Category: Day Date

Avalon Faire

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Day DateLeave a comment

I feel like it always rains on Easter weekend. I know it did every single time when we lived in Baton Rouge. Saturday was a bit unnerving.

Even though the tornado sirens were going off for what seemed like forever, we luckily did not see one near us. The wind was crazy and the rain was blowing sideways.

Because Avalon Faire is always in April and only open on the weekends, Easter Sunday is the only time that Donny can go. I gave the kids their Easter basket along with Olivia and Gavin and Donny and I headed out. Because we did go early the crowds were not bad at all. Surprisingly it wasn’t even muddy.

We didn’t go last year and they had made quite a few changes for the better.

There are more bridges and wooden walkways. There seems to be more food options. Donny got a beef sandwich and then we both got sausages on a stick that were really good.

My favorite shop used to be the Marrakesh Market because they used to have a whole wall of pottery. It’s still there, but it’s more in line with costumes and baskets. I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to get a mug. We did see a tent where there were mugs, but there wasn’t really anything that I loved enough to pay the price they were asking.

We watched a skit that was funny.

We always get a bottle of Mead. This year we our choice was Apple Pieser that tasted just like apple pie. Donny Found a tumbler/koozie that this man makes out of leather. He had so many cool pieces to choose from. The lids are interchangeable so it will be pretty handy.

We had made our way around the faire twice and I really didn’t see anything that caught my eye until Donny saw this shop that had leather purses and pouches. The sweet older couple that makes everything were so incredibly nice. I found the perfect crossbody bag that I later found out is called a Viking Druid pouch. I love that it holds everything that my other purse did.

We saw part of the jousting, but I was more interested in just how close we could get the these birds that they use in another show.

Sometimes the pond isn’t as full as it was on Easter, but thanks to the rain it was to the brim.

The whole faire is just so pretty and the weather was amazing. We even wore long sleeves and didn’t sweat a drop.

When we got home the kids were flying their kites in the backyard.

What a glorious day it was.

A Little Day Trip

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Day DateLeave a comment

On Friday Donny had to go pick up some wall art at the Tyler store so I went with him. After we picked up the artwork he knew I wanted to go to World Market. I so miss having one in our town. We noticed there was a Kirkland’s next door. We decided to stop in there to see what their wares because it used to be such a cool store. Well, it’s not so cool anymore. I have had this angel for over a decade that I got at Kirkland’s.

The picture above our couch was from Kirland’s also. This was our home in Bryan that we sold in 2010.

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I used to love that store, but it’s just changed and not for the better in my opinion.

But on to the best store.

There were so many things that I could have brought home with me, but I was thinking of the lack of space that we have. Plus Donny just wouldn’t go for the double papasan chair that I just love. We did get some snacks and Donny snuck some lemon curd in the basket because he knows how much I love it.

I found two goodies.

By the time we finished browsing the entire store several times we were starving. Donny had heard that Ruby’s was good so that’s where we headed. I love Mexican food but I’m more used to Tex-Mex. There was no Tex in this Mex. My go to is cheese enchiladas. They did have their version of them but I did not want the cabbage or the piece of fried chicken that came with almost every meal. Even though they were not what I was used to they were in fact very good.

On our way back through the azalea district of Tyler we saw this really cool looking park so, if you know us, we had to stop and see it. Turns out it’s the Tyler Children’s Park. We didn’t really know where the main entrance was so we had to walk down this very steep, uneven rock steps.

The park was absolutely beautiful and sad because there were trees, statues, benches and bridges all dedicated to children who have passed away.

We walked around the whole park and it was a pretty good little trek.

I just love when we find these little hidden gems. I think I’m going to have to keep some hiking shoes in the car though because I was wearing the same shoes as when we found and walked around Elder Lake.

When we got home we were trying to decide where to hang the lantern from World Market. The final resting place.

it looks really good when the lights are off too.

And as for today, the storm we have been expecting for days finally hit. When the weather is beautiful I will be outside almost the whole day. That means that the inside of our house is getting slightly neglected. Well, today I got everything dusted, de-cat haired, vacuumed and mopped. That always puts me in a good mood.

The kitchen is always an ongoing cleaning challenge just because someone is always making something. I was so sick of dirty dishes just being piled in the sink with the excuse that they didn’t know if the dishes were clean or dirty in the dishwasher. Ok, opening it would probably answer that question but I made it easier.

I wish that we could all just normalize lived in homes. My kitchen is definitely lived in.

I’m hoping tomorrow the weather will be clear and I can be back outside.

Walkie Talkie

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Day Date, Longview, txLeave a comment

Hannah was feeling overwhelmed when I picked her up from college on Thursday. When this happens we go for walks. We decided to start at The Green, our favorite park. It’s so much easier to talk about problems and life goals when you are surrounded by nature, I think.

The trees were in bloom so that led us to Google Lens to try to find out what kind of trees we were seeing.

We always say hi to Shelldon because he is just so cute.

We always stop to play the xylophones. The one Hannah is playing is like experiencing a sound bath. The notes are so clear and beautiful.

And of course we had to admire our favorite tree. It is just so symmetrical and stands out against all of the other trees.

After a few loops around the park, we decided to go walk on the trail in our neighborhood. On the way there we passed beginning of the Boorman Trail that we had never started from. I always see this statue and wonder what this trail is like and where it actually goes. So we decided to pull in and find out.

The trail was beautiful. It’s more up kept than our more rustic trail near our home.

We still walk over the creek that runs through all of the trails.

We had walked quite a ways when Hannah spotted a park up ahead. As we got closer we realized that this is the park that we normally start with when we walk this particular trail. Since the first time we came here almost 6 years ago, I noticed the racquetball courts. They are a little run down, but I still want to bring our racquets and hot a few balls.

We don’t know what exactly this is but we thought it was funny.

We found another little library that we want to bring some books to.

This was a productive walk because we decided that we want to have a table at the next Art Walk downtown. We’ll see how that pans out. We decided to head back to the car and go to our next trail.

I am so happy that our neighborhood trail is finally open. As we were walking we found out why it had been closed for so long.

Apartments are going in. This makes me so sad. We still have the rest of the trail that is still heavily wooded, but it’s just not the same.

I am very happy that one of the bridges is open again. The city did such a good job rebuilding it and it means that we don’t have to drive to the entrance, but can pick up the trail from our neighborhood.

I don’t know how many miles we walked, but it was a few. I wore my Brooks which I never do for walking the trails. I normally wear my Merrills or Sauconys. This meant that I had a very painful blister on my toe. Hannah wanted to go to the gym later that evening so the next morning I was even more sore and my feet were hurting.

On Friday Donny and I were in Kilgore just puttering around. We went to an estate sale and on the way back he wanted to go see what there was at Synergy Park. We found Lake Elder, which lucky for me, had a 1 mile walking trail around it. That was sarcasm because yes, I do love water, but I was wearing my footbed clogs. Being the trooper I am I walked that blister screaming mile.

It was absolutely beautiful though.

My reward was getting spring rolls from our favorite Thai place.

So worth the pain and if you haven’t ever tried a Thai iced coffee you are missing out. In fact, I think I may go get another one today.

We need to run to Gladewater today so, who knows, we might just go take a walk around the lake there. I’ll be sure to wear appropriate shoes this time.