Category: Travel

Girls Trip: 2021 Toyota Avalon

My bestie Ellen and I recently went on a girls trip to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday and we both also turn 40 in a couple of months…*cough* *cough*

Anyway, we will talk about that dreaded milestone later.  On our road trip I got the chance to drive the brand new 2021 Avalon up to Hot Springs, AR.  It’s so beautiful and scenic up there.  We must have seen at least 100 deer and despite the rain all weekend we had a great time visiting, eating, and watching movies.  We also took a trip to Ulta to check out makeup and hair goodies.  Ya know all the stuff girls do 🙂I owned an Avalon for 11 years and it is still my VERY favorite car that I’ve ever owned.  I miss it…and each time I drive the newer versions it just reiterates why I love the Avalon so much.

I shall point out a few of my favorite features for y’all in case you want to check them out:

Heads up display.  Know your speed- day and night.  It’s right in front of your eyeballs. 

This midnight blue color is gorgeous!  I’m rolling up picking Ellen up for our trip.

Navigation is key, especially on those city highways to country roads.

Booty warmers and Booty air conditioners make my life complete.  This will DEFINITELY be in my next car.  We sure did have a good time jamming to XM Radio and 90’s on 9 too.  All the songs we grew up with.  We always stop at Burger King…that’s our place to go.  Their Impossible Whopper is LEGIT y’all!

Drivers side view.  This tan/brown leather is the perfect color.  It’s super soft and rich and the perfect go-between a dark and light shade.

Oh!  I also got to visit with my twin sister Bonnie who drove up to Hot Springs to visit too! Yay!

Backup and overhead cameras

The back seat area is as spacious as an SUV, and even has more room than some SUV’s on the market.  It’s definitely a luxury ride.

Front dash display and cupholders for all the different sized cups.

These are the adorable cottages we stayed at in Hot Springs.  They were so nice and clean on the inside.  Each one even has a garage- but they were in the middle of a reno so we parked outside.  They are doing a great job at updating all the cottages though.

Check out the 2021 Toyota Avalon HERE or you can also go to my Instagram HERE and watch my “CARS” stories to see the entire video.

Thanks for reading…and looking forward to a healthier & happier 2021 and some fun TRAVEL!!!

Daystar Christmas

I’m way behind on blogging lately due to the craziness of the holiday season, but I wanted to recap some of the fun and festive things we did this year!  One of those being a visit to Daystar Christmas!  I always pass this amazing light display when I’m on the freeway because I live close to Daystar, but I’ve never been to visit…until this past year!  

If you are looking for the perfect place to take Christmas photos this is the spot!  All the lights make for the perfect “bokeh” effect and walking around automatically puts you in the Christmas spirit.  This was Heidi’s first Christmas and I’m so glad we got these beautiful photos that I’ll cherish always.

There are over one-million LED lights, a life-size nativity scene, a kid-friendly Christmas Town, multiple photo-ops, photos with Santa, and hot chocolate in the Scratch Cafe!

Here are a few pictures of our night out at Daystar Christmas 🙂

I love this HUGE wreath it screams “Family Christmas Card”.  Next season we’ll have to make plans to go early so we can actually put it on a card.  I didn’t get cards out this year because it’s been so busy, but next year that will be my goal.

Connor and his best friend Ben.

This is my best friend Ellen.  We’ve been best friends since the 7th grade.  If you’ve been following me on Instagram you have probably seen a lot of her.  She moved here about a year and a half ago for a job and then her company had a massive layoff last August.  She’s one of the nicest, sweetest people you will ever meet and I’ve SO enjoyed having her close by.  If she doesn’t find a job by February she’ll have to move back home to Arkansas and I can’t let that happen!  If anyone knows someone hiring Ellen works in Apparel and Fashion merchandising and sourcing. #hireellen

This is my favorite picture!

My sweet, precious babies.  They sure are a gift from God.  

Thank you so much for having us to visit Daystar we had the BEST time ever!  Everyone was so incredibly nice and accommodating and great with our kids.  We can’t wait to come back next year and check it out.  Much Love, The Branch Family

Thanksgiving 2019 Roadtrip with Toyota Sequoia

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  We had a great time visiting family in Arkansas at the farm.  We had the BEST road trip too in the 2019 Toyota Sequoia!  I felt like a boss riding in this on our trip and let me tell you about all the ROOM this vehicle has.  It’s definitely a dream car and big enough to fit anything you might need for a trip and dare I say you could even camp out in it…ha ha!

Obviously Heidi is enjoying the ride and she did pretty well on a 7 hour road trip. 

Connor definitely enjoyed the extra room to spread out and plug in all his electronics as well.

Most kids have tablets these days so companies have been doing away with built in televisions inside cars.  That’s totally fine with me because you can put whatever kind of device you have and there was a handy dandy holder on the back of this headrest.  

All the room in the back of the truck.  That’s why I said you could camp out in here because look at all that room.

Middle row captain seats

Front seats.  These were so roomy and comfortable.  The middle console is huge too and gives you so much space to put things and not feel crowded and cramped.

We listened to the Holly Channel trying to get into the Christmas spirit!

Navigation dashboard

Front and rear temperature controlThis picture shows you just how much I had loaded into this vehicle.  I even had Heidi’s entire bassinet in there!  I loaded our suitcases, all my camera gear, and everything the baby would need!

Of course we had to stop at Dairy Queen.  A road trip tradition on our way to Arkansas.

We had a wonderful visit with Nannie Sue at the farm and I got some really cute pictures of the kids.  This one is my favorite and I still can’t believe how big Connor is getting and that we have a baby GIRL now!  God is so good!

My Mom and Heidi.  She loves her Nana snuggles.

My almost 10-year-old.

Cousins Ella & Heidi in their matching outfits from Nana.

Nannie Sue (Great Grandma) and Heidi about to chow down on some of Nannie’s yummy home cooked meals!

While visiting we went to the Garvin Gardens Christmas display in Hot Springs and it was a lot of fun and so pretty!  We had a great time walking through it with family and it definitely put me in the holiday spirit.


We also had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants…YaYa’s with all my girlfriends at home.  We always have the best time catching up and reminiscing when we get together.

Pictures of the farm Thanksgiving 2019

Taking the boys out on the Ranger

It’s so hard to say goodbye!  We love you Nannie!

Heidi and Poppy (Heidi 5 months)

Me and my twin sister Bonnie with our girls 🙂

And back home we go….the Toyota Sequoia was really the best ride ever and we are so thankful we got to try it.  I felt so safe and comfortable in this vehicle. 

Dinner stop at Burger King.  Making those memories! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family and special thank you to Toyota for getting us all there safely and comfortably.  We can’t wait to make more memories and take more family road trips in the future!  If you want to check out more info on the Toyota Sequioa check out my INSTAGRAM highlights under CARS!

ICE! At the Gaylord 2019

ICE! 2019 at the Gaylord Texan did not disappoint!  I loved the Charlie Brown Christmas theme this year, it was so nostalgic & fun.  We’ve been taking Connor to ICE! since he was around 2 years old, so I’d like to think we are somewhat pros at this whole event, but each year something new surprises me.  I never get tired of seeing the exhibit year after year.  If you want to see photos of previous years they are a lot of fun (Search “ICE at the Gaylord” in the search bar in the right column).

Terence stayed home with Heidi this year because she’s a bit too little to be in an environment this cold.  Connor brought his best friend Ben, and I brought my bestie Ellen.  We all had a great time…how can you not?  The Gaylord Texan is a magical place especially at Christmas time.

They don’t just have the ICE! exhibit during the season, there are a lot of other fun activities you can do as well.  There’s the holiday escape room, you can buy tickets when you get there or book online. If you combine ICE! with 2 or more events you can also save up to 30% on your visit.

The Gingerbread decorating corner

Here we are about to walk into ICE!  There are a lot of things to do out in the central gathering area…Lots of food, hot chocolate, a gift shop, Build a Bear, a carousel, snow tubing, and so much more!

These sculptures take months to create and pictures just don’t do them justice.  Here’s my friend Ellen 🙂

The ice slide never disappoints and is the main attraction inside the ICE! exhibit.  I know my son can’t wait to reach the ice slide every year.  Also, there is a reason you wear the blue coat…you have to pull it down over your bottom BEFORE you go down the slide!  It helps you slip slide down.  One year I didn’t wear a blue coat & got stuck on the slide.  Lol!

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Every year ICE! ends with the nativity scene and I LOVE that the Gaylord recognizes the true meaning of Christmas.

Unlimited snow tubing with pass.  This is another can’t miss feature and worth the upgrade.  Also, if you decide to get a VIP ticket you get to skip all the lines & get a free hot cocoa which is pretty nice, especially on weekends.

The carousel

Connor and Ben going for a ride and warming up with Dunkin’ hot chocolate.

Thank you so much to our friends at The Gaylord Texan we love you and LOVED being a part of ICE! this year.  If you all have any questions feel free to comment or check out my stories on Instagram too where I highlighted a bunch of stuff.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.  DON’T FORGET TO USE COUPON CODE “JAVA” FOR 50% OFF (SELECT DATES ONLY)

Road Trip Baby!

Gosh I have the best intentions of blogging every day like I used to, but time just gets away from me.  With a 3 month old in the house and Connor’s school and sports activities it’s been crazy town over here.  Connor started playing Lacrosse and so far he loves it.  Heidi is starting to lift up her head and try to roll over.  I remember when Connor was a baby I would document his every movement and milestone….sorry Heidi I guess what they say about a second child is true! LOL!

Anyway….you can always catch us on the day to day on Instagram, but it sure is nice to write down a bit more than a few sentences and a picture every now and again.  About a month ago I took the kids up to Arkansas to see my family and we had a great time visiting.  Driving by myself with two kiddos in the back was quite the experience, but Connor was the best helper ever.  I don’t know what I would do without this boy.  They are far apart in age (9 1/2 years) but I know he’ll always be there for his little sister throughout her life.  That sure is an advantage of having kids further apart.  As for me….the creaky knees and back pain weren’t there ten years ago I swear!

We also had the opportunity to drive a brand new 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it was one of my favorite cars we’ve ever had the chance to try.  So we took Heidi on her very first road trip to see her family in Arkansas.

Priced in the mid 30’s it’s a smooth ride and I’ve never felt safer.  We are going to need a new car soon and I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a family vehicle that’s not priced out the wazoo, but still has all the bells and whistles.

With a backup camera and even air conditioned seats the Mazda CX-5 made for a comfortable and safe ride.  It also has blind spot monitoring and alerts you of another vehicle around you with a chime and warning light in the side mirror.  

The Mazda CX-5 had USB ports in the backseat for Connor to plug all his tablets into.  That made for a much easier road trip on Mama and kept him occupied.

The display on the dash is another one of my favorite features.  Navigation, bluetooth, music selections, etc.  It’s all at your fingertips so you don’t get distracted looking down and trying to find all those crazy buttons and settings.  It also has Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™ integration.

The Bose speaker system sounded great too!

A baby requires a lot of STUFF!  From carseats, breastpumps, playmats, toys, bottles, and all the extras…the Mazda CX-5 fit all our stuff excellently!

Not to mention handling those hills and valleys in Arkansas.  

I even got to take my Nannie and sister for spin and we had a wonderful lunch together and one of our favorite spots in my hometown called Stoby’s.  

These BBQ chicken nachos were soooooooooo good and just looking at this photo is making me drool.  It may be time for another road trip after all!

Me and my twin sister Bonnie getting our donut fix!

I also got to visit one of my favorite restaurants with friends called YaYa’s.  They have the best dessert.  It’s a warm brownie wrapped in filo dough and then covered in chocolate!

Heidi with her Great Grandma, our sweet Nannie Sue.

Lunching with Nannie and Bonnie

Church Sunday with my Mom 🙂

Aunt Bonnie tried to take some pictures of Heidi too!  That went super well as you can tell. Ha!

Thank you Mazda for a wonderful road trip opportunity in the Mazda CX-5.  We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go visit our family again soon!  And the biggest hugs to my big boy Connor for all your help and being such a wonderful big brother.  Love, Mama

Germany Part 3: Heidelberg, Philippsburg, & Frankfurt

Well, because I have been living under a ROCK apparently I completely forgot to post about the last leg of our Germany trip.  I want to jot all this down before I forget.

I’m also around 24 weeks pregnant right now and doing well!  I’ll update more on that soon.  Baby girl does have a name we will share if you haven’t seen already.

Here we go….After leaving Fussen we headed to Heidelberg first and it’s a cute little town with a ton of tourist shopping.  I remember my Mom saying this is where she and her friend Dwan would go shop sometimes when we lived there.

Pictures of Heidelberg:
Delicious pastries

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Christmas 2018 Recap!

I’m finally getting around to writing about Christmas!  Woohoo!  We had a lovely visit to the farm to visit Nannie Sue, my Mom, Dad, Sister, Vinny, Jarrett, Ella, and other friends and family.  Nothing feels as good as being home for Christmas.  We were super excited to be able to drive a 2019 Toyota Avalon on our road trip to Arkansas.  I mentioned on Instagram that I used to have an Avalon for about 11 years, and oh how I miss that car!  I never had any problems with it and I would totally get one again.  Driving this one during our trip just reminded me of how much I absolutely loved my Avalon all over again.  This new version though had all the bells and whistles.  Avalons have definitely gotten more sporty since I had mine, but they still have a TON of room in them for a 4-door sedan.   Everything is super comfy and luxurious feeling.  I’ll point out some of my favorite features below.

Of course I loved having the navigation and all of the access on the control panel.  Anyone who knows me well can testify I have zero sense of direction.  Also, the heads up display is a feature I love too.  It tells you your speed right on the windshield in front without being obstructive. 

Tons of room in the back seat- I would even compare it to as much room as an SUV.

There was an ENTIRE station for Mannheim Steamroller to get us in the Christmas spirit! Heated and cooled seats.  Even the steering wheel was heated, and that was nice especially during the cold weather.

The safety features were awesome too.  The camera up front showed an overhead and directional view as you back up the car.  That way even if you have bad depth perception (like me) it’s almost impossible to hit something!

We explored a little bit and found this adorable red telephone booth.  It wasn’t in working order, but it sure does make for a fun photo prop.

The hearth at the farm

My Mom made up some fun games to play this year and I loved that.  I hope we can do that next year too!

Look at that spread of food! The boys playing their video games My Mom made each of them a blanket.  We will cherish our Nana blankets forever 🙂

It’s so fun watching your kiddos open their presents.  It’s just the BEST!

I thought this picture was funny because it looks like Ella’s ponytail is a mustache on Nannie lol!

The beautiful farm

We also were able to celebrate my parents 40th anniversary with them.  That was such a joy!  I have the best parents in the world and am so thankful for them.  Dad got Mom a beautiful ruby ring and presented it to her at lunch.

We attended church with them on Sunday and lunch afterwards.
The boys were candy cane greeters at Mom & Dad’s church.

If you’ve never been to the Big Orange in Little Rock you neeeeeeed to go!  It has amazing burgers and shakes.  Bonnie and I enjoying our chocolate malts, we always order the same thing.

Thank you again to Toyota for allowing us to drive my dream Avalon to celebrate with family and make precious memories.  We will always cherish them!  #roadtrippingwithkids

Here’s a little Christmas flashback photo for you….oh how time flies!  Hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas and start to 2019!