house and I wanted away from reality. I considered Ft. Worth because there are so many things to do there but then I came across Granbury. There was a lake – something about being near the water makes me happy. And, I found a hotel with a “bed and breakfast” special. This gave us the best of both worlds – the luxury of being in a hotel (with housekeeping) and a breakfast buffet. I googled the town and it looked inviting. I had been to Glen Rose and knew that it was also a neat place to go. So, I made reservations. I was ready to get outta town.
Friday, October 15th was my birthday. 35 used to seem so old (now the closer I get to 40 – it is sounding younger and younger). It’s hard to believe that I am in my mid-30s and practically starting life over. Dating again is just like I remembered it – fun and it makes me happy. Throughout the day I taught my class and at lunch and conference I tried to thank everyone for my birthday wishes on facebook. Jared’s mom picked the kids up from school so I was “free” for the weekend. I went home, got ready for the football game, went and picked up the boy and we headed out to Kemp. In Kemp we ate dinner with four good friends and then it was on to the game where the Crandall Pirates battled the Kemp Yellowjackets under the Friday night lights.
Saturday morning we headed to Granbury. It took about an hour and 45 minutes. We got to check-in early so we dropped off our stuff and drove around on a mission looking for a place to eat some down home BBQ. We found the perfect place in Glen Rose but I ended up too full for the hot cobbler and ice cream that sounded so good. (One of these days I will learn to eat dessert first.) After lunch we decided to drive around and followed a sign that said “Fossils”. We ended up on some back roads, where most of the time there was no cell service – which was okay until I needed to check the GPS for directions. We came across Dinosaur Valley and decided that would be a fun place to bring the kids. It was such a pretty drive, perfect for stopping along the way and attempting to set the self-timer for pictures. Joey looked for deer, I looked for picture spots. Along the way I decided that this would be a great place to live. A rock house on the hill; in a hunter’s paradise; water in ponds, lakes and rivers and so peaceful. (And not to mention the downtown squares – so full of life in the past). We drove for over an hour. I told him that it was a good thing that we got along so well because between our drive there and our back road adventure, we spent hours in the car together. We laughed, we teased, we dreamed … it was a great drive and as cheesy at it seems – it strengthened our relationship even more. (Sometimes it is hard to find things to do that haven’t already been done before … with someone else. I knew that this trip would be filled with new memories and that was a good thing.) Our drive led us back to the main road to Granbury and back to our hotel.
We took an hour long nap and then away we went to the Granbury square. Shoppy shops, take your dog trick-or-treating (seriously, people had their dogs dressed in costumes and store workers were passing out candy), catching TV screens in stores along the way to get the updated Rangers score, looking at signs posted in windows for fun things to do and shockingly – not buying anything. I was disappointed not to find a Granbury ornament for the tree. We stopped and talked to a “peddler” selling tickets for the cemetery tour – it would have been fun if it was a scary hayride but instead it started at 10:45 p.m., lasted an hour and it was a historical tour in which you got to carry a flashlight around and look at graves – yeah, no thanks. We decided to look for a haunted house. The receptionist at the hotel said there was one up the road – we drove past and decided it didn’t look appealing. Joey headed to Stephenville thinking there would be a good one in the college town but not so much. More driving, more talking. I was craving the hot cobbler and ice cream that I didn’t have room for at lunch. We found a Spring Creek BBQ and enjoyed dessert. That was a sweet ending to a sweet day.
On Sunday, we weren’t in any hurry to get back to reality. The breakfast buffet was open until 1:00. We got up, got ready, packed up, loaded the car and headed to the lobby for breakfast. I love a breakfast buffet that has a ton of crispy bacon. We ate and ate and ate some more. We walked along the “beach” and across the boardwalk. Then, we hit the road again. Joey called his sister, who lives on Lake Granbury, and we went over there for a nice visit. After spending a couple hours there, we headed back to Glen Rose. I told him that we needed to move and start over. But, realistically, with five of our children still in school, we know it can’t happen right now. But maybe in ten years…
We went searching for the Glen Rose town square and the river where there are big rocks to climb on and shallow water to walk around in. We found the square – deserted. Everything there was locked up tight. Sunday must literally be the day of rest in this community. We found the big rocks and river and had some fun there. Joey took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans (like capris), I rolled up my jeans – but not enough. There were so many great places for pictures but no props to hold the camera … until I spotted a trash can in the distance. Joey went on the journey to fetch it but it was chained up. He went on walking through the river and I went over to the trash can. Where there is a will, there is a way … a beer bottle cap helped me wedge the chain link apart and by golly, I took the trash can right where I wanted it. Sweet! I found the perfect rock (out in the water) with a small fountain background. The problem – me setting the camera timer and wading back to the rock in ten seconds. So, we reversed roles. I got things all set up and Joey pushed the button. It proved to be challenging to him, too – we laughed as he couldn’t get steady on the rock in time and we had to have a “redo”. We got a few good snapshots – I was happy and my pant legs were soaked! Joey returned and rechained the trash can so we could go rock climbing. The rocks were huge! Easy steps for him (up, down, across) were giant for me. We stayed together but on different rocks because I couldn’t get to him. At the end we ended up on the same rock. (And, you guessed it – another picture.) Back in the car, I realized that I was starving. Nothing sounded better than Whataburger. We passed the turn off for the first one – grrrr – but, lucky for the boy, not far down the road, we found another one. From there, it was homeward bound … booooo.
We had such a great weekend. It was the perfect birthday wish come true. Not only was it my birthday but it marked six months of learning all about true happiness and falling in love again. I am so glad that Joey came into my life when he did, he helped me find my smile and my hope for a brighter future and for this, I am so very thankful.
I searched for two weeks, enlisted the advice of facebook friends and could not decide where to go. There were cabins in east Texas but I felt like with them having kitchens we’d have to cook there, there were bed and breakfasts all around, which is what he had been researching – but that would put us in a house and I wanted away from reality. I considered Ft. Worth because there are so many things to do there but then I came across Granbury. There was a lake – something about being near the water makes me happy. And, I found a hotel with a “bed and breakfast” special. This gave us the best of both worlds – the luxury of being in a hotel (with housekeeping) and a breakfast buffet. I googled the town and it looked inviting. I had been to Glen Rose and knew that it was also a neat place to go. So, I made reservations. I was ready to get outta town.
Friday, October 15th was my birthday. 35 used to seem so old (now the closer I get to 40 – it is sounding younger and younger). It’s hard to believe that I am in my mid-30s and practically starting life over. Dating again is just like I remembered it – fun and it makes me happy. Throughout the day I taught my class and at lunch and conference I tried to thank everyone for my birthday wishes on facebook. Jared’s mom picked the kids up from school so I was “free” for the weekend. I went home, got ready for the football game, went and picked up the boy and we headed out to Kemp. In Kemp we ate dinner with four good friends and then it was on to the game where the Crandall Pirates battled the Kemp Yellowjackets under the Friday night lights.
Saturday morning we headed to Granbury. It took about an hour and 45 minutes. We got to check-in early so we dropped off our stuff and drove around on a mission looking for a place to eat some down home BBQ. We found the perfect place in Glen Rose but I ended up too full for the hot cobbler and ice cream that sounded so good. (One of these days I will learn to eat dessert first.) After lunch we decided to drive around and followed a sign that said “Fossils”. We ended up on some back roads, where most of the time there was no cell service – which was okay until I needed to check the GPS for directions. We came across Dinosaur Valley and decided that would be a fun place to bring the kids. It was such a pretty drive, perfect for stopping along the way and attempting to set the self-timer for pictures. Joey looked for deer, I looked for picture spots. Along the way I decided that this would be a great place to live. A rock house on the hill; in a hunter’s paradise; water in ponds, lakes and rivers and so peaceful. (And not to mention the downtown squares – so full of life in the past). We drove for over an hour. I told him that it was a good thing that we got along so well because between our drive there and our back road adventure, we spent hours in the car together. We laughed, we teased, we dreamed … it was a great drive and as cheesy at it seems – it strengthened our relationship even more. (Sometimes it is hard to find things to do that haven’t already been done before … with someone else. I knew that this trip would be filled with new memories and that was a good thing.) Our drive led us back to the main road to Granbury and back to our hotel.
We took an hour long nap and then away we went to the Granbury square. Shoppy shops, take your dog trick-or-treating (seriously, people had their dogs dressed in costumes and store workers were passing out candy), catching TV screens in stores along the way to get the updated Rangers score, looking at signs posted in windows for fun things to do and shockingly – not buying anything. I was disappointed not to find a Granbury ornament for the tree. We stopped and talked to a “peddler” selling tickets for the cemetery tour – it would have been fun if it was a scary hayride but instead it started at 10:45 p.m., lasted an hour and it was a historical tour in which you got to carry a flashlight around and look at graves – yeah, no thanks. We decided to look for a haunted house. The receptionist at the hotel said there was one up the road – we drove past and decided it didn’t look appealing. Joey headed to Stephenville thinking there would be a good one in the college town but not so much. More driving, more talking. I was craving the hot cobbler and ice cream that I didn’t have room for at lunch. We found a Spring Creek BBQ and enjoyed dessert. That was a sweet ending to a sweet day.
On Sunday, we weren’t in any hurry to get back to reality. The breakfast buffet was open until 1:00. We got up, got ready, packed up, loaded the car and headed to the lobby for breakfast. I love a breakfast buffet that has a ton of crispy bacon. We ate and ate and ate some more. We walked along the “beach” and across the boardwalk. Then, we hit the road again. Joey called his sister, who lives on Lake Granbury, and we went over there for a nice visit. After spending a couple hours there, we headed back to Glen Rose. I told him that we needed to move and start over. But, realistically, with five of our children still in school, we know it can’t happen right now. But maybe in ten years…
We went searching for the Glen Rose town square and the river where there are big rocks to climb on and shallow water to walk around in. We found the square – deserted. Everything there was locked up tight. Sunday must literally be the day of rest in this community. We found the big rocks and river and had some fun there. Joey took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans (like capris), I rolled up my jeans – but not enough. There were so many great places for pictures but no props to hold the camera … until I spotted a trash can in the distance. Joey went on the journey to fetch it but it was chained up. He went on walking through the river and I went over to the trash can. Where there is a will, there is a way … a beer bottle cap helped me wedge the chain link apart and by golly, I took the trash can right where I wanted it. Sweet! I found the perfect rock (out in the water) with a small fountain background. The problem – me setting the camera timer and wading back to the rock in ten seconds. So, we reversed roles. I got things all set up and Joey pushed the button. It proved to be challenging to him, too – we laughed as he couldn’t get steady on the rock in time and we had to have a “redo”. We got a few good snapshots – I was happy and my pant legs were soaked! Joey returned and rechained the trash can so we could go rock climbing. The rocks were huge! Easy steps for him (up, down, across) were giant for me. We stayed together but on different rocks because I couldn’t get to him. At the end we ended up on the same rock. (And, you guessed it – another picture.) Back in the car, I realized that I was starving. Nothing sounded better than Whataburger. We passed the turn off for the first one – grrrr – but, lucky for the boy, not far down the road, we found another one. From there, it was homeward bound … booooo.
We had such a great weekend. It was the perfect birthday wish come true. Not only was it my birthday but it marked six months of learning all about true happiness and falling in love again. I am so glad that Joey came into my life when he did, he helped me find my smile and my hope for a brighter future and for this, I am so very thankful.
