As probably every already knows, Dan and I were able to go to Texas during my year end vacation to visit my sister's family. It was my Dad's gift to pay for us to go, and we had a great time. I honestly wish we could've stayed longer. I miss having so much time with my family. I love being on the go and seeing my nieces and nephews. Plus, I got some good time in with my parents and sisters.
We got to Texas on Dec. 26th and opened gifts with my sister's family. Afterwards Dan and I needed some quiet time so we went out on a date to Outback. I ate like a horse, but it was fantastic to have a good meal after the 18hr drive. We went to bed at 7pm and slept until 10. We were exhausted!!
The next day we took a trip to downtown San Antonio and got to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. The Alamo was definately on my bucket list, but I didn't plan on ever being there to see it. So, it was really neat to see the history and layout of the buildings. The riverwalk was gorgeous. We went on a boat tour around and learned about the buildings. We left thinking we would be able go to back one night to see all the lights, and check out a restaurant and a bar, but we didn't have the energy or time. Downtown San Antonio is really nice. Its fairly clean, everything is in walking distance, and there's a lot of history.
Tuesday was my niece's baptism. I got to start the day off with a little shopping with my mom and sisters while Dan went to the gym. I found some really good deals at Target. It felt good to have some girl time, and I always love to shop. Afterwards, we got ready for the baptism, followed by dinner at CiCi's Pizza. Definitely not the best pizza in the world, but its a good deal for a group. They must tailor their pizzas to kids, because I don't know many adults who would go for mac and cheese pizza. Blah.
Wednesday was our last full day there and we got to go to a Wildlife Park. You drive around the park in your car and you get to feed the animals. It was so much fun. A majority of the animals would eat out of your hand, and a few would even stick their heads in the cars to get the food!
My favorite animals were the zebra and bison. The zebra are just like horses, just much prettier. And the bison have such long tongues, and are very gentle. Dan's favorite were the Texas Longhorns. Their breath smelled like rotten spinach and made me gag. But, they are massive. I couldn't believe how big their horns are. The weirdest part was for lunch there, I ordered a grilled chicken salad, and they gave me chicken salad (like with the mayo and grapes) on top of a house salad with honey mustard. Texans really don't know what health food is. We did go to an awesome Mexican restaurant that night. I ate so much I was stuffed! They had borracho beans, which is my new favorite mexican dish. I can't wait to try and make it. They cook pinto beans in beer, and add in bacon, onion, and tomatoes. Yum!
Dan and I ended our trip by spending Wednesday night in Austin with his old college roommate. We had such a great time hanging out. It felt like we were back in college. I wish we could've stayed a couple nights in Austin to get to see the city and spend more time with his friends.
I must admit that I learned a lot about Texas while I was there. There was so much diversity, and no, not just Latinos. There were so many types of restaurants there. Anything you could want to eat, they have. Texans also love their IHOP. Every 3rd billboard was an American Flag with nothing written. There were several Obama is a socialist billboards. But, everything is Texas branded. Texans are very proud to be from Texas, and its neat to see. Not many people are proud to be from Indiana. It was funny to see a church commercial relating feeling lost in life to missing a deer hunting. LOL. Oh, Texans also don't have an accent that I noticed. However, the people in Arkansas do.
Overall, we had a great time and are so excited to go back, but next time we are going to fly! It is not worth the time it takes to drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment