Float The River

The whisper in the wind is "You're not a real Texan until you've floated the river." I've lived here 9 years and I had no idea there was a river to float. This summer, we took the challenge.

Being with great friends and family- check
Eating at amazing restaurants- check
Being entertained at a glass blowing factory- check
Late night trip to In and Out- check
Floating the river- check
Almost drowning- check

We floated while it rained. An interesting experience. Guess what else is interesting? It's a river. Like, with real river "stuff" floating everywhere. Twigs, leaves, long grass. For a paranoid OCD person like myself, that's tough stuff. Guess what else is tough? Daughter #2 almost drowned. Like, for reals. So for reals I got scared and she was terrified. She got caught in an undercurrent section. She was turned upside down on her tube. She lost her brand new $150 birthday Ray Bans and her shoes. When she was underwater, she couldn't find the surface. Can I just tell you how big of a prayer I sent to Heaven that day? Huge. I look at her even now and think, "miracle".

It takes hours to float the river. So of course, we took food. They have special cooler tubes for all that jazz. Just like Daughter #2, those tubes got turned upside down and the food sunk away. Awesome.

Would I head to the river again? Probably not. But at least we can all say we're real Texans now.

The best part of the trip was being with family and friends (who are like family). Lots of laughter and good times.

And of course the internet is a genius and tells you all the best places to eat and visit. Even Slurpees from 7-11 were on the list.

We had some of the best barbeque I've ever tasted. Ya'll, real Texans eat real barbeque. For sure.

We found a place to junk shop. I nearly died with happiness. We also visited a glass blowing shop. Amazing is the only word I have to describe it. Crazy talent.

All drowning aside, it was a great trip. There is some kind of magic that happens when you step away from your regular work and life. It allows you to enjoy the people right in front of you. It's a gift of time. One we fully enjoyed. Because of course we went outlet shopping on the way home. Spending a gazillion dollars is the best way to wrap up a trip.

From our Texas home to yours, Happy Friday.
School starts in a week :)