First College Visit: Texas Tech

As hard as it was to believe, it was the summer before Kaitlynn's junior year, which meant it was time to start thinking about (gasp) COLLEGE for our baby girl! We wanted to get the process started so that Kaitlynn would have sufficient time to think about her college goals, and summer was the perfect time to make a campus visit. The first one on our list was Texas Tech, the same school we first visited on Connor's college list as well. Out of all the schools we've researched for visits, Texas Tech was BY FAR the easiest to arrange because they have a simple all-in-one tour which is offered everyday even in the summer. Most other schools require you to sign up for multiple different sessions and they are almost always on different days and not easy to group into a single visit. 

For Kaitlynn's Texas Tech visit, we signed up for the daily tour, and I was also able to schedule a visit with the Honors College. Following in her brother's footsteps, Kaitlynn was thinking of majoring in computer science. After the 7-hour drive, we arrived on campus and were both excited for the visit ahead!

We arrived early the next morning to kick off our full day. At check-in, it was a fun and personalized touch to see Kaitlynn's name on the screen along with the other visiting students. We were excited for the morning ahead, where we had a walking tour of the campus, learned all about admissions, and even got to learn about the engineering curriculum for computer science. Admittedly, Kaitlynn felt a little uncertain about her major choice, especially after seeing the courses listed out for the 4 years of engineering curriculum.

Probably our favorite part of the day was visiting with the Honors College that afternoon. Two of their representatives met with us for a personalized visit, and they answered all of our questions about the Honors curriculum. It made Kaitlynn feel special to be recognized for her hard work, and the opportunities for Honors and Study Abroad were especially interesting for her.

After our campus visit, we drove around Lubbock to find some treats, and to this day we still talk about the delicious dirty sodas and bakery treats we discovered during our trip. There were two other things that were the most consequential that came from our Texas Tech visit, however. First, I got a speeding ticket on the way there, and Kaitlynn was able to experience what it was like to be pulled over with the flashing lights behind you. HA! 

But probably the most impactful outcome of our visit was the discussion we had on the way home. By visiting Texas Tech and seeing the college curriculum laid out before her, Kaitlynn was able to really start thinking about her future career and the areas she wanted to study. On the drive home, she admitted that the computer science curriculum was just not for her. She was feeling anxious about the selection of a major, and I reassured her that it was a positive step to know what she did NOT want to study and she still had plenty of time to figure that out in the years ahead. 

During our conversation, out of the blue Kaitlynn said, "I always thought I could see myself as a nurse, but I just do NOT want to go to medical school." 

I chuckled and said, "Nurses don't go to medical school. They go to nursing school, but it's the same time commitment as your 4-year degree." To which she replied, "Oh!" 

And there it was, the turning point for our baby girl's future. She was going to be a NURSE! 

Summer Vibes with Connor

It was so nice to have Connor home for the summer after his freshman year at University of Alabama. He looked far and wide for summer work, but with our busy travel schedule, he wasn't able to line up a job for his remaining time and ended up spending several weeks at home bored out of his mind. He was able to join Jeff for a few golf outings, and that was always fun for both of them despite the summer heat. I joined them on one of their trips to Jeff's club at Longwood and made sure to take some pics.

Before Connor returned to Alabama for the fall semester, he wanted some coaching on kitchen tips and recipes for off-campus life in his new apartment with friends. I taught him a few of his favorite dishes, including awesome rolls, pigs in a blanket, bacon and eggs, and the family staple of crockpot angel chicken. Only time would tell how well he would manage these recipes on his own!

One thing Connor had put off all summer was a LONG overdue haircut. His hair was so overgrown and shaggy, and it drove the rest of us crazy. Come to find out, he was delaying a haircut because he had promised to fulfill a bet he lost in his fantasy football league earlier in the year. As much as he dreaded it, he had to follow through with the consequence of losing: shaving his head! None of us could believe he'd actually go through with it, so we all tagged along as he went up to Great Clips for the big event. His hair had gotten SO long, so it made the haircut that much more impactful. 

We all watched as Connor's locks were shaved completely off, front to back and side to side. It was a shocking transformation! When he returned to school in the coming days, it would be with a completely different look that would take us (and his roommates) a LONG time to get used to, ha!

Summertime Reunion with Anais

In early July, it was FINALLY time for a long overdue reunion for Kaitlynn and Anais. Now that they were both driving themselves, it would be so much easier to arrange outings together in the future. For this visit, they planned to hang out at our home in Katy, visit their usual haunts like Altitude, enjoy a shopping day at the Galleria, and an extra special activity we had been planning for a while. 

For a fun but belated 16th birthday treat, we scheduled makeup lessons for both girls at the local Jentry Kelley location not far from us in Katy. I discovered this beauty line years ago and love their approach to sharing makeup tips for a beautiful and fresh look. The girls were able to get a full lesson from our artist, Carly, using JK products and walk out with their gorgeous new faces and some new products to use on their own. We made sure to take some fun photos on our way out. 

We enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite places, Cheesecake Factory, while the girls basked in their new makeup glow. They both looked so beautiful! What a fun way to spend the afternoon and the long overdue visit together! 

Morgan Family Summer Trip to Ruidoso NM

The summer was flying by quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for one of our favorite annual traditions: our Morgan Family summer trip with my parents and all the Morgan cousins! This year, we were so excited to visit a completely new state and area, Ruidoso New Mexico. Funny enough, we were supposed to visit Ruidoso the previous summer, but a week before our trip, a line of horrible wildfires took over the area and forced total evacuations for weeks. We were so thankful that most of the town was spared, and we were excited to plan our visit 1 year later. My parents rented an amazing property for all of us, including a separate guest house for the cousins (which they were super excited about)! The weather was beautiful and we were so happy to be together again for some quality family time.

One of the favorite activities for the cousin group is thrift store shopping, and we made our way around town looking for treasures and unique finds. We also loved walking through the downtown area of Ruidoso, which was the cutest street filled with shops and restaurants. We enjoyed exploring from store to store, although some of us are more shopping addicted than others, ha! While we shopped, the guys took off for a golf outing. We were soaking in the new (to us) area and loving it!

One of our outings during the vacation was a trip to the nearby White Sands National Park. It was absolutely fascinating with true white sands and dunes as far as the eyes could see! The weather was sunny and hot, so it was a little concerning (for me, ha!) to be out in the middle of the park without cell service and shade, but the kids had a blast exploring and playing on the sand dunes. 

On the drive back from the park, we found the cutest little roadside stop with life size replicas of the characters and vehicles from the Disney Cars movie. We made sure to stop for photos, so fun!

Among the many fun memories that the cousins make each year is their annual up-all-night challenge, where they set out to have an all-nighter with lots of activities, silliness, no parents, and NO SLEEP! Each year it's always funny to see who can make it to the first sign of daylight, and this year, it was a WIN for everyone because all cousins made it. This was a record for sure!

The kids crashed after their all-nighter, and the adults took the opportunity to head back into Ruidoso for more exploration. We ended up at a local brewery and enjoyed the snacks and drinks with some long overdue catching up. Ruidoso was a great town for our Morgan Family summer trip, and we were so thankful for another opportunity to spend time with extended family and continue making lifetime memories!