Vacation Day 6: Blue Bell Creamery and Bluebonnets

Today Justin and I visited the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time! We took a tour inside the creamery to discover exactly how Blue Bell ice cream is made. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed on the tour so our pictures are all outside the creamery. :(

(The two of us in the garden area outside the creamery.)

(A statue outside the creamery.)

The tour was about forty-five minutes long and included a short film, walk through the creamery, and a scoop of ice cream from the parlor. On the walk within the creamery, you get to see Blue Bell ice cream being made, packaged, and frozen. It was neat to see what flavors they were making today! (Dutch Chocolate, Banana Split, Moolinium Crunch, and Homemade Vanilla--yum!) I was a little disappointed to see that they had stopped making ice cream sandwiches for the day.

Employees at Blue Bell have the saying, "Eat what we can and sell the rest." They do just that! The break room is filled with all sorts of Blue Bell goodness that the employees can have while at work. There was a commercial being filmed today and they had all sorts of ice cream snacks for the film crew. At the end of the tour, we got to partake in some ice cream ourselves. You can choose whatever flavor you want of the ten or so they have available! Justin and I both chose Caramel Kettle Crunch which is vanilla ice cream with caramel and chunks of caramel covered kettle popcorn. Delicious! This ice cream was once sold in stores, but is no longer being made. So sad.

(Caramel Kettle Crunch)

Everywhere we go, people love Larry. Naturally, the tour guide gave Larry some Homemade Vanilla ice cream so as not to be left out! He love it!

(Larry eating Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.)

After the tour, we sought out a field of bluebonnets to take pictures in. Luckily, we found this one that was on our way back home!

(The two of us in the bluebonnets.)

Next door to the field, was Trapper's Cabin Gallery which had a really eat looking tree. We took some pictures there too!

(The two of us in the tree.)

(The two of us making silly faces in the tree.)

(Justin Romack or Edward Cullen--you decide.)

Today was fun! I love making memories.

Vacation Day 4: A Visit to East Texas

Yesterday we went to East Texas to visit with our family and friends. At first, the drive was dark and dreary, but as soon as we got into Lufkin the clouds cleared and the sun came out! The azaleas and pine trees were beautiful.

We went to Cafe Del Rio with my parents for lunch. It was nice seeing them and catching up. I will have to say, Cafe Del Rio is no longer the best in my eyes. The atmosphere is different now to me. Is it just me or is it darker in there? I could barely see my food! The waitress was excellent and the food was good. Nothing compared to Chuy's though. So that's it. I no longer miss Cafe Del Rio.

Since we bought a new dining room table, we had to return the other table to Justin's parents. Justin worked on their computer which is kind of a tradition of us visiting them. :)

In the evening, we drove to Nacogdoches to visit Justin Pohlmann, Shay Pohlmann, and Jeremy Petticrew. I love those guys and it was a blast hanging out with them. I miss spending more time with them. We all ate at Jimmy Johns which is a nice addition to Nacogdoches. That is the first sandwich restaurant for Justin to enjoy! We probably stayed too late visiting, doing a crossword puzzle, watching the dogs play, and looking at pictures, but we had an awesome time.

The drive back wasn't bad. We got in late, but were able to sleep in this morning. Now it's time for a super lazy day...

Vacation Day 2 & 3: Dog Park, Grilled Fish, and Sunday

We spent most of Saturday morning sleeping in and relaxing. Our main goal of the day was to take the dogs to the Dog Park. I ate my Chuy's leftover shrimp taco and we were eventually out the door to the park.

It was a beautiful warm, sunny day for the Dog Park! Of course, because of that, everyone else was at the park as well. Larry trailed the fence most of the time and attempted occasionally to be a "real dog" and run with the pack. Mandi was by our side the entire time. She was obsessed with the tennis ball and only wandered away when she wanted to intercept another owner's game of fetch with their dog. (This forced me to "fetch" the ball myself and apologize to the owner when returning it.)

After forty-five minutes of fun out in the heat, we were ready to go back home and get some water. Before this though, Mandi took it upon herself to go swimming for the first time! So, home we went with two stinky dogs. They were tired though!

(Mandi's horribly wet paw.)

(Larry in sleep mode.)

For dinner we had grilled tilapia, mashed potatoes, and broccoli! I really enjoy having a gate on our patio because the dogs can join Justin when he's grilling. I also like how the sun is out longer now, so it is easier for us to do things like grill. It was delicious and fun!

Today, we got up early and made a trip to Temple for Justin to play with Adam Fischer at Vista Community Church. I always enjoy last part of the trip when the sun is rising over the farms. The church services went well and it wasn't long before we were on our way back home.

(Justin tuning his snare.)

As soon as we got home, we ate lunch and then took a looooong nap! Not as long as we've logged in the past, but definitely longer than we have a in a while. No worries though, it's not like I have to go to bed early to go to work tomorrow! Next up, was a quick workout at the gym. NOT fun since we have been out of practice. (We hope to fix that this week.)

And now I am sitting and listening to a baby monitor for our friends Ross and Cheyanne. What a relaxing weekend! A little bad news from the weekend though: we noticed Mandi was limping and saw that she ripped her pad. We think it was from the Dog Park. So now she is wearing a makeshift bandage so she doesn't lick it.

(Justin's handiwork--and a poor pitiful dog.)

~~~~

Here's to a great week ahead!