I'm home!

We've been gone the last few days, so that is why it has been really quiet here this week! I was going to have some posts ready to go, but as usual it has been really busy around our home the last several days. We went to San Antonio for a few days. I'll be sharing more photos later, but I have to work on getting more reviews & giveaways up so I can wrap up my two events!

Here is one photo from Sea World. This one makes me want to laugh because my hair looks absolutely awful! It was hot, humid and forgot to get something to put my hair back.

Our 2010 Branson Vacation

Branson, Missouri is one of our favorite vacation spots. We usually make a trip once a year and always have a great time. There are so many different places to shop and things to see & do that we have something new to do each time we go. It is less than a 4 hour drive for us and makes it the perfect distance to travel with kids.

We went to Branson back in May and of course, had lots of fun. This year we stayed at the Bradford House B&B which is closer into town. We had an excellent stay and the owners were wonderful. The past few years we have stayed at the Bradford Inn that is a little further on the edge of town. I think we like staying at the inn just a little more so next time we'll be going back there. However, both of these B&Bs are super clean and very reasonably priced.

We got to Branson around noon and after eating we checked into our room and then did a little shopping. There are two outlet malls we always like to go to. They were packed and it was very warm so we just went to a couple of stores. We did find what we were looking for and I also got a couple of cute shirts at Ann Taylor (my favorite clothing!). There was another little shopping center off the main strip that I did not remember seeing before. It has lots of neat shops and had a cute large rocking chair. Of course we had to get our pictures in that :-)


After a late afternoon nap we headed down on the east side of Branson to The Landing. The Landing is the newest part of Branson filled with higher end shopping and restaurants. There is a mexican restaurant that we eat at every time, the Cantina Laredo. Wow, it's so yummy! We picked up a bag of caramel popcorn at the Big Popper. It is the best caramel popcorn you will ever eat!

On the way back to our B&B we stopped at the Pirate Cove for some putt-putt. There are so many putt-putt courses scattered throughout Branson it's comical. You can't go to Branson and not play at least once ;-) There are two courses at the Pirates Cove and both were really packed. Even though we paid for the harder course we ended up going on the easier one since it looked maybe a little less busy. Ethan got his own "golf putt" to play with which unfortunately caused us problems. Mr. Independent did not want to wait for his turn and then it turned into loud screaming fits. You know how hard it is to disciple your kids in public now and he did not want to listen to us and calm down. We only got to play through 2 holes before we decided he was not going to calm down and we better leave for the sake of everyone around us. Sadly we didn't even get a refund since we didn't get to play :-(  

The next morning after having a wonderful homecooked breakfast we headed out to Talking Rocks Cavern. We love touring caves and caverns because they are usually a reasonably priced  attraction plus they are always a nice way to stay cool. Visiting natural attractions such as these are very rewarding. Talking Rocks Cavern was very different than most other caves and caverns I've been through. These are not stroller friendly (which was ok with us), but you had to be prepared to get wet in this cavern(don't wear flip flops like I did!) and do a lot of climbing and even squeezing through smaller spots on the walkways. Still, it was a very beautiful cavern and had some new and different types of formations which I had not seen in other caverns before. Here's a few pictures.

There was a lot of bacon (what this formation is called) in this cavern!

Daddy and Ethan eying the bacon!

Like I mentioned before, this is a very wet cave. That's why my hair is stuck flat to my head :-)

At the end of the tour we had our picture taken. We had the option of purchasing the photo and the proceeds went to the association to help research the deadly fungal infection effecting bats. This is a photo of the photo so it isn't very clear, but it turned out very well........even though Ethan wasn't looking at the camera much that day!

After the cavern tour we went to a favorite craft mall to waste some time before lunch.  There were lots of neat things, Ethan loved this rocking horse! I keep telling Andrew he needs to make him one now ;-)

We enjoyed some lunch at Rib Crib. Ethan was really excited about lunch ;-)

Then we headed back to the B&B for nap time before we went to the Dixie Stampede show that night! Next post will be all about the show, it deserved a post all on it's own!!

The next morning we headed back home. We had lots to do when we got home.

I didn't take a whole lot of photos mainly since we go to Branson so often, but I hope you enjoyed the few I took and the little recap of our trip. If you have any questions about Branson I'd love to give recommendations or tips.

I was not compensated in any form by any of the companies mentioned within my post except for Dixie Stampede.

Dixie Stampede Review

We just recently came back from a trip to Branson, MO. You can read my travel re-cap here. One of the attractions we saw while in Branson was the Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction. I have only been to one dinner attraction and that was when my husband and I went to Vegas 3 years ago for our anniversary which was a lot of fun. I was really excited about seeing the Dixie Stampede because I had heard many great reviews. I was really interested to see how Ethan would do during the show especially after the incident the evening before at the putt-putt course!

About the Dixie Stampede!


Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede is a unique dinner and show experience set in an 85,000-square-foot arena featuring 32 magnificent horses, a stampede of Longhorn steer, dozens of amazing cast members, beautiful music, and audience participation, all showcased in a friendly rivalry between North and South and complemented by a fabulous four-course feast.

Dixie Stampede Dinner Attractions operate in three popular vacation destinations: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Branson, Missouri. For more information regarding show times and ticket prices, call 1-800-520-5544 or visit www.dixiestampede.com.

Dixie Stampede began as a dream for Dolly Parton. With 32 horses, dozens of cast members and seating for 1,100 in a giant 35,000-square-foot arena, Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction is Dolly Parton’s vision. Today it is one of the most spectacular dinner and show attractions in the country, with locations in Pigeon Forge, TN; Myrtle Beach, SC; and Branson, MO.

“I wanted to recreate the family fun of my childhood, when we’d gather for a friendly competition then enjoy a more-than-filling meal,” says Dolly Parton, Dixie Stampede Owner. “With the grand entertainment of our horses and performers, along with a delicious meal, Dixie Stampede is the most fun place to eat anywhere.”

In 1986, Dolly Parton created a spectacular arena show complete with a four-course dinner. Together with top entertainment attraction developers, she combined the glitz and glitter of a stage show with the thrills of performances by live animals.

The show’s newest show feature features the new musical-comedy celebration, “Gold Rush Jubilee”. Enjoy the comedy of Prospector Skeeter as he discovers the “golden nugget”. Then the hootin’ and hollerin’ begins as cowboys enter the arena on horseback as an elaborate dance hall stage descends from the ceiling. Next, a different kind of “gold digger” shows up! Dressed in beautiful costumes, dance hall girls break into a rollicking cancan followed by the arrival of the stagecoach. All the commotion is settled Dixie Stampede style, with a friendly competition and a hearty four-course meal.

The show’s patriotic finale is themed in sparkling red, white and blue. Horses, riders, singers and dancers all pack the arena to create a glittering tribute to life in America. At the spectacular finish of the show, over 30 white doves of peace are released into the air to celebrate our freedom. Dixie Stampede’s immense sets, extraordinary animals and performers bring the crowd to their feet.

And for dinner...
Imagine cooking 1,100 whole rotisserie chickens, 250 pounds of hickory smoked pork loin, creamy vegetable soup, corn on the cob, potatoes, biscuits and crispy apple turnovers and serving it up to 4 times daily. It’s all prepared with skill – and specially designed high-tech equipment to feed thousands of guests at “Branson’s Most Fun Place to Eat”.

Cooking in the custom engineered Dixie Stampede kitchen begins early each morning. Whole chickens are threaded onto skewers to begin the hours-long slow roasting process. Boneless pork loins are prepped for smoking over fresh-cut hickory logs.

Later in the day, fresh cut potatoes are seasoned with special herbs and spices, homemade creamy vegetable soup is prepared to the original secret recipe in large kettles and corn on the cob is boiled in oversized pots. Biscuits are prepared from scratch each morning. Crispy apple turnovers are the last to go in the oven; just before show time so they are served piping hot.

Daily delivery of thousands of fresh chickens makes the dinner attraction one of the largest accounts that Tyson Foods supplies. Soft drinks come from the Pepsi-Cola Company; in fact Dixie Stampede is Pepsi’s largest fountain account in the state.

Dixie Stampede is renowned for serving generous portions of wholesome, mouth-watering food. While the show is in progress dozens of costumed servers dish out each course.

During peak seasons, Dixie Stampede stages up to 4 shows daily. That’s 4,400 one-pound rotisserie chickens, 1,000 pounds of pork tenderloin, hundreds of pounds of fresh potatoes, ripe corn and tens of gallons of creamy vegetable soup each day. Over the course of a year in its three locations, Dixie Stampede serves more than 200 tons of rotisserie chicken, 60 tons of pork and 60 tons of potatoes. No one leaves Dixie Stampede hungry.

Our Dixie Stampede Experience! 

When you arrive at Dixie Stampede you walk past the stables of the horses to get into the entrance. Ethan loved this! Unfortunately (but understandably!) you aren't able to actually pet the horses. We stopped for a photo in front of one of the horses, Scout. I don't think Scout was too interested in having his photo taken though. 

We made our way inside the building, gave our tickets and had our photos taken. Then we found seats in the Carriage Room for the pre-show. Before the pre-show started I got a yummy strawberry-lemonade slushy and Andrew got a soft drink to enjoy during the show.  People started to slowly fill in the seats in the Carriage Room. The pre-show was a juggler with a sense of humor that was fun and we had a lot of good laughs from his jokes. He preformed so many different acts and it was very entertaining. My husbands favorite one was with balancing the golf clubs and golf balls. You would just have to see it yourself to believe it. My husband is a golfer and he was really impressed!

After the pre-show we filed into the main show room. Our server was super nice and he didn't waste anytime getting our drinks out to us and letting us know what to expect with the food being served during the show. There really wasn't a long wait at all until the show began. It is great that the Dixie Stampede is a very organized production and makes it very enjoyable for the guests. The food itself was wonderful! I wasn't sure what to expect about the food since several hundred people were being served at once. All of the food was fresh, hot and tasted great. My husband ate most of my chicken as well as his. I don't know where he put it because that was a lot of chicken! Even the dessert, apple turnovers, were piping hot! No one will leave the Dixie Stampede hungry that's for sure. We were probably half way through the show before we could get Ethan to eat a bite of food. He was so fascinated with the show and could not take his eye off of the horses galloping around. Andrew and I couldn't believe he was so into the show, but after the putt putt golf incident the night before we were ecstatic because we knew we were going to be able to stay for the whole show!

The show itself was fast paced so there was never a down moment or where you felt bored or lost. The storyline is about the history of the frontier and it was filled with different scenes and gorgeous costumes. The show involves guest participation which also keeps it fun and interesting (especially for the kids). I greatly appreciated the honor and respect that the Dixie Stampede gives to our American history and to the US itself. At many times I feel that many Americans do not appreciate what a great country we live in and it was refreshing to see a production pay tribute to how blessed we are. I would say that above all that was my favorite part of the whole Dixie Stampede show. The end of the show was filled with fireworks as well which was really exciting for Ethan. The Dixie Stampede far exceeded my expectations. Compared to the dinner show we saw in Vegas a few years ago, it totally blew that one away in every aspect.

Here are our pictures from the show. I love the one of Ethan with the horse! We bought the photo of all of us together for our keepsake for our experience. I'm so glad we did.  

Thank you to Dixie Stampede for such a wonderful memorable evening for our little family. I will be highly recommending this show to all my friends and family who travel to Branson. We are also planning a weekend trip to Branson in September with a group of friends. We were talking about seeing a show while we are there. If we do, my vote will be for the Dixie Stampede again!
 

I received complimentary tickets to see the Dixie Stampede. I was not obligated to post a positive review. All opinions and experiences are 100% true and mine.

I'm Back!

We went to Branson, MO for a couple of days for our 6th wedding anniversary. We had lots of fun and I can't wait to tell about it and share photos. I will try to get to it this week sometime even though it will be super busy for me with the kick off to my Healthy Living Event. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite photos of all of us together from the weekend.

Our January 2010 Caribbean Cruise: Day 1

I realized the other day I never did share about our cruise to the caribbean in January! Since I have several photos I will be posting each day.

We took a 5 day Caribbean cruise to Progresso, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico January 18th. We booked our cruise with several other families that we know with our business and were really excited because this was our first cruise. Our ship was in Galveston which is about a 10 hour drive from where we live. Andrew's mom went with us since she is in our business as well.

We left early Sunday morning, January 17th around 7:40. It was supposed to be earlier, but we were going in my mother in laws vehicle and she always runs at least 30 minutes late. However, that is fine because it's gives me enough time to make sure everything is done. I'm the type of person that has to have all the laundry done and the house completely spotless before I leave for a trip. I know I'll have a bunch of laundry to do when I get home and I don't like coming home to a messy house. Andrew now knows this is my routine and helps out the day before when I'm running around crazy lol

Killing time, waiting on Nana. Can you tell we woke him up??

The drive to Galveston wasn't too bad. I will just let you imagine how it is driving with a 17 month old :-)

I booked us a room at the LaQuinta right by the ocean. Surprisingly for the price this hotel was really clean. We arrived around 5:00 pm and quickly checked in and then headed next door to the Salt Grass Steakhouse to eat supper. Ethan got his first experience with crayons and he loved it.

 

  

When we finished eating supper it was dark outside. It was starting to get a little cooler, but it was so nice to hear the ocean and smell the fresh air! We hopped in the car and drove a few miles down the street to a grocery store where my mother in law could buy a disposable camera for the trip. Even though it was dark outside we could see where some restaurants and hotels right on the beach had been totally wiped out by the hurricane and never rebuilt. 

Ethan crawled around the hotel room and kept himself busy. It was hilarious that he decided to put his shoes in the microwave!

 

Time for bed!

Where I'm going in January!

While you will be freezing in January.......I'll be taking a trip where it's nice and warm on this....

photo from Carnival website

This is our first cruise ever so we're pretty excited. Ethan is going with us and will be 17 months old at the time. Any suggestions or advice??

Fall Getaway to Arkansas

We just got back from a short trip to Rogers, Arkansas. It is only about 2 hours from where we live so it's the perfect length to travel with a 1 year old. I wanted to see all the pretty fall foliage and have something new to do for the weekend (aka runner's burn out- BAD).

You can click on the photos to enlarge. All of the photos look so bad, every spot we wanted to take a picture the sun was glaring right at the camera, sorry!


We stayed at the new Comfort Suites in Bentonville. The rooms were very spacious, clean and new. The mattress was a little too firm for my liking (I blame that on my experience staying at way too many Gaylord Resorts, Marriott,and Renaissance Hotels!), but I was impressed with the hotel for the price! They also have a nice complimentary breakfast served with more than just the typical cereal and bagel spread. Ethan didn't want to sleep in his pack'n'play so he ended up sleeping in the middle of our bed. So as you can guess I tossed and turned what felt like every 5 minutes!

First off that morning we headed over to War Eagle Mill. It is a beautiful old mill built back in 1832 and they still use the mill for the products they sell. They carry all kinds of grain and specialty foods. While I was there I bought a 5 lb bag of their yellow cornmeal. Most of their grains are packaged in a beautiful cloth sack. I'm hanging onto my sack and trying to decide what I am going to make it into...maybe a pot holder? It's really a neat place to go see. You can also purchase just about everything on their website as well.

After the mill we headed down the road a few miles to the War Eagle Cavern. I have been there before as well, but it has been many years. In fact, they have changed owners since then and have done a lot of improvements to it. War Eagle Cavern is on Beaver Lake and it just beautiful. The toured portion of the cavern takes 1 hour and our guide was very pleasant and really knew a lot about the cavern. There was just one other family in our tour so it felt like our own little tour. Ethan was in his stroller and did really well until the other little girl started throwing a fit to get out of her stroller, then he wanted to too! There is a nice paved floor in the cavern so it's very stroller friendly. The War Eagle Cavern also has areas for the kids to do things and they have a little restaurant that is open in the summer. We had lots of fun and got a couple of pictures.

Right after our tour of the Cavern we headed back into Rogers to the Pinnacle Hills Promenade. It is a newer outside mall with lots of nice stores and restaurants. We ate first at Mimi's Cafe where Ethan chowed down on their mini corn dogs and then shopped around. One of the neatest stores we went into was Melody's Choices. They have some neat children's toys and seasonal collectibles. I picked up a beautiful christmas wreath night light made my Seasons of Cannon Falls. It warmed up to be such a wonderful day to shop outside.

After shopping we headed home. A nice short trip!

I was not compensated in any form by any of the companies listed, I'm just simply sharing the enjoyment of my fall getaway with my readers.