Snapshots of Garland, Texas // Spring Break // March 2013

Remember that whole spring break thing? That happened almost a month and a half ago.. well.. here is the last post. Finally.

In the car on the way down to Arizona, I saw that Bethany Dillon tweeted about a show she was doing in Garland on the last day of our trip. We checked out the map and decided that we couldn't pass it up, tickets were only $12 and I never thought that I would get to see her play live.

For those of you who don't know who Bethany Dillon is, she's a fantastic Christian singer. I first heard her music when I was a teenager, but have continued to love it more and more over the years. She started in her early teens and received a Dove award!

In 2008 Bethany married Shane Barnard of Shane and Shane and soon after they started their family. Now she is a full time mom, look how cute her kids are!! So, since her recording was becoming less frequent, and she was mostly playing local (Texas) shows, I just figured that I would never get the chance to see her live. So glad that I was wrong!

Whether or not you typically like Christian music, I think that you will find her voice beautiful. She even plays guitar and writes her own songs, which you can't say for everyone! I especially love her acoustic tracks.

Bethany has 6 studio albums and 1 EP. The EP, For Those Who Wait, is her most recent release. I am really loving it!

I still think that my favorite album is Stop and Listen. It's relatively upbeat and the lyrics are really relatable. Give it a listen on iTunes or YouTube!

Before the concert, we stopped at a little place called Generator Coffee Shop, and I had the best time relaxing and enjoying the place! 

We were so at home that we didn't even leave for dinner! The atmosphere is really nice and cozy. There are lots of windows and comfortable wooden chairs. We got iced coffees (good!) and talked about life and how much we'd learned so far on our trip. Then we grabbed travel Blokus from the car and played that for a while. 

We ordered dinner, Kyle got the Cuban panini (good) and I got the Chicken Stew (also good!). We relaxed, played our game and talked for a while and then some live music started. The music was actually pretty good and we listened while we played until it was time to walk across the street to the Plaza Theater. I should also note that we got some brownies for my sister's b-friend and he said that they were AMAZING!

The concert was really great. The opening bands were entertaining and the music was pretty good. One thing that I always love about Christian concerts is that the performers always talk about things that are going on in their lives. One couple told stories about funny things they have had to say to their kids, it was hilarious! "I see no reason that you need to take nun chucks to bed with you." "We don't pee on our hands on purpose." and "Get your penis off the table!" It had the whole audience laughing pretty hard.  

Bethany came on with her husband Shane. He played with her and did some background vocals. They told some really cute stories about their kids too.

They played some of my favorites and it was nice to hear the stories behind her songs. I felt like I could relate to them more with the explanations!

If you live in Texas, keep a lookout on Twitter to see if she will be doing any other shows in her area.

I keep thinking about Generator, I had the most peaceful time there. I found myself wishing it was local to where I live! Sometimes you happen upon places that are just right! 

After this we drove to Oklahoma and stayed the night somewhere. There was a blizzard that night and we made the slow trek back home the next day. Luckily we didn't have to rough of a go! But boy, was it slow and boring! :S

Have you ever changed your travel plans for a last-minute event? Did it work out? Or found a place so perfect that you wanted to haul it back to your own town?

All for now,

Alexandra

First two images are not my own, and were found on Google.

Snapshots of Snowbird Land, The Greater Phoenix Area // Spring Break // March 2013

Is anybody else out there just absolutely crazy about their families?

Gosh I love mine.

I really think that grandparents {in my case, grandmothers}are the thread that keeps the family quilted together.

So I did what typical 22 year olds rarely do, spent my spring break with my grandma and her boyfriend on their "RV Resort" in Arizona.

.. and you know what? I think it was the best trip that I have had in a long while!

We got there and grandma and bob took us out for pizza in Mesa. After that we went back to the trailer and got ready for a night playing bingo.

I have to tell you, that bingo is a total workout for the brain! Especially when you have been driving for hours and days through two time zones. We played a bunch of different games, each with a different pattern to win like (sevens, floating chevron, blackout, regular bingo, T's etc). We also had these fancy bingo blotters that stamped the color on the space that was filled. 

Pretty nifty! We didn't win anything but we had fun!

All of the people near us were really nice and rooting for us to win, which was sweet. Most of them had adorable northern/Canadian accent too. It was nice to see grandma and Bob around their friends and looking so happy!

I kept the 'boards' because they get thrown away and I wanted them for memories/because they look neat. One lady suggested that I laminate them and turn them into placemats! Who knows, but I'm excited to find out!

That was the end of our first day with grandma and Bob.

On further exploration of the resort we found a small library, a heated swimming pool, a room with pool tables and a room filled to the brim with puzzles. Tons and tons of puzzles. So not only do they have a full social calendar between family and friends, they have plenty to do on their own time too! :)

On day two, we went to Goldfield Ghost Town for a day of Old West fun. It had a gorgeous view of the Superstition Mountains!

We shopped on the main street of the ghost town and I found a great pottery store. The man who makes the pieces was there and very nice. He even gave us a free small piece of pottery! The prices were right and the goods were legitimate, not touristy which was refreshing. We bought this magnet for our fridge! It is a Zuni bear, which upon further research symbolizes being a protector, and possessing courage, physical strength and leadership. I love the colors, and I always love learning about symbolism and other cultures!

I had never seen large cacti up close, check out how huge these things are! We did several desert units throughout my school days, but seeing these giants in person was amazing. They also vary a lot in shape. I started imitating ones I passed, Kyle caught this one on camera. :)

This one seemed to be the biggest here though! Photo credit to Kyle.

After than we spent some time panning for gold. This wasn't actually panning for gold, but it was still fun. You get a pre-filled pan with sand and added small polished semi-precious stones in it (rather than scooping up dirt and panning it), and are taught how to pan for gems and gold.

It took a long time and was fun. I found some pretty polished stones but I don't think any of my golden pieces are actually gold. You get a tube to put your pieces in, but once it is full you have to pay for a bigger one. So I say, bring a Ziploc and save your $1-$3 extra per person!

There were many other attractions in the Ghost Town (a reptile exhibit, acted out shootouts, a mystery shack, a train, horseback riding, and a mine tour) but we kept it simple. We had a really nice picnic lunch with grandma and Bob before we left, complete with ice cream.

Then we drove around the superstition mountains, which are beautiful and then stopped at the Superstition Mountain Museum.

The museum itself was not quite what we had in mind. It had a lot of interesting information ranging from geological to the history of the superstitions behind the superstition mountains. However, some parts of it seem a little dated or underdeveloped. For those of you who watch Gilmore Girls, it reminded me of the Star's Hollow Museum. For major history buffs or Elvis Fans (a chapel from one of his movie sets is there) it would be a very interesting place to visit.

That night we had dinner with my family that lives in Arizona year-round and played Farkle. Have you ever played it? It's a fun and simple dice game. I ended up winning, which is pretty unusual for me!

The next day Bob was sick, so grandma was taking care of him while we drove around Mesa and Apache Junction. We stopped in some antique and second hand stores to look for treasures. Their second hand stores are MUCH nicer than the ones we have here in town! They are huge and filled with TONS of good stuff! I found these two pieces at the Goodwill and they were just $2 each. Apparently I was on a red and white kick! Not sure how I will use them yet, but I really like them!

We went to the famous In N' Out Burger for lunch. It was PACKED! No seats inside or out even at 1:00. So we ate in the car. It was indeed fast like the name suggests, but the food wasn't anything all that special for us. It was ok. Certainly better than McDonald's or Wendy's or something... but not better than 5 Guys, which is our favorite fast food burger place. The shake was the oddest thing. It wasn't even cold, so we are guessing it's made with some kind of mix and milk rather than soft serve or ice cream. Again we told my grandma where we had gone and she agreed that it wasn't anything special for her either.

Then Kyle had some time to himself while Bob rested and grandma and I did a bit more shopping. We ran to places that she needed to go and also stopped by a Christian bookstore. I got a copy of a resource guide called Women of the Bible for some at home study. Then we went to Kohl's and I ended up finding some shoes on sale. With my grandma's senior discount it ended up being about $80 for two nice pairs. (Disclaimer: I am not a shoe person. I rarely buy them and I stick to the ones I love on a regular basis, so it seemed justifiable to buy a few new pairs!)

It's fair to say that I have an obsession with gold sandals... and the glitter makes it all the better for me. Luckily it was warm enough in Arizona to wear them! I also got these Nike's. I bought my last pair of tennis shoes in 2008... so it was time! :)

We spent more time with family. We saw their homes and they invited us to dinner. We heard old stories of family and war, Vernon fought in WWII and earned a purple heart as well as a silver star! We also met their furry friend Diva. She was a funny little dog. Very energetic but very sweet. She and Kyle had a rousing game of chase.

The next day my second cousin Judy took grandma and I to thrift and consignment shops in the area and I came out with lots of loot! This will have to be a separate post, so stay tuned!

We took our time while we were with my family. We swam in the pool, played games, went to a pancake breakfast and met grandma and Bob's friends. It was really nice to relax for several days after so much driving and sight seeing. Kyle and I played lots of Blokus To Go in our downtime, which was really nice.

One of our last meals out was a yummy Starbucks breakfast with grandma on a swanky outdoor patio. I have never seen a Starbucks with such a patio! It had long cushioned couches and ottomans, tables with umbrellas and chairs.. I was searching for the fire pit!

As you can see, we had a great time relaxing and "rooting around" with grandma and Bob. Grandma got to know Kyle better, I got to know Bob better. We did some great thrifting and some major recreation and relaxing. It was definitely a nice middle portion of our trip!

Up next: Dinner in Amarillo.

What has been your best family vacation? What is your favorite way to spend time with your family?

All for now,

Alexandra