San Antonio

Last year, our three younger boys participated in the Junior Olympics held in Albuquerque. At that event, they advertised the venue for the following year, San Antonio, which would include tickets to Sea World! They have looked forward to it ever since.

 

Fast forward one year, and the boys have been working hard with their running club, the Amarillo Striders to prepare for this big race. A wonderful bonus was Grandma Ross agreeing to fly out from Salt Lake to spend the long weekend with us!

The boys in their team gear

On our way into Sea World for the traditional pasta dinner

It was a little chilly and misty strolling through the park which was all decorated for Christmas.

Checking out the course the day before the race

We really wanted to see as much as we could while we were in San Antonio. One of the things that the boys wanted to try was a pizza place called Dough. It was great gourmet pizza, and the best part was the dough each kid got to throw for themselves. It was then fired in a woodburning brick oven. Delicious!

The day of the race arrived, and we had a kid running every hour from youngest to oldest. The number of kids was a lot bigger than the previous year, over 400 in each race! It was crazy! All three of our boys ended up right in the middle of the pack. We were so proud of them!

 

After the racing excitement, we decided to head to Sea World. This still seems strange to me that San Antonio even has a Sea World as they are so far inland (look at a map!). We trekked all over the park looking at the exhibits and taking pictures.

Late in the day, we decided to hit the famed Shamu show. Many years before, we had gone to Sea World when the boys were pretty young. Drake was the only one who really remembered (especially being soaked with Grandpa Martin during the dolphin show). On that trip, we didn't get to see Shamu since she had given birth just one day before our arrival. All we got to see was her swimming laps with her baby. Bummer! So this time around, we were pumped. We got to the arena, got our seats and settled in with anticipation of the spectacle. And then, the announcement....

The trainers were so excited and pleased to announce that for only the 29th time in all of Sea World history, Shamu had given birth to a beautiful baby just days ago! WHAT?!!! You have got to be kidding me! They gave us a bunch of interesting stats, pointed out the mom and calf circling the pool, fed Shamu some fish, and that was IT! I couldn't believe it. What luck. (*sigh*) At least there were plenty of other things to see.

 

On our last day in San Antonio, we went to visit downtown including the Alamo and the River Walk. The kids were all super anxious to get to the Alamo. I think they looked forward to it even more than Sea World. Their history teachers must be doing something right! It was actually pretty cool!

 



Anyone you ask about sights to see in San Antonio always mentions the River Walk. You have to go there! I was reserving judgment as I tend to do when people hype something a bunch. It was actually super cool and far more beautiful than I anticipated. Grandma even sprang for a boat tour. It was awesome.

 



After playing tourist, we had one last lunch stop before we had to take Grandma to the airport. A friend of mine had suggested we seek out Lulu's bakery at some point for a colossal 3 lb. cinnamon roll. They were also famous for their chicken fried steak. How could we pass that up? We found the little hole in the wall and we were not disappointed! Pure heaven!

With full bellies and happy hearts, we whisked grandma off to the airport and winged our way home to Amarillo. What a wonderful time we had! Thanks, San Antonio!

Thanksgiving "Break"

The Junior Olympics preparation put a major crimp in any travel plans we may have had for Thanksgiving this year. In order to participate in the nationals in December, our boys would have to run qualifiers in November. On the good side of that, they were close to home. On the bad side, we would be at home with too much free time on our hands. I think I have mentioned before the issues I have with taking on too many things from time to time.

 

Behold the builder's grade oak cabinets of our bathroom. Sturdy. Roomy. Certainly sufficient for our needs. Not the most attractive things you have ever seen, but functional. (Sorry if the pictures are sub-standard. Photography is not one of my hobbies. You get the idea at least.)

 

 

Feast your eyes on the still functional, yet even less attractive tub and shower. I know the shower is bordering on gross. I swear the stupid white tile no longer gets white anymore. Furthermore, the shower photo is even less revealing because of the small cave-like configuration. Anyone sense where this is going?

 

Let me digress and just tell you how much I enjoy Pinterest. If you are not on Pinterest, avoid it if you can. It can be addictive. It sucks your time. You may experience feeling of inadequacy from time to time. And it may lead to renovations you really don't have the time or money for!

 

That said...

 

Staining of cabinets commenced. Tile was busted out. Walls came down. The ceiling went up. All kinds of chaos ensued.

After much blood, sweat and maybe even some tears, I give you the new and improved master bathroom.....

 

 

 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I literally give thanks for my wonderful husband every single day! He is such a hard worker and such a talented man. Thanks, Theo for putting up with my remodeling schemes.





A Love/Hate Haul-a-day

Halloween and I have a love/hate relationship. I love candy way too much, and I hate that I can't stop myself from eating it if it is in my house! I love seeing my kids dress up in their costumes, yet I hate it when they change their minds about what they are going to be approximately 386 times before the big day. I love the idea of jack-o-lanterns glowing on the front porch, still I hate the mess they make when we carve them. I love all the cute little kids that come to our door, alas I hate that my kids are almost too big anymore to be anything more than candy junkies looking for a fix.

This is our boys with the more than 5lb. haul Bowen and Rex brought home!

Theo, reliving his hair glory days in the Target costume section

Pumpkin carving with power tools, yeah that's how we roll!

Apparently the urge to do bunny ears in any given photo is genetic (Allen Martin).

 

I love Halloween, and I hate that it is a whole year away until we get to do it all again!

Rockin the Climb

I am currently serving in the Amarillo 1st Ward as the Young Women's president. We have an awesome group of girls that are fun, brave, thoughtful and adventurous. I am so lucky to work with them, especially since I don't get much female interaction at home!

On the first Wednesday of the month, we have a combined activity with the Young Men. In October, the Deacons (12-13 year old boys) were in charge, and they decided we should do some rock climbing. Lucky for us, one of the leaders on the boys' side is an experienced climber, and taught the kids everything they needed to know to have a safe and enjoyable time.

What impressed me the most about these young men and women was their willingness to try. I know that not all of them would choose rock climbing as a way to spend an evening. That said, every single young man and woman gave it their best effort. They all tried it. And they were all successful in their own right. As they trusted the equipment, their training, their leaders and most of all each other, they rocked it!

This is such a great metaphor for their lives. We talked about that with them. I am thankful that my boys have the chance to participate in these great activities with these exceptional people!