This year we flew out to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with Mike, Elaine, the kids and the Levys. We had such a blast! Months leading up to our trip, Mike and Steve had been talking on the phone (almost daily) about their latest golf gear, tee times, different courses they could play and how they had been working on their golf game. They were aiming to play at least twice while we were there, but due to the freezing temps, they only played once. I am telling you, golf is the only thing that will get Steve willingly out of bed at 6 am. Even though they only played eighteen Thanksgiving morning, they still enjoyed their time on the course. While the boys spent their time bonding, Elaine and I caught up on life's latest events. We attempted to shop Thanksgiving night but the amount of people at the outlets in Allen was ridiculous, so we opted out. I did get a tour of the new shops and restaurants, I am amazed at how much that area has grown since we lived there in 2006. Of course we had to stop at Sam Woo, where I picked up a few scarves, some earrings and a cute grey purse.
Thanksgiving day was a real treat. Elaine, Ilana and Adrienne had everything prepared, food, drinks, dessert. It was fabulous! The Levys have always been so kind and it was wonderful to spend time with them too. The day after Thanksgiving, several of Steve's siblings met up at Mike and Elaine's house. Amy and Jeff were in town from Jacksonville, Diana and Jason were up from San Antonio and the Fultons live not too far from Mike and Elaine. Did you get all that? So Mike, Steve, Jeff, Amy and Diana were there, five out of seven siblings. It was great to see everyone's family, even if it was only for a short while.
The time we spent at Mike and Elaine's whizzed by. We loved our double date night. We loved their beautifully decorated home. We loved staying up late, talking, reminiscing and laughing. We loved playing around with Zachary and Hailey. Their kids are growing way too quickly. It was tough to leave, but we had planned to spend the weekend with my brother and Laila in Austin. The drive from Dallas to Austin, wasn't too bad. We stayed at the Intercontinental in downtown. We were within walking distance to the State Capitol, so we took a little tour of the grounds and roamed around inside. We went out to dinner and Dave showed us around the city. Dave and Laila's place is very nice, very grown-up (remember he's my little brother). It was great to see that they are doing well, adjusting to Texan life and enjoying their new jobs. Our last day there, Laila prepared a delicious brunch and we spent the afternoon watching football. All in all, our trip to Texas was a blast, but way too short. Who knows, maybe down the road we will make our way back to Texas.
Brothers horsing around 
Zachary and Hailey joined in
Hailey helped set the table
Turkey, mmm
Hailey and Zachary put on a Pearl Jam performance for Uncle Steve. Hailey sang and Zachary played his guitar.
Everyone in their jammies
First Barlow sibling picture attempt
Diana, Jeff, Amy, Steve and Mike
Steve, Mike, Jeff with Isaac, Zachary, Hailey, Garrett and Lola
Elaine, me and Amy
Downtown Austin
State Capitol
