Wimberley is the Place to Be

 As most have over the last year and a half, we have spent a lot of time at home. After a few months of cabin fever, we made a plan that in celebration of Jon's FORTIETH birthday, we would meet our best traveling friends, the Newhooks, for a nice weekend away.

Wimberley is a little town off the main highway between Austin and San Antonio, TX. It took us a bit over 3 hours to get there from home. This was made to feel like a much longer drive due to the "Very Active, Possibly Damaging, Expect Hail and Wind Damage" storm that we drove through for over an hour of the drive. Jon's cool-under-pressure demeanor makes him the best person to be driving through these conditions. I was a wreck.

We made it to our rental house in one piece, and the storm cleared the way for sunny skies for the rest of the weekend. Our back deck view was perfect. Right on the Blanco River, in a nice, shallow area that the kids could all wade into without too much concern.

All of the kids were happy to put on PJs and cuddle together the first night.

The next day we ventured into town. This little downtown was as cute as they come. Little murals on the street walls, old filling stations that were converted into antique shops, but still small enough that the only intersection in town had a policeman placed to serve as both stoplight and crossing guard.  A candy cabin. A frozen yogurt shop. An outdoor beer garden and pizza parlor complete with a play structure to keep little bodies content.

Gretchen tried on new angel wings.

We took a selfie! We never remember to take selfies!

Gretchen and Talia always fall right back in step whenever they're together.

After getting too warm on the playground, Graham found his own way to stay busy.

The chosen activity of the weekend was wading in the river. The water was still pretty cold, but no one seemed to mind until it was time to get out. I loved watching all of our kids play, in person, with their friends. 

Me and my girl

The cypress trees lining the river were teaming with these cute little inchworms. Some people in our group found them more endearing than others. 

We had marshmallows by the fire.

And a beautiful, clear, full moon night.

And the guitar lead song talent comes out just as the sun sets.

This was a great reset weekend for us. I highly recommend this little getaway for a driving weekend away. 

High Flyin'

Our family extends, quite literally, from one end of the country to another. So when a pandemic arises and it is deemed unsafe to travel with crowds, we go without seeing family for as long as it takes. It took a long time. As of March, 2021, over one year since COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, all adults on Daddy's side of the family are vaccinated and my brother and sister-in-law align the stars to allow us to travel safely together for a much needed family reunion. 

Via private plane. Cheers to that! 

Gretchen looks good as co-pilot, but I assure you, there were professionals flying this bird.

Gran and Poppa coined the occasion Gillstravaganza, an appropriate title for the first time we have been all together in years. The same forces that kept us apart kept us altogether for the whole of our trip. Thank goodness we had a comfortable place to stay!

Pizza is a fun and functional activity for a night with family. While Gran works tirelessly behind the scenes to make the dinner smooth, all other members feel like part of the process to build, design and bake their own personal pizzas. New recipes and creative toppings mark every pizza night, and Poppa had more help than he bargained for while working the famed oven itself. 

Chef Alex and his masterpiece

This trip included a birthday celebration for big girl Halle! It is so rare that we are together, it seemed only fitting that there was a time stamp for one of the cousins. Chocolate cake, chocolate milkshakes and ice cream - who could ask for anything more?

From start to finish this long weekend was a blast. The effort and coordination behind making this weekend possible is a testament to how much our family cares about being together. Halle's face sums up the sentiment perfectly.