To say Brailey had a good time in Texas is possibly the understatement of a LIFETIME! She not only had fun, she met family she had been waiting to meet her whole life, and the bonds they formed will never be broken, I am sure. It couldn't have been more special! Texas hospitality is in a class all its own, and they showed Brailey a truly fabulous time! Above, her first ride on an airplane. She flew down with Gramma Diggy, and they had a great flight. These are pictures she took - she did way more than she could even manage to get pictures of! Like she rode a REAL cutting horse and worked the flag AND live cattle! She went shopping. She learned some delicious new recipes. She enjoyed several world class snow cones and lots of delicious ice cream. She went to a beauty pageant. She saw a movie at the Omni Theatre. She experienced her first 4th of July away from home! Below, the gorgeous sign welcoming people to the ranch. Frank is Brady's oldest sister's husband, and he is a living legend! As far as horsemen go, according to Diana Murray (Brady's mom), there are only a handful of people as handy as Frank Craighead. He is our hero!
Brailey's oldest cousin, Codie, is the mother of the adorable little girl in the picture above - her name is Preslie, and she was attached at the hip with Brailey the entire time. They had a big time together! She is six, going on seven in August.
The World Famous Chris Cox lives just down the road from the Craigheads. Brady's sister, Cindy, decorated his bunkhouses. She is an amazing decorator! She and her daughter Candice have an amazing mobile booth they take to different shows and sell some really incredible merchandise out of. Brailey was in heaven learning all about it!
Snow cone tongue... And blue teeth, too! They were from The Funky Munky, and according to Brailey, they were the most delicious snow cones ever to be invented on Planet Earth!
One of the main highlights was a trip to Billy Bob's to see Merle Haggard in concert. Brailey was so thrilled to see him! Brady is a huge fan, and so we listen to a lot of The Hag. Brailey was thrilled to see him and the entire Billy Bob's establishment!
She is her Daddy's Girl all the way, posing by the Montana Silversmiths case and then sending this picture to Brady - he loved it!
On another day, they went to Splash Kingdom and Six Flags. Brailey experienced her first sunburn ever on this day, and even peeled! She applied sunscreen twice and still burned, but guess what? She's still a brown little bear! Her cousin Candice, pictured above, took her and Preslie on these adventures.
On yet another day, they went to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. This was a huge hit, as well! The giraffes were super friendly. Diana loves them, and it was mesmerizing for her to have them eating right out of her hand! One of the highlights of this particular adventure was when one of the animals drooled on Codie's lap! Apparently, the animals stick their heads right inside the cars. FUN!
They drink a lot of sweet tea in Texas! Uncle Frank has a special ice tea maker, and he is the head sweet tea brewer. However, sweet tea from Sonic is the favorite, and several trips were made there in order to get their special sweet tea blend. Brailey tried three different kinds, but didn't fancy them. I think they were in a fun place with fake food...?
The beautiful Candice, above, and below, appliance shopping with Codie! She is the lady behind Diana in the hat and coral colored shirt. Codie and her husband Casey just bought a new ranch, and so they were fixing the house up and moving into it while Brailey was there. And buying appliances!
The gorgeous Candice - she was so sweet to Brailey (as was EVERYONE!) and shared her room. They slept together every night, which was really fun for Brailey.
Another exciting occurrence was Codie's birthday! Brailey was so happy to be there to help celebrate with delicious cake and ice cream. She's never been able to celebrate any of her cousin's birthdays, so it was very special for Brailey to experience. She loves Codie and Candice both and was so happy to be with them!
Near the end of the trip, they went to the horse races! Brailey took more pictures of this than anything - she loved seeing these race horses run! They ran on both grass and dirt.
Aunt Cindy and Candice's Lucky Ranch Style trailer and some of the goods to be loaded into it. Brailey came home more inspired to craft and make things than it is possible for her family to keep up with! After spending time with Aunt Cindy, she has a million things she wants to make. 
Codie took this picture of Diana and one of their babies. I think it needs to be entered in a contest! I LOVE this picture! Diana looks so beautiful, the baby is adorable and you can see the mare in the background... I love it so much - GORGEOUS! Some of the other babies below. Brailey came home wanting to find a job so she can buy a baby horse!
Three weeks flew by, and she was on her way home. Below, Brady and Britt anxiously awaiting her arrival in baggage claim. We barely made it on time, due to some bad traffic, but we go there with five minutes to spare. 
And there she was! Home, safe and sound with her beloved and favorite uncle, Frank. He is such a gentleman, he walked her to baggage claim, even though he had to go through security to catch his next flight to Redmond. It was a bumpy flight from Texas, and Brailey was glad Uncle Frank was with her!
And we were thrilled to see Uncle Frank and to spend some time with him on Thursday when we delivered a case to Big R in Redmond! We got to hear even MORE stories, which was super fun to listen to. Brailey didn't come home with a twang, but she did pick up a new habit her dad and I are loving - every question we ask her is now answered, "Yes Sir." or "No Sir." or "Yes Mam" or "No Mam." Texas hospitality and manners - like no other place on earth! OH! And while she was there, she didn't get homesick even one time! Can you believe it?! Her family in Oregon, however, was very Braileysick. In fact, she loved it down there so much, she found a ranch for us to buy so we can move down there! Ha! She also designed her own room in Aunt Cindy's house, including a closet. I think it is safe to say that this was the first of many trips for Brailey to Texas. She loved every single second she was there! The best part of the trip was the love that was given - they may live in Texas, but the bonds of family love are stronger than ever, and we love them all! The fact she was able to go with Gramma Diggy was the icing on the cake. It was the trip of a lifetime, no doubt about it!
