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!