Life at a "Swell's" pace

May 8-We all met up at my mom's new cafe (Crystal Springs Mercantile & Cafe) for Mother's Day and went for a hike on Vista Trail near the cafe. This was the first time that we have eaten at the cafe since she opened. The food is amazing and my mom's chicken and dumplings (Shelly's Dumplings) are soon to be added to the menu. The Bean loved sitting outside in the front where the bistro seating is and he knocked back a lot of pie!

The inside of the cafe is decorated in a theme that I like to call "rustic comfort." I fell in love with the mismatched chairs and tables and my uncle did the window work with the wood. It looks so homey inside.

Crystal Springs Mercantile & Cafe

This was the first Mother's Day I have been with my mom in 13 years since moving to Oregon. We had such a great time and everyone enjoyed this visit a lot. Springs visits back home are always hard to work in, but I am so glad we were able to make it happen this year.

The hike we took on Vista Trail was a lot of fun. Everyone, but my mom, went on the hike and the cackling and laughter could probably be heard for miles. I've always said, "My family is most definitely louder than yours." Ha!

Do you see the snake? It's a Yellow-Bellied Water Snake and it isn't poisonous, but we kept our distance so it didn't get defensive.

My niece, Natalie, loved to point to her favorite birds as we were walking. She likes the Robin and the Mallard Ducks the best.

She also found some turtle eggs along the path.

The Bean found some slate that was caked in mug and we packed it up and brought it back to Oregon with us.

My brother, Will, and The Mr. had to taking a short break. The decking on this trail is incredible!

The boardwalk trail took you right up into the Ouachita mountain side.

We had a great time hiking Vista Trail and it's definitely a spot worth checking out. If you're in, or around the Crystal Springs area of Arkansas, give these two spots a go. [Vista Trail and Crystal Springs Mercantile & Cafe] If you're an avid mountain biker, this area of the Ouachitas is one to mark on your map.

Check out Road Trip: Arkansas (Birthday Surprise)

More soon!

What happened this time last year?

May 7-In May we loaded up and took off to Arkansas for a surprise birthday celebration for my sister's fortieth. We also planned to stay until May 12 in order to be in Arkansas for Mother's Day. The best part of the trip was that fact that my sister had no idea we were headed their way.

We had an early flight, but the best part of being up that early was being able to see the sun rise.

We also had a great view of Mount Hood. I bet the sunrise looked amazing from the hot air balloon.

Photo via Instagram.

Our layover took us to Las Vegas and when we took off the view was pretty groovy.

The day was beautiful and we got a great view of the Grand Canyon.

Since we flew in on May 7 once we landed we headed straight for the restaurant where my parents had taken my sister. She assumed it was going to be a small get together of just some friends and my parents, but we came strolling in and she was pretty shocked.

(Taken by Kayla H.)

The food was delicious and my sister really enjoyed that we flew down for it all.

We all had to try out the saddles at the restaurant.

It was a lot of fun surprising my sister for her birthday and we all had a great time at Jose's Mexican Restaurant in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

...Just a side note: The following night we tied the large bundle of balloons onto my sister's mailbox in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, a storm came through in the morning and the wind and rain popped all of the balloons before she could see them all. :( (It was a good prank otherwise.)