West Texas Outfitters

Well - I honestly don't know what I've done to create the layout of pictures but I cannot fix it it seems. I thought I would have Matt blog about the WTO but after the last post...but I'm too scared.

The WTO started out with 7 young couple friends in the ate 1970s in Post, TX. They had young children or were having their children. The husbands liked to hunt together. The families took vacations together (hunting, hiking, fishing vacations).

And what I believe started out as a practical joke, helped form and define the group's name. Matt's dad, AKA Charles AKA Pops (to our kids), printed out some business cards for the West Texas Outfitters and put another dad's name on the card along with his business telephone number (he was the president of the bank in Post) advertising their services as hunting guides...The West Texas Outfitters. Well, this other dad Ronald really did get calls to set up trips to go hunting but he was really confused about why people were calling the bank and asking for him. And the name stuck. Well, over the years couples have moved away, had more babies, had highs and lows as most families and friends do but they always kept in touch. And this year, 2011, they decided to get all their kids and their kids kids together for a reunion. We met at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. There were 86 people at this reunion and not everyone could make it!! Apparently this group is pretty fertile.

Above - Katie tries to figure out if this cowboy is really a statue in the lobby of the Texan.

The view of the lobby from our room. Jackson napped...I read. Everyone else enjoyed the "water park" AKA the pool with a slide and lazy river.

The Help is an excellent book! I highly recommend!

Our worship service on location at the Texan.

I love this girl for many, many reasons and one of this is that she stops to smell the "roses", something I should always make time to do.

Jackson's 2nd momma pushing him around the lobby.

After we had said our goodbyes and were an hour+ down the road to my parents house in near Abilene, TX, we discovered that I must have left Jackson's special blankie in the parking lot of the hotel (where I changed his diaper before we left). This is a irreplacable special blankie!! Quilted by my Mom, but he always sleeps with it! So we called friends still at the reunion asking them to look for special blankie but I just decided we needed to drive back and look for it.

Right where I left it. Whew!! We had a great time visiting with all the friends and families at the reunion. More Texas pictures to come...