Magnolia in Waco, TX 01/18/19

I did not take these. :)

Two blog posts in one day! What! Listen, I've been slacking this week...and I really want to share some things about Magnolia Market, Bakery & Table. I feel like I have to share things about my experience here considering I drove 2 hours out of my way to see it. Yes, I am a fan girl. My thought process was if you are going to come to Texas, you mines well drive another day and go see Chip & Joanna Gaines. Right? Some of you think I am crazy and that is fine. I do what I want.
(Side note: I started writing this on the same day and then got distracted by something pretty and had to go take pictures. But, I'm back don't panic!)

I did take this!

For those of you that do not watch HGTV, like my Father. Chip and Joanna Gaines have created an empire off of her style and their personalities. Originally they owned a Real Estate/Contracting business and now they own a few more businesses! They had a TV show called Fixer Upper. On the show they would play real estate agent with anther couple and help them find an affordable basic home that they could remodel into something extravagant. My thought is that Joanna is the brains of the operation and her husband Chip is the muscle that makes her vision a reality. Not only are they talented but they are very wholesome, religious, and just hilarious to watch. Out of this TV show they have also created a Magazine that basically tells you how you can be Joanna or at least try to be. Listen, I love the romantic idea of baking cranberry white chocolate cake in my white open concept kitchen with my $10,000 appliances as much as the next girl. But, when you get down to it I've never home made baked anything in my life, especially something that is gluten free and has 18 ingredients in it. Like, where do you get the root of an avocado from anyways? And you only need 3 slices of it? I'm not spending $1.99 on 1 avocado and only using 3 slices of it. Okay, I am just being jealous now. ha! If you are a stay at home mom that has time to keep your kitchen spotless, teach your children bible versus, bake a 3 course meal, (do you bake a meal?) & look absolutely stunning...kudos to you.

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As I sit in my tiny RV bed with yesterdays mascara on and a sweater I've work for a week.

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Enough of the funny business. Chip and Joanna have created a Magnolia Oasis in Waco, TX. The area consist of plenty of photo ops around The Silos which is a community area for families and individuals to play games, lounge, eat, and spend 'quality time together.' Even though a lot of people were walking around taking selfies in front of different things. -Insert crying laugh face- There is also a bakery, shopping, food trucks, and a garden. If you hope on the free trolley you can get a ride to the Magnolia Table or to their discount warehouse. See map below! 

From the Magnolia website. 

Here are some of my thoughts. 

First let me just say that I think it was worth the drive and trip. I would return but only if I was with someone else and it was a little bit warmer. I need to start by saying that because I feel like some of my comments could sound...on the less happy side? But, I just want to be honest! It's a great place to go and look around but after about an hour (unless a concert is going on or something) all you have done is spent $60 and take photos in front of random things. 

↪I started by going to The Bakery and got 2 cookies and a coffee. I thought they served warm food and I was starving! On my journey I am attempting to eat out twice a week at local restaurants so I can 'experience the city.' Listen, that is how I experience things...through food. So, I try to wait to eat somewhere I really want to cause I can only do that twice. (In my head) so far I usually eat out 4 times a week. It's all about baby steps people.I get the cookies but I don't eat them because I want real food and I waited in a line of about 12 people so I wasn't going to just walk out and not get anything. I ate the cookies a couple of days later while I was driving...they were cookies. Nothing special. I mean they had like Joanna love in them? I don't know, they tasted fine? When I walked past the bakery 3 hours later the line was 30 people deep and out the door! 

Tip: Follow the signs to free parking! DO NOT pay the $10 at 'closer' parking lots. They are not closer, they are just the first thing you see and you get nervous because some Texas local is riding your butt and you have to make a move before he honks at you. Listen...they can wait. Find the free parking. lol I got front row FREE parking and walked right on in with no issue.

Tip: Go early! I showed up at 9:30 AM and nothing was packed. 

↪Then, I walked around and took selfies in front of the Silos, garden, food trucks, and play yard. It is beautiful there! There are about 18 food trucks but they don't open till around lunch time, outdoor clean restrooms, and nice sitting areas.

↪The market is where you shop. It is FULL of amazing Joanna items. Pillows, candles, T'shirts, plants? more fake parsley, cook books, wall art, rugs, tea bags...the list goes on and on. It feels like you are in a Target Fantasy and things are actually twice as expensive. As I looked around I don't think anyone else minded. Every woman had something in her hands! This burlap Magnolia satchel was very popular so I thought, 'Okay this must be affordable.' No, $65. for a burlap grocery bag...Listen Whataburger gave me one for free when I bought a combo yesterday. Yes the bag was orange and it says 'Whataburger' but it was also free and perfect for a shower bag. (Is anyone else laughing right now because this is cracking me up for some reason.) Ever since I cleaned out a 3 bedroom home and sold all of my nick knacks and decor I just struggle to purchase anything that doesn't have 3 different functions. Like if you can't do 3 things for me in this RV then you are being thrown out. Ain't no body got time for that. 

I did ride the free shuttle over to the Magnolia Table. The ride is about 10 minutes and the driver was hilarious. Well, what he said wasn't hilarious but him laughing at his own jokes was hilarious which is what I needed at this point. This is a type of place that you come to with a friend or a group of people. You need people to laugh with, or take pictures of, or share moments with here. It's just the kind of place that there isn't enough to do for a single person. Like, you can't drink liquor, go for a hike, or watch a movie...which are all things I do by myself. lol So, you can like walk around and ask strangers to take photos of you in front of the Silos and awkwardly try to talk to the workers there so it looks like you are not alone? I did both things. What I am trying to say is I was lonely. I was like 3 days into my solo trip and already craving human attention. But, everyone around me had people they were already having fun with or they were so busy looking at their phone that no one wanted to strike up a conversation. Of course, I butted into a conversation 2 woman were having on the bus and thought, 'Yay, this is going really well, they are responding.' And then they literally ran away as soon as the bus doors opened. They also didn't tip the driver...so that just tells you what kind of people they really were. So, the bus drops you off, you have about a 50 foot walk to the restaurant, then you are put on a wait list for 30 minutes, and you sit in an out door patio area to wait. 

Tip: Go in the beginning or middle of the week while everyone else is suppose to be at work. I went on a Thursday morning. Only about 8 people on the bus and had a 30 minute wait at the restaurant.

 I ordered 'Chip's Burger' that came with tater tots and I drank water. I give it 5 out of 10. The meat was all natural and the animals had been humanly treated so you knew exactly what was going in your body. The tator tots were like adult tots and pretty good. It was actually a lot of food so I took half of it home and ate it later in the RV. My waitress was a sweet heart and brought over Joanna's mother, Mrs. Stevens. She was a little ball of sunshine on my 'lonely day' and she turned my day around! EVERYONE wanted her attention, they wanted a picture, a hug, or to tell her their story. She handled it all so well and seemed genuinely happy to be running around and listening to all of these stories. She sat down next to me and listened to mine and said 'oh we must take a picture.' Then, she deleted half of them...on my phone...because she didn't like her face in them! So cute. I saved two photos though! Just being around her aura and her selflessness to spend her day making sure everyone else was happy was inspiring. So, I pulled up my big girl pants and put a smile on my face and said,

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'Thank you for allowing me the strength to make this journey on my own!'

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After my meal I jumped back on the trolley to the Magnolia Silos and then into my 1999 Honda CRV. It was about a 15 minute drive back to the RV and I had the best night. I walked the girls, made a drink, and sat on my patio. Overall it was a great day and experience, one more item marked off of the bucket list and another lesson learned!