Yesterday morning, Gulley and I loaded up the kids and embarked on a road trip, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Ingalls family left the Big Woods of Wisconsin for the Kansas prairie.
Except we were only driving five hours to Dallas. In a car.
And I’m pretty sure Ma Ingalls didn’t have to travel with her body pillow. Of course she also made her own soap so what did she know about the struggles that come with being high maintenance?
My little apple with her travel pillow doesn’t fall far from the high maintenance tree.
This is where I have to sing the praises of the new toll road that takes you all the way around Austin. It may be the best thing I’ve discovered this summer, second only to LifeSaver Gummy Sours. I was a little confused about how I was supposed to pay the tolls because nothing seemed to be clearly marked. At one point we stopped at a booth to get some clarification on the toll-paying situation (Thanks anyway, Ray. It may help if you read over your list of frequently asked toll road questions in the back of your employee handbook.) and Will got a little freaked out because he thought we were at a car wash.
Nope, not a car wash. Just a destination for absolutely no helpful information.
But, still, toll road=GOLDEN.
Let’s just hope there’s not a $200 ticket waiting in Gulley’s mailbox when we get home.
As we made our way to Dallas, we made several stops to keep the trip interesting, including a quick bathroom stop at a very questionable Shell Station outside of Temple, Texas.
Fortunately, there were helpful instructions posted for those not familiar with indoor plumbing.
When we drove through Waco we decided to make a stop that really goes against everything we believe as good Aggies, but were desperate for something interesting to show the kids so we decided to stop and look at some Baptist bears.
Please note we’ve trained them well because they all flashed the Gig’em sign as we took the picture.
After we spent five fascinating minutes peering through a very small window to watch some bears sleep (it came as no surprise to me that they weren’t dancing), we got back on the road.
We continued on down I-35 until we saw what was the best thing I’d seen since the toll road.
Who knew that Willie Nelson had his own gas station/rest stop/bar? It’s true what they say, travel really does broaden your horizons.
And you can’t tell because I am such a poor photographer, but the kids are standing in front of a larger than life picture of Willie.
Then, because apparently I don’t get out enough, I had Gulley take one more picture of the kids and me outside of Willie’s Place.
Finally, in the immortal words of Willie we got on the road again until we reached our final destination of Dallas, specifically AJ’s house. Which, by the way, is the cutest little house I’ve ever seen and is decorated just darling in spite of the fact that AJ led us to believe she had no decorating skills and might possibly have a T.V. sitting on some cinder blocks. Gulley even told the kids that staying with AJ would be kind of like camping, so imagine their surprise when we pulled up to a fully-furnished house complete with floral arrangements.
Here’s Caroline with AJ at Wild About Harry’s where we made an essential stop for ice cream.
And here is the entire road trip crew at the end of the evening because nothing says road trip success like a picture with a giant hot dog.
We went back to AJ’s, put the kids to bed and watched “The Bachelorette” while discussing important matters about how you know a guy really likes you when he makes the effort to cook a stuffed pork chop for you. That probably makes no sense to you, but it made a lot of sense to us around 2:00 a.m.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more updates from the road.
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I’m the first to comment (because I’m up at 5 a.m.). I’m loving the road trip rundown – so fun. Makes me wish I was with you.
Isn’t the toll road wonderful?! I promised my husband I would only use it for real emergencies, like making it to the fancy new Target before it closed.
My favorite part are the huge signs that say “TxTag OR Pay by Mail.” We are oh so very high-tech in Austin.
Hope that y’all have a great trip!
I think the hot dog in the final picture is sexy! Ha Ha!
Looks like you are having a blast!
Be Blessed,
Amy Honestly
On your way back home, be sure to stop in West to get a kolache. There is also a great new rest stop with a playground and not scary bathrooms between Temple and Gtown so you’ll still be able to hit the tollroad. And yes, I agree, it’s the best thing EVER to get around Austin. And I don’t care how much it costs!! Hope your trip to Dallas is great! There are lots of fun things to do here.
On the way back you need to stop at the Dr.Pepper museum OR go through Grandbury to Fossil Rim.
The dancing bears was too funny! Be safe!
Yea, for stopping in Waco for a little Baptist doctrine! Go BEARS! ( They were asleep because they were out DANCIN’ way too late!!)
Have fun!
I see someone has already mentioned the “Pay by Mail” toll. They’ll bill you the random amount they decide you owe. (But missing the drive down 35 through downtown Austin? Priceless.) On the way back you should stop in my hometown’s IKEA and Outlet Mall in Round Rock…Hope you’re having a great time and the threatened rain is keeping the temperatures liveable.
Something tells me ol’ Willie came in and shut down a Cracker Barrel! I like your orange skirt–looks perfect for summer heat!
That’ll show P…you have A LOT more up your sleeve than pool dates this week! I hope you all have a wonderful time with nary a meltdown in sight.
LOVE road trips.
You look HOT.
loving your outfit!
What would you do if you had to travel like…far?
Only you can make me miss the country of Texas. I was there a couple of weeks ago (Canyon Lake and San Antonio) and I didn’t even mind the heat(probably because I lived in the pool the entire time) otherwise the land is all yours.
Have fun on the rest of your trip!
You’re totally rockin that summer skirt. It looks good. Have fun! I read your blog everyday first thing and it always make me smile. Love your sense of humor.
Wonderful news about that toll road! Driving from Dallas to New Braunfels every labor day…..I would seriously pay $200 to skip Austin. Also, I’m so glad your Aggie car could actually exit at the Baylor campus. You have to get there early in the morning in the summer to see the bears out and about. You guys should check out the Mayborn Museum on the Baylor campus on your way back. The kids would love it. Love your blog even if you are an Aggie! Sic ‘em.
Man alive…that “little apple” of yours has got some TAN!! (and you do too!)
Wow, looks like fun. Did that toll road around Austin a few weeks ago and agree that it is genius. So much more pleasant than sitting on 35. And I love that the kids showed those Bears what’s up with the Gig ‘Em!
I love that you stopped by to see the Bears…I actually work at Baylor in the Student Center! (the building right next to the bears) Sic ‘em!!!
Road trips are wonderful!! My fiance and I are traveling from New York to Nebraska at the end of the month, I hope we have as much fun for 20 hours as you did in 5!!
There seems to be a hot dog theme this week. Love the orange skirt.
Haha, love it! Road trippin is the best
Welcome to Dallas! Did you know there is a Wisteria outlet here? I didn’t either until yesterday. It’s in Carollton, although it looks like you don’t have much room for treasures!
You are the 2nd person I’ve seen post a pic in front of that hotdog in less than 24 hours.
Have a great trip!
What a funny trip! Caroline’s pillow cracks me up.
Willie’s Place used to be Carl’s Corner.
It was just recently opened again, after being in the “remodeling state” for a few years. I live in Dallas, and travel down I-35 towards Austin very frequently, and in fact just returned from a weekend in College Station (WHOOP!!). Watch out for the traffic between Hillsboro and Waco….there’s always some kind of backup for no reason at all! GIG’EM!!
I love Road Trips! And I love that skirt, it’s so cute. Have fun.
Wild About Harry’s is just about my favorite thing ever…..glad you enjoyed it!!
Very fun! Yes, Willie’s place is pretty fancy. Go hard or go home! And I LOVE me some Wild About Harry’s! But really, when have I ever turned down ice cream/yogurt/anything “dessert-ish”.
Hope you girls have fun!!
The bathroom sign is hilarious – almost as good as the quote from Yoda on the church sign across the street from us- seriously.
First time commenter dropping in to say “Welcome to Dallas!” and, more importantly, “SIC ‘EM!!”
Hi Big Mama! I’m a first time commenter too but a long time reader and fan… and also a sorority sister of AJ! Hope you guys have a blast hanging out in Dallas. I’m sad that your Temple experience was in a nasty Shell station since I live in Temple! You can make a pit stop with Gulley & the kids at my house any time you are coming through glorious T-Town!
Oh my goodness, that looks so much like the back of my daughter’s SUV this past weekend. It was me, her, my 9-year old daughter, 11-year old step-daughter, and her 4-month old daughter. And as you know with one that little you pack everything but the kitchen sink. lol Have lots of fun.
I love Wild About Harrys!!! I am so jealous. I haven’t been there in a while!
Very cute pictures- Wild About Harry’s is a Dallas must. And let me just say, Life Saver Gummies have changed my life.
Let me just say, Life Saver Gummies have changed my life.Very cute pictures!!
OK, I
must comment on a few things. First, I think that is called sacrilege or hypocrisy or whatever word it is that we Baptists would throw around to do a “gig em” at our sign. Just so you know.
And I should tell you this…we just got back from Family Camp at Pine Cove/Crier Creek (BEST WEEK OF SUMMER!) and the majority of the counselors are from A and M. And the director is from Baylor. And he has a one year old daughter who he said he would only really consider sending to A and M. Apparently the Aggies have the hightest percentage of active Christians of any university in America. I’m just saying.
So, we may have to reevaluate our “you can go anywhere to college but we’ll pay for Baylor” mentality.
And lastly…I LOVE the orange skirt!!! Please…Friday…a link to how to find/order it. I seriously love it. Have to have it. I promise not to wear it the same day you do.
And one last thing…those Bears were tired from too much dancin’. It’s allowed on the Baylor campus now. … maybe that explains the backsliding of its student body. (KIDDING!)
I too have been to Willies Place on 35. It is a very convenient pit stop when there is nothing else for 10 miles when you really have to pee. Did you see the HUGE rounder of Willie T-shirts? It scared be a little bit, but hey, who else has their own convenient store! Gotta love Texas!
I used to live in Killeen and every time I would go to Dallas, I had to stop at Willie’s Place. It was great!
You do know that Willie’s Place used to be a strip club called Carl’s Corner, right?
Gulley won’t get a ticket as long as her current address is the address that TXDOT has for her, in which case Texas Tollways will send a bill for the tolls to her home at a slightly higher rate than you would pay if you had a TexTag. That is NOT the same as knowing that your local tax assessor has your current address or that your driver’s license address is actually your current address. You don’t even want to know what happens when you don’t get a bill for a full sixteen months because they’ve been sending it to the address you lived at when you were young and stupid and bought that car in the first place. All I’ll say is that it involves a collection agency and many unpleasant hours on the phone with completely incompetent bureaucrats.
The important thing is that I’m not bitter.
HOW FUN!
I have 3 words:
SIC ‘EM BEARS!!
Actually, I have more than 3. There’s no way I could be that restrained.
My kids ask to go see those bears everyday. Or as we call it: the free zoo.
We’ve driven 35 b/t Waco and Dallas a million times. How have I never noticed the GREATNESS that is WIllie’s Place?
There are so many things that make sense at 2 am….
I can’t believe you were in Waco!! I go to Baylor and we love our baptist bears
I wish they had been walking around for you..maybe next time!! Oh and I think its funny that you flashed the gig em sign 
we always head down to froggies 5& 10 (a misnomer)after harry’s. great stuff in there for road trips, ad they are verrrry kid friendly. and, you & gulley can take turns with the kids in froggies while the other goes next door to knox street market & across the street to starbucks. hit the bargain corner @ the market. have fun!
Its amazing how you make the most mundane things hysterically funny. Hope you guys have a good time up in Dallas. We are doing a roadtrip to College Station this coming weekend. Visit our son and an old friend of mine who graduated from A & M way back in ’89 is meeting us there, she hasn’t been back in a decade or so. I asked her if she wanted to have dinner at The Chicken or Dudley’s its yet to be decided.
YAY!!! Finally a picture of Gulley! I’m a big Gulley fan.
I’m a big fan of you too, Big Mama! 
Goodness, me the Red-Headed-Stranger has a gas station/truck stop? I think I’m gonna have to drive 3,500 miles or so to get a tank of gas from up here in Alaska.
Hey while you are in the big D come hang with me! (pun intended) We are in the north part of town but travel all the time! Gotta love the big D!!
Baptist bears are the best kind. Our Lutheran bears aren’t quite as docile… maybe the beer?
I’m glad to know someone else who found the toll road confusing. I started out by exiting at each exit to pay my toll and then thought that couldn’t be right. So I figured I’d just let them take pics of my license plate and do as they wanted. Total cost was about $11 for me, but of course, I’m not exactly sure how many tolls I paid during my exiting spree at the beginning. No matter the cost, it was worth it!
Be sure to head on over to Fort Worth before you head back.
Several observations…first, is that the Shell station in Temple that the owners will not allow an individual to throw trash away in the station? If not, there is another Shell station with very similar signs in their restroom. Second, no stop in West for polka music and kolaches? I think the children were deprived of some good accordion rhythms and the adults missed out on some good eats. Third, as a native Dallas-ite, I heart Wild About Harry’s. You all also should eat at Sammy’s BBQ while you are here – it is the best.
That’s all.
Yum. Wild About Harry’s. If it were only easier to park on Knox…
Sic ‘em! I love the dancing bears comment
) And good thing to know about the toll road as we will be heading to your home town next week. If you come out to Southfork Ranch while visiting Dallas, wave as you drive by (I seriously live right there)!
Oh my goodness…I’m so jealous that you went to Wild About Harry’s. I love that place, but live in Kansas City and don’t make it to Dallas very often. Eat an extra scoop of lemon ice cream for me:)
I can’t believe you are in my area! I never comment but truly believe it would be sin – big sin even – not to urge you to please eat at Snuffer’s. I promise the cheese fries (get em loaded with everything on the side – BACON), hamburger (share it with someone), and FRIED Pickles – shout of praise and a hand wav. Plus, BIG HUGE Diet Cokes and they offer you one for the Road. Let Caroline get the Shirley Temple too. I promise this is the real yumo deal.
If you need more tips, let me know. If you are here on Wed night, Hawaiian Falls does a special night for God’s people (you have to buy your tickets from His campus – you know, Prestonwood Baptist). Anyway, it is much cheaper, not crowded, and on the whole not a lot of hoochie swimsuits with teenages smacking it down.
Good family fun.
Because I’m a proud Baylor grad, I’ll have to overlook the kids “gig’em” signs since you are one of my favorite bloggers. Hope you have fun on your road trip!
My parents (where I’m visiting right now) live close to that toll road you mentioned in Austin! Way quicker trip to the airport for us! Enjoy your time in Dallas!
ahh…I am 100 kinds of jealous…enjoy your road trip!
Ahh…there’s nothing like getting the bill on Christmas Eve for those tolls that you apparently did not pay! We had an i-pass that apparently was no good! We had fines for not only the tolls + $20, but also the late fees! They dropped the late fees because we never got the 1st notice! We pay with cash now!
Welcome to Dallas! I’m reading your post from the oncology unit here at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas as my 4 year old recovers from surgery…again. Thank you for always giving me a good laugh.
Have a safe trip.
Much love,
Stacie Smith
Love reading your Road Trip Recap.
At least the kids are all potty trained so you don’t have to worry about that on the road! 
I’ll have you know that we Baylor Baptists started dancing on campus the year I graduated (’95) so it must have been that the Bears were exhausted from a late night at George’s Big O!
And bravo to you for being courageous enough to stop at Willie’s Place. Back in the day, it was a stop for truckers who needed a little companionship if ya know what I mean, wink, wink.
I just have to say: to someone who does not know that is the gig em aggies thing? It looks like a big thumbs up, go bears kind of thing….
Just thought you should know that you crack me up
What cute pictures from the road. I emailed you my contact info. yesterday.
BTW, I laughed my butt of when I saw the “Do Not Climb On Me” sign on the hotdog.
Safe travels to y’all!
Did you have a hot dog at Harry’s? Because they are the best!
JETSETTERS!
Livin it up, I see!
I really like the important sign details…..like on the hotdog in the last picture.
DO NOT CLIMB ON ME!!! Duh!
You guys know how to party!
I used to live near Temple (Troy to be exact) and currently live in Waco and work at my alma mater, Baylor. So imagine my surprise to see that Big Mama and crew had stopped in just across the street from my office!
Next time you’ll have to give us a heads up. This Baptist school puts on a great show…but we’re a bit high maintenance and needs a bit of notice
Here’s another “Sic ‘Em” for you! And we were JUST THERE on Friday! The bears were totally sleeping then too. Baptist or not, it’s just too stinkin’ hot to do much more than sleep!
OMG! I was in that very same restroom last week! I took two of my kids to San Antonio (we live in Plano) and we stopped there on the way there and the way back. Not by choice, mind you, but because I have a bladder the size of a kidney bean.
My hubby and I used to stop at that gas station every time we drove home from college (Brownwood to Houston). It is actually the nicest one on that road!
Well, I’m assuming Gulley drove through the Pay by Mail one. I did that once. All I have to say, is be warned. There’s an extra charge for paying online with a credit card and as I remember, it was more than the toll itself!
On your way back, I totally agree that West is a must stop. And if you need a Sonic fix, exit the Central exit in Belton, the Sonic is about half a block down on the right (coming from Dallas). There’s also a Shell on the corner and one a little farther down. I’m really not sure if they value the importance of flushing at either place. : )
Sic Em Bears!
Was the Shell station in Troy? I grew up there. Don’t think I ever went to that station. Speaking of gas station bathrooms, the Troy mascot is the Trojan. (The Greek mythology kind)
SIC ‘EM BEARS!!!!!!!
So weird…I just realized that “Gulley” and I went to high school together! I thought those kiddos looked familiar!
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