The Masseys Take Texas

I was the first one in my family to visit to Texas so the prospect of visiting me here has been a hot topic of conversation since we moved. My parents and Erin came for a visit last week and stayed for eight days. Well, Erin had to leave early because she had tickets to a Colts/Jags game but she enjoyed the time she was able to spend here. Unfortunately, San Antonio experienced a three day cold front while they visited and temperatures hovered around 50 with high winds. That is definitely warmer than the weather in Indiana but still not ideal. After the weather broke we were back in the 70's with sun and my parents could fully understand why I evacuated the Midwest.

Some trip highlights: We visited our favorite Mexican restaurant Paloma Blanca for lunch. Dad was able to sample a Mexican traditional breakfast dish: Migas. It's a mixture of scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers and crunchy tortilla strips. It's one of my personal favorites and I knew that dad would enjoy it since he loves eggs. My Mom and Dad were both able to taste guacamole for the first time and....they really liked it! I am sure some of you are thinking "Um...Lauren, there's guacamole in the Midwest too." but from personal experience I can tell you that: 1--It's not nearly as good and 2--It's not really that popular. We also took them grocery shopping (it doesn't take much to make my parents happy) at Central Market, our favorite all natural/organic grocery store. My Mom fell in love with it and quickly realized that to truly appreciate the entire store she would have to come back for another visit! Sunday night we went to see Disney's the Lion King which was more spectacular that I ever anticipated. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that musical. The costumes are outstanding. I wish I could have taken pictures but unfortunately they weren't allowed.

Erin wanted to see the Alamo, some cactus and tumbleweeds. Despite popular believe, there aren't any tumbleweeds in San Antonio. Sorry Erin:)

Below are some pictures from the Massey's big trip out West. Enjoy!
Erin's first taste of Mexican food in San Antonio. She was pleased.
Below: Dad enjoying his migas at Paloma Blanca.
Above: Mom, Erin and I posing in front of the Alamo. Yes, it was one of the cold days:(
Mom and Dad posted up in front of a huge cactus at the Alamo.Erin posing in an awesome cowboy hat that she ended up not buying:(

Thanksgiving in the Midwest

(Tyrone and Pat's House)

Ricky and I headed back to Kentuckiana for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had been planning this trip for a while and were anxiously awaiting the delicious meals my Mom would provide for us. My sister, Erin, flew in from Florida and our friends, Nathan and Emily, made the drive to Evansville from Richmond! Prior to making the 1.5 hour drive from the Louisville Airport to Evansville we were able to have dinner with Ricky's parents, brother and sister-in-law. It was great to see everyone, although I wasn't quite prepared for the cold dreary weather. I never noticed how early it gets dark in Evansville--4:00PM this time of year!

Of course when you go to your hometown there are some local foods you have to get. Mom and Dad greeted us in Louisville with some of my favorite confections: Donut Bank donut holes. They are delicious vanilla and chocolate cake donut balls coated in a yummy sugary glaze. They also make simple glazed donut holes but the cake ones are my favorite. We also took Emily and Nathan to Ritzy's, a 50's style ice cream and hamburger shop. Their chocolate ice cream has won "Best Chocolate Ice Cream in the Country" several times but my favorite is their "Ooh-ooh Oreo". Everyone had a variety of flavors which were all delicious.

Back at home my Mom prepared a great dinner for us all. Turkey, dressing (stuffing if that's your word of choice), green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin casserole (amazing!) and rolls. There was also the staple canned cranberry sauce, which I have never really learned how to eat. It was all wonderful and a big thanks to my Mom for all her hard work. For dessert we had red velvet cake and pound cake from my Mom, haystacks and surprise cookies from Emily. YUM! We also had the Moffats as additional dinner guests. The last time I saw Brook, she was pregnant with Baby Esme. Now the Moffats live here in the US with 5 month old Esme. She's so cute!

(Erin, Esme, Lauren)
Erin takes a pretend ride in Mom and Dad's new SUV.
Emily modeling a HOT Christmas sweater at Gordman's on Black Friday.

Ricky and Nathan in an intense game of NERTS.
Me rockin' my Mom's Snuggie.
Ricky looks like he's trying to throw Esme on the ground.
Group photo after dinner!