Adventures with the Ratcliff Family: Going to the Big D

Last weekend we loaded up the car with luggage and kids to head to North Texas for a few days. Our main objective was to meet with a realtor and look at homes, but we also wanted to do a few fun things for the kids as well and I think we accomplished both feats very nicely!

We hit the road Saturday morning at 9:30am, which was perfect because we decided we wanted to leave between 9:00am and 10:00am. We moved Serena's carseat to the very back so her and Calli were sitting together and Richard sat in the empty middle seat next to Jameson while I drove. The kids did really well on the drive up, we hardly heard a peep from Jameson unless he was hungry! Calli was engrossed in her movies the whole time (thank you built-in DVD player!!) and even Serena was content most of the ride. As always, we stopped at a McDonalds just outside of Austin for lunch and to let everyone stretch their legs a bit in the play area. We made it to our hotel in Plano at 3:30pm. Our hotel was really great! It had a small kitchen and living room and then two bedrooms, both with doors. The girls shared one room, Calli in the queen bed (spoiled!) and Serena in the pack n play and Richard and I shared the other room with Jameson. We let the kids run around the hotel for a bit before heading out to get something to eat. We ate at a really cool restaurant called Blue Mesa Grill. They have an extremely extensive tequila bar and Richard and I both enjoyed BLUE margaritas. After that we headed to Safeway (known as Tom Thumb in the area) to pick up a few items I forgot. As always, it was nice to shop in a grocery store not called HEB ;).

The next day was Sunday and we were meeting with the realtor at 11:00am. We all got into our car and he showed us around Frisco. We got to walk through three houses that I had found and liked online. None of them lived up to the expectations so that is a lesson to me not to get too carried away over a home I haven't seen in person! One of them was just my favorite from the photos I had seen online, but it turned out to be not as nice. We drove through a lot of neighborhoods and it was really great to have the realtor by our side telling us exactly what areas were the best and others to stay away from. All of Frisco is nice and any neighborhood would be great, but for resale value there are some better than others. The very last neighborhood he took us to was a new construction neighborhood where they were still building; he wanted us to walk a model home. Now, I was thinking in my head "we don't want to build again so this is a waste of time, but what the heck, let's just look". Isn't that always what happens? You find your favorite in the place you least expect it! This subdivision was actually in McKinney but with Frisco schools so it is really close to Frisco. The builder is really great and the neighborhood is great. Besides the realtor's recommendations I have done a little of my own research and have only found good things about it. They had an exemplary elementary school in the neighborhood as well as (I believe) a middle and high school. In addition to the schools there is a pool and splash park for the little ones and a real park.

So we walk into the home and I think immediately we were in love. The floorplan was just awesome downstairs! And upstairs it got even better as we passed the media room on the way to the bedrooms. I came back down and told the realtor and salesperson "okay, we'll take it!". It was just a really beautiful home and our dream home. All together it has four bedrooms, a game room, a study and a media room. And then a beautiful kitchen and family room and just a dining room. There is NO formal living room, which is a big plus. We were told that they have a house almost identical to the model in their inventory that would be in our price range (hardwood floors, granite in the kitchen, extended patio outside, beautiful fireplace, wrought iron stairs, media room and I can't even think what else!). Unfortunately we are not ready to move quite yet! My biggest disappointment I think is the lot sizes overall. I know that builders are trying to get as many houses they can on their property, but it sure would be nice if they could give us bigger yards. But I have come to the realization we will be living INSIDE our house, not in the backyard. As long as there is a little room for a play structure and bbq and patio furniture, that should be good. Most subdivisions nowadays have pools and parks and fun things so we'll just utilize those. I know we would probably have this issue anywhere we decided to move, not just this town.

So now I have a love/hate relationship with our realtor. I love that he showed us this amazing home, but hate that we aren't ready to move and can't do anything yet. I know whatever is meant to be will happen and we will get the house we are supposed to have when we are ready. This experience has just taught me not to settle for something I kind of like. Let's find something we love, since we will be spending a lot of years in it. If you would like to view our dream home you can go here.

Overall, we were really happy and excited about the area. We love the idea of suburban living again. I especially love the idea of not having to get on a freeway when I want to go to the grocery store! And I will love not having a freeway in my backyard. There are (I think) two that run through Frisco, so if I need them they are there, but I can also take back roads around. Frisco, Plano and McKinney are all really pretty with lots of things to do and very family oriented. The schools in Frisco are top notch, which is the most important thing to me. They also have a Major League Soccer team that plays in Frisco, as well as a minor league baseball team and the Dallas Stars hockey practice rink there.

Well, enough about that! Once that adventure was over, we wanted to do something fun for the kids. Again, they did amazing in the car all day. We decided to go to a four-story mall called the Galleria. We let the kids play in the playscape for a bit and then headed to the indoor ice rink on the bottom level. Calli and I went ice skating and she loved it! She is such a pro now, I was amazed! At first she held one hand onto the railing and the other onto me, but after a few laps she just stopped holding the rails and held my hand. She kept her balance so well and decided that she was going to be MY teacher now. That was pretty funny. But it was really cool to go ice skating in the summer!! I can only imagine how crowded that place probably is in the winter.

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and decided to head to the Dallas World Aquarium. This place is pretty much one of the neatest places I have been! It is set up with tons of greenery and you feel like you are walking through a rain forest viewing all the animals in their natural states. It has a big waterfall in the middle and you start at the top of the place and make your way down (it is all indoors by the way). Serena absolutely loved everything! Calli's trip can be summed up in two phrases: "Is it time to eat yet?" and "I want to look at the TV!". At each exhibit there were little TVs you could interact with that told you facts about the animals. She was obsessed! But at least Serena had fun (Calli did too I think!). Jameson was great as usual and just sat in his new stroller the whole time.

After the Aquarium we had lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse and headed back home. The kids did pretty well on this car ride, but toward the end they were getting pretty antsy. Who could blame them? They spent a lot of time in the car the last three days. We were all happy to get out. Now I think we are just anxious for the days to pass so we can get serious about moving.

How do you keep the kids entertained on a five hour car ride? Give them Mom and Dad's cell phones!