Texas Christmas

 An exciting Thanksgiving break spent traveling to the Caribbean lead to a relaxing Christmas vacation spent in one of our favorite Texas locations, Wimberley. Grammy and Papa Mas joined us right after the last day of school for the year and we packed up and headed west.  

We rented a house on Cypress Creek that had perfect proximity to the middle of town in one direction and at an HEB in the other. There was a main house for us and a guest house that was perfect for my parents. This place had a pool table and table video game console in our house. The guest house was equipped with air hockey, one of Grammy's secret talents!Graham got better each day, but she remains the reigning champion.

Graham is a #1 fan of the tree playground

Wimberley is known for it's bald Cypress trees. They are everywhere, growing to have gigantic trunks and gangly branches. They lean out over the rivers and creeks and make the perfect rope swing anchors. They also serve as the base for play structures and climbing features, and it was fantastic - they had one at every restaurant we visited.

The restaurant scene in Wimberley is strong! We got coffee each morning from Cypress Creek Coffee House, often passing deer on the way. 

We loved Community Pizza & Beer Garden and Nada Mucho. Neon Armadillo had great potential, but was busier than they could handle and we ended up with a comically bad experience from a completely overwhelmed staff. 

Neon Armadillo

The weather was ideal and we were able to walk around in shorts and t-shirts shopping and sightseeing in town. Many of the parks and public areas of the town have these huge limestone slab formations that were fun to climb around.

Jon and I took the chance to climb Mount Baldy, an unusual hike that is simply 218 rock stairs. The lookout at the top is a 360 view of Hill Country, which was beautiful and also a testament to how flat Texas actually is. We are in Hill Country and the "mountain' is 218 steps and allows for a complete 360 degree view of the area. 

We got a little taste of the Christmas spirit by attending the EmilyAnn Theatre Trail of Lights. This display was precious, so many different shops and people from town constructed their own sponsored light exhibit. It was free, self-guided and only 10 minutes away from where we stayed.

We left Wimberley on Christmas Eve morning, planning to get home in time for an easy dinner before the big night. We were SHOCKED to see that Uncle Chris had flown in as a surprise! He pulled it off without another soul knowing what he was planning. We were so excited to have him join in on the Christmas celebration! Santa came early for us this year!!

It was such a treat to have Grammy and Papa Mas here with us for Christmas. We got to show off Texas in it's finest hour (winter) and spread a little more joy under the Christmas tree. Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving on Turks & Caicos

 This Thanksgiving we have had planned for nearly two years. In celebration of both the Thanksgiving holiday and Thom and Lornie's FIFTIETH wedding anniversary, the entire Gill family spent the better part of a week in Turks & Caicos at a Beaches all inclusive resort. With this size crew and 5 self-sufficient kids, we were able to spread out and take advantage of many of the resort offerings. 

First and foremost, unlimited frozen yogurt, pina coladas and/or strawberry daiquiris. Countless. First it was a novelty, then it became a challenge from Aunt Kyra to go a WHOLE DAY without drinking a sugary beverage. That took a lot of willpower, but a few of the kids went one or even two days without. 

Gran and Poppa were thoroughly generous and indulged the grandkids every request. Sparkle tattoo? Yes. Fancy braids? Yes. Build-A-Bear? Yes. There could be no complaining that anyone needed something to do. 

My personal favorite "yes" was clear bottom kayaking with sea turtles. Alex, Graham, Kyra and I paired off for an excursion with our guide, Byron. It was very low impact kayaking, he towed the whole group, tethered together in a long snake, out to a mangrove "island" and once we were safely shielded from the ocean current, we paddled around dozens of beautiful sea turtles. The water was beautiful and clear, when the turtles surfaced to breathe they sounded like little whales! I adored it!

We had additional adventures riding horses on the beach, going parasailing and tubing on a huge water couch! The beach was soft and clean, and the oversized hot tub was an evening favorite with the kids. We had a really great week with beautiful weather and great company, and lots of experiences to remember for years to come!

Just to top off the week, we had one final adventure, this one was no less exciting, but a lot less fun. We had the terrible luck to fly through Chicago for a connection to Houston and we arrived along with a full-fledged snow storm. We ended up staying the night, more accurately, we stayed the morning - checking into our hotel at 1:15am and leaving for the next days plane adventures at 8:30am. We were thoroughly unprepared, with the boys wearing crocs, Graham and I wearing shorts and not a jacket to be seen. Chicago ended up getting 10 inches of snow that day/night and while it was at first exciting and magical (none of the kids had seen that much snow before), it became frigid, exhausting and uncomfortable very quickly when we had to be outside. We made it through, got home late the next day via Ft. Meyers, FL and after 35 hours of travel we were very excited to sleep in our own beds. 

It all comes with traveling, the highs and the lows, we were safe and together and we all made it home in one piece. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you to the Gill Family for a wonderful island vacation. 

The Yukon

The most interesting baggage claim display

The opportunity came up this summer for me to join my in-laws and SIL Kyra on a trip to visit Aunt Missy in Whitehorse, Canada. Waaaaaay up in the Yukon. A trip to somewhere I've never been, complete with days of organizing and decluttering and the hope of seeing a moose; how could I miss out?? Passport ready, jacket packed (even in July) and it was off to Whitehorse via Vancouver. 

We visited Aunt Missy's apartment and were able to all stay in apartments of our own on the first floor. The place is really nice, with coffee and snacks available all day, an in-house restaurant available for meals, activities, events and excursions available if you're interested. We met the unofficial Normandy doorman, Keith, a resident who was friendly and knowledgeable in everyone's affairs, but not much of a photographer. 

The area is beautiful. Mountains and rivers everywhere, some retained a hint of snow in the shaded valleys or tip top peaks. The water shone every shade of blue and green and somehow the sky seemed bigger and more complex. It's the kind of landscape that reminds a person how small we really are. 

We visited Aunt Missy's cabin, a remote place where she lived, mostly alone, for decades. Without running water, heat or indoor plumbing, but with the luxury of lakefront beach property, a quiet that is rarely found and neighbors that become family. It is not a life I can imagine for myself, but I can't deny the beauty and solace that it could bring. Unfortunately, we brought the wrong key and spent a few moments of panic after over an hour's drive to get there. Fortunately, there's a low crime rate, and the kitchen window was left unlocked so I was able to crawl in and unlock the door from the inside.  

Carcross, YT

We stopped at another small town, Carcross, on the way, and were surprised to see that it was some kind of a tour stop busting at the seams with people! This tiny spot on a map was poppin' with tourists! We got in just before the rush, took some photos, ate lunch, shopped around the moose and bear-themed trinkets and continued on our way. 

Helpful. Accurate.

I was surprised by the number of good restaurants available in little Whitehorse. We tried most of them, but returned several times to Big Bear Eatery and Taphouse. A self-described "steam-punk meets tropical vacation", this place offered good food, great service and a strong strange vibe. I think we ate here three separate times. It was first recommended by Emma and Molly, two of the nicest people you could meet. They have been Missy's kids, grandkids, friends and advocates since they were born. They helped us navigate the town and many of the resources necessary to ensure Missy's best interests are kept complete. They recommended Big Bear because we were still able to catch their great Happy Hour that begins at THREE OCLOCK. My kinda place. That and this emergency sign that is the first thing you see when you enter. 

The glass studio in town

Street art celebrating First Nations culture

The sunset from my apartment window. This was 11:15pm

Our final excursion was to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We saw all kinds of incredible animals in this preservation and rehabilitation center; fox, lynx, caribou, bison, muskox, mountain goats and MOOSE! There were also arctic ground squirrels EVERYWHERE. I thought they were prairie dogs, and they were a blast to watch, but arctic ground squirrels are a different breed and living in abundance at the Preserve. 

A windy waterway walk with Missy's lifelong friend Gail

I had an exciting trip home with an unexpected overnight in Vancouver and stop through Los Angeles. Thankfully Timmys had me covered in the morning before my eventual flight back home. What a place, what a trip, there were some luggage fails and itinerary surprises, but it was a really good time with really great people. Now, I'll put away that jacket until February. 

Virginia Summer 2025

We now have all of our immediate family living in two states. Unfortunately for us, those two states are California and Virginia - about as spread out as we can possibly be! When my brother decided to fly his family across the country for summer break, we had to take the opportunity to join to get all of the OG Giorgianis under one roof for a few nights. 

We drove directly to Whitestone from the airport and proceeded to have the most water-filled vacation we have ever had at the "Blue House". Conditions were perfect, lots of sun but not terribly high temperatures, warm water but no jellyfish and all the right sized lifejackets! 

We had kayak rides and jet ski rides, lots and lots of tubing on the "little tube" and the "big couch". Life is good for these cousins who choose which vehicle they want to use to ride on the water. If there happens to be a delay due to low fuel or the dreaded rope intake, there is always the pool. 

Nighttime is for finding lightening bugs and roasting marshmallows and everyday is a princess day for these sweet beauties! 

The biggest accomplishment of the week was all of the grandkids ganging up to peer-pressure Grammy to jump off the dock. Even better, once she was in, the jumps just kept coming! The youngest kids made the greatest game of running from the very top of the dock and seamlessly running directly into the water.

 

We ended our stay in the Northern Neck with a lunch at The Tides in Fish Hawk Oyster Bar where we had the best table in the house - an old rowboat made into a table in the center of their dining room.

We got to eat on a boat! Literally!

And in an incredible showing of generosity, a complete stranger picked up our entire group's lunch bill. There were FOURTEEN of us! The only explanation we were given is that this mystery stranger loves to see large families out having fun together.  We all walked away with a little more faith in humanity. 

We drove from there to Lexington to visit Gran and Poppa, and their sweet pup Griffin. We had a yummy pizza night and a delicious night out at TAPS, a beautiful spot located inside The Georges hotel, a historic series of buildings in the center of town. 

It has been a couple of years since we stayed at Gran and Poppas house, so we were happy to hike the trail (see a bear!!) and spend time relaxing at the house. I had a chance to get a massage - a welcome change to sitting on planes and in cars - and we visited the golf course club pool for an outdoor day of fun.

A welcome change for us is having Ted and Kyra in Northern Virginia now, we get to see even MORE family when we fly to the east! We stayed at their new, new house and took advantage of their endless hospitality. 

They are very close to the beautiful Great Falls park, so we spent an afternoon hiking the trails. Northern Virginia has had an almost unprecedented amount of rainfall this summer, so the falls were churning! The kids were all a bit skeptical about "hiking" and "how cool can waterfalls even be" but their minds were changed soon after we got into the park. They have a great high water marker showing the most extreme floodwater that the park has experienced. The 1996 marker was after the snow melted from a blizzard when Jon and I both lived in NoVA in high school. It was an unbelievable amount of snow.

Our final excitement of the trip was seeing high school and college friends - and their children. We met up at an arcade/bowling alley/restaurant in Ballston and had a great time catching up. After reminding our kids who they all were and how we all knew each other, they had lots of fun too. Somehow this crew has ended up being only 25% girls. It doesn't really matter once they are playing games, having fun and know that an ice cream party at the Welsh's house awaits them at the end of the night. 

Northern Virginia will always be where we're "from" regardless of the fact that none of us are from there. It will always feel like home. 

Summer Camp 2025

 Our whole kid crew returned to Camp OTX again this year making it year 5 for Gretchen, 3 for Alex and the second year for Graham. Texas is gigantic, and the camp is pretty far away, so we take advantage of the coach bus option on the way to camp, and make the drive to pick them up at the end. There is now a little crew of kids that know each other and ride the bus together, making it a fun way to get the camp session started. 

This camp has just about everything you can imagine for kids to do. Our boys gravitate toward water activities and sports. Gretchen prefers the indoor options like crafting, pottery, painting, and cooking.   

Camp has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for all three kids. We love the closing ceremony where we get to see them for the first time in 2 weeks and meet the friends they have made and the counselors that they've spent all their time with while they were away from us. It's a day filled with emotions, happiness for us to see each other again, but also difficult for the kids to say farewell to the kids that they will likely not see again until next summer.