I never posted about our 2022 trip because it was a bust. After that mishap, I decide 2023 would be the year we'd travel a little outside of the state, and I'd climb to the highest peak in Texas before I turned 50. And even though I had the best laid plans, and the airbnb was booked, it became clear in November that I couldn't actually afford the trip. So…
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Mine and Evan's first day began with my alarm clock at 5:00am. The last bit of preparation and packing. And over six hours on the road. To get to our glampsite (The Summit at Big Bend in Terlingua) by 1:30. We unpacked right into our amazing lotus tent, caught a nap for just a few minutes. And then Ben and Lea arrived. We all drove up to the summit, to…
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This all started with instagram, as most of my stories do, these days. Unique destination after beautiful location, after cool experience after another! So I had plenty of screenshots on my phone to help me get ready for this year's annual Bierstedt/Anderson Christmas Vacation! Sunday The roadtrip began with a 4.5 hour drive to Monahans Sandhills State Park. We arrived, checked in, rented our discs. Then we hit the…
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It all started with me finding Getaway on instagram, following them, and seeing a post about a special that they were having for bookings around Christmas. I couldn't beat a two-night stay for under $200. So I booked immediately (this was back in August)... and then texted my mom that I chosen this year's Christmas trip! Itinerary... Christmas Day: 6:00 alarm, so I could shower, pack, get breakfast started,…
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This was our fourth Christmas without gifts, our fourth Christmas to celebrate experiences and our family. Three years ago was Galveston and Moody Gardens. Two years ago was Waco, Cameron Park Zoo, and the Magnolia Silos. Last year was Ox Ranch and Drive Tanks in Uvalde. This year was a little limited... to a handful of things that I could squeeze into my tight budget... thanks to our sad camper…
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We are back from our annual South Padre trip! (the week that I look forward to all year) I've been posting pictures for days, and I've been trying to answer lots of questions. Here's the scoop, in case you have more... We have found that six days is good for us. That's one day of packing up, driving the five hours, and spending an evening in…
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Next up, we were on a trip that I planned special for Mother's Day weekend. For this, I had to hurry and buy a tent (yep, camper was still far from being ready). And Ben packed up his own little, personal tent. We were on the road on Friday. This trip was to Krause Springs, which a friend had been telling me about for the past year. We arrived around…
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Just wrapped up our first camping trip of the year. Of course, it was supposed to be in our new vintage camper. Instead, I was in a tent. But that's another story... We tried out was Chalk Bluff. I had heard about it (and its crystal-clear waters and beautiful bluffs) for years, just had never made it out there. The boys had a Friday off from school and my mom…
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This was our third Christmas without gifts, our third Christmas to celebrate experiences and our family. Two years ago was Galveston and Moody Gardens. Last year was Waco, Cameron Park Zoo, and the Magnolia Silos. This year was something that fit the bill for the animal-lover, photographer, and military-obsessed genes in all of us. Our first day of vacation was actually spent trying to take care of all of the…
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My parents made their yearly reservations at their favorite place- Garner State Park. And like always, we were invited along. Ben had plans that weekend, but Evan and I were up for the road trip! In the two days, one night, that we stayed.... We picked up a Texas Parks & Wildlife Parks Pass. We spent A LOT of time floating in the river. Evan snorkeled and tried out the…
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