Dollywood Clogging Championships

 Three years after our last Dollywood competition, we were back.  It is one of our favorite competitions of the year. We started off our weekend with dinner at the Apple Barn. So much food!

This was her favorite part of the meal.

We didn't have a lot of time to go on rides Saturday due to a packed competition schedule.  It was supposed to rain all day, but we had some good breaks in the weather.  The park wasn't very crowded at all because of this, so that was nice! Sunday wasn't super crowded either, and the girls got to ride everything they wanted to before heading home.

New uniforms for the Starz team.

My teenage "twins."

Brooke competed in her solo again.  She was up against some really strong competition, but she did great.  She's working on not letting her nerves show, and she's getting much better at that!

A crepe with strawberries and nutella? Yes please!

We can't pass the nest of birds and not take a picture. 

Starz Kids

Line - 2nd

Traditional Formations Line - 2nd

Hoedown - 1st

Juniors

Line - 2nd

Traditional Line - 3rd

Formations Line - 2nd

Traditional Formations Line - 1st

Hoedown - 1st, Grand Champion

Precision - 1st, Grand Champion

San Antonio: Days 2 and 3

 We purchased tickets for the weekend on the hop-on/off bus to get around. Neither of us are early breakfast eaters, so we decided to head to the Pearl District and grab breakfast at Lorraine, a French bakery. I don't have a picture of my cream cheese Danish with raspberries, but it was divine. Kayla chose a chocolate croissant, and we may have also grabbed some cookies, macaroons, and a lemon blueberry muffin. 

Our hotel was a block from the Alamo, so since the skies were blue today, we stopped by for more pictures.

The Buckhorn Museum was interesting, to say the least. This deer was made out of rattlesnake rattles.

The San Fernando Cathedral was built around 1750, and on the weekends they do a 30-minute light show depicting scenes from Texas history as well as cultural images and music.  It was a fun evening activity.

On Sunday we had tickets to the top of the Tower of the Americas. Weaving our way there around construction areas was an adventure in itself, but it was a nice view from the top.  We also did a 4D movie while we were there.

We had such a great time exploring this city.  Neither of us had been to Texas before, and San Antonio did not disappoint. I'm grateful for this time with my oldest, and excited about future trips with the other two girls.

San Antonio: Day 1

For a while, I have been wanting to take Kayla on a girls' weekend trip. It's hard to believe my time with her here at home is coming to an end so quickly.

We decided to visit San Antonio, TX since it was a walkable city, and we really had a great time. After we dropped off our luggage, we headed out to explore.  I remember hearing that the Alamo was right in the middle and you will stumble upon it.  We were definitely caught off guard walking downtown and then just seeing it right there.

We enjoyed lunch on the river at Casa Rio.

We took the narrated riverboat cruise after lunch.

We explored Historic Market Square - the largest Mexican market in the United States.

We toured the 18th-century Governor's Palace.

Of course, we had to grab Whataburger while in Texas!

We also watched a 3D movie on the history of the Alamo, which was super interesting. We learned a lot.

I had such a great day with this girl walking, discovering, talking, and trying to make decisions on what to do next.  For two indecisive people that was an experience too!

Junior Prom

 What a fun day we had getting this girl ready for prom!