To Infinity and BEYOND!!!

We took a trip last week. We didn't ACTUALLY go to infinity, or beyond. But it was a trip. It's a trip we take often, but we had different company.

Our Girl Scout Juniors took a trip to Austin, Lake LBJ, and the Fredericksburg/Johnson City areas. The girls & I went to my Mom-in-law's house on Wednesday. We shopped for food for the girls to cook Thursday night and Friday morning. They WAY overplanned the meals & I WAY overbought food, but that's another post for another day. On Thursday, we drove to Austin and met up with the others at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (www.wildflower.org). It was a nice place for the girls to work on their blossoms & butterflies badge (I think that's the name). Then we caravanned up to Grandma Ruth's house. We were also working on a nighttime badge, so we took a nature walk at night, listened to a cd of night sounds, and did some crafts for both those badges. The girls cooked, working towards a special cooking badge, and ate WAY too much food. We got them into their beds. Then we got them BACK into their beds. Then I shushed them & got them BACK into their beds. Then another mom came in and had to shush them, FIND them, and get them BACK into their beds. Then, they got quiet. Until she left the room. I shushed them that time & I THINK that was the end. I put on my earplugs after that!

No one was ready to get up on Friday, but we managed to rise & cook breakfast. We drove to the Wildseed Farm near Fredericksburg (http://wildseedfarm.com/). The girls saw more wildflowers and got to go into a butterfly house! I'll share some photos when I get them uploaded. From there we drove to the LBJ State Park (about 10 minutes down the road) to visit the Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/lyndon_b_johnson/) What fun that was! It is a working farm with people dressed in the clothing of 1915. Our tour guide was GREAT. She talked to the girls at a level they could understand without "dumbing down" anything for them. We got to see how they lived, how they cooked, where they lived, and even saw the animals on the farm! There was a calf still nursing. That was so sweet to see. Then we saw a BIG PIG! She wasn't Wilbur, but she was SOME PIG!

We drove to the Visitor Center to check out the Gift Shop (the highlight of each stop we made). I had fun reading letters from citizens to then President Lyndon Johnson, while he was running for the next term. Most were letters of complaint over some of the funniest things! I think the favorite was from a person who got stuck in traffic in DC because a road was shut down for Ladybird Johnson to plant a tree! I wish I could have a copy of those letters. They were quite humorous.

From there, most the moms & girls went back home. My friend Kathy & her girls stayed Friday & Saturday nights and the girls had more fun than I think they could handle. When we got home Natalie said, "I want to go back to Grandma's!"

Apart from a flat tire that had to be replaced today, all else was well. Now a new week has begun & I think I am already behind. Good night!