Well, we made it to Spring Break! It’s something we all look forward to every year because there is no school, no getting up early, no soccer, just relaxing, right? Not so fast!
This year, Braden went camping with Matthew and his family in Arkansas.
Mike, Austin, and I went to Louisiana to visit his family.
And Devin stayed back to work and watch the dogs.
Relaxing? Sometimes. Fun? Absolutely!
Braden
Braden loves going camping with the Lawrences. This year, they took the go-karts to Arkansas. We didn’t hear much from him while he was gone, so we knew he was having a blast. And looking at these pictures proves we were right!
Devin
We didn’t hear much from Devin either. He worked as much as he could and then rested when he wasn’t working. He took great care of the pups while we were gone and did a few chores for us. I know he loved lounging around as much as possible. But I also know he missed going to Louisiana to see the family.
Louisiana
The rest of us, me, Mike, and Austin, braved the 12+ hour drive to Gonzales, LA, to see the fam. It was a long trip, but we broke it up with a quick stop in Jefferson, TX, to see my parents. It was good to get out and stretch the legs.
We spent the night keeping Big Mike and Nicole up way too late and making each other laugh. So worth it!
On Sunday, we drove into New Orleans to visit Brad, Marisa, and baby Ada. It was so fun meeting her and watching Austin play with her. He was so adorable! He even helped her get her coat on and buttoned up. Then they chased each other and giggled hysterically. I loved it! It was so good to catch up with everyone, too.
Monday was cold and windy, so we stuck around the house that day and watched Austin play with Tallulah non-stop. She loved it! So much so that she’d wait for him to wake up each morning just so they could play together.
We also went to this breakfast place called the Coffee House. The food was good, and the coffee was even better!
Tuesday was also a bit cold, but we took Austin to Main Event to stay warm. There, he bowled his heart out, beating us a couple of times! Then he played arcade til his tokens ran out. He seemed to enjoy it!
Wednesday, we spent time in LaPlace on the swamp boat tour. I love doing those things! Even though there weren’t many animals out, we enjoyed it immensely. I did get to see the cutest raccoons and some wild boar!
Not pictured is all the great food we got to eat, like blue crab, crawfish, and charbroiled oysters! Gotta love Louisiana!
And on the way home, we stopped by my parents’ house again for a mini rest stop. Glad we did, too, because we were all tired! Now, you know who wasn’t tired? Austin. He kicked the soccer ball around the yard, did shadow puppets on the wall, and lost his first tooth!
For dinner, we decided to stop for Italian. I found a place in Paris, TX. We had never been there but the online site looked good. And boy was it! So glad we stopped there!
We also had some incredible views coming home. The sunset behind the Ozarks looked like flames.
But Spring Break wasn’t all fun and games. Mike worked on Devin’s Venza. The CV joint needed to be replaced, along with the shocks. It was a full 3-day project. After the alignment today, though, it should be done. We hope!
And during that point, we also went to Laura’s house for dinner, where Mac made himself very comfortable! He thinks he’s a lap dog!
And last, but not least, we rounded out the holiday with Austin’s soccer game. They played an older group but tied 2-2. It was a lot of fun, too, especially since a kid on our team and a kid on theirs were brothers! No hard feelings, though. We think!
All in all, it was a long trip but a short vacation. None of us wanted to come back to the real world. We’d rather stay with family, eating amazing cuisine and telling each other more stories. But here we are.
When do we go back?