Unfortunately we did not have the time or the funds to do much traveling this summer but we have been exploring our local area.
Mike says he isn't a morning person but I think this picture is a good example of what he is like in the morning. His explanation is that he gets up so much earlier than me that he has time to wake up before I finally wake up.
I'm trying to look awake and pleasant. I'm sooo not a morning person.
We had to make a Starbucks run on the way out of town.
I think I have mentioned this before. One of the things I like about living in Houston is getting to see all sorts of random stuff while driving on the highway. You never see huge fans or random massive parts and pieces of gigantic things up in Dallas. Here is an example of our favorite "What Is That" game. It is actually much smaller than typical items that catch my attention but it was unique enough (at least to me) to qualify for consideration.
We headed in the direction of Austin in order to reach Brenham. We'll actually be in Austin in the next few weeks. It won't be too exciting though because the trip is for work.
I totally forgot there was an outlet mall out there. We were both really excited and stopped to do a little shopping on our way back. We love Puma shoes but refuse to pay full price for them. That means that our only chance to purse our favorite shoes is when we find a Puma store at an outlet mall. I was ecstatic to not only find cute new shoes but also found a few shirts I can wear to work that look good and are comfortable.
This sign never gets old. It makes me giggle. When I was student teaching in a Texas history class I learned that Kickapoo is the name of a Native American tribe that was in the area. It still makes me giggle. Mike just sighs and shakes his head.
You have to love the beautiful scenery! Another reason I love living in this area.
The drive really wasn't long at all. Most of the drive was spent getting out of Houston.
I forgot how hard it is to take pictures while in a moving car. Check out the huge rooster guarding this ranch. Think we should get one for our house?
We made it!
We got there early since we weren't sure how busy it is during the summer. The website said that parking is limited and that just reads as a challenge to Baylor graduates.
Here is the old fashioned refrigerated truck.
We weren't allowed to take pictures on the tour. I remember when my grandma took a picture at a cheese factory and didn't know you weren't allowed to take pictures. The cheese people were very unhappy and I didn't want to risk my ice cream sample by taking pictures I knew I wasn't suppose to take. Mike really enjoyed his ice cream sample!
I enjoyed my ice cream sample too! I also liked the gift shop! (I always look for postcards to send my grandpas and sometimes other family members.)
I'm sure these guys are important but I really don't know why. I was too distracted by the children climbing on the statue behind this one to read the plaque. (Warning: Teacher Ranting! Why do people let their kids climb all over things they shouldn't? Can't they read the signs that tell you not to touch those items? I'm all for taking cute or goofy pictures but don't teach children to disrespect public or private property. At least pick something sturdy to climb on! It is even more comical to me that the parent will tell their children to climb up there for pictures but will then yell at them for doing exactly what she just told them to do. Of course they aren't going to listen to you! You gave them permission and now they are confused or think you are playing. Deep breath...)
We really enjoyed visiting Blue Bell! I think it is really cool that the employees working on the lines switch activities within their team every twenty or thirty minutes. I would have to work the early swift though because I would not be a fan of the three hour cleanup at the end of every work day. They hand wash everything with soap and hot water! They were some of the happiest working people I think I've ever seen. We had such a great day visiting Blue Bell and going shopping!
