Merry Christmas in January

Today the fam gathered to exchange Christmas gifts with the kids. 

 

Interestingly, all four got a hoodie this year. 

We had the traditional lasagna with a salad and homemade bruschetta for dinner. Dinner was delish, but I loved the winter tablescape even more. I’m channeling the winter look in hopes for a snow day or two. I might be in luck Monday. 

Travel to Terlingua

We landed in San Antonio just in time for an early lunch. We had terrific authentic Mexican food at La Fonda. This was not El Chico! 

We ate guacamole, enchiladas, and fajitas under this enormous live oak tree. Perfection!

After six more hours in the rental car, we made it to our house in Terlingua. We drove through a sand storm. We drove through 75 mph wind gusts. We drove past wild burros. We drove through nothing - so desolate even the cattle seemed sad. We drove still dreaming about more lunch. All the way I was thinking, “This place better be like one step away from heaven.” 

Maybe not heaven. But it is peaceful. Did I mention it is desolate? And windy? 

It’s too cold to swim. I had high hopes for soaking in this thing. It is not to be. 

We made our way to the general store to buy water, the water in our house is not potable, and I thought, very briefly, I can drink well water. I lived on it for 20 something years; I lived in Mexico for a summer. And  then I saw a warning sign next to the faucets that said something about sulphur, and I reconsidered my stomach of iron. 

We needed a few food items to go with our water. Few was the optimal word. It was the strangest collection of goods, so much so I almost cried. Then I reminded myself I’m here for adventure and not a culinary experience.  Why didn’t I box up my leftovers today from lunch? The shelves had left over Easter Peeps, bacon, canned beans, cilantro, Oreos, Squirt, art supplies, and garden gear. We picked up breakfast food and burgers. 

We got home in time to watch the sunset. And then I hurried inside. This warning was still fresh on my mind. 

Tomorrow we hike in the canyon and scavenge for food. I hope to see animals - mammals, though, not reptiles. I hope to stay awake long enough to see the stars. 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! 

We woke up to the Easter Bunny’s gifts. I heard she especially enjoyed dropping off a basket for Anna filled with all things girl. 

After church, (the choir was on point today and many times they are not), 

we had a mid-meal (I’m never cooking scalloped potatoes again) with a surprise pop-in visit with my mom and dad! 

I love my house in spring! The fresh flower bouquets. Hand painted eggs from Europe. My boys’ art work that I have kept safe through move after move after move. The dogwood trees in bloom. Warm weather. It’s perfection!

The kids are headed back to school to wrap up the semester. 



And now it’s my spring break! Let the next travel adventures begin! 

Tennessee Tundra

We landed last night in Nashville and it was 50 degrees. On the drive home, the temps fell 15 degrees and it began sleeting. Three hours later, with a car full of groceries, it was 25 degrees and snowing. The streets were slick, and I couldn’t believe I was on the roads in the mess. But we had to have food.

It’s -4 this morning and we have no heat downstairs. And guess whose propane tank is empty. That means we have no working fireplace either. The city is completely shut down. Nobody is going anywhere today. 

Evan, in the coldest room of the house, woke up at 0630 shivering and took refuge in Keagan’s room, the warmest room in the house. He took a shower and said the shampoo came out of the bottle as a solid. He said climbing the stairs to Keagan’s room was like entering a new climate zone.

I took a shower to get out of one pair of pajamas to only put on another pair. After making breakfast, putting dinner in the crockpot, and making Christmas tree cookies, 

I’m snuggled on the couch with a book.

Tomorrow night Santa comes! 

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July! This weekend marks nine years in Tennessee for us, and nine days for my sister’s family to live in Tennessee. We celebrated with great food.

Corn hole, or Bags, for those Northeners.

Pool time.

Family time.

Alone time. 

Healthy competition.

And of course fireworks!

Fun, family, food, and fireworks. What could be better?

Puerto Rico Day #4 - Caraboli

This is probably Keagan’s favorite day trip of the week. Some people vacation for rest and relaxation, and we do that, too, but there has to be something new, something exciting, something fun. What teen boy doesn’t like the combination of mud, water, and ATVs? Keagan loved today’s adventure! Evan didn’t really wake up until an hour into the ride, as seen in this photo,

We took ATVs down muddy trails through the rain forest and stopped several times to soak in the views and swim in the river. 

The rain forest is breathtaking! I wish I could enjoy the smell of the flowers and nature. 

One stop included fresh passion fruit juice and chicken on a stick. This was great because it had been 90 minutes since Keagan’s last meal and it was time for him to refuel. 

I wish we would have had this pic taken with no masks, but masks, unfortunately, are mandated here in Puerto Rico. 

We had tacos for lunch, picked up pastries at the panderia for dessert, and returned home for a siesta, reading, and FIFA. 

A night cap of coquito, a distant fireworks show, and all is well. 

Merry Christmas Eve!

Happy Thanksgiving

We started our day with morning mimosas and sparkling grape juice. 

We made the side dishes and set the table for our mid-day meal.

We took naps and watched some football.

What’s a family gathering without some board games? 

We shared some big laughs playing Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza. 

Then this one tried to peg me as the bad guy in the game Assassins. 

It was a day filled with all of our favorite people, food, and fun. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny made his way to our house last night. 

It was so nice to have Easter service in person this year. It sure beats church on the couch in pajamas. Neither boy had much to wear to church today after our spring quarantine last year, so I picked up a couple of shirts for the boys yesterday. Then, as it was time to leave, we realized neither boy had pants that truly fit. We made do; they were only mildly uncomfortable. 

I cooked most of yesterday, so we could have our traditional Easter lunch today with minimal fuss. Now that we have eaten and perused the baskets, it’s an afternoon of rest.

He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Happy Shopping, Fishing, Playing Day

The week with the fam is coming to a close. This year we stayed close to home and avoided the big crowds in Nashville. Whereas last year we went to every holiday event offered, we didn’t attend one event this year. Instead, we have eaten, played games, watched football, online shopped, made cookies, and eaten some more. 

The cousins at the kids’ table. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for Evan to take a normal picture? 

Evan and Jamie spent the afternoon at the river fishing. 

This picture is gorgeous! 

Daddy repaired electrical shorts in our ceiling fans. They all work now and no sparks are flying at us. I think that’s a good thing. Jamie repaired a loose shower head that I didn’t even know was loose. The great thing about Jamie is he always finds something to tighten, fix, or improve and then he just does it. 

Keagan and the girls played FIFA. 

Vikki and I went shopping at the downtown boutiques. We picked up a few gifts for ourselves and did some online Christmas shopping for the kids. (We are still looking online for that PS5.)

Mom and Caroline made turkey cookies. With so many pies and pralines and brownies and pumpkin rolls, who could possible think about eating a cookie? Caroline!

Tomorrow morning they hit the road for the return trip to Texas. We will get our beds back, but the house will be quiet again. Until next time.