A week ago my husband surprised me with the best birthday present ever: a trip out to Boston to see my sister Kelsey run in the Boston Marathon! Kelsey shared a quote from Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon 50 years ago:
and here is Kathrine finishing on Monday, 50 years later :
We found that to be profoundly true– we saw the best of humankind as we drove from town to town trying to catch a glimpse of Kels.
From the kids waiting on the sides with popsicles and ice, to families set up on lawns on Heartbreak Hill to cheer strangers through the most difficult part,
a marine that was injured in Afghanistan that carried a flag the whole way,
photo: Christopher Evans Boston Herald
the hilarious barefoot caveman,
blind men and women running with guides, it was truly one of the most inspirational experiences!
If you ever have the opportunity to cheer someone on in the Boston Marathon, do it!
Not to mention it’s one of the most beautiful, historical U.S. places to visit!
We were dying as we were driving at the architecture and historical sites at every bend.
In Concord we saw Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard house, Thoreau’s cabin on Walden pond, and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s home all within 2 miles!
And a few things I didn’t know as a spectator:
Driving was the way to go to see her in the most spot, plus you get the BEST backroads view! My dad drove, and we would try to go between train stations. He would drop us off, go find parking and we would cheer her on.
Her husband was tracking her on the Boston Marathon app so we could see where she was and try to time accordingly. But once we got to heartbreak hill, my mom and I stayed to cheer her on there and they went ahead to catch her at the finish line.
Mom and I could NOT get across the street to the trains with the barricades so we got an Uber to the finish to met her there. The trains were packed, I would drive if you could.
A few tips:
* make sure your runner a name on the front – it makes it so fun to cheer and call out a name. Duct tape works great and plenty of people used paint on their arms as well.
* Signs are awesome but put them on yard sticks so you can hold them high above the crowd. We improvised with some duct tape and a wiffle ball bat from a local CVS.
* the signs themselves are worth going!! People are so clever. I wish we would have gotten team shirts and I especially loved face signs like these:
* Weather is crazy in Boston!! Sunday was 85, Monday was 72, Wed was a CHILLY 48. Pack for all seasons!
Oh Boston, what a wonderful city! Thank you for letting us be part of an incredible event you have here.
* Seniors 62 & older can get a $10 annual National parks pass
and of course, DEALS! These are the prices when I hit publish, they can change or run out at anytime. Lowest price means it is the lowest price within a year, within $1:
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BABY
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Happy Easter weekend!
Hello! The weather is warming up here and our landscaping and yard are begging for some attention after the long winter! I was at the garden store and saw some beautiful landscaping topiaries for $80-$120. Not in the budget. But then at Home Depot and Walmart, I saw these dwarf alberta spruces for $20-$30.
I am no Mr. Miyagi, but I thought – what if I just shaped it into 4 balls myself and saved over $60? So I went to work in the garage with a pair of garden shears (these are like the ones I have) and held some of my kids’ play balls up a few times as I clipped and snipped. It took about 45 minutes and it was actually kind of therapeutic.
It’s not perfect and this picture helps me see where I can even things out a bit on the 3rd ball down on the left side, but we planted it in the fall and here it is in the spring:
It was a good reminder to think outside the box to save some money and still get a similar effect.
This girl’s room from Randi Garrett Design!
* 11 Traits That Make a Woman Beautiful (and they have nothing to do with looks)
* Now I Understand Why My Mom Wouldn’t Go to Bed With Dirty Dishes in the Sink
and of course, DEALS! These are the prices when I hit publish, they can change or run out at anytime. Lowest price means it is the lowest price within a year, within $1:
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* 6 piece magic snake twist puzzle $14.99
Happy Weekend!
Oh Magnolia! We took a road trip down here for spring break – we have lots of cousins that live in Texas and we used to live here, so it was such a fun visit. Of course we had to come to the Silos! They were everything I thought they would be after seeing them on Fixer Upper and hearing about them, it was exactly how I’d pictured it to be.
We had perfect weather and went on a sunny April Monday afternoon:
Tip: if you enter from 8th street side, there is free parking. As you drive in, everyone else around wants to charge $10. You can just google Waco Brake & Clutch Supply, it’s right across the street.
First, we hit the bakery!! Lots of yummy food trucks all around, but dessert first please:
The cupcakes were $3.99 each and they had order cards they had you fill out while in line to keep everything running smoothly:
I waited in line to get into the bakery bathroom, I didn’t even need to go and just took pictures :)
We loved the cupcakes! So dense and moist and the frosting was sweet perfection. Our favorites were the nuts & bolts and carrot cake. I would skip the Elderflower drink, we thought it tasted like dill pickle. Everything is so well thought out from cards they have you fill out with your order to the boxes and wooden forks.
The garden is charming:
they were just bringing out spring plants:
They have covered pavilions to sit under with wildflower boxes – We got a yummy bacon grilled cheese, herbed fries and a biscuit from Milo to share because we had already filled up on cupcakes.
And then we hit the store!! Everything is so beautifully displayed and it’s just fun to walk around and look.
So what did I buy? My awesome sisters gave me a Magnolia gift card for my birthday so I got a t-shirt (of course!), a collapsible basket, telescoping photo stands, metal sign holder, a wood beaded cake stand, and the cutest little cream pitcher to add to my collection. It’s not inexpensive, but I also don’t feel like they were insane prices either.
It was so worth going! A few things:
* mean people don’t come to the Silos! Everyone that works there and visits there is so nice and friendly, it’s so fun to see where everyone is from.
* All the employees I spoke with said come between 2-5 p.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to beat the crowds. Most people come right when it opens at 10 and then stay until 1 or 2 and weekends are crazy, be prepared for long lines.
* is it kid friendly? Yes and no. My kids loved the lawn area and running around, swinging and throwing the football, but my youngest only lasted a few minutes in the store so my daughter was an angel and took him out to play. We waited in line at the bakery for 25 minutes, but they keep everything moving really well. At the store we really didn’t have a line. I could have stayed there for much longer but most of my kids were ready to go after an hour or so.
* what about food? There are food trucks there, but many were sold out by 1 p.m. We don’t have a Freddy’s near us, so we went there ♥ Other recommendations were Torchy’s Tacos and Cafe Homestead.
Other places you can drive by:
* Harp Design Co. 808 N. 15th Street
* Joanna’s original Magnolia store 3801 Bosque Blvd.
* Read their book before you go. As if you don’t feel like they are your next door neighbors, it gives such a tender look into their roots, how they began, the hardships they faced, what drives them, their dreams, and their faith.
I just love seeing what they’ve done for downtown Waco. Anyone who owns property around the Silos has got to be loving their crazy increase in property value. The drive from Dallas-Ft,Worth area was gorgeous in the spring with all of the bluebells and wildflowers and was so GREEN! We went on to Temple, TX to visit family and that drive was beautiful. I saw lots of women on girl trips – I would have loved some more time to explore, but was so, so glad we had the time we did.
Have you been?
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