Heyyy, all! Thank you for the warm welcome back to Ohio!
I have been eager for a long time to write this post. One of my favorite weekends this summer was spent with my mom in Keller (Pete was missed!- he was back in OH working on a job during this time). When I arrived on June 4th, my mom had the most beautiful and colorful lunch set up for us! The spread consisted of an incredible avocado vegan chik’n salad, mixed fruit, a homemade vegan zucchini cake and hibiscus tea- yummm! I told her I needed that recipe for the zucchini cake, seriously some of the best cake I’ve ever tried.
I studied for an exam in the afternoon, and then we went to Golden Thai for dinner. WOW- this Thai was phenomenal!
My mom was dog-sitting a friend’s dog named Duke that weekend-he is a sweetie, and it was so much fun having him around!
The morning of June 5th we went to Orange Theory together and then followed it with a delish breakfast of avocado toast and fruit.
I took an exam after breakfast and then we headed out for a hike. We did the Canyon Ridge hike in Fort Worth which was awesomeee.
We thought it was pretty cool how this looked just like a natural doorway into the next part of the hike.
We even stumbled upon the Rest-A-While Shelter, which I think is just a great name for a pavilion in the middle of a long hike. Half the structure was no longer there, but hey, the invitation to rest-a-while remained.
If you’d like to read more about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, I have linked some information here.
It was no joke of a hike- I think it was about 6 miles roundtrip with a ton of elevation. We had wonderful views and great conversation.
After, we went to a Mexican restaurant, Mariachi’s, that had a… drumroll.. all vegan menu! We took full advantage.
We had to try multiple items- first up- chips and salsa, of course.
Next, we tried the pineapple burrito- this was my favorite of all we tried.
Next were the jackfruit tacos- which were certainly delicious, but the burrito had my heart.
Also on the side we tried the elote- this is also a must-order.
On our way home, we decided we were in much need for an afternoon pick-me-up. We kept our eyes out for a coffee shop and right off the highway was Black Rifle Coffee. We decided to give it a shot!
It was good coffee & gave us that burst of energy we needed!
Duke was so funny-he kept begging incessantly for my coffee cup. Who knew dogs loved coffee so much.
Once I finished my coffee, I gave him the empty cup to see what he’d do with it, and he just took the sleeve and ran off, lol. Guess it wasn’t the coffee he was after, after all!
When we returned home, we cleaned up then started a new show together- The Circle. We were hooked after a couple episodes. In the evening, we walked around downtown Roanoke, love this place!
It ended up raining so we went back home a little early and watched The Circle while eating delicious leftovers for dinner.
Sunday, June 6th, we went to Summer Moon for some amazing vegan breakfast treats and coffees.
After Church, we went to HG Supply Co. This place was ah-may-zing. Next time we visit I said we have to bring the whole family here- I know they’d all love it.
We beat the brunch rush –these seats filled up very quickly after we arrived. I loved the industrial feel, and there were places to play corn hole and ESPN playing on most TVs. Super chill and relaxed with excellent food.
The hummus was really good, and I had to try the crab cake toast which did not disappoint.
Our favorite was the build-your-own bowl. We loaded up the veggies and had this insanely good dressing- I wish I knew what it was because I’d buy it by the bottle!
When we returned home we watched some more episodes of The Circle, and then it was time for me to head back to Austin.
On the way home I stopped by Buc-ee’s since I’d never been, and it’s pretty famous around TX. It’s basically a big convenience store with shopping, food and fun finds. It was busy busy; I probably picked the worst time to go, but it is a fun place if you have a few minutes to spare.
Then it was back to clinical the next day.
Question for you!
- Do you have any favorite hiking trails?
~Mackenzie
We took it overall pretty easy that day, which I think we all needed. We got our respective workouts 
And the rest of the evening we played What Do You Meme and other card games.
This meal was out of this world. Writing this now I can practically taste it! May need to be a new tradition.
We served it with Red Lobster biscuits. Cannot go wrong with those! It’s always the great debate- what is the best free carb indulgence from restaurants? Red Lobster biscuits vs. Texas Roadhouse Rolls vs. Olive Garden breadsticks. Oh, and then there is the Outback bread and Cheesecake factory’s too! What’s your favorite?
December 26th, we had some girl time with pedicures.
After our pedicures, we stopped into 
Now, this next event is something I did not know I needed 
I was not very good (like most things that require a modicum of athleticism), but I semi-improved by the end. Everyone else picked it up quickly.
Before calling it a night, we drove through a nearby neighborhood that does a “theme” every year with 
On December 27th, we went to 
Pete and Halston killed it too. (My mom sat this one out since her shoulder was recovering from an injury).
Who knew Top Golf didn’t only serve up the chance to show off a cringe-worthy golf swing, turns out it has some really decent food too. The guys were raving about the wings, but I had my eyes on that hummus!
That was just our appetizer, because that evening we enjoyed some incredible Mexican cuisine from 
We had Baileys for dessert and played the game of Quelf until past midnight. You guys, that game is too much. I was laughing to the point of tears!
That evening, of the 28th, we went to 
And before we headed out on the 28th, we grabbed some Summer Moon followed by an Orange Theory workout all together 🙂
It was an awesome 
After soaking up the views and fueling up for the day, we went to a place nearby to pick up a boat rental to take out on Lake Travis. It could not have been a more perfect day for boating.
After returning the rental, we returned home and got ready for the evening. My mom then planned a whole “expo”. And she went all out. She had an assortment of “samples” (typically my favorite part of expos, hah) including protein bars and gu, hair-ties, other goodies, a can of New England Clam Chowder (ha!), and a lot of personalized Boston memorabilia including a Nike Boston Tank and Boston bag. A family friend made the coasters, coffee mug and wine glass! There was also the book Run the Mile You’re In. I definitely teared up seeing all they had poured into making this special and all the thought that went into it <3 I still cannot believe it!!! Even now writing about this weekend as a whole is making me emotional! 
Kevin, my brother-in-law, sent vegan muffins and cupcakes from 
After our meal, we walked down Rainey street replete with food trucks, and Pete suggested we all try 
If you like to run, this is such a fun way to see a city. Just make sure to do it with someone and map out the safe places in town… and maybe don’t wear leather workout pants in 95F weather!