Recently we had the opportunity to visit my brother and SIL Austin. We haven’t lived away from a suburban environment for long but its funny how easily you get out of the habit of driving in city traffic. I remember as a 20-ish adult laughing at my parents for exclaiming how fast-paced things were in my Dallas suburb as I zipped in and out of traffic, them in the backseat holding on for dear life. Now I understand what they meant.

We thoroughly enjoyed our familial visit over the weekend. Of course time spent with beloved family members is always special, it seems we never get enough talking and laughing and sharing our lives. But we also had the opportunity to ride a vintage steam engine into a quaint little town, enjoy lunch, do some shopping and then head back to the depot.

Outside our train window we saw beautiful Hill Country scenery dotted by old farm houses with hand-made animal pens and country churches with shining white steeples stretching high into the sky. Some of the children on the train were wide-eyed as the conductor strolled down the isle in full costume requesting tickets to be punched.

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