Hello, hello everyone! So the last few days have been pretty eventful. I had my second interview on Friday with Boulder Legacy Apartments and it went very well. By mid afternoon (in the middle of a yummy, cheap and healthy lunch) I got a phone call and my offer letter. The money isn't amazing, but it is a little bit more than I expected and right around what I was hoping. There is decent bonus (commission) opportunity. The team seems pretty relaxed and cool. Benefits start pretty quickly and the company is big enough where there is room to grow and possibilities of relocation. Oh, and if i need an apartment I can get 20% off.
They made me go for a drug test yesterday. Instead of being like most regular employers and just having me pee in a cup, they made me do a hair sample one! Ridiculous the guy made at least 8-10 small cuts right at the root of the hairs in a couple different lines of hair. I have all these random little fuzzy parts when i rub my head which make me very sad. I went to go get my eyebrows done so that I could feel less upset about the previous hair removal process that occurred that day lol.
Will got his offer officially yesterday and he is off to Sacramento for four months as of April 1. I will eventually take over Grayce's room and stick around till their lease is up in July to help with Grayce and hang out with Jess and all that good stuff. I think Jess and I are going to try a gluten free diet so that should be interesting. Of course as I look at most of the gluten-free stuff a lot of it has soy... so I have to make a lot of stuff for myself and just eat very basically... which is fine because I have done that before, and I have learned a little bit about working with other carb options.
Cool thing is Jess' brother is coming next week (we still haven't figured out exactly where we are all fitting haha) but he is very into foods and has a lot of good tips and recipes that I cannot wait to hear about. I need to do some serious grocery shopping and menu planning for when work starts.
I have my membership to the Y and I am determined to start going more even if it is just 30 minutes a day (including weekends) .. just have to get myself into the habit. Also, now that I am starting to feel slightly settled I want to start exploring more of the surrounding areas and get some hiking in. I am hoping I can make some time to go up and see Joe soon!
I am still looking for third jobs (as I have a full time job, and am still doing work for Taft)...because I really need to do some serious catch-up on bills. Ideally, I would like to not end up in a restaurant. I worked one night at Empire before I got this offer and oh man was I hurting. I know it is something I could get back used to, I just do not know if it is something I want to get used to. I did have fun at Empire during my "working interview" but I need something secure and with benefits and the hours just do not mash up well at all. I have an interview today with Under the Sun, which is super close to the apartment complex and its open later so that might work out a little better. But I am going to try and find some other types of places that are open late as well that I might be able to work at.
On a down side I think I have a sinus infection, and the guy at Compass has no idea if i need new cards or not in order to go to the doctor... soo annoying!! Hoping I can talk with someone else today... we shall see...
And on an awesome note: The Attic... the first bar I stopped at when I got to Boulder is definitely my new Monday night hang out. I met a bunch of really cool people last night. Played a bunch of pool. Started to learn how to please fooseball and drank and ate for very cheap! Who could want more than that. Awesome little place... even if it is a packers bar haha :-)
Chow!
*Star*
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Making Progress
Last check in I was being productive and getting things done. And honestly, that has continued on throughout the weekend and the rest of the week.
We hit up the gym on Friday and hung for the night watching tv and applying like a maniac to a whole bunch of positions. I emailed the CATS gym out here about hopefully working for them, and discovered they have an adult open gym Monday-Thursday from 8-10pm for only $5!! I was ecstatic.
Saturday started Grayce's sickness, which kind of slowed down the weekend. Saturday night, based on Grayce's insistence to get out of the house we went to Oskar Blues Brewery for dinner. This place is cool! There was a kick-ass chick band playing upstairs that we could bee-bop along to while we were eating. I have some delicious beer can chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli and a pretty kick ass beer sampler. When we got back home I chatted with Jason, who happened to be home for the week. We met up and went out for some drinks. We checked out the dive bar that Pete had mentioned earlier in the week - Sundown Saloon and after a pitcher headed to another bar, which I cannot remember, but there were some cool people in there and it had a downstairs bar and two bars upstairs.
Sunday was great to sleep in nice and late. Jess and I had intentions of going to a yoga class, but that so did not happen. Sunday night I headed out to the Kitchen Next Door with Pete, LJ, and their friend... Jimmy... I think... bagh my brain is awful sometimes! Apparently, they have half off pitchers on Sundays and live music. I liked it, but it was a bit loud to try and have conversation over in such a small space. It seems like this might be a weekly thing, which would be awesome, but I will definitely have to eat before I go... minus the kale chips, those things are off the hook!
Monday, Grayce and I hung out while Jess worked and Will had an interview. I set up interviews for myself on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was at the other restaurant that Jess' boss owns in the next town over. Wednesday, was at a apartment complex for a leasing consultant position. That felt good to have stuff set up. I went to go see a sublet room in North Boulder which was nice. The people are a older (have kids in their early 40's), but seem very nice and we had great conversation. The house is really nice, with lots of light and positive vibes. And Monday night I got to go to Open Gym for a couple hours, which was fun and exhausting! There were these awesome partner acrobatic people practicing and now I really want to go try it. There was this one pair that was absolutely mesmerizing. They apparently teach a class on Thursday nights that I soo want to check out while I still can!
Tuesday was mostly a lazy day. My interview at the Empire went well. I have a working interview on Friday, where I will basically just shadow one of the servers and see if I can keep up... which I do not forsee not being able to. The only problem is it has very specific hours. Its nice should it be my only job because its Tue-Thur and Sundays 4-9pm and Fri and Sat 4-10. So Nice early hours, which is such a nice change of pace in restaurants! However, it might be tough to have a regular full time position and maintain a position there because most jobs I won't be out in time to get there for a proper shift... but we shall see! Last night Will, Jess and I settled down by cracking open my commemorative bottle of JD and Will made us some delicious drinks (Jess got will this great ice cube thing that makes circle ice cubes! its awesome!!). We talked a little bit about what our plan is because I had to call back the people from the house. The sublet is till the end of May, but I told them I could only definitely agree till the end of April. Will is most probably going to have to go to Cali for some job training and then I would just move in with Jess.
Today I got up and went to my interview, which went very well. I should know on Friday,. They offer benefits after 30 days, which is soo seriously needed. They have properties in at least 5 other states, and she said they regularly high from within, so even starting at a lower level to work my way back up. The money isn't great, but there is a $50 bonus for every lease you get, which would be helpful. I am trying to find ambition for go to the gym... hopefully I will get off my butt later today. For now I think I will take a nap and then do some more job searching :-)
Till next time
*Star*
We hit up the gym on Friday and hung for the night watching tv and applying like a maniac to a whole bunch of positions. I emailed the CATS gym out here about hopefully working for them, and discovered they have an adult open gym Monday-Thursday from 8-10pm for only $5!! I was ecstatic.
Saturday started Grayce's sickness, which kind of slowed down the weekend. Saturday night, based on Grayce's insistence to get out of the house we went to Oskar Blues Brewery for dinner. This place is cool! There was a kick-ass chick band playing upstairs that we could bee-bop along to while we were eating. I have some delicious beer can chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli and a pretty kick ass beer sampler. When we got back home I chatted with Jason, who happened to be home for the week. We met up and went out for some drinks. We checked out the dive bar that Pete had mentioned earlier in the week - Sundown Saloon and after a pitcher headed to another bar, which I cannot remember, but there were some cool people in there and it had a downstairs bar and two bars upstairs.
Sunday was great to sleep in nice and late. Jess and I had intentions of going to a yoga class, but that so did not happen. Sunday night I headed out to the Kitchen Next Door with Pete, LJ, and their friend... Jimmy... I think... bagh my brain is awful sometimes! Apparently, they have half off pitchers on Sundays and live music. I liked it, but it was a bit loud to try and have conversation over in such a small space. It seems like this might be a weekly thing, which would be awesome, but I will definitely have to eat before I go... minus the kale chips, those things are off the hook!
Monday, Grayce and I hung out while Jess worked and Will had an interview. I set up interviews for myself on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was at the other restaurant that Jess' boss owns in the next town over. Wednesday, was at a apartment complex for a leasing consultant position. That felt good to have stuff set up. I went to go see a sublet room in North Boulder which was nice. The people are a older (have kids in their early 40's), but seem very nice and we had great conversation. The house is really nice, with lots of light and positive vibes. And Monday night I got to go to Open Gym for a couple hours, which was fun and exhausting! There were these awesome partner acrobatic people practicing and now I really want to go try it. There was this one pair that was absolutely mesmerizing. They apparently teach a class on Thursday nights that I soo want to check out while I still can!
Tuesday was mostly a lazy day. My interview at the Empire went well. I have a working interview on Friday, where I will basically just shadow one of the servers and see if I can keep up... which I do not forsee not being able to. The only problem is it has very specific hours. Its nice should it be my only job because its Tue-Thur and Sundays 4-9pm and Fri and Sat 4-10. So Nice early hours, which is such a nice change of pace in restaurants! However, it might be tough to have a regular full time position and maintain a position there because most jobs I won't be out in time to get there for a proper shift... but we shall see! Last night Will, Jess and I settled down by cracking open my commemorative bottle of JD and Will made us some delicious drinks (Jess got will this great ice cube thing that makes circle ice cubes! its awesome!!). We talked a little bit about what our plan is because I had to call back the people from the house. The sublet is till the end of May, but I told them I could only definitely agree till the end of April. Will is most probably going to have to go to Cali for some job training and then I would just move in with Jess.
Today I got up and went to my interview, which went very well. I should know on Friday,. They offer benefits after 30 days, which is soo seriously needed. They have properties in at least 5 other states, and she said they regularly high from within, so even starting at a lower level to work my way back up. The money isn't great, but there is a $50 bonus for every lease you get, which would be helpful. I am trying to find ambition for go to the gym... hopefully I will get off my butt later today. For now I think I will take a nap and then do some more job searching :-)
Till next time
*Star*
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The End of One Journey Commences Another
Monday was a long day of driving!!
Up nice and early, I got on the road right away. I had hopes of a delicious breakfast but instead I ended up with a cup of cereal at a rest stop so I could stop and get some Taft work done. I was in a bunch of pain on Monday so it was definitely a slow going day. I did make it to Kansas before lunch time. The wind was crazy, the flatness was starting to get to me and my truck was getting really shitty gas mileage. Worse of all... There were places with snow still left on the ground! It was official, I was headed back into cold weather and the warmth of Texas was behind me. Now thankfully I am a pretty smart girl and figured the temperature amongst some other factors had messed with my tire pressure and that was probably what was killing my gas mileage.
When was finally hungry enough to eat the one real restaurant in the area I got off had a mediocre menu at best so I sadly just opted for Sonic instead. I knew staying with Jess was going to be a kick in the butt toward getting into some better eating habits (which I def need and was looking forward to), so I figured I mind-as-well fill up on some junk before I got there. Plus the other time I went to Sonic this trip I forgot to order tots and those are so one of the best parts of Sonic!
I was very delighted to finally see some hills in Kansas and then that was instantly turned around I hit a bit of a storm. It wasn't too bad, and I really have no reason to complain since the rest of this trip has really been smooth sailing. Once I crossed into Colorado I started to make the rounds of phones calls, informing everyone that I had more or less finally completed phase one of this crazy journey. It was so nice to talk with my grandparents and my close friends. I am really going to try and set up a time each week to talk with the important people in my life -- hopefully once a week, but minimally once a month on a video chat or something of the sort. (Hint people! Start scheduling your time now!)
The rest of the drive was mostly smooth sailing; little snow issues here and there in Colorado, and a small notion of traffic heading through Denver. But I made it!! I got to Boulder and I was starving! For whatever reason I was craving pasta. I started Yelping stuff and ended up at this place called the Attic. Sounded my style and sure enough it ended up being pretty cool. Fooseball table, games, somewhat on the smaller side, with a half way decent beer selection for its size. Of course, of all the bars in Boulder the first bar I go into is a Packer's bar (Matt's team)... but it was a good time. The Mac N' Cheese, that being said was phenomenal! Wisconsin cheese for the win! I met a cool guy who was also a Boston transplant who was saying how he has tried to leave since being home and no matter where else he goes, he always comes back. The bartender Marco was very nice set me up with an application and even told me about another bar that typically highs a lot around this time.
I ended up meeting up with Jess and Will at the end of their date night for a couple drinks to celebrate my arrival! After a much needed good nights sleep Jess, Will and Grayce intro-ed me to Boulder in only what I can say is probably the best Boulder welcome. We juiced for breakfast - Jess made a cleansing juice. Jess then led a yoga class at their friend Casey's house for us. From there we were off to the Y to hit the gym, pool and hot tub! Some how 2 of the 3 times I have been to CO my friends have managed to make me incredibly more active than I have been in a long while basically as soon as I get here haha! When I came to see Joe he had me run the steps at Red Rocks!
Wednesday started off with more juice, I skipped the gym to get some work done and find a bank since I finally got my debit card back! WOOHOO! What a sense of relief having access to cash again. I explored a little bit getting some gluten free breads to try and a yummy hot chocolate at two different little places. When I got back Jess and Will brought me over to Jenny's house for an AMAZING hour and a half massage! OO boy did I need that. I had been hurting for days and the 11 hours in the car Monday truly did not help it! I grabbed a Brie and Apple Turkey sandwich on the way to pick up Grayce from school -- it was yummy but way over priced.
Wednesday night I learned just how close my friend Pete from Boston and his girlfriend LJ really live to Jess and Will -- it is literally about four houses on the opposite side of the road. Crazy small world! Well the three of us met up for Burgers at Rubens - HOLY COW haha quite honestly. This burger was delicious! Served on a pretzel roll, I got one with celery, blue cheese crumbles and dressing, cucumbers, and buffalo sauce! AWESOME! and the beet salad was pretty great too. The beer list was more than up to par with something for basically everyone's tastes. Pete and I then headed out to the Mountain Sun, which as Pete explained is very Red Bones-ish, and I totally dug it! I had a Girl Scout Stout there, which was not very Thin Minty as promised, but still decent. One of the greatest part of this evening... we walked! Jess and Will have such an ideal location only about a mile from the middle of downtown. It is definitely going to be hard to top this without completely breaking the bank, I can imagine...
Today was a very productive day; got a lot of work done! Finally sent out post cards, mailed checks to the bank, sent a request to have my health benefits transferred out here, did about 2.5 weeks of laundry, spent a good amount of time at the gym - and set me up as a member so I can go whenever I want, and moved some of my stuff from the car into the house. I also got to meet Jess' manager and owner, and created and sent them out my restaurant resume. Of course I cannot find a copy of an old one anywhere. As if I am not sick enough of resumes! I am currently updating my phone, I accepted money from paypal for my laptop that I sold and I am all set up to start working tomorrow morning first thing and ready to do a conference call. I am stoked!
Now I just need to set up a plan for myself for next week so that I do not allow myself to become a bump on a log. Job search, Taft work, apartment search, etc need to be my full time job. Here is to the next part of the adventure. I will try to keep you with me -- and hopefully this blog will start to change with me - and be less of a play by play and more intuitive and information.
Until then - *Star*
Up nice and early, I got on the road right away. I had hopes of a delicious breakfast but instead I ended up with a cup of cereal at a rest stop so I could stop and get some Taft work done. I was in a bunch of pain on Monday so it was definitely a slow going day. I did make it to Kansas before lunch time. The wind was crazy, the flatness was starting to get to me and my truck was getting really shitty gas mileage. Worse of all... There were places with snow still left on the ground! It was official, I was headed back into cold weather and the warmth of Texas was behind me. Now thankfully I am a pretty smart girl and figured the temperature amongst some other factors had messed with my tire pressure and that was probably what was killing my gas mileage.
When was finally hungry enough to eat the one real restaurant in the area I got off had a mediocre menu at best so I sadly just opted for Sonic instead. I knew staying with Jess was going to be a kick in the butt toward getting into some better eating habits (which I def need and was looking forward to), so I figured I mind-as-well fill up on some junk before I got there. Plus the other time I went to Sonic this trip I forgot to order tots and those are so one of the best parts of Sonic!
I was very delighted to finally see some hills in Kansas and then that was instantly turned around I hit a bit of a storm. It wasn't too bad, and I really have no reason to complain since the rest of this trip has really been smooth sailing. Once I crossed into Colorado I started to make the rounds of phones calls, informing everyone that I had more or less finally completed phase one of this crazy journey. It was so nice to talk with my grandparents and my close friends. I am really going to try and set up a time each week to talk with the important people in my life -- hopefully once a week, but minimally once a month on a video chat or something of the sort. (Hint people! Start scheduling your time now!)
The rest of the drive was mostly smooth sailing; little snow issues here and there in Colorado, and a small notion of traffic heading through Denver. But I made it!! I got to Boulder and I was starving! For whatever reason I was craving pasta. I started Yelping stuff and ended up at this place called the Attic. Sounded my style and sure enough it ended up being pretty cool. Fooseball table, games, somewhat on the smaller side, with a half way decent beer selection for its size. Of course, of all the bars in Boulder the first bar I go into is a Packer's bar (Matt's team)... but it was a good time. The Mac N' Cheese, that being said was phenomenal! Wisconsin cheese for the win! I met a cool guy who was also a Boston transplant who was saying how he has tried to leave since being home and no matter where else he goes, he always comes back. The bartender Marco was very nice set me up with an application and even told me about another bar that typically highs a lot around this time.
I ended up meeting up with Jess and Will at the end of their date night for a couple drinks to celebrate my arrival! After a much needed good nights sleep Jess, Will and Grayce intro-ed me to Boulder in only what I can say is probably the best Boulder welcome. We juiced for breakfast - Jess made a cleansing juice. Jess then led a yoga class at their friend Casey's house for us. From there we were off to the Y to hit the gym, pool and hot tub! Some how 2 of the 3 times I have been to CO my friends have managed to make me incredibly more active than I have been in a long while basically as soon as I get here haha! When I came to see Joe he had me run the steps at Red Rocks!
Wednesday started off with more juice, I skipped the gym to get some work done and find a bank since I finally got my debit card back! WOOHOO! What a sense of relief having access to cash again. I explored a little bit getting some gluten free breads to try and a yummy hot chocolate at two different little places. When I got back Jess and Will brought me over to Jenny's house for an AMAZING hour and a half massage! OO boy did I need that. I had been hurting for days and the 11 hours in the car Monday truly did not help it! I grabbed a Brie and Apple Turkey sandwich on the way to pick up Grayce from school -- it was yummy but way over priced.
Wednesday night I learned just how close my friend Pete from Boston and his girlfriend LJ really live to Jess and Will -- it is literally about four houses on the opposite side of the road. Crazy small world! Well the three of us met up for Burgers at Rubens - HOLY COW haha quite honestly. This burger was delicious! Served on a pretzel roll, I got one with celery, blue cheese crumbles and dressing, cucumbers, and buffalo sauce! AWESOME! and the beet salad was pretty great too. The beer list was more than up to par with something for basically everyone's tastes. Pete and I then headed out to the Mountain Sun, which as Pete explained is very Red Bones-ish, and I totally dug it! I had a Girl Scout Stout there, which was not very Thin Minty as promised, but still decent. One of the greatest part of this evening... we walked! Jess and Will have such an ideal location only about a mile from the middle of downtown. It is definitely going to be hard to top this without completely breaking the bank, I can imagine...
Today was a very productive day; got a lot of work done! Finally sent out post cards, mailed checks to the bank, sent a request to have my health benefits transferred out here, did about 2.5 weeks of laundry, spent a good amount of time at the gym - and set me up as a member so I can go whenever I want, and moved some of my stuff from the car into the house. I also got to meet Jess' manager and owner, and created and sent them out my restaurant resume. Of course I cannot find a copy of an old one anywhere. As if I am not sick enough of resumes! I am currently updating my phone, I accepted money from paypal for my laptop that I sold and I am all set up to start working tomorrow morning first thing and ready to do a conference call. I am stoked!
Now I just need to set up a plan for myself for next week so that I do not allow myself to become a bump on a log. Job search, Taft work, apartment search, etc need to be my full time job. Here is to the next part of the adventure. I will try to keep you with me -- and hopefully this blog will start to change with me - and be less of a play by play and more intuitive and information.
Until then - *Star*
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Oklahoma
Friday morning I got up nice and early with Matt (thankfully not as early as he typically wakes up) and hit the road. The ride wasn't too bad I was very tempted to stop back into Fort Worth to talk with this company that I REALLY want to work for, but I did not have anything prepared and did not want to look ridiculous. But it is ok, I am following them very closely looking for other ways I can be involved and find my in.
I made it to Abby and Ryan's new house sometime mid afternoon. Their new house is beautiful! They had already gotten a bunch of stuff over from the apartment and we went and did another run. That night I met up with Val's Godfather and his wife. What great people. I cannot lie her Godfather was a bit much to handle over the phone earlier that day and week, but once I met him, it all made sense and I definitely softened to. We had a great dinner and even better conversation. Our server was a great sport and it was nice to see that they genuinely were interested in him and his story. As a server I greatly appreciate that.
When I got back Friday night we enjoyed a few drinks and finished unpacking a bunch of the stuff that had been brought over earlier in the day. It is kind of cool that the last two times I have seen Abby and Ryan they have been celebrating big stepping stones in their life - their wedding day and now the purchase and moving into their new house.
Saturday was another moving day and getting things settled. A bunch of people were scheduled to come in and set things up. We hung out at the apartment with the movers, they were all packed up and all unloaded by a little after noon. We had some yummy pizza for lunch and then a fun little trip to Target. I love Target, its so evil haha. Abby had to be all serious with the cable company because they messed up big time. Finally we gave up on waiting for them and headed off to dinner.
We went to this Brewhouse which was pretty cool. We had these fries for an appetizer that were out of this world. They were sweet potato fries with peanut butter sauce, banana chips and bacon!! OMG delicious does not even explain it! A couple beers, some yummy food, I had a pimento cheese burger and some yummy mashed potatoes. Then it was off to the Dueling Piano Bar!! SOOO Much fun! And to think we almost thought about not going in because they guy said there was no seating and there was a cover and we were a little hesitant. We grabbed some seats at the bar, which in my opinion were much better seats anyways. We had a few buckets of beer, which when I saw them we happily reminisced about our cruise a few years ago. I really enjoyed myself. There was a fun OK vs TX duel and then some guy literally spent $160 to NOT hear a Bieber song!! That one cracked me up! At some point they invited two volunteers up to the stage to utilize some poor guy that was heading off to serve our country as a Pole. haha Knowing me I was on that stage pretty quickly and showing off a little bit. The other girl and the guy both had no idea what to think, it was hysterical. I definitely got some way to go's when I went to the bathroom later, it was great! I love that Abby and Ryan are totally accepting of me, did not get embarrassed and totally embraced my craziness! They are great!
Sunday morning I got up and went to church with Abby. If church was like what I attended I would have had no problem going when I was younger. There was a band and singers, there were jokes, and material that was related back to normal every day life. I do not remember seeing one crucifix. While the message was love, trust and believe in God, it was done rather nicely. I actually really enjoyed myself. We stopped for breakfast; I had cinnamon bun french toast that was awesome! After a quick stop home, and a little more dealing with the cable company Abby and I sought out to explore the city and show me around. Our first stop was back downtown. We took a nice little tour on the water taxi... our guide was a little lame but the sights were nice. There is this whole section of GINORMOUS statues of a battle having something to do with OK; you could not really hear the guide talk. Next we walked around a little bit, tried to check out the tallest building in the city, but it was closed. We walked around the botanical garden and the kids park, which was soo much fun!!
Next stop was this divine cupcake and candy shop that Abby had been meaning to go into. And oo boy was it worth the walk!! So many old school candies and the cupcakes!! Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake and Peanut Butter won my heart! I probably tried all of them and not even been made at myself. While we were still in the downtown area we headed over to the Oklahoma City Bomobing Memorial which was done so beautifully. It is crazy to think how long ago that really was. I was surprised at how little I had really retained about it - but then again, I was only about 10 when it happened. They had a whole 4 story museum that you could explore too, but we stuck to the outside memorial. I do not think I could have handled that much emotion that day (I had already cried at church) and it would take hours to go through the whole museum. I did manage some of my best photography while at the memorial, which seemed fitting.
We drove through the stockyards with the intentions of some shopping, but decided to feed our hunger instead. After a nice little lunch we went and got much needed mani and pedis, after all we did work very hard with the move this weekend! Abby cooked her first meal in their new home and we hung out in the Man Cave and watched a movie. I conked out early, I guess it was much needed. Because when I awoke to start the last leg of my journey (a very long one I might add) I was refreshed and ready to rock and roll!
Arriving in Boulder coming later today!
*Star
I made it to Abby and Ryan's new house sometime mid afternoon. Their new house is beautiful! They had already gotten a bunch of stuff over from the apartment and we went and did another run. That night I met up with Val's Godfather and his wife. What great people. I cannot lie her Godfather was a bit much to handle over the phone earlier that day and week, but once I met him, it all made sense and I definitely softened to. We had a great dinner and even better conversation. Our server was a great sport and it was nice to see that they genuinely were interested in him and his story. As a server I greatly appreciate that.
When I got back Friday night we enjoyed a few drinks and finished unpacking a bunch of the stuff that had been brought over earlier in the day. It is kind of cool that the last two times I have seen Abby and Ryan they have been celebrating big stepping stones in their life - their wedding day and now the purchase and moving into their new house.
Saturday was another moving day and getting things settled. A bunch of people were scheduled to come in and set things up. We hung out at the apartment with the movers, they were all packed up and all unloaded by a little after noon. We had some yummy pizza for lunch and then a fun little trip to Target. I love Target, its so evil haha. Abby had to be all serious with the cable company because they messed up big time. Finally we gave up on waiting for them and headed off to dinner.
We went to this Brewhouse which was pretty cool. We had these fries for an appetizer that were out of this world. They were sweet potato fries with peanut butter sauce, banana chips and bacon!! OMG delicious does not even explain it! A couple beers, some yummy food, I had a pimento cheese burger and some yummy mashed potatoes. Then it was off to the Dueling Piano Bar!! SOOO Much fun! And to think we almost thought about not going in because they guy said there was no seating and there was a cover and we were a little hesitant. We grabbed some seats at the bar, which in my opinion were much better seats anyways. We had a few buckets of beer, which when I saw them we happily reminisced about our cruise a few years ago. I really enjoyed myself. There was a fun OK vs TX duel and then some guy literally spent $160 to NOT hear a Bieber song!! That one cracked me up! At some point they invited two volunteers up to the stage to utilize some poor guy that was heading off to serve our country as a Pole. haha Knowing me I was on that stage pretty quickly and showing off a little bit. The other girl and the guy both had no idea what to think, it was hysterical. I definitely got some way to go's when I went to the bathroom later, it was great! I love that Abby and Ryan are totally accepting of me, did not get embarrassed and totally embraced my craziness! They are great!
Sunday morning I got up and went to church with Abby. If church was like what I attended I would have had no problem going when I was younger. There was a band and singers, there were jokes, and material that was related back to normal every day life. I do not remember seeing one crucifix. While the message was love, trust and believe in God, it was done rather nicely. I actually really enjoyed myself. We stopped for breakfast; I had cinnamon bun french toast that was awesome! After a quick stop home, and a little more dealing with the cable company Abby and I sought out to explore the city and show me around. Our first stop was back downtown. We took a nice little tour on the water taxi... our guide was a little lame but the sights were nice. There is this whole section of GINORMOUS statues of a battle having something to do with OK; you could not really hear the guide talk. Next we walked around a little bit, tried to check out the tallest building in the city, but it was closed. We walked around the botanical garden and the kids park, which was soo much fun!!
Next stop was this divine cupcake and candy shop that Abby had been meaning to go into. And oo boy was it worth the walk!! So many old school candies and the cupcakes!! Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake and Peanut Butter won my heart! I probably tried all of them and not even been made at myself. While we were still in the downtown area we headed over to the Oklahoma City Bomobing Memorial which was done so beautifully. It is crazy to think how long ago that really was. I was surprised at how little I had really retained about it - but then again, I was only about 10 when it happened. They had a whole 4 story museum that you could explore too, but we stuck to the outside memorial. I do not think I could have handled that much emotion that day (I had already cried at church) and it would take hours to go through the whole museum. I did manage some of my best photography while at the memorial, which seemed fitting.
We drove through the stockyards with the intentions of some shopping, but decided to feed our hunger instead. After a nice little lunch we went and got much needed mani and pedis, after all we did work very hard with the move this weekend! Abby cooked her first meal in their new home and we hung out in the Man Cave and watched a movie. I conked out early, I guess it was much needed. Because when I awoke to start the last leg of my journey (a very long one I might add) I was refreshed and ready to rock and roll!
Arriving in Boulder coming later today!
*Star
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Austin
Thursday was my good bye to Amber, Jimmy, and Brynn. I headed off toward Austin. First, I headed to Magnolia Cafe. Oh man was that outstanding. The people were very friendly, although my waitress was a little behind. I had portabello fajita which were amazing!! I know more veggies... the mushrooms just get me! Plus their tea was off the hook; yea I said it.
After I was nice and full, I went to check out Zilker Park. I stopped into their Splash section and learned all about the water flow and how it gets trapped in the ground and a bunch of other sciencey stuff. There was a nice park, and they even had a disc golf course! I was super sad that my discs were buried in the car, although when I really looked at the course it did not seem that challenging, so I guess it is not a big loss.
Next up was finding parking, doing a quick change, and then walking around Austin. I rechecked out 6th street (old side) and found this cool store and bought some more post cards. They had some fun stuff in there. I went to go see the beautiful capital building up close and personal. By then I recognized just how shiny my shirt was and figured I would head toward Buffalo Exchange (a second hand shop) just beyond the edge of the map that the lady in the fun shop gave me. It was a long fun walk, but man did it feel good. I haven't walked this much since I have been in Boston. By the time I found something comfortable (a small man's button up) it was getting late and I knew Matt would be coming to meet me. What a guy; driving two hours after working all day to take me out to dinner.
I hiked it back to my car... which boy was it a hike! I got back to my truck and freshened up and then went to find a bar. To my great surprise there happened to be another Library in the old part of 6th street and that is where I ended up. I had a few drinks while I was waiting for Matt, who was stuck in traffic and finding a parking spot. We grabbed another drink, I finally let Matt do some talking, because he always lets me such a chatter box. Next up was a steak house, which was funny because there was going to be a wait and our hostess basically told us to stake out a high top table and jump on it once they leave, but please do not steal anyone's seats, haha. Great meal and some good drinks later we head out to another place for our night cap.
I had intentions of staying at a hotel in Austin, except everything that I looked for was well over $200... Matt was so kind as to let me come and crash at his place, which was great because that meant I got to see Garcon again! I can officially say I saw College Station and I that I have been in an HEB. Matt was nice enough to give me some cash for a check, since I still didn't have my debit card, and I was all out of cash. Saying goodbye sucks, almost just as bad as last time. But good times nonetheless.
*Star
After I was nice and full, I went to check out Zilker Park. I stopped into their Splash section and learned all about the water flow and how it gets trapped in the ground and a bunch of other sciencey stuff. There was a nice park, and they even had a disc golf course! I was super sad that my discs were buried in the car, although when I really looked at the course it did not seem that challenging, so I guess it is not a big loss.
Next up was finding parking, doing a quick change, and then walking around Austin. I rechecked out 6th street (old side) and found this cool store and bought some more post cards. They had some fun stuff in there. I went to go see the beautiful capital building up close and personal. By then I recognized just how shiny my shirt was and figured I would head toward Buffalo Exchange (a second hand shop) just beyond the edge of the map that the lady in the fun shop gave me. It was a long fun walk, but man did it feel good. I haven't walked this much since I have been in Boston. By the time I found something comfortable (a small man's button up) it was getting late and I knew Matt would be coming to meet me. What a guy; driving two hours after working all day to take me out to dinner.
I hiked it back to my car... which boy was it a hike! I got back to my truck and freshened up and then went to find a bar. To my great surprise there happened to be another Library in the old part of 6th street and that is where I ended up. I had a few drinks while I was waiting for Matt, who was stuck in traffic and finding a parking spot. We grabbed another drink, I finally let Matt do some talking, because he always lets me such a chatter box. Next up was a steak house, which was funny because there was going to be a wait and our hostess basically told us to stake out a high top table and jump on it once they leave, but please do not steal anyone's seats, haha. Great meal and some good drinks later we head out to another place for our night cap.
I had intentions of staying at a hotel in Austin, except everything that I looked for was well over $200... Matt was so kind as to let me come and crash at his place, which was great because that meant I got to see Garcon again! I can officially say I saw College Station and I that I have been in an HEB. Matt was nice enough to give me some cash for a check, since I still didn't have my debit card, and I was all out of cash. Saying goodbye sucks, almost just as bad as last time. But good times nonetheless.
*Star
Houston
So the next big excitement was chatting with my mom's friend Chris and getting some tips on what to check out in the Houston area. My Uncle Mark lives out in Katy, just outside Houston. He and his wife have a new baby so I definitely wanted to make it out there to visit. So Tuesday morning I headed out to Houston. It was kind of a long drive, but not too bad. I stopped for a yummy sandwich at this little Dixie place, which was super cool because they served me my water in a half sized pitcher.
It was cool to hang out with my uncle. I think the last time him and I did anything just the two of us, he had taken me to a 104 fest concert when I was in high school. Little Mark is too stinking adorable, and a complete flirt already! We had a nice dinner and hung out and watched the baby play around. Wednesday morning I was happy to postpone heading to Austin for a day and heading down a little further south of Houston.
I headed to Kemah Boardwalk, which was nice, but nothing overly amazing. They had a good couple rides, but none of them actually looked like they were open. The mind was crazy!! I went for a little walk around the town and came across this really adorable little store. The owner was very nice and her dog was just as cute as the store.
I had a few good drinks on the boardwalk and then a half dozen oysters, which I was not fun at all because the chick definitely did not know how to shuck oysters and a lost a good chunk of skin in my mouth. I met this really fun talkative older guy at the place I had oysters who kept me company through my little visit.
That was about my excitement for the day. I had to get ready for my last Texas adventure to Austin.
*Star
It was cool to hang out with my uncle. I think the last time him and I did anything just the two of us, he had taken me to a 104 fest concert when I was in high school. Little Mark is too stinking adorable, and a complete flirt already! We had a nice dinner and hung out and watched the baby play around. Wednesday morning I was happy to postpone heading to Austin for a day and heading down a little further south of Houston.
I headed to Kemah Boardwalk, which was nice, but nothing overly amazing. They had a good couple rides, but none of them actually looked like they were open. The mind was crazy!! I went for a little walk around the town and came across this really adorable little store. The owner was very nice and her dog was just as cute as the store.
I had a few good drinks on the boardwalk and then a half dozen oysters, which I was not fun at all because the chick definitely did not know how to shuck oysters and a lost a good chunk of skin in my mouth. I met this really fun talkative older guy at the place I had oysters who kept me company through my little visit.
That was about my excitement for the day. I had to get ready for my last Texas adventure to Austin.
*Star
Weekend With Matt
So Friday went by in kind of a rushed haze, I think we planned a lot and didn't get much accomplished... which was fine because the weekend was sure to make up for it!
Saturday we we up and out of the house at a good hour. Amber, Jimmy, Brynn and I were headed to the Safari and then spelunking in the Caverns. These attractions are in San Marcos (one of my new beloved places) so we had a nice drive up there - I drove my car because Matt would be meeting me up there after we were done with our family style adventures.
First was the Safari! There are two parts to the sarafi the drive through part and then there are caged off sections with different animals like parrots, giraffes, lemurs, etc. Our first stop was to the baby goat and llama area. They were all soo adorable! UNTIL I tried to get a picture of the baby llamas, who were off by themselves. Well my picture taking prompted them to come and check us out, which I was not excited about. I know llamas spit and in general are not the nicest creatures, baby or not, I really did not want anything to do with them. Well, I did not really have a say in the matter because as I was trying to get away one of the llamas decided he had enough of me and spit at my back, not once... BUT TWICE!!! All over the back of my shirt! I definitely jumped, screamed a little, and then immediately started laughing my butt off so hard I was crying. It was easily the grossest, funniest thing that has ever happened to me - and we had only been in the park for about 10 minutes. What a way to start! Thank goodness I had my car with me so I could change my shirt. I washed off as much of the spit I could and left it on my car to dry.
After a quick tour around the other caged animals and having to shield ourselves from watching two giraffes be completely inappropriate we all piled in the truck and set out on the driving portion of the Safari. That was a little slow, but fun. There were some points where there were no animals and that was boring, because you know sometimes I am worse than a 5 year old with my need for instant satisfaction. The Zebras ended up causing a huge ruckus and creating a large line of cars. They were literally sticking their whole heads into peoples cars, a bit out of our comfort zone. We got to feed a bunch of animals. I pissed off an ostrich, unfortunately not enough for him to get up and come to the car though. Haha however, if that would have happened I definitely would have rolled up my window super quick like a big old baby. There was a poor little baby goat hurt on the side of the road, whom I am hoping we helped by letting the front desk know. We ended the Safari by basically dumping the rest of our feed on the donkeys.
After a quick little lunch (I got a souvenir cup, so fancy!) we headed down to the caverns part. I didn't realize they had all sorts of fun extras down there when I had stopped on Thursday, otherwise I might have stayed. There was zip lining and some cool ropes obstacle course, perhaps I will have to go back sometime and give them a try. Spelunking was pretty cool - it was surprisingly very warm in the caves, apparently there is a 99% humidity down there. I took a lot of pictures, visited the Sherwood Forest, and looked at fried eggs.
Matt and Garcon met me at the caverns. I was so excited to see Garcon! And Matt too, I guess haha. Seriously, my second favorite dog ever, only next to Sox. Matt and I jumped in the trucks and he drove me through some nice little town where we dropped off my truck, so we could continue our adventure. I know Matt knows me so well because he showed up with a cooler of beer :-) and even better at least half of it was Sam's; what a great guy!
First thing is first, we headed to this little taco truck, where I easy had one of the most unusual, delicious tacos ever! It was fried portabello, avocado, carrots, and a few other things; sounds a little strange but totally awesome, and it satisfied my craving for veggies. My vegetable intake on this trip has been a little low. After a taco, chips and caso, and a beer, we are back on the road and headed toward Austin. It looks like such a unique little place. So eclectic, and since is was a beautiful day out, alive with all sorts of people. He drove us down one of the main roads looking right up onto the capital, which is absolutely stunning.
The two sides of 6th street are really cool, the old and new. I bet I could have a lot of fun and cause a lot of trouble downtown , if I were given the right amount of time. Matt told me about this building that was designed to look like an owl (a big Texas rival) so that the Long Horns would always have an Owl looking over them, too funny. We had a drink at this roof top bar with some very nice views of the city. And then we went to the Whole Foods headquarters. OMG!! It was soo much fun in there and it went on and on and on! We must have been in there for a good hour! There is a whole walk-in cooler for beer, a cheese section that is out of this world (quite literally, there were a bunch of imported cheeses), a two sided Olive Bar, three separate bar/restaurants, plus other multiple places to get pre-made or made-to-order foods, on top of all of the items for regular purchase. Sooo much different than Whole Foods in Mass or CT.
Then it was time for the real fun to begin, we headed back to the cars and then off to San Antonio to meet up with his brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Lena; both of who I adore. We had a few drinks at their place, then off for the night we went. They introduced me to this weird drink that is basically a light beer topped off with bloody mary mix, very weird, but kind of good. We hung out at this really unique German bar, with a great back area that is kind of attached to a hotel of sorts. We were talking about how its going to be used for weddings and what not. Then Matt and Lena read off the wall some writing, which I remember as being very profound, but I could not tell you what it said now, haha typical. The night ended with more drinking and some tacos which tasted delicious, but were turned into an awful idea lol.
Sunday was a lazy start day as we were all hurting a little bit. I got to snuggle with with garcon which of course made me happy. Matt and I took off around mid afternoon. We dropped my car off in a parking lot and went off to do a little more exploring. I got to see the house Matt grew up in We went into this place, which I must have passed about 2 dozen times and was intrigued about. It turned out to be a bar/convenience store and had some interesting decor. Next we went to the original Rudy's BBQ, which was a big part of Matt's growing up. It was delicious! My tummy was still a little upset, but I pushed through because it was so good. Brisket, BBQ sauce, dill pickle, and onion on white bread which was probably my favorite, that and the creamed corned. Garcon was lucky enough to get some of the turkey, by which I almost lost my fingers! The only area I can tell so far that he isn't completely well behaved haha. Sadly, that is where the fun ended. It was really great to see Matt and Garcon, I missed them soo much.
Saturday we we up and out of the house at a good hour. Amber, Jimmy, Brynn and I were headed to the Safari and then spelunking in the Caverns. These attractions are in San Marcos (one of my new beloved places) so we had a nice drive up there - I drove my car because Matt would be meeting me up there after we were done with our family style adventures.
First was the Safari! There are two parts to the sarafi the drive through part and then there are caged off sections with different animals like parrots, giraffes, lemurs, etc. Our first stop was to the baby goat and llama area. They were all soo adorable! UNTIL I tried to get a picture of the baby llamas, who were off by themselves. Well my picture taking prompted them to come and check us out, which I was not excited about. I know llamas spit and in general are not the nicest creatures, baby or not, I really did not want anything to do with them. Well, I did not really have a say in the matter because as I was trying to get away one of the llamas decided he had enough of me and spit at my back, not once... BUT TWICE!!! All over the back of my shirt! I definitely jumped, screamed a little, and then immediately started laughing my butt off so hard I was crying. It was easily the grossest, funniest thing that has ever happened to me - and we had only been in the park for about 10 minutes. What a way to start! Thank goodness I had my car with me so I could change my shirt. I washed off as much of the spit I could and left it on my car to dry.
After a quick tour around the other caged animals and having to shield ourselves from watching two giraffes be completely inappropriate we all piled in the truck and set out on the driving portion of the Safari. That was a little slow, but fun. There were some points where there were no animals and that was boring, because you know sometimes I am worse than a 5 year old with my need for instant satisfaction. The Zebras ended up causing a huge ruckus and creating a large line of cars. They were literally sticking their whole heads into peoples cars, a bit out of our comfort zone. We got to feed a bunch of animals. I pissed off an ostrich, unfortunately not enough for him to get up and come to the car though. Haha however, if that would have happened I definitely would have rolled up my window super quick like a big old baby. There was a poor little baby goat hurt on the side of the road, whom I am hoping we helped by letting the front desk know. We ended the Safari by basically dumping the rest of our feed on the donkeys.
After a quick little lunch (I got a souvenir cup, so fancy!) we headed down to the caverns part. I didn't realize they had all sorts of fun extras down there when I had stopped on Thursday, otherwise I might have stayed. There was zip lining and some cool ropes obstacle course, perhaps I will have to go back sometime and give them a try. Spelunking was pretty cool - it was surprisingly very warm in the caves, apparently there is a 99% humidity down there. I took a lot of pictures, visited the Sherwood Forest, and looked at fried eggs.
Matt and Garcon met me at the caverns. I was so excited to see Garcon! And Matt too, I guess haha. Seriously, my second favorite dog ever, only next to Sox. Matt and I jumped in the trucks and he drove me through some nice little town where we dropped off my truck, so we could continue our adventure. I know Matt knows me so well because he showed up with a cooler of beer :-) and even better at least half of it was Sam's; what a great guy!
First thing is first, we headed to this little taco truck, where I easy had one of the most unusual, delicious tacos ever! It was fried portabello, avocado, carrots, and a few other things; sounds a little strange but totally awesome, and it satisfied my craving for veggies. My vegetable intake on this trip has been a little low. After a taco, chips and caso, and a beer, we are back on the road and headed toward Austin. It looks like such a unique little place. So eclectic, and since is was a beautiful day out, alive with all sorts of people. He drove us down one of the main roads looking right up onto the capital, which is absolutely stunning.
The two sides of 6th street are really cool, the old and new. I bet I could have a lot of fun and cause a lot of trouble downtown , if I were given the right amount of time. Matt told me about this building that was designed to look like an owl (a big Texas rival) so that the Long Horns would always have an Owl looking over them, too funny. We had a drink at this roof top bar with some very nice views of the city. And then we went to the Whole Foods headquarters. OMG!! It was soo much fun in there and it went on and on and on! We must have been in there for a good hour! There is a whole walk-in cooler for beer, a cheese section that is out of this world (quite literally, there were a bunch of imported cheeses), a two sided Olive Bar, three separate bar/restaurants, plus other multiple places to get pre-made or made-to-order foods, on top of all of the items for regular purchase. Sooo much different than Whole Foods in Mass or CT.
Then it was time for the real fun to begin, we headed back to the cars and then off to San Antonio to meet up with his brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Lena; both of who I adore. We had a few drinks at their place, then off for the night we went. They introduced me to this weird drink that is basically a light beer topped off with bloody mary mix, very weird, but kind of good. We hung out at this really unique German bar, with a great back area that is kind of attached to a hotel of sorts. We were talking about how its going to be used for weddings and what not. Then Matt and Lena read off the wall some writing, which I remember as being very profound, but I could not tell you what it said now, haha typical. The night ended with more drinking and some tacos which tasted delicious, but were turned into an awful idea lol.
Sunday was a lazy start day as we were all hurting a little bit. I got to snuggle with with garcon which of course made me happy. Matt and I took off around mid afternoon. We dropped my car off in a parking lot and went off to do a little more exploring. I got to see the house Matt grew up in We went into this place, which I must have passed about 2 dozen times and was intrigued about. It turned out to be a bar/convenience store and had some interesting decor. Next we went to the original Rudy's BBQ, which was a big part of Matt's growing up. It was delicious! My tummy was still a little upset, but I pushed through because it was so good. Brisket, BBQ sauce, dill pickle, and onion on white bread which was probably my favorite, that and the creamed corned. Garcon was lucky enough to get some of the turkey, by which I almost lost my fingers! The only area I can tell so far that he isn't completely well behaved haha. Sadly, that is where the fun ended. It was really great to see Matt and Garcon, I missed them soo much.
Exploring on My Own
So Thursday, while relaxing was going great, I needed to get out of the house and embrace what this journey is all about -- exploring...
So Thursday morning I got in my car... which I hadn't done since Sunday - what a weird concept. I was going to head north and check out the Hill Country, but I remembered I hadn't seen the River Walk yet, and I knew that would be the touristy thing that I should probably check out.
So farther into San Antonio I went. I was slightly interrupted when the HR lady from my last job finally called me back; poor thing got an ear full! I finally found some street parking which most would probably advise against, but the lots were expensive and wanted me to pay for all day... I only wanted to be there a couple hours - I had grand adventures planned haha.
First up in my travels I stopped at some restaurant with a variety of little trinkets you could purchase and I picked up some post cards, laughed at the guy at the door in complete cowboy gear and continued on my way.
Next up was the Alamo. It was beautiful outside so I enjoyed a little walk around the inside of the Alamo. There were a lot of people (school tours and what not) around so I didn't do too much reading or what not. I got some nice pictures and decided to keep it moving. There was a nice horse carriage driver that gave me directions on how to get to the River Walk. On the way I had to walk through a hotel lobby, which was very pretty with its many waterfalls and flowing water and there was a store with hand blown glass and lights that really blew me away.
The River Walk is nice enough. I was not really looking to stay too long so I walked around for a bit - did not want to do one of the duck tours, I was hungry and they seemed like they might take a long time. However, while walking around I was able to listen in on some of the tours and picked up some fun little fact -- like Selena had a big kiss scene on one of the bridges in the walk. Eventually, after looking around for something that really grabbed my eye for food, I ended up stopping at the one place that advertised their margaritas - which the margarita was definitely the best part of the lunch! A little more walking around, enjoying the sun and I was back to the car and off again.
While traveling on the highway I saw the sign for the caverns so I thought I would stop and check them out... but it was going to be at least 20 minutes, and I figured I could always come back... Besides it was way too nice to spend over and hour and a half underground in some caves! ha I had already started turning a little pink...
Back on the highway I decided to get off when I saw signs for something having to do with water and ended up driving around the Texas State San Marcos campus. IT IS HUGE!! It's so funny how different things are down there. It was a really pretty campus, but the traffic was driving me insane! So I took as many turns as I could in the opposite direction I had just came and ended up on this beautiful drive. I guess I had made it to the hill country, strolling along was great. Thankfully, I even found some sunblock in the car, which was very much over due at that point.
In my driving around signs for a vineyard grabbed my attention and next thing I know I am in this cute looking house with a nice ranch off to the side and pretty fabulous decor. The house made wines were all very sweet wines, which are not my thing, but they offered a nice list of imported wines of the dryer nature that were included options for their tasting. I tried one of the house wines because it just felt wrong not to, and they did not lie... SUPER SWEET. But it was not as bad as I had expected it to be, but I was very happy that is what I started with. I got to try a cab, chard, sav and a sparkling all of which were pretty great. I made sure to keep my tasting card so I could look for some of the ones I enjoyed in the future. I stuck around for a glass, which I greatly enjoyed -- the break from the sun too.
Heading back toward San Antonio I happened across a little Bonsai exhibit, which I had passed early during the day, and decided to stop. It was just about closing time, but the guy was very nice, explained about the trees to me and let me explore a bit. It was interesting enough for me to take a ridiculous amount of pictures... lots based on the names of the trees; some were just plain silly!
Heading back to Amber and Jimmy's that night was what really blew me away... THE SUNSETS!! I love, love, love the Texas sunsets. I have never seen such vibrant colors and the way they change, it is literally a sight to see!
Stay tuned for more - *Star*
So Thursday morning I got in my car... which I hadn't done since Sunday - what a weird concept. I was going to head north and check out the Hill Country, but I remembered I hadn't seen the River Walk yet, and I knew that would be the touristy thing that I should probably check out.
So farther into San Antonio I went. I was slightly interrupted when the HR lady from my last job finally called me back; poor thing got an ear full! I finally found some street parking which most would probably advise against, but the lots were expensive and wanted me to pay for all day... I only wanted to be there a couple hours - I had grand adventures planned haha.
First up in my travels I stopped at some restaurant with a variety of little trinkets you could purchase and I picked up some post cards, laughed at the guy at the door in complete cowboy gear and continued on my way.
Next up was the Alamo. It was beautiful outside so I enjoyed a little walk around the inside of the Alamo. There were a lot of people (school tours and what not) around so I didn't do too much reading or what not. I got some nice pictures and decided to keep it moving. There was a nice horse carriage driver that gave me directions on how to get to the River Walk. On the way I had to walk through a hotel lobby, which was very pretty with its many waterfalls and flowing water and there was a store with hand blown glass and lights that really blew me away.
The River Walk is nice enough. I was not really looking to stay too long so I walked around for a bit - did not want to do one of the duck tours, I was hungry and they seemed like they might take a long time. However, while walking around I was able to listen in on some of the tours and picked up some fun little fact -- like Selena had a big kiss scene on one of the bridges in the walk. Eventually, after looking around for something that really grabbed my eye for food, I ended up stopping at the one place that advertised their margaritas - which the margarita was definitely the best part of the lunch! A little more walking around, enjoying the sun and I was back to the car and off again.
While traveling on the highway I saw the sign for the caverns so I thought I would stop and check them out... but it was going to be at least 20 minutes, and I figured I could always come back... Besides it was way too nice to spend over and hour and a half underground in some caves! ha I had already started turning a little pink...
Back on the highway I decided to get off when I saw signs for something having to do with water and ended up driving around the Texas State San Marcos campus. IT IS HUGE!! It's so funny how different things are down there. It was a really pretty campus, but the traffic was driving me insane! So I took as many turns as I could in the opposite direction I had just came and ended up on this beautiful drive. I guess I had made it to the hill country, strolling along was great. Thankfully, I even found some sunblock in the car, which was very much over due at that point.
In my driving around signs for a vineyard grabbed my attention and next thing I know I am in this cute looking house with a nice ranch off to the side and pretty fabulous decor. The house made wines were all very sweet wines, which are not my thing, but they offered a nice list of imported wines of the dryer nature that were included options for their tasting. I tried one of the house wines because it just felt wrong not to, and they did not lie... SUPER SWEET. But it was not as bad as I had expected it to be, but I was very happy that is what I started with. I got to try a cab, chard, sav and a sparkling all of which were pretty great. I made sure to keep my tasting card so I could look for some of the ones I enjoyed in the future. I stuck around for a glass, which I greatly enjoyed -- the break from the sun too.
Heading back toward San Antonio I happened across a little Bonsai exhibit, which I had passed early during the day, and decided to stop. It was just about closing time, but the guy was very nice, explained about the trees to me and let me explore a bit. It was interesting enough for me to take a ridiculous amount of pictures... lots based on the names of the trees; some were just plain silly!
Heading back to Amber and Jimmy's that night was what really blew me away... THE SUNSETS!! I love, love, love the Texas sunsets. I have never seen such vibrant colors and the way they change, it is literally a sight to see!
Stay tuned for more - *Star*
Getting caught up...
So sorry guys! Looks like I have done it again and kind of fell off the face of the earth... You know I really will not mind if you yell at me and tell me to get my act together... just for future reference.
So here goes trying to get you caught up... I will separate it out into a few posts for your reading pleasure :-)
Last Post was Tuesday, February 19 - I had made it to San Antonio and was enjoying my time hanging out with Amber, Jimmy, and Brynn.
Something I forgot to put in the last post was that Jimmy had off on Monday so it was nice that we all got to hang out my first full day in town. They took me to this cool mexican place where you got to watch them make the tortillas, which was pretty awesome.
The next couple days were nice, getting out for lunch, doing a little shopping, mostly just relaxing and being entertained by Brynn. It was a nice break from driving and all the hectic-ness that comes along with an adventure like this.
I was very productive and managed to do a good deal of marketing work for Taft and then I also applied to a bunch of places and contacted a few staffing agencies in Colorado. So here is to hoping it is a good start...
It was great catching up with Amber and Jimmy is always amusing. There were a couple things that ended up being a bust - I had found a pole studio in town, but they way they are set up I couldn't just join a class without being evaluated, which is smart, but annoying lol. And there was a gymnastics gym not too far away, but I never made it there. Also, I never got to see SeaWorld, so I guess I will have to go back and check that out.
Thursday was a day of self adventuring :-) I will continue on in another post.
So here goes trying to get you caught up... I will separate it out into a few posts for your reading pleasure :-)
Last Post was Tuesday, February 19 - I had made it to San Antonio and was enjoying my time hanging out with Amber, Jimmy, and Brynn.
Something I forgot to put in the last post was that Jimmy had off on Monday so it was nice that we all got to hang out my first full day in town. They took me to this cool mexican place where you got to watch them make the tortillas, which was pretty awesome.
The next couple days were nice, getting out for lunch, doing a little shopping, mostly just relaxing and being entertained by Brynn. It was a nice break from driving and all the hectic-ness that comes along with an adventure like this.
I was very productive and managed to do a good deal of marketing work for Taft and then I also applied to a bunch of places and contacted a few staffing agencies in Colorado. So here is to hoping it is a good start...
It was great catching up with Amber and Jimmy is always amusing. There were a couple things that ended up being a bust - I had found a pole studio in town, but they way they are set up I couldn't just join a class without being evaluated, which is smart, but annoying lol. And there was a gymnastics gym not too far away, but I never made it there. Also, I never got to see SeaWorld, so I guess I will have to go back and check that out.
Thursday was a day of self adventuring :-) I will continue on in another post.
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