Category: Travel

Win the Ultimate Christmas Vacation: Enchant Christmas 2017

This post is sponsored by Enchant Christmas.  All opinions are my own.

Christmas is my VERY favorite!  Ask anyone in my family and they’ll say I’d give Buddy the Elf a run for his spaghetti.  So, imagine my excitement and surprise when I found out about Enchant Christmas right here in Arlington, Texas!

If you live in DFW and love the holidays like me, you are always looking for something to set you in the Christmas spirit.  Enchanted is JUST the place you are looking for!

This year they have so many fun activities for you and your family.  I’ve talked about how much I love Christkindl in the past, but now check out all the new activities added to the agenda this year!

  • World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze, where families locate nine missing reindeer

  • Texas’ Largest Outdoor Christmas Tree, standing at 100 ft.

  • 300,000 square feet of holiday entertainment

  • More than two million twinkling lights

  • Santa’s Palace

  • Skating Pond – just like you would imagine in Central Park and other northern cities

  • Kids’ Play Area

  • Live Music and Entertainment

  • More than 20 Food Trucks

  • Unique Christmas Market with 85 Vendors, featuring the beloved Christkindl Market Lane

  • Free Parking

You can get your Enchant Christmas early-bird tickets starting on Monday, October 9th at 12:30 pm at www.EnchantChristmas.com

USE CODE: HOHOHO

CONTEST:

PRIZE INCLUDES:

  • 4 flights from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada (or $500 cash if driving)
  • 2 nights stay at our partner hotel
  • 4 passes to Enchant Christmas for our exclusive, sneak peek opening
  • Food & hot chocolate for 4
  • First access to our magical skating pond
  • A copy of the Enchant Christmas storybook, “The Great Search”

Enter one of 3 ways:  website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Location: Globe Life Park – Lot F  1000 Ball Park Way  Arlington, Texas 76011

SeaWorld San Antonio 2017

Hey Y’all!  Playing catch up here a bit and wanted to blog some memories of our trip to SeaWorld San Antonio.  We had a fabulous time, minus the crazy gas lines due to hurricane Harvey that particular week.

We took off for a long weekend and brought along our niece Ellie who is 22 hours older than Connor.  They’ve always been really close and Connor was super excited to bring his cousin.  During our trip you would be surprised how many people asked me how old my twins were…lol!  They do look alike with the blonde hair and blue eyes 🙂

We started our day out before the park opened.  We purchased tickets to feed the animals and have a private tour before hand.  I definitely recommend this!  It was so nice to not have to deal with crowds and get up close and personal with the sea life.

We headed to see the dolphins and got to play with them for a a little while.  We also wrote fun messages on the glass wall.  I loved those dolphins they were so friendly!

Our second stop was to feed the sea lions fish.  They were super hungry apparently and barked over and over.  Feisty little fellows!

My husband…the bird whisperer 🙂

Connor & Ellie with the dolphins

This bird shall be named Elvis for obvious reasons.  Elvis and I are great friends now btw.

Ready to see Shamu the killer whale!  We sat in the splash zone…don’t do this unless you want to walk out with soggy bottoms.

My absolute FAVORITE thing about the whole trip was being able to swim with the dolphins.  It was AMAZING!  They are so precious and interactive with everyone.  I now want to turn our pool into a saltwater paradise so I can have a pet dolphin.

Getting in and out of that wet suit was another story….but let’s move on shall we….

Terence’s recruiter from his Air Force days happened to be in San Antonio the same time we were helping with Hurricane relief.  We hadn’t seen him in YEARS and it was so nice to catch up with him and reconnect.  We enjoyed an authentic Mexican dinner and wonderful company.

We stayed at the Courtyard San Antonio SeaWorld and I cannot say enough about how wonderful our stay was here!  The rooms were nicely furnished and clean.  We had a sitting area, desk, and coffee nook.  If you are planning a visit to SeaWorld San Antonio I highly recommend this hotel.  It was the perfect location, minutes away from SeaWorld and right off the freeway.

We let the kiddos each pick out a souvenir of their visit and Ellie chose a pink dolphin and Connor chose an eel.  We made some great memories that I hope they will cherish forever and we can’t wait for our next adventure!

xoxo- Becky

If I Had a Dream Car…That is…

Hey Y’all!

So, lot’s to catch up on here!  A couple of weeks ago I went to a social media conference called Megaphone in Fayetteville, AR with two of my blogging gals Kim & Que.

We had a great time and a great ride thanks to Toyota.  We headed to Northwest Arkansas on Friday and this car is basically a dream.  It’s my dream car.  Everything you could ever need is pretty much in the Toyota Land Cruiser and I could totally live in it.

The girls and I had a great road trip, and that was in large part due to our fabulous wheels!

Kim was a great driver & Que was in her own comfort zone in the back seat.  We had plenty of plugins and gadgets…perfect for this social media bunch!

Connor and I got to drive the Land Cruiser for a few days before the road trip to Arkansas and he was in movie heaven with the two TVs.

Connor watched movies and Mama got some peace!  Can I get an amen???

Also, a pretty cool feature is this front facing camera and aerial view of the car.  This feature is super helpful especially when parking!  My co-workers always make fun of the way I park…I have zero depth perception.  If I had this it wouldn’t be a problem right???  The safety features were top of the line and nothing was left untouched.

Once we reached the conference we had a great time talking with friends and learning about different aspects of the blogging and social media world.  You never know what you are going to learn and who you are going to meet.  That’s the fun thing about conferences!  Also, the memories made are priceless.

Thank you Toyota for taking us places and keeping us safe!  We had a ride to remember!

Check out the fun little video I made of our week and the trip below:

Summer Travel Prep + Enter to WIN! #SummerTravel #SickJustGotReal

This post has been sponsored by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

Connor and I just got back from a fun road trip to Arkansas!  We celebrated my Grandma’s 80th birthday.  We had the best time and got to see a lot of relatives we haven’t seen in ages.  I make the drive to Arkansas about 3-4 times a year and the only way I get through it is a book on tape (or whatever they are on now) and an iPad for Connor.

I remember the days of traveling when he was a baby.  One time Terence and I were headed home and Connor started getting sick all over the car.  We pulled into a gas station and Terence was just throwing paper towels at me saying “Get it I can’t look at it!”  Ha ha!  Oh yes…we’ve all been there a time or two.  I get crazy allergies when I go home too and I’m not sure why.  The last couple of times I’ve had to visit an emergency clinic.   All of this to say… PREPARE YOURSELVES PEOPLE!

I take our medicines and vitamins with us when we travel and it’s been a lifesaver at times.  I carry Children’s Advil®, Children’s Robitussin® and Children’s Dimetapp® for Connor.  I just pop them in a waterproof bag or you could use a plastic bag, and put them in my purse.

Now I don’t have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off looking for a pharmacy when sickness strikes us!  If there’s one thing I know from traveling is you cannot be too prepared.

WHEN SICK GETS REAL:

  • Ease those aches and pains, while reducing a child’s fever fast with Children’s Advil®*, a great solution for kids as young as 2 and up to 11. Children’s Advil® comes in several great-tasting flavors, including: Sugar-free Dye-free Berry, Bubble Gum, Grape, Blue Raspberry, Fruit and Dye-Free White Grape flavors. There’s also Infants’ Advil® White Grape, which provides unsurpassed fever relief (among OTC pain relievers) with a syringe for easy dosing for children 6-23 months.
  • For your child’s cough, trust Children’s Robitussin® Extended-Release 12 Hour Cough Relief to control and relieve symptoms all-day or all- night. Available in grape or orange flavor, for children ages 4 and up. Please note, certain Children’s Robitussin® products are only suitable for children ages 6 and up.
  • Children’s Dimetapp® Multi-Symptom Cold Relief Dye-Free eases your child’s stuffy and runny nose, while quieting a bothersome cough. All in a great-tasting grape flavor that’s dye-free, for children ages 6 and up.

ENTER TO WIN A $25 VIRTUAL VISA GIFT CARD & A SICK JUST GOT REAL MEDICINE GIFT.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow along on Facebook too!

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar’s Spring/Summer Sneak Peek #ldtable

A few weeks ago my family and I had dinner at the AMAZING Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar.  I’ve talked about this restaurant before and we LOVE it so much.  Everything I’ve ever had at Lazy Dog has been above and beyond delicious.

I wanted to share with you all some of our favorites and they also have a yummy spring/summer menu that you’ll have to go check out too.  Also, don’t forget to bring your fur babies- they are welcome on the patio!  You can also have your picture taken to go inside on the Lazy Dog Hall of Fame Wall!

We started out with the Queso Dip- Jack, cheddar, queso blanco, pickled jalapenos, pimentos, cilantro black beans, hand-cut tortilla chips.  This is not your ordinary cheese dip, it’s so much better and made with real cheese.

We also ordered these corn wheels- they have a sauce made with lime, garlic, queso blanco, tajín, & cilantro.  These are also a MUST try item on my list if you visit!

I had the watermelon margarita and it was super refreshing.  Terence tried the peach moonshine.  They also have a great happy hour menu Mon-Friday 3pm-6pm.  There is also a brunch menu for Sundays and a special menu for your “lazy dog”.

This is the second time I’ve had the Grizzly Fries and I’m sure it won’t be the last. They are Potato wedges with housemade secret sauce, crispy bacon, fried sweety drop peppers, smoked paprika.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Terence had a steak and he said it was one of the best he’s had.  He looks like a happy camper right?  Our server was the sweetest too, they have the friendliest staff.

I ordered the Strawberry field salad with heirloom tomatoes.

I also got a bowl of the corn chowder and it’s probably my favorite soup I’ve ever had.  The flavor is sooooooooo good!

Terence and I got desserts to go because we could barely walk to the car afterwards.  Literally…we were stuffed!  I tried the banana pudding and Terence ordered their famous butter cake.

We had the nicest family dinner we’ve had in a long time and I’m so excited that Lazy Dog is close to where we live so we can enjoy it often!

Go check out the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar’s new spring/summer menu…I promise you won’t be disappointed!  Lazy Dog is designed like a lodge with cozy fireplaces, ledge stone and a chandelier crafted from Aspen logs. The dog-friendly patio offers a dog menu, featuring grilled meats and brown rice.  Everything from the food to the atmosphere leaves me wanting to come back ASAP!  Thank you Lazy Dog in Euless, TX for hosting us and we will for sure be back during the “Dog Days of Summer” 🙂

Follow Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

Let’s Rewind Now Shall WE???….Christmas 2016

You know how they say time get’s away from you?  Well, it truly does.  I have yet to recap Christmas and I would normally be way past that point.  All I have to say for myself is this has been a busy season in life.  You know…you think once those kiddos get in school you’ll get a “break”, nope, not really.  It’s actually a lot more to do!

Anyway, I’m glad to hop back on the blog bandwagon and let’s play catch up shall we?  I won’t go into anything political on my blog because y’all I just can’t handle it anymore and the one thing I DO KNOW is God’s got this!

Queue lots of pictures ahead and a bunch of fun recaps over the last month that I’ve been lagging on.  We are loving our new home and being in it for Christmas was wonderful!  Terence likes newer homes, but I have to say I am really enjoying all the “quirks” this house has to offer, we love our neighborhood, and we are right where we want to be.

Christmas Family Photo 2016

The Branch Family 2016- Yes those are all our nieces and nephews and they are the sweetest and cutest evah!

Connor and I headed to Arkansas for Christmas break just the two of us.  Terence stayed behind due to work and we missed him, but we were back in time to celebrate Christmas day together.  We had fun visiting with my family in Arkansas and my twin sister Bonnie.  Jarrett and Connor always have the best time.  We drove a Mazda CX-9 to Arkansas and the trip in that car was AMAZING!  That’s my next car y’all…I have already decided this.

Here we are jammed in the car with all our Christmas aftermath.  I found some great deals on furniture at Restoration Hardware, and thanks to the extra room in the Mazda CX-9 I was able to bring a beautiful bench and some bar stools home 🙂

Isn’t she pretty?  We literally went home to Razorback nation in a Razorback red SUV and we loved it!

Plenty of storage in the back for all the presents.  This car was such a dream for our trip home for the holidays.

Connor is always complaining about the sun being in his eyes.  There were built-in sun visors in the back seat and they were literally a lifesaver for him and myself because there was less whining! LOL!

One thing I know I can’t live without in my next car is a backup camera.  I don’t have one in my car now…but I feel so much safer having that feature in a car.  Also, the heads up display is one of my favorite features.  It shows the speed limit on your windshield.  

Thank you Mazda for a wonderful RED Merry Christmas in this beautiful CX-9 it truly was a dream to drive and a great family car!

We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on the farm.  It wouldn’t be Christmas in my heart unless I was here to celebrate with all the people I love.  Isn’t it so pretty?

My Mom and Nannie outdid themselves and now I’m currently trying to work off all the food I ate over the holidays.  I miiiiigggghhhtttt have had one too many eggnog lattes as well…oops!

Nannie’s tree

The stockings were all hung with care…

The boys are reunited at last.  These two are Minecraft crazy right now.  I don’t really understand Minecraft, but they sure are into it! 

Bonnie and I had the great pleasure of meeting Tracy, she’s one of the very first friends I made blogging and we’ve been friends ever since.  It’s so funny because she was in Texas and now she’s back in Arkansas and lives close to my sister.  This lady is a JOY JOY JOY down in my heart and it was so wonderful to finally get to visit with her.

Me and Bon getting our Starbucks fix 🙂

Connor and Nannie Sue enjoying lunch

Downtown Conway at the Christmas tree

The boys playing….what else….MINECRAFT!!!

The boys just love their POPPY.  I wonder if they are related to Santa???

Nannie got us all matching shirts that said “I really really like love ______”  And filled them in with something we all loved.  Mine was blogging.

The boys opening their stockings on Christmas day

Road tripping with my best buddy.  He’s a great kiddo to take a trip with 🙂

Prancer and Dancer…ahem…I mean Becky & Bonnie

Our Christmas Mantle

Our Christmas tree…can you spot all the coffee ornaments???

BRANCH FAMILY CHRISTMAS

We also had a great family Christmas with Terence’s family.  We celebrated the birth of Jesus with a birthday cake and told the story of how Jesus came into the world.  We had a yummy dinner and a delicious ham courtesy of Petit Jean Meats.  MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PLACE TO GET HOLIDAY MEAT!!!  It’s sooooo good!

Petit Jean Meats also has some great Dallas Cowboys Party Packs if you are planning on watching the Super Bowl!

CHEERS TO A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS IN 2017!!!

XO- Becky

ICE! at The Gaylord 2016 + 50% Off Coupon!

This was our 4th year to attend ICE! at The Gaylord Texan and we always enjoy it.  It’s become a family tradition and it’s a nice way to start the holidays.  Yes, it’s freezing cold…but totally worth it.  The time and talent that goes into the ICE! exhibit each year is extraordinary.  It’s definitely something you have to see to believe.

I don’t think Connor was excited at all right?dsc_8378

Before you tour the ICE! exhibit you watch a video of how everything is created by the artists.  And then…it starts SNOWING 🙂

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Connor sure has grown into the blue coat over the years…this was his very first time to go to ICE!
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Here he is at 6 years old.

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We walked through this really cool illusion of characters telling stories.dsc_8368 dsc_8372

You can also get your photo taken before you tour the ICE! exhibit.dsc_8373

This year’s theme was “Here Comes Santa Claus”  Follow along and read the stories together as you walk through each room.dsc_8379 dsc_8380 dsc_8381 dsc_8382 dsc_8383 dsc_8385 dsc_8386

ADULTS:  Take a look at this bar made completely out of ice.  Frozen or on the rocks maybe?dsc_8391 dsc_8393 dsc_8396 dsc_8397

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Of course one of our very favorite things to do is the ice slide.  dsc_8401 dsc_8398

I love that at the end of the exhibit every year they recreate the nativity scene.  This is what Christmas is truly about.

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I hope you get a chance to visit the ICE! exhibit at The Gaylord Texan….it truly is a sight to behold.  Until next year…”Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

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