Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, September 25, 2014

TEXAS Trip to Visit Family and Friends (9-18 to 9-24, 2014)

On the Road to Texas,  we stopped to see Noccalula Falls in Gadsden,  Alabama (9/18)
George and I had a wonderful trip this past week to Texas ---to visit family and friends... I have two (of three) sons who live there  and since I lived there for 12 years (before moving back to Tennessee),  I have TONS of friends there also... SO---we took this trip to get lots of hugs and love from those wonderful Texas people!!!!

Today I will share with you some of the personal photos we took while there... AND--as you can imagine,  we did alot of things while there, so I'm sure we will show many more photos in upcoming blogs telling about this fabulous trip.

The photo above was taken on our way to Texas on 9/18.  We love to break up our trips by stopping to see some waterfalls.  This time we stopped at Gadsden,  Alabama at the Noccalula Falls Park.  You can't tell it by this photo--but that waterfall is 90 feet high..  This is a gorgeous waterfall AND park --so if you ever get to Alabama,  check it out. 


Our first night in Texas (9/19),  we had dinner with my son,  Mark,  at Jimmy Changas Mexican Restaurant;  Mark is my middle son --who lives in League City, Texas.



The next day (9/20),  we drove to Galveston, Texas where my eldest son,  Bert (who is called Tre except to family and old friends) lives in a beautiful resort area on the west beach of Galveston.  (Mark is on the left and Bert is on the right.  These two brothers look alike although Bert was born in 1963 and Mark in 1970.)


Three of the FOUR men in my life:  Son Mark,  Sweetie George and Son Bert;  (Wish you could have been here,  Jeff --my youngest son).


Mom and son,  Bert,  on the Strand in downtown Galveston



Mark,  a HAPPY Mom,  and Bert



We took a ride on the ferry boat from Glaveston Island to Port Boliver (and the Boliver Peninsula)--and,  as you can tell,  it was quite WINDY!!!! ha..   BUT--our weather the entire time while there was EXCELLENT.  It wasn't too hot/humid --and the rains stayed away!  Yeah!



Three wonderful Men:  Mark,  Bert and George,  on the ferry boat toward the Boliver Peninsula;



We drove to San Marcos (9/21) to see Mark's oldest daughter,  Bay Lee,  who is in college at Texas State University.   We had a fantastic day with this beautiful young lady --and her pooch!!!



Here is a very happy Papa--and his beautiful Bay Lee.   Mark is a fantastic father to his two daughters, and I am very proud of this Granddaughter--and her Daddy.



On 9/22,  we spent 4 hours with about 35+ friends at Clear Lake United Methodist Church,  where I worked for 12 years before moving to Tennessee.  This photo is  of just some of the people we saw--since it was a 'come and go' get-together.  It was SO much fun --and many of these people had not met George.  SO--I enjoyed showing him off to my friends!!!


"George and his Women" ----George was in 7th Heaven with all of that attention.  I told all of those beautiful women though that they couldn't have him.  He is MINE.... ha



Hmmmmm--wonder what these guys (Mark, George and Bert)  are looking at on TV??????? There was a beautiful woman on there --and it captured ALL of their attention...  They didn't even notice that I was taking pictures... ha ha   (This was at Mark's apartment on 9/22 --before we went to see his daughter, Brooke, play softball.)





Mark and his other beautiful daughter,  Brooke.  On the evening of 9/22,  we all went to Brooke's softball game and then out to dinner.  Brooke is a Senior and will be going to Texas State next year also.  I love this photo of Brooke and Mark. 
Well---you can see that we had a great trip ---and saw a lot of people while there.  We went-went-went from early morning to late at night every day!!!!  My goal was to spend time with both sons (Bert and Mark) --and also two Granddaughters,  Bay Lee and Brooke, who live in Texas.   AND--I wanted to see many old friends,  most of which I have caught up with on Facebook since being gone from that area for 14 years.  AND--we did all of this!!!

As I said above,  we will talk about some of the things we did in other upcoming blogs.  BUT--I wanted to show off my family/friends in this post.  Hope you enjoyed seeing all of them!!!

Hugs,

68 comments:

babYpose said...

wow its nice to catch up with old friends,, you look so cheerful, your granddaughter is beautiful.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful family visits! Bay Lee is just beautiful! But my favorite is you on the ferry with your big smile and your windblown hair!

diane b said...

It is such a wonderful feeling to catch up with family and friends. Your grand daughters are beautiful.

Twilight Man said...

Hey, that's a lovely reunion in Texas. It is a nice and warm state, just like the people there. I have only visited Dallas / Fort Worth which is a bustling city.

In one photo with your handsome sons, you looked more like a sister to Mark and Bert! Stay young and happy always Betsy.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

WOW Betsy It is wonderful to see your family and friends. Wonderful trip. I have just returned from 6 weeks away in Africa with thousands of photos which will take me weeks to edit and process but it will be worth it on my blog when I do.

Ms. A said...

You were in MY area, woman!

Fun60 said...

Such wonderful photos. they are just filled with love.

Betsy said...

These are such great pictures Betsy. Family is SO important isn't it? Your smile in all of these pictures is what draws me to them and it looks as if your boys/granddaughters inherited that beautiful smile from you. Your love of life draws everyone in. Thank you for sharing with us.
Blessings,
Betsy

eileeninmd said...

Betsy, lovely family photos. Your sons are handsome and your granddaughter are beautiful. I love the cute puppydog too. Great post. Enjoy your day!

Ann said...

You packed a lot of fun into that trip. How wonderful to get together with so many family members and old friends.
Your granddaughters are beautiful

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a happy post, filled with family, friends, love and fun.

Enjoy your day today.

FlowerLady

Jeevan said...

Glad to see you having wonderful time with your sons and granddaughters and reunion with friends. The pictures says a lot about the bond you all got together and very cute of you teasing the men ;) Meeting 35+ friends’ sounds awesome, Betsy! I liked the photo on Bay lee smiling with her little dog in shoulder :)

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I love all of those smiling faces!! Thank you for always taking us along on these wonderful travels with you :)

Neal said...

Sounds like you had a great trip. I'm sure that poor George didn't get to say a word with all those women around. :)

Tanna said...

Oh, Betsy, the happiness glows off your face. Such a great thing to spend time with family and friends. blessings ~ tanna

linda m said...

You have such handsome sons and your granddaughters are just beautiful. I noticed that all of you have the same wonderful smile. Do you think they got it from you? So happy for you that you were able to spend time with your boys and granddaughters.

From the Kitchen said...

There's nothing better than spending time with those so dear to us. You all look so happy! Glad you had such a nice time and good weather as well.

Best,
Bonnie

The Furry Gnome said...

So nice to visit family.

I Am Woody said...

So glad you had such a great trip!!

Connie said...

Wonderful family photos, Betsy! You look like one happy mom there with your sons. I'm glad you had such a great trip.

George said...

We did have a marvelous trip, and I'm glad you got these great pictures to remember it by.

LV said...

So glad you were able to spend such quality time with your family. And, enjoy the sights of Texas. I am sure they have changed since you lived here. I have missed you both.

Sylvia K said...

What a great trip indeed and how delightful to see your Texas family members! Terrific captures as always and the next best thing to being there!! So glad you and George had such a great time!! Thanks for sharing the fun!!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a wonderful trip!

David said...

Betsy, Family trips and gatherings are great... I'm lucky that my wife has such a large family because my side of the family is depleted, disconnected and dispersed! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Betsy! You have a lovely family and everyone looks so happy to have you there visiting. I'm know you had a great time. The ferry ride brings back old memories of the time I visited Galveston Island with my younger brother when he lived in Lake Jackson TX. It was a fun trip and we even saw dolphins playing. Glad you had a great trip! Take care!

Small City Scenes said...

Great shots of your beautiful family and wonderful friends. I did follow some of you travels on facebook too. A happy family you have. MB

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

I'm so glad you and George had a great trip to Texas. I enjoyed "meeting" your family. Your sons are all fine looking men. I'm glad you all had a great time together. The women in your family are very pretty, too.

Ruth Hiebert said...

You have a beautiful family.I can see they get their ready smiles from Mama.

Linda Kay said...

Sure looks like a very happy family trip, and I'll be you got lots of hugs. You were within an hour's drive of my home in Fredericksburg!

Out on the prairie said...

I figured you were on a trip after not hearing from you.

Big Dude said...

Glad you had a great trip and made it back safely. I would have guessed the TV attention getter was a football game.

happyone said...

What a lovely trip you all had and such a happy looking family. You are blessed. : )

Arkansas Patti said...

What a handsome family you have Betsy. Now I am convinced, there is a great smile gene and you passed it on.
How neat to catch up also with old friends in addition to family. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Glad the weather behaved for you.

Beth said...

Wonderful pictures. You have a beautiful family -- both blood and the church one. That picture of George and the women reminded me of something my dad would do. Women loved him, esp. since he was so in love with my mom that he was 'safe'.

Susie Swanson said...

Wow, looking at these I can see so much joy in ur face and it's contagious. Beautiful family and there's nothing like spending time with them. Glad ya'll had such a wonderful time. Hugs and Love, xo

Shug said...

You sure have a beautiful family, Betsy! Handsome sons!! I only wish that you had driven close to East Texas....Sam and I would have loved seeing the two of you.. Glad your visit brought so many beautiful smiles to your happy face!!

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

What a beautiful family Betsy! It looks like you guys had a wonderful time in Texas.

Liene said...

Goodness, three sons! And you survived, which gives me hope ;) Beautiful family Betsy!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

aww, i love all the family photos. what a sweet family. glad you had such a fun time. & great weather - that is awesome!! what fun. i love the shot of your & your hair is all blowing ... too fun!

glad you are home, save & sound. ( :

carolina nana said...

What a wonderful trip to see your family and friends. You look so happy,Hope life continues to send blessings your way.
Blessings
Marilyn

Small Kucing said...

so nice to meet old friends . What a wonderful trip. Love the 1st photo of you and George

DeniseinVA said...

Fantastic that you got to see your wonderful family Betsy, and so many of your friends. I love all those happy smiling faces. Sweet memories and glad you took lots of photos. I shall look forward to seeing more from your trip. Have a great weekend :)

A Colorful World said...

Oh Betsy, how wonderful! First of all, being from AL I love the falls and the fact that you love them also. Secondly, we lived not many miles from either Galveston or San Marcos when we lived in Texas and I have friends and good memories from there as well. But, no family. The fact that you got to see two sons and two grand-daughters--Fantastic! It looks like an amazing visit! I am so happy for you all! You have such a lovely family!

Kay said...

Awww... Betsy... What a wonderful family you have! Whenever I see those loving photos of you and George it makes me smile. You are so beautiful together.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

What a fun time! I hope to get back to Texas to visit friends at some point. It has been way too long.

troutbirder said...

Nothing like a trip to visit family and old friends...:)

troutbirder said...

Nothing like a trip to visit family and old friends...:)

Rose said...

Just now getting to look at this post...was so weary last night I could not take it in so did not try.

Betsy, your granddaughters are beautiful...love the light in their eyes. They just sparkle.

So glad you got to see them and your sons. It is hard being so far away from our loved ones...

It looks like you two had a wonderful time, too...there is sure a twinkle in your eyes!

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

Looks like a fun trip; everyone looks so happy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, So happy that you enjoyed the trip going, there, and coming home. Nice to spend quality time with family. I lived in N.E. TX for three years and travelled around TX a little during those years. I have been to Galveston and enjoyed it. Have a super good weekend!

Anonymous said...

So happy that the weather was nice for your visit. The photos are great and everyone looks happy and relaxed. Hope you get a chance to rest this weekend.

MTWaggin said...

What a marvelous trip you had and your kids all look fabulous. I so love to see all your pictures and the waterfall looks very interesting. Glad you had a safe and fun trip!

Our photos said...

Nice time !

Susannah said...

Hi Betsey, Your granddaughters are so pretty. I can imagine how wonderful it was to see them and your sons. Visiting with all of your old friends must have been a real joy. I am so glad you and George had such a wonderful trip!

Chatty Crone said...

You have a beautiful family there girlfriend. Very happy and glad to see you! Love you hair flying in the wind. And George with all those girls.

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Glad you had such a great visit with two of your sons and those grand daughters. Plus, all the friends. Such great smiles in the photos!

Marie said...

It looks like you had a very enjoyable trip! It's nice seeing you with your boys, family and friends. :) The ferry looked like a lot of fun!
Enjoy your weekend!

Did you buy the birdbath heater online or in a store?
hugs,
Marie

Unknown said...

It shows that you had a good time. Love all those pictures with happy faces! Enjoy your weekend.
Hugs
Eva

Dee said...

Dear Betsy, this must have been a wonderful trip--visiting with your two sons and your granddaughters and with old friends. A time for renewal. Peace.

Busy Bee Suz said...

How nice that you were able to see two sons AND both granddaughters on this trip. The girls are just radiant. Is Brooke going to play softball in college next year?

Manzanita said...

What a happy trip and such good looking sons. The first picture of the 2 of you is absolutely precious. You have a beautiful, loving family and the award goes to Mama.

Jeanne said...

So glad you had such a good visit with your family. You were only 90 miles from me. We love Galveston but never made it over this summer. I'll be watching for more pictures.
Jeanne

Linda said...

Oh, I saw those falls in Alabama... it must have been 40 years ago! Wow.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Your grand daughters are so grown up already. And it seems you had your sons early in life. In 63 I was still in high school and in 70 I had just finished my first year of teaching and marriage. Buddy arrived in 73.
How nice that George got to share some of your past by visiting where you once worked and lived.
Loved this post:)

Jazzmin said...

Glad you had such a wonderful, family and friend filled trip!! A couple of the places you went are not too far from me. That's great that the weather was good for y'all in Galveston and not too humid. I imagine the weather is much cooler right now in TN, so I wish I were up there instead of down here, hehe.

Enjoyed seeing all of your photos. You are truly beaming in your photos and your love and happiness being with your sons shows so much.

Blessings! Have a wonderful weekend :)
~Jazzmin


Terri D said...

I am late catching up, but sure did enjoy your photos! You have a lovely family!! Such a blessing!

amanda said...

Love seeing these wonderful pictures of friends & family, and especially the Happy Mom photos, Betsy!!