*warning: lots of pics in this post. many including cute toddlers.*

i have a special place in my heart for piney woods. if it were possible to enjoy the beauty of pine forests with out the humidity then it would be hard to keep me away.

this weekend we had the chance to go to east texas to celebrate the marriage of some friends, and decided to make the most of it and enjoy a chance to get away from the city with some of our besties.

though i was born in southeast texas, i had never spend much time in other parts of east texas. in case you haven't heard, texas is big y'all. we ended up renting a cabin that was part of a bed and breakfast between hughes springs and jefferson, texas called holly hills homestead.

the little cabin we stay in was a cute little rustic spot off of the main house. it was tiny, but charming, and had everything you might need. i wish it had rained while we were there, because i bet it sounds amazing on the metal roof. i should have taken the pics right when we arrived, but i never remember to do that, so sorry for unmade beds, etc... i promise it was all impeccably clean when we got there! :)




we flipped for rooms, and we ended up with the loft. you know jia loved climbing those stairs!









the girls had a good ole fashioned jumping on the bed slumber party!

we totally lucked out. for a last minute internet discovery, we weren't sure what we would find...but it was pure heaven in the woods! it had all the charm of a b&b but hidden away on a beautiful and secluded piece of land. i loved every minute there. it was like a secret garden. pictures don't do it justice. we will absolutely be back.










despite living in texas nearly all my life, i had never really heard of the town of jefferson. but it's a cute little place that you can tell must have been a pretty happening spot a couple hundred years ago. it's full of history, antique shops, and country charm. a great little get away. it reminds me a little of fredericksburg, though smaller and not so crowded. and of course the piney woods have a totally different charm than hill country.






we enjoyed roaming around the shops there and exploring. it felt like stepping back in time. we found a couple birthday gifts for jia, including this vintage rocking horse that i'm totally in love with. why is it that vintage kids stuff is so much more stylish?



on the way home we let the girls and dads take a swim in lake o the pines. i think they had a pretty good father's day.




we all had a great weekend and i'm already looking for a chance to go back!

shomik and i recently had to make a little day trip to houston for some visa business, and while we were down that far anyways, and since we had a bit of time to kill once we got down there, we decided to take a little side trip to galveston.

ok, so people will complain about the beaches in texas...
yeah, sure, it may not be florida or whatever, but it's still a beach, and i still love it!

in fact, shomik and i got engaged in galveston. so getting to take a trip back there was a little romantic for us. we hadn't been back since because the island had been pretty damaged by hurricane ike a couple years ago. but it looked like the city had really rebuilt, and it was great to see that place again!


but first on the way there, shomik had to take me to his favorite indian restaurant...where he stocked up on one of his all time favorite indian foods. puranpuri.

not really sure how to describe what that is, except for that its like a tortilla stuffed with sweet goodness.


we did get a little surprise once we got our bill though...
hey, wait a sec...that last thing isn't what we ordered! hehe. worst typo ever.
lesson: don't try to spell out english words phonetically if you have an indian accent! :)

but anyways, on to galveston!

we happened to have the dogs with us, because we didn't want them stuck in the house for 16+ hours, and they like road trips, so they got to enjoy the beach with us too!

so pardon the cheesiness and the crappy phone video quality, but i compiled a quick video of our time at the beach with the doggies....combined with my favorite glen campbell song! once again. i apologize! haha.


anytime i go to galveston i always have this song stuck in my head!
you're welcome. :)



but all in all our little detour to galveston gave us an awesome and unexpected little break that i think we were both seriously needing.

and it's crazy hard to believe that it's been almost exactly 4 years since our last trip there when we got engaged! it seems like yesterday, and yet also so many things have happened and changed in that time.

but i think galveston will always hold a special place in my heart now, since i made the best decision of my life there...i promised to marry shomik!


yes, it turned out to be a wonderful decision indeed. :)