Tour de Texas

Ben and I had such a wonderful time visiting with family and friends in TX over the holidays! Of course, there are still so many people that we didn't get to see and would have loved to have spent time with, but unfortunately a 10 day trip to 4 different cities makes that almost impossible.

So for all of our Texas friends & family that we missed on our Tour de Texas, we love you guys and weren't trying to avoid you ;)

My trip started off a couple of days earlier than Ben's, as I flew into Fort Worth for my grandmother's funeral and to see family and friends there. It was a special time of celebrating my grandmother's life, and I was so glad that I was there to be a part of it.

From Ft. Worth I flew to Houston to meet Ben and his family where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The festivities included tamales, gift swapping, antique store shopping, avatar watching, buffalo burgers, 50 cent entrees at Bellaire Broiler burger and the list goes on. Pretty good for just a few days.

Ben and I were also able to swing a few deals, and work it to where we were able to leave our car in Houston for the entirety of the trip! We caught a ride from Houston to SA with Uncle Bob & Aunt Sister (Ben's aunt & uncle) that included a trip to Buckees for some beaver nuggets and a much needed bathroom stop. Uncle Bob and Aunt Sister then joined the Norville family for our Christmas dinner! It was so much fun to have both sides of our family together, and we are constantly marveling over how blessed we are to have families that enjoy each other's company!

In San Antonio, Ben spent a lot of time with my brother, dad & uncle doing man stuff, while my mom and I went antiquing with my aunts and cousins. We had a second round of avatar (which was not my cup of tea, but the guys loved it), lots of yummy food, bargain shopping, and duked it out with Mama Rhonda in Wii boxing. She throws a mean punch.

From SA, my parents & brother drove us to Marble Falls to see Jim & Ida (Ben's grandparents), where we all spent New Years. Once again it was so fun to have the Norville's and Carter's all together! Highlights included, Ida schooling us in Wii bowling on her first time playing, Ida killing the fatted calf for dinner every night, Ben, Cam and Austin setting off fire works from the boat dock, and Austin falling of said boat dock in full winter gear.

We made our way back to Houston with Ben's dad & brother, Cam for one last night in Texas. I got to spend the night hanging out with all my college roommates (rebekah, laura & kelley), shopping around houston, eating great food, and finishing our appetites off at the chocolate bar! So much fun!

And that pretty much sums up our trip to Texas. It may not have been the most restful trip, but it was fun. WAY too much fun. Thanks to all our family & friends for such amazing hospitality & generosity!