Texas Vacation - Summary of the Week's events

We are back home from Texas, and trying to settle into the "back-to-school" routine. I will leave you with a short summary of our trip, along with just a few pictures (over 900 pictures taken).

Friday, August 22 departing flight from SMF to DFW, arrived to find that Grandma was in the hospital

Staci & Shauna with Great-Grandpa Wm. E. Smith (aka Grampa)

Me & Grampa

Saturday, August 23 visited Grandma Gladys in the hospital and then hung out at Grandpa & Grandma's house, as we were hoping she would come home from the hospital that day.

Sweet nurse Shauna holds Great-Grandma Gladys' hand (aka Grama Gladys)

Sunday, August 24 visited Grandma in the hospital in the morning, then took the girls to Denton WaterWorks park - no pictures yet, as I took a disposable camera rather than the digital.

Monday, August 25 tractor rides with Grandpa, visited Grandma in the hospital, then took the girls to the mall in Denton, TX

Tuesday, August 26
stayed home in the morning, then visited Grama in the hospital, where we found out they would release her that day. She got to go home around noon. Then the girls and I went to the mall and shopped at JCPenney (I found some great deals for me, but nothing for the girls). The Denton Golden Triangle Mall does not have a "kids play area" so to speak, but they did have some "50 cent rides." The girls just HAD to ride the bull. :)

Wednesday, August 27 museum day - visited the Hangar 10 Flying Musuem, outside of the Denton Municipal Airport, the Bayless-Selby House Museum, then walked to the "Downtown Square of Denton" and visited the Denton Courthouse Museum. We then drove to find something to eat (Pizza Hut, I think) and then played at the park for a while before we went to the Texas Women's University (TWU). At TWU, we visited the gallery of "Gowns of the First Ladies of Texas," which houses the original (or in a few cases, a replica) gown worn by the "First Lady of Texas (the governor's wife) at the governor's inauguration. Here I've included the photos of the dresses worn by Laura Welch Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush. We also visited the "Little Chapel in the Woods" which is one of the oldest churches in Texas, but those pictures will be a separate post, probably next week.

This plane is about 60 years old

On the steps of the "Bayless-Selby House Museum" ~ a lot of really cool, very old, true antique itmes in this house, including old toys, clothes, a funny looking thing that looked like a pair of scissors sticking into the oil lamp, which we were told is how the ladies curled their hair back then. Unfortunately, the musuem guide would not let me take pictures, even without the flash. Anyone who is into antiques should visit this museum if near Denton, Texas.

One of my favorite pictures (it's amazing what positions kids can sleep in)

Here's sweet-pea Staci "crashed" after the full day of "museuming."

Wednesday, August 27 - stayed around Krum, went to the Krum library, then to Calvary UPC church in Denton pastored by Phillip & Debbie Hudson. The remarkable thing about this church is how beautiful it is - I was told by one of the young ladies that the building is about 5 years old, and Bro. Hudson is the 17th or 18th UPC pastor to be sent to Denton, TX, and the first one to build a building! Since our church is currently in the midst of remodeling our building, this was encouraging to see what can be done when there is a vision! (Also reminds me of the story in the Bible of the "Tower of Babel" - it says right there in black and white that they could accomplish anything that they set their mind to ~ this is truly amazing!)



Thursday, August 28 Stayed home in the morning and visited with Grampa and Grama. Late that afternoon, picked up the rental car and drove the girls to the Denton Firehouse Museum (which Staci had been asking to go to since we missed it on "Museum Day"), and then when we got there, she was crying and shaking, saying she was scared, because "they're fighters" - hence, I'm having a hard time explaining to this 4 1/2 year old that it's okay to be a soldier and fight the bad guys or be a firefighter and fight fires. Since Staci was scared, she didn't want to have her picture taken trying on the equipment or sitting on the fire truck.

One of the unique benches on the main street in Krum

Friday, August 29 - drove to Marietta Oklahoma in the morning, stopped at the Oklahoma Travel Center, then back south on I-35, stopped at the Texas Travel Center, and then went to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, TX. When my mom, sister, and I went to Texas in June 1998, my grandparents took us to this zoo. At that time, the zoo consisted of a walking path with a donation box. Now it's $6 entrance fee for adults, $4 for kids, they have the "Frank Buck Trading Post" where you can buy souvenirs, and there is an adorable wooden park with a train across the street from the zoo.

At the courthouse in Marietta, Oklahoma

At the military museum in Marietta

At the foot of the World War II Memorial at the Texas Travel Information Center in Gainesville, Texas

Saturday, August 30 - last minute drive to the Krum Elementary School playground, and then back to Grandpa & Grandma's house for a very short visit before we had to leave to head to the airport. Upon arrival back at G&G house, discovered I had accidentally run over and killed Grandma's baby kitten. It was so terrible and I felt so awful - that was not the way I would have planned on ending our visit, by any means.


On the rental car shuttle going back to the terminal at DFW (the airport is so huge, the consolidated rental car center is about 6 miles from the terminals)

"That is not good/nice - pushing someone out of the plane" says Staci, as she "reads" the safety information brochure aboard the airplane.

"Let's do a toast" says Staci, after we are offered beverage service by the flight attendants