“Second star to the right and straight on ’til morning. ”

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― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Saturday morning, I woke up earlier than I would’ve liked to go get my oil changed. For some reason I brought my camera. Who brings a camera to get their oil changed?! Maybe it was a premonition. The plan was to go out to west Fort Worth, get my oil changed then come home and finish unpacking my new apartment and work on my horrendous, unending to-do list. If you know me, you will not be surprised that I ended up finding some back country roads and taking a lot of pictures. Surprise, surprise.

A couple years ago, I was given a book with weird, roadside stops in Texas. I keep it in my car because I don’t really plan things out (read above) and just end up going places. So while waiting for my oil change, I looked up what was nearby.

Stop #1 involved Peter Pan. I was in!
Peter Pan is one of my favorite cartoons / stories growing up. (Have you watched Finding Neverland? One of my favorites!) I find it pretty important to always be a kid at heart (hence you will see me busting out a move at inopportune moments to try to get people to relax – I don’t care if I look like an ass, it’s a good time)!

I had known about this little pit stop for a while but I’m glad I finally got to check it out!

If you ever find yourself near Weatherford, Texas, head on over to the library. It’s right off the highway and really easy to find. Outside, you will find the Peter Pan statue. The story of Peter Pan has nothing to do with Weatherford, however the actress that played Peter Pan did.

Mary Martin played Peter Pan in the Broadway production of Peter Pan until she was in her 50’s. She also earned a Tony Award for her role and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989. The story goes, as a child she was obsessed with Buster Brown and she had her haircut in a short “pageboy bob” and refused to ever wear a bow. Funny how she ended up playing Peter Pan! If you want to realize how small the world really is, she is also Larry Hagman’s (from the TV show Dallas) mother.

In 1976, Ronald Thomason created this life-sized bronze statue of Martin in the signature Peter Pan pose. The status can be seen at the library along with some memorabilia inside (I wish I would’ve read that in the book before I left the library). In 1990, Mary Martin passed away and is now buried in Weatherford as well.

If you’re a fan of Peter Pan, swing on by. It just takes a minute. While I was there, two kids came running out of the library and couldn’t wait to get a picture with Peter Pan. It was pretty cute. We can all be big kids too folks! 🙂

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Check back in on Wednesday to see what else I came across on my Saturday travels!

A Little About Me Questionnaire

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Kelsey, over at Eat, Drink, Be a Tourist, recently posted a questionnaire and I thought it’d be fun for y’all to know a little more about me (and sometimes it’s just fun to answer random questions)!

So the way this works is I’ll answer Kelsey’s questions and then I’ll post a few of my own that I’d like to know about you! Be sure to add a comment with your answers or a link to your post with your answers/questions!

if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? I’d go on a random roadtrip across the US, visiting small towns, baseball stadiums and random stops and I’d end in my hometown!

What makes you happy? Freedom, independence, being with friends and those who you care about and care about you, having a good time, animals, driving, music, love, my family, traveling, comments on my blog 🙂

What inspires you? Strong women, smiling children, an old couple holding hands, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

What is your dream job? Being outside, blogging / writing about traveling, music and food and having opportunities to check out as much as I can and to then share it with other readers!

Describe yourself in five words. Country, grounded, independent, curious, trustworthy.

What do you look forward to most in life? Being married and having a family.

What’s the first thing you do every day? Hit Snooze.

What would you do with a million dollars? Buy a house and a lot of land, make sure my parents, brother’s family and Memere are all taken care of, buy an old pickup truck, donate and just travel and relax.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Not a good question to ask at the moment so I’m going to pass. Looks can be decieving, I think love is truely found within a person, not just at first appearance.

Who is your biggest role model & why? I don’t have just one so I’ll combine their qualities – they are all those who are independent, who stayed true to themselves and didn’t need anything fancy in life to feel like they’ve accomplished anything. They are those who put others before themselves, have values and morals and find the good in all.

Describe your perfect first date. A hockey game or take me on a country drive, fishing, eating BBQ and ending at a dancehall. (Think I’ve been in Texas too long?!)

My questions for you:
Where is your “happy” place?
What’s your greatest accomplishment?
What is your biggest goal for yourself?
Describe yourself in five words.
What would you do if you only had one more day?
What is your favorite restaurant / meal?
Where would you most like to visit in North America?
What is the best concert/show you’ve ever seen?
What is your greatest fear?
What motivates/inspires you?

Be sure to add a comment with your answers or a link to your post with your answers/questions and don’t forget to head over to Kelsey’s blog to find out a little more about her!

Fort Worth Stockshow

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Every year, Fort Worth holds the Stockshow and Rodeo which attracts people from near and far. It lasts for three or four weeks every January and early February. If you are looking for a true taste of Texas, I’ll suggest checking out this event. It’s one of my favorites!

Because I love this event so much, I’m going to break this up into two posts. Today, we’ll focus on the Stockshow.

The Stockshow is basically shopping central and livestock. In a large exhibit hall you can find anything from tractors, artwork, cowboy hats, furniture, jewelry, heck you name it. You can even see a celebrity or two. Can anyone name this guy to the far left below?

Tractors are fun to drive!

I have to share this. In the hall of one of the buildings, they were showing local art work of some students. Seriously, can you believe these? All under 18 years of age. It’s amazing!

Now, my absolute favorite part of the Stockshow are the animals! I LOVE farm animals and would love to have some someday. I think I left the Stockshow saying I was going to teach yoga, become a photographer and raise cows! (Those who really know me probably wouldn’t be surprised at this at all!) So here you go – way too many photos of cows!

Growing up, we actually raised a few of these Herefords ourselves back in good ole Vermont!

I wanted to pet every cow I saw, although I wasn’t sure if I was allowed since so many people were nearby so I just stuck with petting this little guy!

He’s a beast!

I can do without the chickens on my farm.

Have I mentioned how much I love cows?

These are the barns that the livestock are held in and where the animal shows are held. Massive barns! In the back (behind me) you can see the Will Rogers Coliseum where the rodeo is held.

I found an unattended cow…. I was petting this one for a good five minutes! What a great day!

You can take a girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl!