Our Trip to Waco, Texas (Part 1)

August 19, 2019

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The J&E Travel Guide Series

Waco, Texas: Part 1

Today’s post is one that I have been waiting to share with you guys for over a year now! This is all about my first trip to Waco, Texas! I’m sure you know why this is going to take a few blog posts to summarize because I have SO MUCH to share!! Today I am sharing about our trip as a whole and wanted this post to be an intro for this mini blog series! So if you are interested in going to Waco, Texas any time soon I hope this series helps you with planning!! Feel free to message me or comment below if you have any questions!

Our Travels

So when we realized that we would be able to afford this trip (thanks mom & dad) we were so excited!! However, planning the transportation was a bit complicated and we had to stay under a very tight budget. James is my researcher and found the cheapest flights and car for the entire trip which worked out perfectly! It was a bit complicated because we had to drive to Richmond for our flight to Austin. Unfortunately, the Lynchburg and Roanoke, VA airports didn’t offer any flights in our budget so we had to compromise and drive a bit. So if you are looking to take a trip maybe check near by airports outside of your town for more affordable flights.

When we landed in Texas we picked up our rental car and headed to Waco! The drive down there was my favorite part not gonna lie… The speed limit is so much higher than Virginia and the road just goes on and on for days. I am a bit of a speed demon so I enjoyed cruising above 80mph on the highways. The scenery was a refreshing change as well. I have grown so used to the mountains and hills of Virginia so the endless fields and open sky was the coolest thing to see! It actually made me so grateful for my Hill City and Blue Ridge Mountains!

Our Lodging

So James and I had nothing to do with our lodging but my parents found THE BEST Bed and Breakfast just 15 minutes away from all things Magnolia. “Tell Story Walk” is by far the BEST Bed and Breakfast we have ever stayed at. The owners are an adorable husband and wife and they welcomed us into their beautiful rental house. Their Bed and Breakfast included a fridge full of freshly baked goodies including scones, crepes, fresh fruit, the best whipped cream topping Iv’e ever had, etc. Ya’ll they were the epitome of southern charm and hospitality!

On their property they had built a beautiful arbor and garden area for intimate weddings. So of course James and I had to have an engagement shoot during our stay! I will be sharing this session very soon!! We were in love with this property, the owners, their story, and Waco. James and I said that when we go back to Waco, Texas that is the only place we will stay!

Things We Did

So as we planned this trip I searched Pinterest for all the blogs to see how to beat the crowds, see all the things, and taste all the yummy food without running ourselves ragged.

I also wanted to see all the major Fixer Upper places like the Silo’s, the Silo’s Bakery, Clint Harp’s Shop, and the popular antique places mentioned in the show. Our four day weekend was easily booked because there is SO much to do in Waco, Texas. We have already talked about all the things we missed out on our first trip.

We saw all the major Fixer Upper “attractions’“ and tried all of Joanna’s yummy eateries. If you have the chance to try her cup cakes or her strawberry butter do it, you’ll thank me later!! I would recommend getting to both the Silo’s Bakery and Magnolia Table EARLY. Seriously. Like wake up with the sun or bring your patience as you’ll be waiting a LONG time! Either way its worth the wait!

So the other thing we did was something we all shared as a family…

The Race

So this was the COOLEST experience while we were in Waco, Texas. My parents are avid runners and ran the first annual Silo’s Marathon and Half Marathon! Us “kids” all ran the 5k to participate in some way which honestly was so much fun! You could tell JoJo had a part in the race in her own way because they had the cutest water stations and decor/photo ops along the race course. It was so neat to see the community come out and support all the runners too!!

During this time, Joanna was very pregnant with Crew and waited on the sidelines supporting her family. We got so close to them during the pep rally before the race started and all of us (even the guys) were fan girl-ing a bit. In fact, as the marathon runners were lining up, we went up to the start line to cheer on dad and Chip was right there pumping everyone up! Once dad started we had to make it to our own start lines pretty quick. As we were walking through the crowd, wouldn’t you know it Chip Gaines walks right by us and high-fived us before he starts his marathon run! I believe the words “I am never washing this hand again” may have slipped out of my mouth haha! This whole day I as fan girl-ing so badly and I was not ashamed one bit! haha!

Dad ran the marathon with Chip Gaines and by run with Chip Gaines I mean he BEAT Chip Gaines!! Marathons are tough races and some how my dad loves them. I am so proud of his training to get him through these tough races and to beat Chip is something not many runners can say!!! Mom ran with Clint Harp in the half marathon and the rest of us ran with Jimmy Don in the 5k. And we all beat our PR times despite the hot Texas heat.

Once we finished the race we stood at the finish lines in the best spot to see Chip finish the race. All of the Gaines kids ran a portion of the marathon with him (so cute!!) and at the finish line the whole family came together to welcome Chip across the finish line. We were right there within arms reach of them!! I mean how cool is that?!

We all agreed that it was because of the race that we were able to see them!! I have heard that Joanna and Chip pop in at the Silo’s every now and then and greet guests but you have to be extremely lucky! The race was such an incredible experience and I am so thankful we were able to go on this trip!! Waco, we will be back!