In October 2016 a young Australian Shepherd walked up to my mom's house and sat down. It appeared he had been dropped off there. I brought him home, gave him a bath, he was covered in fleas and had thinning hair.
The next morning I took him to a Veterinarian Office to be scanned for a chip, he had no chip, and they posted his pictures to social media to see if anyone knew him. I went to the animal shelter and left my contact info and his picture in case anyone came looking for him. I knocked on the doors for the neighbors to see if they were missing a do or recognized him.
We ended up keeping him and the kids Named him Gizmo. He was very affectionate, cuddling dog, that we played fetch with, took on road trips and loved. Our first Australian Shepherd, we had poodles so we were used to no shedding hair everywhere. Gizmo shed enough we could probably make sweaters for everyone we know.
His coat filled in beautifully, his eyes are gorgeous.
We came home from dinner with family, and Gizmo came running to the kids to greet them as he did every day, always happy they were home: be it from grandma's house or school.
As soon as he got to them he collapsed at their feet. He was gone.
It was shocking, the kid were crying hysterical, my husband and I were there just shocked and confused at how suddenly he had passed.
While it was terrible for the kids, and we of course where not ready, he was only 3, and we had only had him 2 years.
Gizmo died suddenly, happy to see his girls. He didn't suffer, he didn't get lost and wander starving, or get hit by a car, or put down in shelter with no home.
Gizmo did have a heart murmur, and the vet did tell us that this was how he would go, running, playing and having a good time, but it wasn't expected to happen until he was much older, a senior dog.
While most of these pictures are spaced out on my Instagram account, I thought I would put them together to make a nice post about visiting The Hill Country. All of these pictures are taken in Texas, in a few different towns. Some I spent the night in, and some I just stopped for a couple hours to enjoy. A few of these places take about six hours to drive to from my home, pending traffic.
House Mountain.
I see this one frequently on our way out to hunt.
My baby shot her first buck at 5. While the antlers are mounted in her room, this deer provided meat for our family for the year.
During winter the nights can get cold in The Hill Country, but it makes a beautiful sight.
This particular year we had snow flurries, and my oldest was trying to catch them on her tongue. We don't often see snow in Houston. Maybe this year since there was a hurricane.
A hat with a hole for my messy bun. I look really weird with a hat and no sunglasses.
One ladybug showed up and started drinking my Diet Dr. Pepper. Then there were a few more happily drinking away, they know a good drink.
Pedernales Falls- Located in Johnson City. Its beautiful, and a great little hiking adventure. Take a hat, and lots of sunscreen and water because it is hot once you get out in the open.
A sister date to Pedernales Falls.
Vacation/ Hill Country Food. Porky's Hamburgers and Onion Rings, in Frederkcburg, and a fried pie from a gas station.
I really love their hamburgers and onion rings.
Hruska's is a nice little store to stop at for a clean bathroom break and some snacks.
Toured a Distillery and sampled some of their whiskeys. Check out Garrison Brothers in Hye.
I don't know if its because we toured on Sunday, or if they always serve whiskey samples in a communion tray.
In Texas we have Pecan Pie vending machines.This one was at Berdoll Pecans in Cedar Creek.
If you haven't visited The Great Wolf Lodge, its a wonderful family vacation spot.
Aside from sharing my vacation photos, I am going to recap the ways to save money, and things you must do while there.
Lets start with discounts on the rooms, the best place to find a good deal so far have come from their website. Join the email list, they send out discount times, booking specials, etc (Black Friday)
I’m not a groupon user but I have heard you can sometimes find a deal on there as well.
Military, Veterans and First Reaponders get a discount as well.
Check out their website for available dates Great Wolf Lodge
Whats included in your stay?
Your room and water park passes, its important to include how many people are in your room, otherwise you will be buying water park passes for each extra person.
There are activities for the kids to do inside:
Story time where the characters read them a book
A Dance Party for the tweens
Yoga sessions in the mornings
Magic Quest, a scavenger hunt done with magic wands.
You can bring in all your own foods, ice chests with foods and drinks so you don't have to purchase anything extra there.
If you are a soda drinker I recommend springing for their refillable cup, you can fill it from their fountain as many times as you want.
We purchased these cups in 2014 and we are still using them when we go back each year.
When you book a room, get the paw pass for your kid(s), they will get goodies with it, that your kid(s) will want:
One MagiQuest or Shadow Quest game
Choice of Compass Quest game, classic or color wand, standard topper or belt
One Creation Station animal (outfit not included)
One Glitz Glitter Tattoo (get this the day you leave otherwise it will wash off)
One Paw Points game card ($5)
One 12 oz. candy cup
One Leather Treaty bracelet or keychain from The Name Shop
One pair of Great Wolf Lodge goggles from Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop
Since we go during the month of our child's birthday we get the Birthday Bash Package. Our room will have a Birthday poster hanging on the wall, balloons inside, plates and Birthday Cake, gift card to use in the arcade, and food credit to use in the restaurants.
Should you choose to leave the resort and do other attractions, there are restaurants, and the Main St Strip that has lots of shops to visit and the park.
We venture into Dallas to have dinner at Medieval Times, to enjoy dinner and a show, They frequently have on their website deals, where you get a kid ticket free with an adult ticket purchase. Check out their website to see show times, Medieval Times
I enjoy changing the color of my hair frequently.
The way it happens I will be browsing Pinterest and see a color I love, then another. Before I know it I have booked an appointment with my hair dresser to try my idea of mixing colors.
Naturally my hair is dark brown, and I spent a couple years highlighting to get it to the blonde seen in my photos. The blonde makes it easier to get the fun colors added to my hair.
There comes a time where I get bored with the color or I am ready to go back to blonde so I use one of those hair color hacks you see online.
Mixing equal parts of Vitamin C, Shimmer Lights Conditioner and dish soap. ( I hear Dawn works best but I am allergic to it)
I mix it all into my hair, put a shower cap on and wait. If I can apply heat it shortens the time, and the color lifts quite a bit. Sometimes I will have to repeat this process a few days or a week later.
I don't curl the ends for two reasons: 1- it damages the ends and gives that cotton candy look, 2-I like the way it looks, a little messy.
This is about my favorite curling iron, and hairspray, a post generated because of inquiries I received on my Instagram account @radiantfitashley curls are one of my favorite looks and styles for hair. For years I have been using an old curling iron that I unscrewed the clamp on to make a wand.
I have long hair, and a lot of it, eventually my arms get tired, I burn myself or reaching the back of my hair gets tricky. When it comes to fixing my hair, I am lazy. I want it done quick, with as little work as possible. A curling wand that holds and wraps my hair automatically, a dream come true, its right up there with the self stirring coffee cup! This curling iron heats to 450 degrees, professional level heat, to get perfect waves every time. You can select the rotation speed, and the direction the iron rotates with the push of a button.
Sometimes I sleep on my curls and end up with softer, looser waves the next day.
I really enjoy crafting, as long as I can finish it in a reasonable amount of time. I have discovered chalky paint, which lets me paint furniture and wood without having to sand and prep. I picked up a couple cans, one light blue for my bathrooms, and a dark blue for my desk..
While the bathrooms were a fairly quick job, my desk has been a nightmare. It had several coats of paint, the finish was sticky, and required stripping, and now sanding. it turned out to be a lot more work than I wanted or anticipated.
