Great Wolf Lodge

We scheduled a trip to Dallas for a wedding that ended up not happening (not yet, anyway), so we took full advantage of the quick trip to see as much family and cram as much fun as we could into two days. It was a blast, but not enough time. There are so many people I wanted to see that we just could not find time for.

And I only brought a crummy little camera, so I don't have many pictures. Big Daddy and Beth took quite a few, so hopefully I'll get copies of those soon.

Visiting family and friends and eating Tex-Mex and Chicken Fried Steak were the highlight of the trip for me. Here are Helene and Campbell playing with their cousin, Carter, on some statues in downtown Grapevine:

Here are John's sister, Beth, and her fiance', Eddie:
Charlotte and Kevin Mims met us at the hotel bar for drinks. We had a great time. Charlotte and John have the same phone, so they did a "phone 5":
I also got to see my college roommate, Christy, and her daughters. But I forgot to get any pictures. And we saw lots of other family members; hopefully I'll get those pictures soon.

The highlight of the trip for the kids was that we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. This place is like Water World inside a hotel. Here is the front entrance. The red and yellow funnel in the background is a part of the wildest waterslide at the park.
Hotel Lobby:
Entrance to Water Park (admission included in your stay - you wear a wristband the entire time that acts as your room key, admission to water park, and credit card, so you can buy snacks without dragging extra stuff to the pool):



Campbell, waiting for the big bucket of 1000 gallons of water to spill:

There is an outdoor section of the park, too, with 4 pools and two more water slides:

Our hotel room had a separate, walled-off area for the kids:
They had bunk beds and their own TV:
We're leaving for another trip tomorrow, so I don't have time to write much, but I wanted to get the pictures up and the basics down while they were still fresh in my mind.

Happy Father's Day

With Fathers' Day approaching, I was looking through old scrapbooks for pictures of me with my Daddy. I found so many that I loved. I selected a few that illustrate what a great father he is.
There are millions of reasons I love my father. Here are a few of them:

He instilled in me a love of Germany - the country, the language, and all things German. Because he raised us speaking words of German here and there, I ended up studying the language and becoming a German teacher.
He loves me.
He instilled values in me. This picture was taken alongside the highway somewhere, probably, but it reminds me of our farm. My father always emphasized that it was better to invest in land than cars and clothes and fancy houses. That has stuck with me, and John and I try to live the same way.
My father also instilled in me (I can't believe I'm admitting this) a love of running. I have many fond memories of tagging along when my parents ran races, and we even did a few 5Ks with them. My love for Colorado also comes from my dad. His parents started bringing him up here when he was a child, and he and my mother continued the tradition. I live here now and love it. I feel closer to God in the mountains. I am looking forward to the day my dad retires and my parents start spending more time in Colorado!
My Daddy is a great Papa.

I love the effort that all of us put towards making family trips a priority. Our trips to Costa Rica and Crystal Beach and Yellowstone made memories for a lifetime. Where are we going next?
My father, brother, and husband take annual trips together. It warms my heart to see what a good father-in-law my dad is to John. Thank you, Daddy, for continuing to be such a great father to us!