Paris and Permit

 

It is hard to get appointments for a driver's license or permit at the DPS stations close by for the date you want unless you log on months in advance, so when I went to make Jonah's appointment, I decided to pick a place a little farther away and make a little trip out of it during our Spring Break.  So we chose Paris, Texas.  

We drove up in the afternoon and walked around the downtown,  We stopped at a little ice cream shop called "Sundae in Paris" and had some delicious ice cream floats.  After that, we went back to the hotel to go swimming.  The pool was closed at our hotel, so we had to use the pool at the hotel next door.  We ate dinner at a little diner across the highway from the hotel.  Then we hung out in the room and watched TV and fell asleep.  The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then we went and visited the Eiffel tower with the cowboy hat on it and the Jesus in cowboy boots statue/grave marker in the cemetery.  Then we went to the Veteran's Memorial, which was pretty cool.  After that we toured an old historic home.  The next stop on our agenda was the DPS for Jonah's permit, which he got.  After that, we drove home, stopping at Braum's for lunch on the way.  It was a  nice little trip and now Jonah can work on getting his license!  

A New Driver--Eliza!

Eliza finally was able to go and get her driver's license.  She has been really looking forward to it.  She will be able to drive the Kia that we bought to replace the Malibu.  She will be sharing it with Travis.  

New Driver and Baker

Travis finally got his driver's license! For some reason, we just had a hard time getting all the driving hours in for him to pass his driving test. The worst was that we got to the DPS to take the test and found that one of the tail lights in the van was out. So we had to reschedule the test for the next day and get it fixed. Actually, the worst was that I had the replacement bulb right there with us in the van, I just didn't know! We could have swapped it out and taken care of it same day. Better remember to check all the lights next time! Nathan learned how to follow a recipe and bake something himself. He made these muffins entirely by himself, a recipe from the Disney Princess Cookbook.

 

Fowles Family Reunion 2023 The Drive Out

Our Fowles Family Reunion this year was in Mt. Pleasant Utah. Adam found us a cabin up the mountain in Mt. Pleasant and booked it. We left early the morning of July 9th, the day after Travis got home from FSY and Eliza got home from choir camp. We drove to Farmington New Mexico and stayed there and then drove the rest of the way on Monday, arriving in Mt. Pleasant in the afternoon. Travis got some driving time on the way.

 

Other Happenings in February

February was pretty busy with all the gymnastics meets.  The Relief Society hosted a dance for the adults in the ward, so we went to that and had a great time.  Nathan got really into watching Wylie High School play basketball and was really into one player in particular, Jackson Hinckley, who is in our ward.  Jackson was in the Wylie News, so we clipped the picture and hung it on the wall for Nathan.  He also took a basketball class at Wylie Rec.  Eliza got her permit.  And Travis had some wrestling tournaments as well.  What a busy month!

 

Route 66 Mom and Grandpa

Following our Nauvoo trip, Grandpa drove up to Illinois and picked me up on our last night there. Corey drove the rest of the family home and I drove with Grandpa to Chicago to start our drive on Route 66. he drove up in Uncle Aaron's truck and we drove from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles on Route 66. We decided to do this trip after reading the Broken Road series by Richard Paul Evans. We actually followed the route, but drove on the freeway wherever we could. A lot of the road was pretty bad and the freeway was smoother and faster. Once we got to Los Angeles, we turned and drove to Mesa AZ where we stayed the night before driving back to Wylie. It took us a week do the whole thing, including driving from Nauvoo to Chicago and then from LA to Mesa to home. It was definitely a memorable trip. We talked a lot and saw a lot. I'm really glad I was able to do it!

 

New Licensed Driver!

Caleb got his license!  The timing is great, considering Westley leaves at the end of the summer for college.  Now we have four drivers in the house.  We will need another vehicle soon! 

Road Trip to Austin

School continues with covid restrictions, although our district has been better than others. The elementary kids are not required to wear masks, as the CDC has suggested that kids under 10 aren't at high risk for serious illness from covid and our elementary schools only go up through 4th grade, during which they turn ten. The older kids have to wear masks, but they have continued with all activities, although there have been quite a few things canceled due to covid quarantines for teams. But, when we found out that Jonah's fourth grade would be doing a "virtual" field trip to Austin and San Antonio, we decided virtual isn't good enough. So we took a day during Spring Break and drove to Austin and then back in the same day. We walked around the Capitol building, not allowed inside due to covid, and looked at the governor's mansion through the fence because all of that has been closed off as well. We ate at In-N-Out in Austin. It was a quick trip but full. Caleb and Westley were working so they did not come.