The day before the cookout, I told my mom I wanted a mermaid-inspired birthday cake because I'm a princess. Since I can remember, my mom has made every one of my birthday cakes, so I didn't think my request was weird. However, my mom looked at me like I was crazy! My mom always underestimates her baking abilities. She made a beachy cake that I didn't want to cut because it was so beautiful! She's the best. Not only did it look like it belonged in the ocean among all of the mermaids, it was delicious as well!
Side note: We're one of those families where we don't buy Halloween costumes or birthday cakes, because "those can be made." This is something I cherish now, but when I was little it drove me crazy! I've had one store-bought Halloween costume and I used it for about 5 years in a row (a witch costume, if you were wondering.)
I had a great time celebrating with everyone and getting stuffed on chicken and shrimp! My daddy can throw down in the kitchen, too. We ended the night with sparklers and more cake.
I headed back to Charlotte that Sunday to began preparing for the big trip to Texas! If y'all remember, in collaboration with my parents, Laura planned a trip to Texas for my birthday. We had a jam-packed schedule and I still had a week of summer school a head of me before we were off to Texas on Friday. That Wednesday was my actual 21st birthday. My mom happened to be in Charlotte for a transportation conference, so I had breakfast with her that morning. When I walked into Laura's house after I drove back from class, it was oddly quiet. I turned the corner to go into Laura's room and was repeatedly greeted with a birthday horn. It was so funny! She handed me an iced caramel macchiato (my favorite) and stepped aside to reveal a pile of presents and crafty wall decorations. She had my mom, Sam, and MaryLou write me notes on the back of pictures. I didn't expect a thing! I cried like a baby.
Laura is known for making altered books for people for special occasions. She takes old books, mod podges the pages together to create thicker pages, and glues pictures onto the pages and paints them to make them beautiful! I never expected to ever get a book because it takes her months and a lot of time to make them. She started mine at the beginning of December and finished in June. It's just amazing. Some of my favorite pages are below!
Mrs. Carolyn and Mr. Malcolm (Laura's awesome parents) took me out to dinner to celebrate with Eli and Laura. It was so yummy- thank y'all again!
After a week of birthday celebrations and anticipation, it was time to pack for Texas! This trip was my first time traveling on a plane and going to Texas. If y'all remember, Laura and I traveled to New York last year by car. We would have killed each other driving We wouldn't of made it to Texas driving, that's would've been 16+ hours! Flying was so much fun and such a cool experience for me. Landing made me uneasy, but it was so worth it! The flight was about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, grabbed our rental car, and headed for Waco, TX!
We had a busy schedule for the next two days and we hit the ground running. We planned to do the following:
Day 1: June 17th
- Magnolia Market
- Lunch on Magnolia Market Grounds
- Common Grounds Coffee Shop
- Reunion Tower ($16)
Day 2: June 18th
- Dallas Farmers Market
- Bishop Arts District
- Sprinkles ATM Cupcake Machine
- The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza - John F. Kennedy ($16)
We didn't get to the Reunion Tower, due to extra time spent in Waco looking for Chip and JoJo's farm. We didn't find it and wasted a lot of gas, but we had fun exploring Crawford, TX! It's a cute little town outside of Waco that consists of lots of farms and open space.
The main reason we went to Texas is because we are HGTV's biggest fans and religiously watch the show Fixer Upper, which is filmed in Texas. Chip and JoJo Gaines, the show's main characters, have a huge store in Waco, Texas called Magnolia Market. It's this beautiful store located next to two huge silos and holds lots of household goodies and decorations. A lot of the houses on Fixer Upper feature products from Magnolia Market and we wanted to check this place out for ourselves.
Starting with the positives:
- The atmosphere was very family-oriented and so happy. It was the most beautiful day and the place was bustling with people. There was an AstroTurf courtyard space with yard games and shady picnic tables to sit and snack at. We had a delicious lunch of gourmet grilled cheeses and strawberry limeades from food trucks onsite. So yummy!
- The staff was so friendly and welcoming. If there was a picture opportunity, a staff member was there to take one. If there was a question, it was answered. If there wasn't an item, it was restocked. Everyone had a positive attitude!
- There was something to see every direction you turned and you had to circle the place twice to take it all in, probably more than twice.
(Click to Enlarge)
- Everything from the postcards to the wall decorations to the furniture was beautiful. I. WANTED. IT. ALL. I even loved the shopping totes they gave you to carry around the store!
- Parking was free, easy to find, and in walking distance (if you knew where to look.)
Ending with the negatives:
- Although I would put everything in the store in my future house, I wouldn't be able to afford the house if I wanted the decorations. It was a little pricey, which was to be expected. I came out with a mug, postcard, and sticker, spending right at $20. Laura bought a t-shirt, poster, and postcard, spending right at $37. We found those things to be the most reasonably priced.
- We know TV can make things look bigger and better and in this case, it was true. HGTV makes Magnolia Market look like it's isolated and away from town. It's literally smack dab in the middle of the little town of Waco and a lot smaller in person. We were a little disappointed in location and size.
- There was quite a bit of construction going on onsite. It made taking pictures annoying because you couldn't help but get construction fencing and machinery in the shot. A positive to this is that we're going to have to go back to see it when everything is finished and the bakery is opened.
1,071 to be exact!
After we left Magnolia's, we went to Common Grounds coffee shop. It was so delicious. They have live music on certain nights and really neat seating and lighting outside. All sorts of old couches, rustic chairs, and benches were on the porch and grassy areas in front of a big stage. We sat outside and enjoyed some shade before we headed back to Dallas for the night.
The next day, we were off to downtown Dallas to do some exploring at the Farmers Market. It was so cute! We sipped on a couple of homemade pineapple green teas while we walked the market. It's set up in two sections, 'The Shed' and 'The Market.' The shed holds the fruits and veggies, while the market houses the retail vendors. Parking is also free here!
It was a quick drive to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. This museum is dedicated to the presidency of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his assassination. The museum is housed in the book factory that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from. It was really neat to see the "crime scene," pictures, and news articles from his time in office to his assassination. You wore a headset that guided you through the museum. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but Laura snapped a quick one of the exhibit honoring his presidency campaign.
We grabbed a quick lunch at Oddfellows while walking through the stylish, yet pricey, Bishop Arts District. Lunch was so scrumptious! I had chicken and waffles, Laura had a chicken sandwich with fries. I can't do it justice with words. Just know if you haven't been to Oddfellows, I feel sorry for you.
We took video the whole time we were in Texas (hence the lack of quality photos) and Eli put together an incredible video for us with all of our footage! He spent some major time on this. Thanks so much E for the video! Check it out below:
We ended our trip with a drive to the rental car center and a bus ride to our airport terminal. This trip was so much fun! I would suggest Magnolia Market to anyone, especially if you love Fixer Upper as much as we do! Texas is a great state and I would go back in a heartbeat.
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