Final Destination…..

Someone once said, "All good things must come to an end"…. but we believe even better things are to follow.  After being on the road for 8 months, traveling the amazing country side and brilliant big cities of this country, we have found ourselves in Houston, Tx where we will spend the holidays with some familiar faces.  It has been wonderful reuniting the kids with their cousins and watching them bond all over again. My sister, Rebecca and her husband, Randy have graciously opened their home to us to give us as much time as we needed to figure out the next chapter of our lives.  Over the last week we have made lists of pros and cons of each place while reliving all the incredible memories we have created.  We feel so blessed to have been afforded this opportunity which has left us with experiences that have helped us grow as a family and as well as individuals.   After we contemplated where the next phase of our lives would be, we took a vote, even Autumn voted, and we all unanimously voted for…..

BEND OREGON!!!!

Don't Mess With Texas!!

Looking back at the Rockies as we leave Colorado and head on down to Texas…Yeehaw!!

On our way down to Austin we spotted a truck with fresh kill...

I am starting to see a theme here in Texas..

While in Texas do as the Texans do.. :)

Our first stop in Texas on our way to Austin… The Big Texan…house of the 72 ounce steak…

Loving their cowgirl hats...

Lovely…

Enjoying the warm weather outside The Big Texan Restaurant...

We're here!!! The city of Music..Austin!! Their motto "Keep Austin Weird"

Drinking kombucha from the farmer's market right down the road..  

After settling in, we took a day trip out to The Oasis, a wonderful suggestion by my sister, Rebecca.

Christmas in Austin.. The Oasis was so beautifully decorated for the Holiday season… Kids had a blast seeing their first Christmas decorations of the season.

The way they say it in Texas.

Autumn was not so sure about Santa.. She was in no way going to touch him or get any closer.

Here is the reason they call it Oasis..  Wow!!  Stunning views while sipping on a delicious margarita.  While sitting enjoying the view kids were getting restless because they weren't given any crayons to color in their kids' menus.. When we asked the waitress for some crayons, she said they don't have crayons, only pencils because crayons melt..  Oh, really.. Just how hot does it get here Austin?

Looked like it should be the coast of Italy.. Gorgeous!

Cheers!! To a fabulous time in Austin thus far!

Solitude!!

While strolling down 6th Street after some good Mexican food, we came across a bull riding bar.  Lucky for us no one was really in the bar yet since it was still pretty early.  Joss was soooo excited to try it out!  Autumn wanted off the minute she got on.. Smart girl..

Yeehaw!!!  Joss was quite the bull rider….

And so was Erik…  The next morning Erik was complaining of inner thigh pain, not remembering he rode the bull for about 60 seconds the night before.. lol!!

Our little fairy making a huge mess.. but having fun..

Our last night in Austin he finally made it to Congress Bridge to see the bats..  It was pretty incredible to see over a million bats fly from under the bridge at dusk to go feed on mosquitoes.  Each bat eats about 600 mosquitoes an hour!  In total they eat about 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of mosquitoes a night!  Even with all the mosquitoes they eat, our kids are still getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes. What the..?

We also had our first encounter today with fire ants.  We realized why they are called fire ants..because they burn when they bite you!!  Joss and Erik found out personally..

Tomorrow morning we are off to Houston to spend the holidays with my sister and her family.  Very excited to be with family.  :)

Trick or Treat

Halloween is HERE!!!  My favorite holiday!  We were very lucky to have been able to celebrate in a setting as beautiful as Boulder, Colorado.  It was the most picturesque setting for trick or treating.

Autumn playing the role of the zombie girl.

Showing off their scary faces before hitting the neighborhood for some trick or treating.

The kids don't get to have all the fun.

We get to look like the walking dead too..

Loving the decor at every house.  It was hard for Autumn to walk by some of the props by herself. 

Loved the quaintness of each home.

This picture tells it all.  The whole time trick or treating, Autumn was just trying to keep up with her big sis.

My little "ghouls"

This couple was absolutely the best!  They dressed up as a bride and groom, back form the dead, and sat out on their porch completely still while kids of all ages walked up to get some candy.  It was so much fun watching the fear-filled faces of the kids as they ever so cautiously reached for a piece of candy wondering if at any time "the statues" would reach out and grab them. Many screams were heard from this house on Halloween night.  :)

Mile High

After our second time visiting beautiful Bend, we hit the road for our next adventure...Colorado.  Our first week stay was in Boulder.  What an amazing city!  So full of energy and progressive thinking.  Each restaurant and store more unique than the next.  

The fall in Boulder is absolutely stunning.  The trees were full of Autumn color hanging from limbs surrounding historical homes and buildings as we walked to bustling Pearl Street.

Here is Autumn getting into the Halloween spirit by hiding behind this lamp post jumping out at people screaming "Boo" as they walked by.  I have no idea where she gets this from??  ;)

Views from our hike at Chataqua Park in Boulder.

                                      

Joss hiking/running towards the Flatirons.

The 100 year flood that had just hit, really did a number on Boulder. Although it tore apart many roads and trees, it seemed to have done nothing to the spirit and energy of the city.

The most difficult part of the hike was actually taking the ROAD back to our car.

Our second week in Colorado was spent in a cute little town called Louisville, also known as the number one place in America to raise a family.  

Golden Colorado-Home of Coors Brewing Co.

The views down every road in Golden were just extraordinary.  

 

All I can say is WOW!!!  These are the views we had as we drove up to the Red Rock Amphitheater, a place where many big named entertainers have been lucky to perform.  

Part of the stairway leading up to the Stage.

The view from the nose-bleed seats at the amphitheater.

What a wonderful time we had in the Rockies.  We couldn't get enough of the breath taking views we experienced wherever we went. The views on this trip aren't the only amazing things we have experienced.  The best part of this trip has actually been reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  All have opened their homes to us filling that void of not having seen friends or family from back home for the past 7 months ago. Their amazing generosity has truly warmed our hearts.  Thank you.