What an absolutely splendid day it was last Saturday! If I had the forethought to play it, U2’s It’s a Beautiful Day would have been blaring from our car as we drove through the Hill Country of Central Texas. Not really blaring, because of our precious one’s ears, but you get the drift. It was a day to own a convertible, cruising along with the music playing and our hair blowing in the wind with the sun beating down on top of us warming our inner cores.
Convertible-less, we drove from our neck of the woods through Burnet and onto Marble Falls, then looped back home. Why? Because dear ladies and gents, Texas is God’s country. And this time of year, God’s favor is upon this great State of ours with its vast array of color from wildflowers scattered, wildly dancing across the land. The most prominent flower this time of year and our most famous, is our very own State flower: the Bluebonnet. This year they are particularly expansive as we’ve had good, solid rains the last few months, bringing us out of a lengthy and harmful drought. So if you pick a good path to travel on, you will gaze upon a sea of heaven-sent blue wildflowers.
Our wild-flower sightings Saturday weren’t the most spectacular you’ll find. The southern outskirts of San Antonio and southeast towards Brenham and Houston are incredible, so I’ve heard. Even traveling down Hwy 1 through Austin has fields of flowers in greater number than we saw on our drive, but we still had a great day!
We stopped at the famous Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, a cafe that is known for their pies and good southern, old fashioned comfort food. Matt loved it and scarfed up his food in no time. Brennan had some chicken tenders and corn, a favorite of his. I’d be remiss, however, if I didn’t mention ketchup: a flavor-enhancing miracle. He loves him some ketchup! He still didn’t eat his green beans though. My favorite part: the fried okra. Man, that stuff is so good. We’d be out of our ever-lovin’ minds if we didn’t get ourselves some pie (picture me sayin’ that with my thick Texas drawl)!
Matt chose peanut butter, which meant he was automatically disqualified from sharing any of his piece with Brennan. I chose a more baby-friendly pie (ha!): chocolate meringue, which meant I was the only one capable of sharing pie with the boy. <Huff> It’s funny how I’m more apt to share my treasured food with either Brennan or Molly; I’m more stingy sharing with Matt. But still, I had to share! How catawampus is it that I think of food in terms of Do I have to share? How much do I have to share? I gave you a few bites, now it’s mommy’s turn.
Ya’ll, that meringue was a good 5 inches tall! It was a wall of foamy, white angelic melt-in-your-mouth goodness! While it was yummy, I mean with all sincerity that I would choose my momma’s chocolate meringue pie any day over this one! Momma’s far surpasses the Blue Bonnet’s. And I am privy to information that I’m gonna get one of her chocolate meringue pies pretty soon!
My most favorite days ever are when the four of us (Molly included, by all means), get away on a little outing. And it’s particularly all the more special when it’s doing something we don’t normally have the opportunity to do. Those are the kinds of days that feel like little slices of heaven.
Slices of heaven are…
Showing Brennan the wonder of God’s creation…
A smitten boy with his daddy…
A daddy smitten with his boy…
Witnessing firsts, even if they result in the first of scuffed up knees…
Exploring color. Aromas. Texture. Beauty…
Chubby cheek goodness on a blonde-haired, blue-eyed toddler…
My son’s smiles and giggles…
Receiving adoration from one I adore…
The joy between a boy and his best friend…
Time. Time with precious loved ones.
Some days are filled with so many slices of heaven, you feel like you’ve been given the whole pie!
