Fun in San Antonio

Rebekah's soccer team is playing in a tournament in San Antonio giving us the opportunity to combine a family even with  a fun weekend.  Love these moments.  Once we arrive at Jen's hotel, we are soon off to the games.  Bekah is certainly becoming a great soccer player and it is so fun to watch her.  

Mister is getting as many action shots as he can and learning about soccer all at the same time.  When we first met, he had only watched soccer on television and once you attend a live game it makes everything different.  The things that look oh so easy with the pros actually require a ton of cooperation, timing, and skill in addition to one heck of a lot of running.  I love soccer and this takes me back to when my own children were playing.  Oh my -- days where I watched 3 games at once standing on corners of fields so that I could see all directions.  

One of the fun parts of visiting new places is obviously trying new restaurants.  San Antonio is no exception to this and we locate Papoulis Greek Grill.  Yes, this absolutely tasted as good as it looks.

It is time to find the hotel and crash --- tomorrow is a history day.  See ya then.

Everyone knows that if you are going to San Antonio, you have to check out the Alamo and we are no exception to that rule.  Every time I visit here, I am moved by the story and feel the reverence that lives in this building.  We wander the grounds for awhile and listen in on a few of the tour guides as they make their way around the property.

Our history lesson continues at the San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest, continuously operating church in Texas.  It is 280 years old and is also the oldest original building church in the state as well.  It is a magnificent building and I am astounded by the number of patrons it has.  Each weekend, over 5,000 people participate in the masses held here.  Truly Amazing.

We decide to drive the San Antonio Mission Trail and explore the old missions in the area.  After the Alamo, there are four more very close by.

First up:  Mission Concepcion.  Even though it was dedicated in 1755. it is still a beautiful church and looks very close to how it did back then.  It is the oldest unrestored stone church in  America.




The chapel is beautiful in its simplicity and in various places we can still see the al fresco artwork.

Continuing along the route, we come to Mission San Jose.  Founded in 1720 and almost fully restored, it has the nickname "Queen of the Missions" and rightfully so.  What an amazing place.  It is the largest of the missions and very ornately decorated.  While I prefer simplicity, I understand that many love the ornate designs on the older churches.  Just look at the work around this window.  Oh my.  Think of what it  must have taken just to accomplish that.  It boggles the mind.  One of the walls still shows the original painting that was done on the building.  When the restoration is complete, it will be back to what it was then.  Imagine traveling through this vast area and coming across something this colorful --- some might have thought it was a mirage.

Our fourth mission to explore is Mission San Juan Capistrano, not to be confused with the one in California that the swallows love.  This mission has an interesting history in that it was originally founded in 1716 in east Texas and then in 1731 it was moved here.  Read that again.  It was moved here in 1731.  Wow.  How on earth did they do that?  I am in awe.

Our final stop is at Mission Espada, founded in 1690 and making it the oldest mission in Texas.

Now this one exudes simplicty.  I love it.  It has a very small chapel and the bells still ring to announce meetings.  What a delight.  I try and try to picture what it must have been like back then -- not just the work, but the sociality and genuine working together for the better of all within the walls.
There are still people living here today and so many of the areas are off limits to view.  What a great history to be a part of.

There are a few local microbreweries here and Mister wants to check them out.  First up is Blue Star Brewing located in a group of warehouse buildings.  Their selection is good and Mister is pleased with the taste as well.  Next door is Blue Star Bike Shop, a small cycling shop that we peek into and find amazing old bikes, rentals, and some very expensive racing/road cycles.  I think Mister is drooling.  After dinner, we call it a day.  My mind is reeling from the information poured into it today --- time to let it rest.

This morning we are at the Riverwalk.  We ride the tour boats and then walk along the banks until we reach the old Pearl Brewing Co.  Oh my -- these building are incredible.  Just look at the stable!!!  And you thought the Budweiser Clydesdales had it good.  This was in 1894.   We stop in at The New Pearl for a taste and some lunch before we have to start our drive back to Dallas.  What a fun trip this has been.

One last stop on the way home at Freetail Brewing for a quick sampler and we are on the road.  I can't wait to return to San Antonio.  I love it here -- although it is a very large city -- I know, I know this is coming from a lady who lives in the DFW Metroplex, but that seems small compared to here.  See ya later.

Winter Project and SNOW

What to do -- what to do -- what to do??  Oh --- how about a puzzle?  We spent almost a month working on this killer Christmas gift from Mister's mom.  It literally took up the ENTIRE dining room table.

While we were putting the last few pieces in, guess what it was doing outside?  Yep -- 6 inches of snow.  Wow.

Jared's Sixth Birthday

I absolutely cannot believe how old my grands are getting.  Goodness.  First Raef and now, Jared is 6.  We went down to Temple to play and have fun together on his special day.



I think a snowman birthday in Texas is very appropriate don't you? We got him a bug house so that he can watch the bugs he loves to catch for awhile before letting them loose back into the yard to be hunted and caught again.  I have never met anyone who loves bugs more than Jared does.

It was a fun day and I am so glad that Mister and I got to be a part of it.

Vegas Bound - Raef is 6

Hello desert.  Look at this beautiful sunset that we flew with on our way to Las Vegas.  The colors are absolutely fabulous.

Upon arriving, we immediately went to the condo, settled in, showered and were off to KA at the MGM Grand.  There is not much I can say about the show except -- everyone should see it just to experience the set alone.  Even Mister was impressed with the stage.  All those mechanical brains cells were bursting watching it change and mold to fit the show.  A quick walk around the Strip and we called it a night.

The next morning we were off to see Amanda and family.  We were going to drive to Mt. Charleston for the morning and everyone was going out on the Strip later in the evening.  It was a great drive up to Mt. Charleston and once we arrived, we let the boys get out and play in the snow for a little while before stopping in at the lodge and getting some much needed hot cocoa.  After sitting and visiting for awhile, it was time to head back into town.  (For some reason - which we haven't determined yet -- ALL pictures of that visit are gone -- ugh.)

Our late afternoon plans were to go to the MGM Grand and see The Lion King.  We did a dinner stop at The Rainforest Cafe. The boys were so good and Raef was completely happy just because he got a steak.  I loved it.  After asking for a moment, they posed with the elephant so that I could take a "Gammy" picture.

When we got to the theater, everyone was sitting and relaxing while waiting for the show to start.  When it did -- the animals started coming down the aisles and I will never forget the wide-eyed look of wonder that Ryan gave.  Amanda said that at that moment she was so glad to have been able to see that look -- it was just that special.

We all took an evening stroll on the Strip for a little while before calling it a night.  We were happily off to our condo for a good night's sleep.  The next day was Raef's 6th birthday and my goodness but Amanda and Trent had the most amazing party planned.  Little people just kept arriving -- one after another until I was sure the house would fill up.

She had worked so hard on the volcano cake -- complete with a working volcano.  I bow down to her --- I used to make great cakes, but I cannot even compete with that one.

The party got started and between Amanda and Trent, they kept the little ones busy with one activity after another.  I was amazed at how much planning had gone into this party.



It was all based on dinosaurs and the games went right along with the theme.  I especially loved that Ryan wanted so much to be a part of what the "bigger kids" were doing and did his absolute best to keep up.

After awhile, the party moved outdoors for some "get out the wiggles" games.  Obviously sack races needed to be a part of all the festivities and it turns out that Raef was dang good at it.

Next up was the old classic of "Duck, Duck, Goose" and oh my that took me back.  I loved watching the kids as they tried oh so hard to figure out who would be picked.  Okay -- it was time to feed the gang and what better than pizza?  Well -- pizza with silly glasses of course. How did you not get that question?

And of course, a pinata.  These are great at any age -- one from high school sticks in my  mind as something not to be forgotten.  Raef took such a good swing at it and yep -- success!

Check out how full those hands are of the treats.  Too funny.

Finally --- the main event.  THE VOLCANO!  How cool is this?  Look at that look of sheer delight with his cake.

It was a great party and ended with a fantastic rendition "Tooty Ta" which made me laugh until I almost peed my pants.  This was so fun and we were so glad to have been a part of it.  Amanda and Trent really outdid themselves and were absolutely beat at the end of it.

As we sent them all off to rest, we hit the road and aimed the car towards the southeast.  Our destination was The Hoover Dam.

  When we arrived, it was getting a little late and so we quickly took the tour down into the dam.  Wow.  I could not believe how large the generators were AND how quiet.  The place was pristine and only a few of the generators were working at the time as they are not all required at once.  We were way down in the dam and it was kinda spooky to me --- I mean seriously --- think about it.  Once back outside, we were able to take some great pictures as the light was just leaving us.  The shadow on the dam is for the new bridge bypasses driving over the dam itself.  We still took the road that took us over the actual dam.

And here is that bridge:

And --- the dam from the new bridge:  I loved this stop and learned so much.  I can remember touring other dams before, but this one taught me a great deal.  Maybe because I am older and holding onto each experience that comes my way.

By the time we stopped in Henderson for dinner, it was late arriving back at the condo and we were beat.  Time for bed.

Ah yes -- this day was the one Mister had been looking forward to.  He had made arrangements with The Neon Boneyard for a tour in the morning but first a quick stop at Ethel M Chocolates for a tour and some incredible chocolates.  Oh my -- that really is my weak spot --- a great dark chocolate.  We were able to watch the assembly lines I was fascinated by it all.  Could I possibly make a living out of this?  I am always looking for ideas.

Now, onto the boneyard.

Once we arrived, I knew that this was going to be something that Mister loved.  The tour guide was awesome.  Truly.

Once we got started, I am not sure that Mister heard all the wonderful stories being told because he was so caught up in photographing the many signs that called this place home.  It took me back as well since I could remember seeing many of these during my childhood and our visits to Vegas in addition to the times I was there with my own children as they were growing up.

Ah yes, the Stardust.  Oh my --- that one was iconic.  As we were walking along on the tour, our guide mentions a sign from the Black Jack Motel that has a lumberjack as part of it and I love that, but it is not what fascinates me the most.

As we are walking along the sign, We see the imprint of where the sign was made and who made it.  Oh my --- first of all, it is Billings and secondly --- it says J P Pendergrass.  How bizarre as one of the first customers we had in the business back home had the last name of Pendergrass.  A connection perhaps?  Love it.

As we continued along with the tour --- the stories were amazing and we loved the history that this city has.  They don't hide from it -- rather the opposite -- they embrace it and that is one of the things that makes Las Vegas unique.

It was our last day in Vegas and so we went back to Amanda's to  spend some time with her and the boys before we had to pack up and head out the next day.  We took the boys to a park to play for awhile so that we could visit and have a few minutes together.  Being able to spend time with family at the same time as having a mini-vacation is the absolute best.

I cannot believe how much these moments mean to me.

Ah -- is this not a proper ending?  Absolutely beautiful.  Memories made and things learned -- the epitome of a perfect trip.