Holiday Time in Texas

Thursday 12/16-Sunday 12/26: San Antonio & Austin

I spent an extended time in Texas for the holiday this year, leaving Sac on the afternoon of Thursday 12/16 in order to have an extra weekend with family. Friday was a day off to spend with Mom to get some tasks and chores done, and then dinner with J and crew at their house, where I was staying. 

We headed off in two cars on Saturday 12/18 for an overnight trip to San Antonio to enjoy the holiday festivities. I picked up Mom at her place, and we met up with the rest of the family at the the Riverwalk Plaza Hotel. We had booked two suites, so Mom and I could share one, and J and the boys had their own space one floor directly above us (we waved to each other from the balconies!). 

Unfortunately, the forecast was incorrect about rain stopping by noon, so we had to figure out some alternate plans for lunch and activities, especially since our rooms weren't ready yet. We waited for a bit in the large lobby area near the over-sized games and grabbed drinks at the little cafe as we explored our options. We decided on a trip to the Sea Life Aquarium nearby, thinking we could get lunch at the restaurant there. However, J had actually called the aquarium in Houston by mistake when inquiring about dining options. Oops! Luckily, there was a small food court at the mall that provided adequate offerings for everyone.

The aquarium itself was somewhat small but still fun and not too crowded. Once we completed our tour, we procured some treats at It's Sugar in the food court before returning to the hotel, where we were able to get into our rooms to unpack. Then we set off on foot to explore the Riverwalk path, with The Alamo as our destination. J had reserved tickets to go inside the church at the site, and luckily we could still get access even though our ticket time was earlier in the day. We had just enough time to explore the historic site and get some souvenirs before the gift shop closed!

Our next appointment was at 6pm for Christmas caroling on a decorated river boat that we had all to ourselves. Since we were a bit early, J and I made a stop at Zushi Sushi for to-go adult beverages to take with us. The tour along the river was a blast, especially once we entered the area with more shops and restaurants and people, many of whom took pictures or waved as our brightly-lit boat passed by. So fun! Due to the high winds, our driver had a slight mishap under one bridge, causing a ball decoration to get sheared off the column at the front of the boat. C spotted the ball stuck behind the boat, and B was able to rescue it and return it to the driver, who placed it back on the column as if nothing had happened!

We hadn't made any dinner plans so ended up hanging out in the hotel lobby by the big magnetic Scrabble board, which was host to an awesome game:

B took care of ordering to-go food from the hotel restaurant, and the staff brought everything out to the lobby for us, which was quite considerate. J was able to get M to sleep in his carriage so was able to be part of the group as well.

On Sunday morning, J and crew had to leave early to get back to Austin in time for the holiday pageant at church. Mom and I didn't have any particular schedule, so I got breakfast for us at Starbucks before we went to the San Antonio Museum of Art, where my Crocker membership gave us access to free tickets. The building is the former Lone Star Brewery, so even the structure itself is quite interesting! We had a lovely time exploring almost all of the exhibits and made a few purchases at the gift shop before we departed for the return drive to Austin.

J, B, and I worked from their house for most of the week, with Mr. E joining us on Wednesday 12/22. We all did our own thing during the day but were able to meet up for dinner in the evening. Monday was a tofu and veggie stir fry (me), Wednesday was DIY pizza with store-bought crust (me), Thursday was a dinner party with chicken Marsala, fish tacos, sesame soy green beans, and Texas-style baked beans (Mr. E), and Friday was our usual Christmas Eve offering of a standing rib roast, salmon, shrimp cocktail, green veggies (asparagus and broccolini this year) and roast potatoes (Mr. E). Mom stayed over at the house on Christmas Eve and Christmas night so that the whole family could be together for the holiday.

We had a leisurely Christmas morning, with cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then the gifts opening. The weather had gotten much warmer, so J and B heated up the pool and we were able to enjoy some swimming and hot tub time in the afternoon. Also a nice walk to the amenity center with the dogs for some outdoor play. Other time was spent reading and playing games, including my teaching C how to play cribbage and Mr. E defeating C in Othello!

Mr. E's flight was a bit earlier than mine on Sunday 12/26, so I dropped him off at the airport and then had a little more time to spend at the house. J and M took me to the airport in the early afternoon, and then Caly welcomed Mr. E and me home with some vociferous meowing and aggressive snuggling. Happy Holidays!