“It’s up to us to choose contentment and thankfulness now—and to stop imagining that we have to have everything perfect before we’ll be happy.” ~Joanna Gaines

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know who Joanna and Chip Gaines are, and if you don’t know them by name, you’ve at least heard of the HGTV show Fixer Upper. When it comes to Chip and Joanna, you either love them or hate them, and I fall into the category of loving them.  I don’t necessarily love the predictability of their show, I mean, if you’ve seen more than one episode you already know the format, you know there is going to be an unexpected problem arise and you can be certain there will be shiplap.  The predictability aside, I think Jo and Chip are salt of the earth kind of people.  I believe they started at the bottom, and they seem to have built themselves quite the empire while seemingly maintaining their down to earth Texas roots.  That’s what I like about them…and she has impeccable style!

The Hubs and I recently went on a little 2,000 mile road-trip, and one of our stops along the way was a visit to Magnolia Market in Waco, TX, for my birthday.  I was one happy gal!  Clear blue skies and temps in the upper 80’s made for perfect day to visit, albeit a hot one!

Let me give you the high points, and a few pointers.  IF you’re planning a trip, the website advises you to bring water and sunscreen, and for good reason, you will be spending some time outside, and it’s Texas…so that means it gets hotter than you know what! Oh, and don’t forget to pack your patience!!!

First stop, the actual market.  We didn’t have to wait in line to get in, but I’m pretty sure after that experience, I have a fair understanding of cattle being pushed through chutes and forced to move with the heard.  I would recommend browsing the website beforehand to have an idea what you might be shopping for, otherwise you’ll be in the market forever trying to get a glimpse of each item.  It’s warm, there are a lot of bodies pushing their way through the store, and the moms with strollers have zero awareness who the strollers are running into.  That being said, I attempted to make my shopping brief and efficient.  The checkout lines are long, but the staff have an effective system, so it didn’t take too long!

Once we were back outside, we took a stroll around the property. There are multiple food trucks on site, a great pavilion with picnic tables, lawn games, as well as swings and comfy chairs to kick back and relax.  The Seed Store and gardens are worth a peek too!  I chose not to wait in line for the bakery, it was hot and the line was moving slower than the line for Splash Mountain at Disney!

All in all, it was a nice place to stop and stretch out legs!

Until Next Time: Peace, Love & Adventures

Mountain Wife