{Texas Tuesday - 101 Reasons You Should Live In Texas At Least Once In Your Life}


Masons Mama

What is Texas Tuesday? A chance for you to show off the awesomeness that is TEXAS!! You can blog about anything; restaurants, vacation spots, venues, concerts, your hometown, shops, fashion, sports, etc. The linkup is not limited to Texans, we just ask that the post is about Texas. 

We don't make following any of the hosts a requirement, but we do ask that you include our button and at least post about a Texas related topic. Any links that are not related to the link up will be deleted. (button code is in grab box below the image above)
 

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I saw this floating around Facebook and read it and loved it. I wanted to share it here.

101 Reasons You Should Live In Texas At Least Once In Your Life

 1. Queso. To be honest, the existence of queso is reason enough to live in Texas, but we’ll give you a few more just for fun.
2. Blue Bell ice cream for days.
3. Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits from Whataburger. AKA your new favorite thing to eat that is actually terrible for your heart, but is so good for your soul.
4. Breakfast tacos. EVERY DAMN DAY.
5. Tex-Mex in general.
6. BBQ, obviously. And understanding what “BBQ” actually means. (Hint: It’s not “grilling.”)
7. Mambo Taxis from Mi Cocina: frozen margaritas mixed with frozen sangria and just a pinch of “wait, what happened last night?”
8. Drinking Dr. Pepper like it’s water.
9. Late-night drunken Taco Cabana runs.
10. Pecan pralines.
11. Being able to eat cuisines from basically the entire world, all within the Houston city limits.
12. The delightfully confusing experience of hearing someone say “I’ll have a coke.” And then immediately ordering some other kind of soda.
13. Crunchy ice and happy hour at Sonic.
14. Homemade tortillas >>>>
15. Home of H.E.B., Central Market, and Whole Foods. And FIESTA!
16. Freshly baked kolaches from Czech Stop.
17. Frito pies.
18. Topo Chicos, the only decent hangover cure in the world.
19. Austin being home to both the world’s best BBQ and being declared by PETA to be the country’s best place to be vegan, because we’re not afraid to contain multitudes.
20. Iced tea = sweet tea.
21. Pickle salt on all of your cheap beer.
22. Tito’s Vodka.
23. Deep Eddy Sweet Iced Tea Vodka mixed with lemonade.
24. Shiner Bock and visiting its adorable brewery.

25. The feeling of pure bliss that comes from driving under an endless blue sky.
26. Or falling asleep to the sounds of a summer thunderstorm.
27. Bluebonnets and wildflowers on the side of the road.
28. Wearing jeans and boots to any and all events.
29. Two-stepping the night away.
30. Floating down the river in the sticky, summer heat.
31. Listening to live music on any given night in Austin.
32. Exploring the unparalleled Texas Hill Country.
33. Not being limited to one type of terrain — caverns, beaches, cities, and deserts abound.
34. Southern hospitality.
35. The subtle joy of actually knowing your neighbors.
36. The men are true gentlemen.
37. And speaking of gentlemen, COACH TAYLOR lives in Texas, so there’s really no beating that.
38. Texas Forever.
39. The thunderous roar of a football game on a Friday night.
40. Fight songs and school pride. * cough * Gig’ Em * cough *
41. The Texas flag pledge of allegiance.
42. The feeling of living in a place people are proud to call home.
43. Finding a majestic state flag on literally anything that could have a flag on it.
44. NO STATE INCOME TAX.
45. NASA!
46. There’s no party quite like the Houston Rodeo.
47. Well, except maybe the Renaissance Fair.
48. You haven’t really road-tripped until you’ve been to Buc-ee’s (and used its bathroom).
49. Schlitterbahn — especially spending all afternoon going around and around in the torrent wave pool.
50. Getting to spot local celebs like Matthew McConaughey and Willie Nelson just chilling and with no one bothering them.

51. SXSW and ACL.
52. Lazy afternoons sitting in one of many of outdoor bars.
53. Running/pretending to jog around Town Lake.
54. Cute boys and foxy ladies with a sugary sweet Texas drawl.
55. Strangers who smile and say hi everywhere you go.
56. Two seasons: summer and slightly chillier than summer.
57. Three of the best NBA teams in the country in one state.
58. Homecoming mums are the prettiest and how do other high schoolers do homecoming without them?
59. BIG HAIR.
60. A little bit of Spanish in everyone’s English just makes everything sound prettier.
61. Proof that there’s a ton of life in the desert.
62. Townes Van Zandt.
63. The late-night sounds of screech owls among the trees.
64. Giant live oak trees that remind you how small you are and how big and old the world is.
65. Exploring some weird and wonderful underground caverns and feeling like you’re on another planet.
66. This is the same place that both GEORGE STRAIT and BEYONCE are from, so you know it’s special.
67. To fully understand that “y’all” just makes sense and everyone should use it.
68. Awesome trucks.
69. Passing lanes on the interstate that are actually used as passing lanes.
70. Summer night dances at Garner State Park.
71. Knowing people that are actually just like the characters on King of the Hill.
72. Jackalopes.
73. Seeing authentic Texas blues in Deep Ellum in Dallas.
74. Living in a magic economy that keeps on truckin’ when the rest of country is flopping.
75. Texans of all political stripes are usually super serious about their freedom and think everyone should be able to do whatever the heck they want as long as it’s not hurting anyone.

76. The stars at night are big and bright.
77. The Marfa lights, not to mention all of their cool art museums.
78. Selena (RIP).
79. A chance to be an extra in movies like Dazed & Confused and Machete.
80. Houston rap.
81. The spring break parties along the Gulf Coast.
82. Learning that armadillos give birth only to identical quadruplets, which somehow makes them even cuter.
83. Watching the old couples at Gruene Dance Hall.
84. Cooling off in the Frio River, God’s true gift to mankind.
85. Spending a weekend antique shopping in historic Fredericksburg.
86. The blissful feeling of having absolutely nothing to do on a Sunday.
87. Nolan Ryan played for both of Texas’ baseball teams and he’s the best pitcher ever. Coincidence? I think not.
88. The Texas State Fair is the best in the country (deep-fried Oreos, anyone?).
89. The sweet beards and indie rock of Denton.
90. Luckenbach, Texas. Population: 3.
91. Romantic evenings walking along San Antonio’s Riverwalk.
92. The Houston Galleria is one of the best and biggest malls in the country.
93. Finding out that bats aren’t so bad (they eat all the damn bugs!).
94. Cadillac Ranch, where a bunch of art cars are buried in the desert because Texas?
95. Real authentic country music, not the pop radio stuff (see: Waylon Jennings).
96. Being so close to Mexico that you can basically say you’ve been there even if you don’t have a passport.
97. Camping at Big Bend national park, the most peaceful place on the planet.
98. Looking at the stars through the giant McDonald Observatory telescopes in Fort Davis.
99. Chilling on the beach in Port Aransas because Texas has beaches too!
100. Living in the state with the most state pride.
101. And finally, knowing for a fact that everything is actually bigger and better in Texas! 

 Original post here


Can I get an amen?


{Weekend wrapup - First Swim Lesson}

How is it already Monday? Goodness the weekend flew by! And the time change? It got me! I couldn't sleep for anything last night, and then I couldn't wake up this morning! I woke up about 30 minutes late. Thank God it's Spring Break and there were no school zones on the way to Mason's school! That helped shave off some time for us. 

Anyhow, we had a really great weekend. Friday night we went to dinner and then to visit the inlaws. 

Saturday morning Mason had his very first swim lesson! We have been wanting to put him in swimming lessons for the longest time, but had conflicting schedules with places around us. Our YMCA only has an outdoor pool and most of the classes are during the day. We both work, so that couldn't happen. One day on our way back from somewhere I saw "Aqua Tots" and immediately looked it up on my phone! A swim school that has evening and weekend classes. Yeah!! So we called and got Mason registered.

He did amazing, and loved it. The swim instructor told Nate that he'd probably only be in level 2 for 1 more class and then move up to level 3. Wahoo! Level two is a parent & me class. Level 3 they are all on their own. Mason did so well in his first level two class that they think he's ready for level 3. So exciting!


Anxiously waiting! He was so excited he couldn't sit still. 


 They called Masons class and he takes off into the pool (first picture). The instructor had to stop him! ha. I guess that's a good sign. No fear! 


Climbing out on his own and jumping back in!


Mason was sad when the class was over and wanted to go back in! Looking forward to our next class.

After swim lessons we went to one of our new favorite places...Fire House Subs. oh my yum! Just love that place. Their fountain machine is awesome. They have every drink you can think of and mix in flavors too! My favorite is the Diet Root Beer with vanilla. 


 After lunch we went to visit Nate's Grandma. It's always good to see her! It was only then that I noticed my boys were dressed as twins that day!!


After our visit we had to go to Men's Warehouse to get Nate fitted for a tux for his brother's wedding. That was an adventure! It's prom season and evidently wedding season too. ha. That evening Nate's mom & dad kept Mason for a couple hours and Nate and I had a date night at Olive Garden.

Sunday was dedicated to housework...both inside and out. It was a beautiful day so we spent most of the day outside. 


That about sums up our weekend! How was yours? 

We have a busy week ahead of us...

Monday - dentist for me at 4 to get my permanent crown
Tuesday - Mr Music, Gymnastics @ 7
Wednesday - Swim lessons @ 6
Thursday - pajama day for Mason
Friday - Mason dentist @ 9, preschool gymnastics party 10-12, head to Dinosaur Valley State Park for the weekend!!!!

{Five on Friday - my boys, new glasses, swim lessons, gettin' fit}

Linking up for Five on Friday.

{O N E}

I just love these two and how they love. They hug, they kiss, they say "I love you" out loud many times a day. I love that I have a man that's not afraid to show affection. They melt my heart every single day!


{T W O}

Hello #foureyes - got my new glasses. 



{T H R E E}

I am loving these dance fitness workout routines by Jessica. My favorite so far is Dark Horse! Hurts so good! Trying to work up to doing several of these a day!

{F O U R}

Mason starts swimming lessons tomorrow! He's so excited. Nate will do the lessons with him. This mama ain't gettin' in no swimsuit just yet. 

{F I V E}

Charla Corn started following me on Instagram! #nobigdeal Haha! I about flipped out! Love her! 



It's Friday! Whoop whoop! What are your plans?

{Mason's first Pajama Day at school}

One thing we love about Mason's new school is that they have so many 'themed' days throughout the month. Today was Mason's first time to get to participate in Pajama Day.

He proudly picked out which pajamas he wanted to wear last night. He opted for his glow in the dark dino pajamas because they are" so cool". He slept in them so he'd be ready to go in the am!

He woke up so excited this morning.

The first picture was a “hurry up mom”...

...so I can dance (2nd picture). 

He’s a mess.

But he's my mess, and I love him dearly! 



{It's the little things - week 6 - confidence}

Linking up with Ashley and Jess for It's the Little Things.

Nathan and I try so hard to instill confidence in Mason. No matter what he is doing, we always want him to be confident in himself. So, with that being said we recently enrolled him in Gymnastics. We've heard {and seen} how great of a foundation gymnastics builds for children; strength, balance, speed, focus, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and of course, confidence. 

We have loved gymnastics so far. It's quickly becoming my favorite night of the week. Mason loves it too and does so well listening to his teachers. 

In just three short classes Mason has already learned so much. 

This last weekend Mason showed us something little, but yet so entirely big

We took him to a playground while we were on our little getaway and what did he do? Without saying a word {just a big ole' determined smile on his face} he climbed that playground like it was his job and went straight for the biggest/tallest slide. He didn't hesitate one bit! And he slid down only to run to and do it again, and again!

He was so confident in himself and climbing that jungle gym! 

We were so incredibly proud! 





Sadie Sky Boutique

{A spontaneous trip to the Hill Country}

Okay, let's rewind...back to Friday morning. I sent Nate an email that went a little something like this...

What if we took a road trip this weekend? I have it all planned...just say the magic word.

He said,

Book it.

And that was that!

When I finally gave him our itinerary he was excited!  

We spent the beautiful weekend in the Hill Country...checking quite a few things off our Texas Bucketlist. Our cabin was in Kerrville {a town we loved} and Mason, of course, loved the bunk beds.



Saturday morning we got up before 8 and got ready for our day! First up...Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg. We've heard that it gets crazy busy and they only allow so many people to visit in a day so we wanted to get there as early as we could. And, I'm glad we did! It was already busy, but by the time we left there was a line of cars for days!

Enchanted Rock was beautiful and so neat to see. We climbed up about half of it and that was all that Mason and I could do. Nate will tell you we barely covered a quarter of it. ha. Killer workout, for sure. We're paying for it now! But it was worth it. Oh so worth it. Nothing like the views of the Hill Country from up top! Gorgeous!





After we crawled hiked back to our cars we were starving! It was barely 11 am, but it was time for lunch! We headed back to Fredericksburg with the intention of eating at Sweet Marleys...but it was an empty building. So instead we just walked Main street until we found something. Mason wanted to sit outside, so we found a restaurant with a view. Bejas Grill was fantastic! Mason especially loved that they had Etch a Sketch for the kids to play with!


After lunch we walked Main a bit and then decided we were ready to head on over to Luckenbach! They were celebrating Texas Independence so we weren't sure how quickly it would get crowded.  We were ecstatic to see Luckenbach where 'everybodys somebody'.  

From the parking lot you can't see the little area that is Luckenbach, so that made the anticipation that much more intense! There were motorcycles everywhere!! We round the corner and finally see the Post Office/General Store in all it's glory! Looks just like every picture we've ever seen. So excited to be seeing it with our own eyes.

We went in the store {bought Mason the cutest shirt} and Nate had a cold shiner, of course. 


 We hung around outside for a bit and walked around. Two sheriffs started talking to Mason and gave him a badge. He was in hog heaven!


We left Luckenbach and headed to Old Tunnel State Park. We saw a sign for it on the way to Luckenbach and wanted to check it out. It was about 12 miles down Old San Antonio road. So many great views! 

Some more hiking, we did! It was just a day for exercise and being outside. Oh and it reached 87 degrees that day. So beautiful!



On our way back from Old Tunnel State Park we caught a Trail ride. They were going to let us pass, but heck no...we parked the car and watched! Everyone was so sweet to wave at Mason and yell out things like "hey cowboy" as they passed. One gentleman even brought his horse over to meet Mason. Gus was so sweet!!! Mase loved it!

Once the trail ride passed we made the trek over to Llano to eat at Coopers. This has been on our list for years! And oh my yum! It was delicious. When you walk up to the pit there are numerous pits. You give them your meat order and then they carry it inside to be chopped and packaged accordingly. You can get extra sides, but the meat comes with all you can eat beans and bread. And the beans? I could have just eaten those as a meal. So delicious. Mason opted for white bread only. He's not much of a meat kid! But, he comes about that honest because neither is his Mama! I'd rather have the veggies! 


After supper we headed back to Kerrville. We found a nice state park to visit and had a blast. Mason was able to run off some energy he built up between our car rides! We finished the night off with some ice cream at Dairy Queen. Came back to the cabin, showered and I think we were all asleep before 9. It was a long, but good day!


We were going to hit up Pedernales Falls State Park on our way home, but we woke up to cold and rain! So we decided it'd be best to just head home. It's a good thing because it started icing as soon as we pulled on our street! 87 to 18 degrees - hello Texas!!

It was such a fun little getaway!!!

How was your weekend?

{A spontaneous trip to the Hill Country}

Okay, let's rewind...back to Friday morning. I sent Nate an email that went a little something like this...

What if we took a road trip this weekend? I have it all planned...just say the magic word.

He said,

Book it.

And that was that!

When I finally gave him our itinerary he was excited!  

We spent the beautiful weekend in the Hill Country...checking quite a few things off our Texas Bucketlist. Our cabin was in Kerrville {a town we loved} and Mason, of course, loved the bunk beds.



Saturday morning we got up before 8 and got ready for our day! First up...Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg. We've heard that it gets crazy busy and they only allow so many people to visit in a day so we wanted to get there as early as we could. And, I'm glad we did! It was already busy, but by the time we left there was a line of cars for days!

Enchanted Rock was beautiful and so neat to see. We climbed up about half of it and that was all that Mason and I could do. Nate will tell you we barely covered a quarter of it. ha. Killer workout, for sure. We're paying for it now! But it was worth it. Oh so worth it. Nothing like the views of the Hill Country from up top! Gorgeous!





After we crawled hiked back to our cars we were starving! It was barely 11 am, but it was time for lunch! We headed back to Fredericksburg with the intention of eating at Sweet Marleys...but it was an empty building. So instead we just walked Main street until we found something. Mason wanted to sit outside, so we found a restaurant with a view. Bejas Grill was fantastic! Mason especially loved that they had Etch a Sketch for the kids to play with!


After lunch we walked Main a bit and then decided we were ready to head on over to Luckenbach! They were celebrating Texas Independence so we weren't sure how quickly it would get crowded.  We were ecstatic to see Luckenbach where 'everybodys somebody'.  

From the parking lot you can't see the little area that is Luckenbach, so that made the anticipation that much more intense! There were motorcycles everywhere!! We round the corner and finally see the Post Office/General Store in all it's glory! Looks just like every picture we've ever seen. So excited to be seeing it with our own eyes.

We went in the store {bought Mason the cutest shirt} and Nate had a cold shiner, of course. 


 We hung around outside for a bit and walked around. Two sheriffs started talking to Mason and gave him a badge. He was in hog heaven!


We left Luckenbach and headed to Old Tunnel State Park. We saw a sign for it on the way to Luckenbach and wanted to check it out. It was about 12 miles down Old San Antonio road. So many great views! 

Some more hiking, we did! It was just a day for exercise and being outside. Oh and it reached 87 degrees that day. So beautiful!



On our way back from Old Tunnel State Park we caught a Trail ride. They were going to let us pass, but heck no...we parked the car and watched! Everyone was so sweet to wave at Mason and yell out things like "hey cowboy" as they passed. One gentleman even brought his horse over to meet Mason. Gus was so sweet!!! Mase loved it!

Once the trail ride passed we made the trek over to Llano to eat at Coopers. This has been on our list for years! And oh my yum! It was delicious. When you walk up to the pit there are numerous pits. You give them your meat order and then they carry it inside to be chopped and packaged accordingly. You can get extra sides, but the meat comes with all you can eat beans and bread. And the beans? I could have just eaten those as a meal. So delicious. Mason opted for white bread only. He's not much of a meat kid! But, he comes about that honest because neither is his Mama! I'd rather have the veggies! 


After supper we headed back to Kerrville. We found a nice state park to visit and had a blast. Mason was able to run off some energy he built up between our car rides! We finished the night off with some ice cream at Dairy Queen. Came back to the cabin, showered and I think we were all asleep before 9. It was a long, but good day!


We were going to hit up Pedernales Falls State Park on our way home, but we woke up to cold and rain! So we decided it'd be best to just head home. It's a good thing because it started icing as soon as we pulled on our street! 87 to 18 degrees - hello Texas!!

It was such a fun little getaway!!!

How was your weekend?

{First week of Mason's new preschool}

We officially have our first week at the new school under our belts!! 

How's it going?

Wonderful!

Mason makes comments that he Loves his new school and that he LOVES his new teacher. He comes home tired but happy. He is actually kept busy all day at school and comes home exhausted. He is also sleeping really well. He was skipping naps a lot of the time at his previous school. But here he is so tired that he sleeps well.

His first day he had an accident. Like peed on himself. And of course that's the one thing I forgot to pack is an extra set of clothes. He hasn't had an accident in over a year and a half so I didn't even think about it. They put him in a pair of {girls} sweatpants and a pull up since he didn't have any other undies! Poor guy! I asked him why he had an accident and he says...

"I didn't think my new school had a bathroom"

His new class doesn't have a bathroom in the classroom so he didn't think there was one. It happened early in the morning, so he hadn't had a chance to see other parts of the school and the bathrooms. 

He knows now! And we have extra clothes and undies in his backpack.

The rest of the week went great and Mason is learning stuff. We were at supper the other night and he was coloring on his kids menu and says,

"This is a big O and this is a little o"

Something little...but made us so proud!

And another thing that amazes me is how calm the classes are. They let them talk to their friends, sit where they want during play time and they are never rowdy! It's awesome!!

We are loving it! We got our March calendar and so many things to look forward to!

***edit***

Friday was Mason's first show & tell {ever}. He took his Blast Ball trophy and medal. I wasn't sure if he'd get up there and tell about it, but he did! The director was telling us all about it when we were checking him out. She said he told the whole class all about it!

When we got in the car we were asking Mason about it and he said, "Yes, when I told the class why I got it Ms Brittan gave me a big hug!!!!"

He was pretty excited about that hug!

So, so proud of our little man!!