The Falls

The last couple of months have been long and confusing. And I was about to max out my vacation time (not be able to accrue) so it was a forced minication.

We intended to leave early Saturday morning, but I'd been fighting an ear infection for weeks and I was miserable and we left after noon. The car ride up to Marble Falls felt like an 8 hr drive and as difficult as it was for me, I don't think Dp had any fun watching me writhe. *Our plan was to camp but there was still a burn ban in effect and no, just no.*

When we got to the hotel I immediately crawled into bed. Felt safe cause at least I wasn't in the car. I pulled on the blankets to get nice and cozy and physics happened and my phone flew at my face and hit me in the eye and I spent the rest of the trip with a swollen eye. (I don't bruise and it is annoying. I can bump into the corner of a table, fall to the ground and think that is definitely going to bruise. Nothing. But sometimes the wind will blow and it will give me a bruise on my knee. ?? Basically if I get hurt something terrible said body part refuses to bruise. So no, I didn't have a black eye.  But the next time Dp kisses my forehead, watch out.)

Anyway after a thrilling night of pouting, ice packs, Alaska State Troopers, and an upset tummy I decided I was never going anywhere ever again. I was going to live in a bubble, become Howardette Hughes. But in the morning we went hiking because I can't tell Dp no. Nothing is worse than a grumpy David. Not even hiking with an ear infection (later I found out it was two infections, in the same ear).

Surprise! It was pouring rain when we got to Perdenales Falls SP. Most of the park is heavily wooded so it was still a pleasant hike. Changing leaves, water falls, lots of deer and birds.

Back at the hotel I took a warm shower and drank hot cocoa. "We" rested up a little, I think Dp played on the iPad. And we went to Ginger and Spice for the best yellow curry I've ever had. I know it sounds wrong, Thai food in Marble Falls, but it is just right.

The next morning we tried to go to an olive ranch but the owner was very rude, told us we were fools for looking into olives. I hate dream killers. Just let people dream.
So we went to New Braunfels instead. Of course we went to the Gristmill and Nalgein's, cause you have to.
We were trying to burn sometime before coming back to Houston so we'd miss rush hour traffic. We went down to the Comal river, rolled up our pants and stuck our feet in the water. I think this was my favorite part of the weekend. We didn't talk and didn't have to. We just sat. Watched leaves float downstream, and skipped rocks.

Walking back to the car I was so relaxed like leaving a spa relaxed.
We drove back into Houston in the rain
eating gingerbread men fresh from the oven.

the SPI post

I've been working on a special project at work, planning birthday surprises, sleeping in an un-air conditioned house, and feeling frazzled for pretty much all of June and July.


Over the weekend we took a little break and went to South Padre Island with my folks. I forced Dp to pack my dslr (there was a little argument about it too) and we took it out once on the last day.... woops.

We flew out Friday morning and the flight was 42 min long, which is perfect for me since I am a terrible flyer. It isn't a true fear of flying, more like a claustrophobic thing and my ears always bother me. I'm impressed with people who can read on the plane, I just can't ever get comfortable enough to focus on anything other than the incredible lack of fresh air.

Freddy Fender
I'd never heard of him. A friend of the family supposedly had some epic jam sessions with him at some point in unrecorded history. So we stopped at the Freddy Fender Museum in San Benito. You know when you are aware that you are living a future memory? That's the only to describe it.


SPI
We saw fireworks, and walked on the beach on pink sand stained by a setting sun, swam in the morning before the hot rays, tried to read but really just sat on the balcony and talked about the future and dreams, ate guacamole and carrots, didn't get ice cream once, took long heavy naps, avoided sun burns, stress-free and relaxed.








Palo Alto Battlefield
We had some time before our flight home and stopped into the Palo Alto Battlefield NP. I've been to lots of historic battlegrounds and old forts in my life, most are eye-roll inducing - hot - miserable places. This was worth the trip out there. Museum was interactive and very well done. There was a short film about the battle and we watched it in spanish and tested analee on her translation skills. It is gorgeous flat terrain, scrubby brush, flowy grasses, breezy but hot. Reminded me of Lonesome Dove and David even mentioned how he thought we could grow olives down there. (That's our scale of could we live somewhere, Can we grow olives here?)



SPI Haiku Summary
Cool ocean water
a calm cradle for the soul
unwinds tangled mind

its camping not the apocalypse

I have a theory about camping: it should be fun not torture.

We have been watching a lot of survivor shows on Netflicks lately and Dp thinks "mental note, I can boil water in a soda can and eat the stems of water lilies" and I think "why is this man putting himself through all this?" I love being outdoors and in the quiet, but I'm not going to eat wild edibles or use my pee to make condensation I can drink. Its camping, not the apocalypse.

Quick visit this weekend to Hunstville St. Park.

Pretty good park, great trails but way to crowded. I know they gotta make money but, geewiz the sites are close together.

Also, beware the park will sell you moist sappy wood. We had trouble getting a fire going when we first arrived. And even when we got some of the wood dried out we couldn't get a roaring fire to get us warm.

Accomplishments:

• David can really get the tent up fast now. Our first time it took an hour, in the rain and cold. I think it took him 20 min this time.
• We took a pretty nice hike on Saturday, about 5 miles. I could have gone further but we were running out of daylight and I was pretty sure it would take 18 years to get a fire going to cook dinner.
• I hadn't made a foil packet dinner since Camp Fire, but we tried some this time, YUM! We had chicken, red potatoes, onions and bell peppers. So civilized. I tried a baked apple recipe but they were not good. I was expecting apple pie and got warm apple. So we had JUMBO smores instead. Have you seen these Jumbo Jet Puffs? Unreal.
• David has this skill of getting the tent folded just so that it always fits back in the bag. I told him he should work for Coleman. I try rolling sleeping bags and they are 4x the size that will fit in the bag, Dp has room to spare? I guess we all have secret talents.

Why is it always nice to get away even for just 1 night? I feel so recharged and renewed.

On our walk I was thinking how horrible the last few years have been. I struggled with my health, and watched my MeeMaw slip from this world, seen Mary decline and the incredible weight associated with supporting David and Gil, going back to school, losing the GI Bill and my Grandaddy's struggles to name a few. We had so many huge life changes and the difficult kind.

At the beginning of 2012 I was asking (basically begging) God for a break because I am out of steam. But it took most of the year to make it out of the bad stuff. Slowly in the last two months I've felt like the storm is dying down. Not that everything will be perfect, but just less heavy.

Finally, I feel hopeful about the future, even excited about it. That is a true gift.

SFASP

*Optional soundtrack for today's post

I like being outside, listening to wind, and walking on gravel. (everyone loves the gravel noise right?) I would go camping twice a month if it wasn't 9,000 degrees in the summer or rain 5.5 inches in the spring.  Dp & I didn't get to camp in 2011. I've been dying to go.

Friday I notice the weather is going to be nice, so

(9:45:27 AM) Analee:  i want to go camping

(9:45:48 AM) DP: ok. Sounds good to me!

 

We looked into Brazos but they were booked, so we made reservations at Steven F. Austin SP.

 

(Saturday morning I fell after we had finished loading the car, and hurt my knees, wrist and most painful - my pride. I have my wrist wrapped, I'm telling people it is an injury from my MMA match ... with the porch.

 

Carro also is very ill, and we had to stop outside Brookshire to make sure our engine was still attached to the car. Fun. The noise is so terrible other motorists look in horror as they pass us, including motorcyclists.)

 

Just making it to the park was a triumph in my book. SFASP is great - quiet, lots of trails along the Brazos, birds, seriously clean restrooms, quiet quiet mmmm quiet.

 

               Highlights

:: dp got the tent up in record time.

:: weenie roast for lunch

:: walk along fishbone trail

:: armadillo

:: trying to cook dinner

:: camera play

:: katie dog - our 1hr foster dog
:: warm sleeping bag
:: tent smell

:: bacon bacon bacon

:: my birdies -  tufted titmouse, barn swallow, cardinal family, yellow bellied sapsucker, pileated woodpecker, robin, philadelphia vireo & 6,000 vultures

I like taking walks and living in the country is always apealing until I think no mexican food and no mam's. And I haven't picked up my camera in many months and it was good to use that part of my brain.

When we got home- ps thank God for letting us make it - the kitties squealed with excitement, I always enjoy a warm welcome. And then my wrist really started hurt.

  

slip away

Sometimes the stars align and you get unbelievably prefect weather on the same weekend you impulsively decide to get away.

Over the weekend dp and I snuck down to Galveston. We drove down Friday after work and got Mario's (Seawall & 7th) and got checked in to the hotel and hung out by the pool/spa with a tween under the flickering light of a volcano. It is probably dp being chatty, but we always seem to get stuck talking to kids in the hot tub.

Get ready to be jealous. Saturday we got up early and walked on the beach, had breakfast (mimosas!) and then took a nap. Who doesn't love an after-breakfast-nap, fantastic. After we woke up a second time, we went to the beach. Dp is now a tan, italian man... I am still white. (I photoshopped the picture. SOOC was...whiter. and i know you are scrolling back up thinking "whiter?! is that possible?" yes. and hairier)The weather was unreal. I was on the beach without feeling like a chicken nugget. I even got into the ocean, got splashed in the face and went back to dry land. Dp is one of those people who likes to walk out to the sandbar. I tried once, nearly drowned and Cousin Jon had to save me and carry me to the sandbar. I'd love to say this was 15 years ago... it was 6. :/

Anyhoo, I didn't die in the ocean this time. After the beach... ok fine, we took another nap. That is what I consider a successful weekend, more naps than there are days in the weekend. We had dinner at Fisherman's Warf and got dp his shrimp kisses and bread pudding. Sunday we had breakfast, walked the beach, went to the Strand and got my La King's cause I needed taffy. We also walked through an nautical antique store and I received a lecture on flags and hook thingies and pulley thingies. Just when I think I have blotted out the naval intelegence from dp...

We unfortunately had to return to the real world and do dishes. More on that later.

unplugged

David and I went camping at Double Lake last weekend.

We have been super stressed and stretched as thin as thin gets. And that is just not good for anyone. But I got out of work a bit early, quick drive up, and had the tent set up by 4pm.

Note- if you think you might want to go camping plan early the Scouts had all of TX State parks booked, and we called 3 weeks in advance. But it allowed us to stumble upon little Double Lake. Mee Maw has swam in Double Lake- I couldn't help think of her as a young girl swimming in this lake and sitting under the trees.

It was perfect camping weather. I don’t think I have ever experience such perfect camping weather. I only got sweaty on our walk and never shivered. (It’s hard to keep me a comfortable temperature, I confess I am pretty whiney when I am too hot or too cold.)

Saturday we sat around, and I just let my brain idle, no thinking- no talking- just sitting. It was nice. I wish I could find that in real life. Here I am working on crisis at work, crisis at home, crisis here, there, and everywhere. How do you turn off that noise? Camping.

Please enjoy a couple of photos from our weekend:

return to the real world

I am cruise-lagged.

I didn't get a 3 course breakfast this morning.

I wasn't rocked to sleep.

I came in to *gulp* work. (shudder)

Imagining I am here...

Doing this...

go back and do it right!

David and I just celebrated our 2 year adjusted anniversary December 13th. We have been married 4 1/2 years and have been for real married only 2.

This December on our anniversary I demanded, not so politely, to be taken on a honeymoon. David never got to take me and really we have never been on a vacation together.

I am beyond excited to say- I am going on my honeymoon for our 5 year anniversary! The planning is still in the works but it is for real. I am seriously going.

The saving of PTO (and money) has begun. And although 6 months isn't enough time to be as cute and skinny as we were when we got married, I want us to look cute in pictures so we are trying to get a little healthy. (only a little. no stress)

Don't think I am letting David get away with not planning this thing either. He will.

The only thing is, if David takes me on a honeymoon, what will I hold over his head?

rate the date...

My Labor Day Mini-vacation

Friday
:: I got off work at 2pm. Lucky. And met Leah and Michael and the boys and the new house.
:: Drove to San Antonio. As we were approaching it started to rain. By the time we reached our restaurant the streets were rivers. 'Someone' convinced me it was no biggie to wade in calf deep water to to restaurant. :/ My pants were soaked.

:: La Fonda
David- B+
Analee- B-
I am sorry La Fonda. They put us in the coldest table possible, I know I looked like a wet cat, our waiter was more annoying than I thought possible, and my enchilada was overcooked.
:: Traveled to New Braunfels.

:: La Quinta
David- B-
Analee- C-
Worst hotel experience almost ever. Loud, smelly kids, who ran through the halls uh like at 1030. Go to bed. And we got put in the handicap accessible room. With a view of a gross hotel and a wall of a building. Nice. Free breakfast was ok, but people get a hold of your children. seriously? you let a 6 yr old make his own waffles and stick his finger in someone else's waffle mix?! Gross.

Saturday
:: Woke up early and went tubing on the Comal. Had the river mostly to ourselves and the weather was awesome. Ridiculously relaxing.
:: Tubing
David- A
Analee- B
That first shoot was terrifying. I am not going to lie, got sucked into a vortex.

:: Went to lunch at this place I found in the center of town; this great little cafe with local art on the walls and REALLY great food. They renovated a small grouping of historical houses in an alley by the railroad tracks. They used one house for the restaurant and the others are little boutiques.

:: Huisache-California Sandwich, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Tortilla Soup
David- A
Analee- A

:: After lunch we walked to Naegelin's. Can't miss it if you are in the hill country.
:: Then we went to a park on the river, parked in the shade and attempted to read. Ok. So maybe I need a week long vacation. I still couldn't quiet my mind enough to read. But at least I sat still.
:: We went back to our hotel and took a nap. No judging.

:: Gristmill for dinner. David had never been (gasp) Steak, onion rings, strawberry shortcake.
David- A
Analee- A+
If there is strawberry shortcake in heaven, which I am very sure there will be, it will be this strawberry shortcake. Always, always the very best. I could have bathed in the whipped cream and eaten my 'bath' water. Dear God, thank you for allowing me to have the most delicious strawberry ever created. Really? For me? It was so so so good. It was worth all the pain afterwards.
:: After dinner we got in the hot tub. David drove two college girls away with his talking. He is that guy. And I 'swam' a few 'laps' in the pool.


Sunday
:: Got up. Had another free breakfast (finger in waffle mix incident). And split.
:: Went to the outlet malls in San Marcos... how can you not? I got 2 cardigans for a total of 25 bucks and a emerald green blouse for 8 bucks- Banana Outlet you are my friend.

:: We had lunch at the River Pub.
David- B
Analee- B-
Food was good. Wait was long, and not super service. It makes a difference to me. Sorry.
:: We headed back to Houston.
:: I'll admit it. We stopped at the Buc-cee's Luling. The whole way on Friday I am like what is up with this Buc-cee's? What is so special. But I had to have dippin'dots and try their jerky.
:: Buc-cee's
David- A
Analee- B+
How do you give a gas station an A? Ok, but it was bigger than any Buc-cee's I had seen before. The jerky was good and the check out line was very efficient.


Of course we came home to a sick kitten but Saturday was a great day. I can't wait to go back.

none for me thank you...

A quick conversation from work....

Analee: everyone i know is going on a cruise... are you?
Melissa: no no i am not
Melissa: we have no monies
Melissa: who else is going on a cruise?
Analee: all these blog peoples, my cousins, one of my friends from high school, and 2 people i know are on europe trips.. for like 2 and 3 wks
Analee: melissa can i stay here?! can i?! can i?!
Analee: i would hate to have a vacation
Analee: yucky
Melissa: i know! dont they sound awful?
Analee: miserable
Melissa: all that sun and louging and relaxing, no stress... whats the fun in that?
Analee: psh. i like dragging my butt to work everyday
Melissa: its far more enjoyable to grow arthritis in your typing fingers, shove heavy boxes, ruin your eye sight from computer screens, eat cardboard boxed meals
Melissa: thats the life
Analee: ahhhh!


Take that you stinkin' vacation!

Vacation envy...

I need a vacation. I don't remember my last one, well I do. It was last July, we went to Galveston for a day or two to celebrate our anniversary.

In November we went to Fort Worth for Thanksgiving. In February we went up to Abilene for the boys birthday party. And since then have stayed put.

So all you cruisers, and jet setters... I am jealous. I am just getting pretty excited to have a vacation day in May.

--- ---- --- ---- --- ----

This Friday is my company's "Park Day." It is like a field day for grown ups. (Please envision my lip curling and eyes rolling dangerously far back into my head.)

I am not what you might call athletic nor do I wish to play co-ed sports. Men are so competitive and mean. I have been having anxiety for weeks about this stupid Park Day. Breaking a leg has actually sounded like a pretty good solution to this little problem.

Oh not to mention it takes place in the morning. This must be some deep issue from elementary school, but I hate to exercise in the morning, it makes me nauseous. Being outside early in the morning makes my tummy ache. Pretty much the whole sports with people I don't know makes me want to hurl.

And to make this whole thing worse, it is mandatory. Like you can't even take the day off... yes I tried. Maybe I am going to have to get swine flu...

1264 Mile Weekend

Just some things about this weekend.

Things lost:

1. Sleep. Much needed sleep.

2. The lives of a daring racoon and a misguided birdie.

3. Our overdrive or transaxle or whatever around Wichita.


Things gained:

1. A view of the country.

2. Respect for a king sized bed. Oh it was lovely.

3. Time with old friends.

4. Rest for my weary feet.



So we are back from our weekend wedding adventure, and are pretty tired. I worked 7 days straight to get the weekend off and I am starting up my 6 days straight to pay for it on this end. Ugh.

Cruise Top Ten

Well I know that I have been a bad blogger lately, I'm sorry. Things have been crazy on the home front, which shall be explained in subsequent posts.

Melanie requested a top ten and I thought that was a pretty good idea. So....

Analee's Cruise Top Ten

10. FREE STUFF! I don't know what it was about this boat, but stuff was free, everywhere free. And I really liked it. I kinds got obsessed with going and getting the free stuff.

9. The HAIRY MAN CONTEST. I have never laughed so hard in my life, than this hairy man contest. Too funny. But we all got sun burnt watching it. It was worth it.




8. The HAGGLING! This deserves it's own number because I was a great haggler!! And it made me happy. My best work was in Mexico and I got a red coral bracelet for a real good price. and The shopping! Well I just had a fun time picking out stuff. I liked seeing what kinda of different stuff I could find in different cultures. We shopped in every port and I got some good deals.

7. Animals! I got to see so many different animals in the ports. Which is good because I have a one track mind, "pets, pets pets pets". We saw two parrots, Pablo and Shaniqua, me and Jeni named them. And feral chickens just running around! And three iguanas. My most favorite was Frederico the wild lizard. Yes, I named the wild lizard.

6. The Food. I did enjoy going to dinner and ordering just anything and everything. It was also picture time for me and Jeni and we went nuts taking a million pictures. Also, the chocolate melting cake. Yum.

5. The Towel Creatures. Who doesn't love the little towel animals that appear on your bed every night. LOTS OF FUN!

4. The Shows. We did go to almost every show. My favorite was this fabulous juggler. He could do super human stuff on a moving vessel. Amazing.

3. The Motion of the Ocean. I LOVED the rocking of the boat, after being in port and then getting back out on the water I would always say "It is good to be moving again." I really liked being out on the open water. PS- the Gulf of Mexico is HUGE, if you didn't realize.

2. Snorkeling in Cozumel. After the not so great snorkel in Jamaica, Cozumel was gorgeous and I really got the hang of breathing through a tube. I saw so many fish and now all I want to do is snorkel.

1. Jeni! Spending time with Jeni was refreshing, fun and so hard to leave. I had forgotten how much I miss Jeni and how much fun we have together. The most fun thing was just being with her.
As you can see I had a really good time. It was really hard to leave and leave Jeni. It is always nice to come home, but I would jump at the chance for another week long cruise with Jeni.

Home Again

So yes I am back and safe and still alive, I didn't sink to the bottom of the ocean or anything. I am still writing emails to David giving him the whole story of my cruise, and it is a lot of typing and emailing pictures, so my blog audience can wait a little while for the whole story but of course I had a great time.

My car went to the hospital while I was gone and still isn't home. :( So keep him in your thoughts, that he is healthy and hurries home. I miss him.

The cats did fine with out me and my transition home was so smooth, no hard feelings or standoffishness. If you have a cat you know sometimes you get a nasty cold shoulder after a vacation. Not my precious little pumpkins.

This is how I feel about being home and not on a cruise with Jeni

Leaving Today...

So it is 1 am and I can not sleep. Pre-trip jitters.

I did get everything done. I finished cleaning and I'm so happy I did. My mom told me something a long time ago and I have always remembered it for some reason. She said that she always likes to come home from vacation to a clean house. And now I do to. I know that it is because of her. See, kids do listen sometimes. I am not a particularly clean person, I don't mind clutter or messes but when I come home and everything is just so in the house it does make you think "ahhhhhh it is good to be home."

But tomorrow I will be happy when I get to say "ahhhhh it is good that it is finally here."

Hope the last minute is a LONG minute!

So am I ready for the cruise? No! eeeek!

My big long list:

1. pay bills

2. pack- which involves figuring out outfits. This week I finally found a pair of capris that don't make me look like a Lost Boy, or Piggy from Lord of the Flies. For some reason short pants make me look shipwrecked. But I found a pair! HA HA

3. clean- Jeni is staying with me Saturday night, and my room is awful, because of the packing, what a horrible cycle.
4. get the kitties ready- :( I don't want to say goodbye but Grand Mama can take care of them very well. I will miss them.
5. stress out- I predict that I will stress out, be grumpy and over do everything. I will over pack, yeah I bring 5 pairs of underwear for a weekend trip- what will I do for 8 days? I will over clean, over prepare. I just don't want to sit still and get nervous and anxious and start the lip chewing.

I can not wait to get on the boat and sail towards relaxation. Big changes are happening, for me and David, and for me personally. This has made the past couple of weeks very challenging. But in change comes healing. I am so glad God gives us so many chances to get it right.

So my theme for my cruise? Genesis 2:2-3
I will rest because it is good.

Hooray Hooray Hooray!

Jeni wrote a get excited for the cruise song. I think it is pretty fabulous:

The Cruise Hooray Song (sung to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat)We are going on a cruise so soon
Hooray Hooray Hooray
We'll shop and eat and drink all day
Hooray Hooray Hooray (here I would and an eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

See. Much better than my song which is to a made up tune

Muy Excited
Excited
I am excited
So excited I could do a little daaaaaaaaaaance. (and here I do a little tap or box step or something)

Don't you think it is about time for a vacation?

So I am going on a cruise! Uh huh. A nice 8 day cruise to the Caribbean. I have never been on cruise before and this of course makes me a tad nervous and a lot excited.

I am going with Jeni, another navy wife, and I say that like she is just a navy wife but she isn't. She was my closest friend in Washington and we became really close. David and I were long distance for a long time and never had couple friends. And Jeni and her husband Chris are our first couple that we get along with really well. Jeni is TONS of fun and a great listener and we have such a good time together. We haven't seen each other since January so it will be such a blast to get to spend a whole week with her.



So we leave from Glaveston and go to Montego Bay, then Grand Cayman and lastly Cozumel, and then they drop us off back in Galveston. So it sounds like a lot of fun. We are going snorkeling in Jamaica. (and yes I am terrified BEYOND words, but I have decided that I only live once and I get a life jacket so I am just going to do it) And we are going a tour/shopping excursion in Cozumel, and we are free range in Grand Cayman. Have I said I am excited about the whole thing? Cause I am!

Spring Break : The End

Part 3: Out Came the Sun, and Dried Up All The Rain

Most Houstonians will recall the horrible storms on Wednesday. Well they were BAD! We were supposed to pack up and leave on Wednesday and we were working hard to get out of there quickly. My dad had to get back to the office and Leah and Michael went home early, so it was just my mom and me finishing some laundry. We watched the black sky move towards us, coming up the canal. Right as we were loading the car it started to rain, and the pour and then HAIL!! And so I drove home in the first of the bad storms. Yucky!

When we got home we changed out of our wet clothes and took warms showers. I spent a little quality time with the kitties when MORE rain came, and MORE hail!! It was rainy so unbelievably hard. And we were supposed to go downtown to see 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. But luckily it slowed down and we made it ok.

We had this great meal and saw the show and had such a good time, or at least I did. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has always been one of my favorite movies since I was a little kid. Leah and I would pretend to be dancing in our "underwear" tossing the bouquet to one another. Plus I really enjoy going to the theater. It is so exhilarating. I love it!



Then on Sunday, after church of course, we went up to Brenham to see the bluebonnets. They weren't totally out yet, but it was a pretty day and there were several patches of them all around. One of my favorite times of year is spring. Driving home from Abilene I always got to see them bloom. And all the cows had little babies! They were too cute.

And that was Spring Break!

SB Part Dos

Part 2- Family, Shopping, Kayaking!

Well Monday after a night of rain, Leah, Michael and I went into town for a day o' shopping. Really I came in to check on the kitties, they were fine. And Leah came in for a shopping day. So we went to the Galleria. It was fun and I didn't buy anything.


Tuesday my family from Ft. Worth/Illinois came down for a little impromptu celebration. We made fajitas, and homemade icecream. It was good to see everyone and just have a fun relaxing time at the beach... at least for one night.

Yes you see what you see! Michael went kayaking in the canal that the little beach house sits on. I would have never done it, just because the getting in and out was a little teeter tottery. eeek. Plus we had some trouble locating the oar, so he started off rowing with his hands, then a plastic shovel, and then we found the oar. Just look at him GO!

Also my dad caught two crabs. And there was talk of eating them but I made the decision to let them go. And they were set free to live their lives in peace. It was nice to be able to spend time with the family. I had such a nice Tuesday Night.


Stay tuned for the last installment of my spring break rundown!