Travelin' Thursday Thoughts!

We are on the road again, just a travelin', travelin'!

Yep, we have packed our bags and headed back to Texas. The AFSA Conference schedule looks like it it will be lots of fun and we will get to reconnect with some folks we haven't seen for awhile. Win-Win :)

I think I did a much better packing job this time...it's easier when you know exactly what you will be doing. I find it's so much easier for me when you have guidance, rather then me just trying to figure out what I should take and take what I think I will want/need, it's hard to do that; especially when you have different weather happening or unknown weather.

So the thoughts!

• My clothes shrank : (
• I have been eating salads!
• I love the cinnamon CHEX : )

Happy trails to you today!!!

Woah it's already Wednesday!

Preparing for our next trip...thoughts are swirling rapidly through my brain of all I need to accomplish before we leave!  However, I also have travel thoughts...

I have my hopes up to get a stop in at one of my favorite stores! A.L.D.I Yes, I love that store! I miss the great prices on some of my favorite things. Black olives being one, weird, I know, but they are really good black olives. I also like a lot of their "cold" items which sadly I will not be able to bring back much from that department. They have the best whipped cream in a can! Seriously, it's good! I also think their cream cheese is just as good as the Liberty Bell kind, sour cream is totally yum, too! Their guac rocks!

In addition I love their produce, they have exceptionally good prices here. And it's great produce for sure! They have good bread products, great whole grain type breads! And there are some cereals of theirs I like.

To be fair they have things I do not enjoy...it's trial and error. BUT if you don't like something you return it for a FULL refund. Also if you get say a bad cantaloupe, you can tell them next time you are there and they will give you another. I have never done this without returning the actual unacceptable produce item, but I have been told you don't have to bring the produce back. I just love a store that stands behind it's products.

IF you go be sure to have a quarter and cash. Yes, I did say a quarter and I do mean that round coin that takes four to make a dollar. You have to pay for your shopping cart. That way more then likely you will return in to the cart corral to get your quarter back instead of leave the cart in the parking lot. I personally LOVE this concept and wish our commissary would adopt this process. It's a little pet peeve I have when people take a shopping cart to their vehicle and then just abandon it in the parking lot!

Okay, so I gotta get, have to make a post office, dry cleaning, bx run and get back to meet a friend who is picking up our moving boxes for her move. Love recycling and helping out a friend too! Just wish we had a little more time so we could have dinner. Next time!

Ciao!

Monday...

I have done laundry, all 7 loads and I could technically do one more! I have cleaned out my email box. I have cleaned the bathroom. I have updated my calendar. I have had breakfast and lunch.

What I am not telling you is that I should have been working on LilBlue's taxes. It's not enough that I have done ours already; both Federal and State. I have already done her Federal, she got a little refund :) Sent it straight to her savings account. But now I should be tackling the State side of the house for her. Here's the mind bogglingness of it that continues to make me want to hide. I have to figure out two states, yes, that's right TWO states!

Yes, I know, fun!

You see she is a student. She is a military dependent. We are "residents" of another. She has to file in both the state she is a student in, since she has a job there and our resident state. It's not complicated at all, no not at all...hahahahbawwaaah! That's a big fat lie :/

IF only I would have realized the income cutoff for her NOT to have to file at all, I sooooo would have paid her off. I would have paid her to not make over that amount. I really would have even given her a bonus as well! Especially since she was only over by a a couple hundred dollars. Oh, how I wish I knew what I didn't know sooner. Seems that is the way on things like this. Wonder if I can find out what that amount will be for 2012??? This is something I need to stay on top of. I will so pay her to stay under, yes, I will, unless of course that is illegal, then I sooooo would never do that. You know I am a rule follower, like to a fault.

Of course, after figuring out this quagmire I will probably be able to breeze through it next time, so it won't even matter. As it goes I have always filed our taxes and never minded, however, I am starting to have second thoughts on this task now...

So before I get on to this tax workout I am going to finish unpacking. Do a little bit more cleaning, cause that will allow me to delay starting the taxes. Then I am going to start packing. Yes, you read that right, packing again. Cause if I do that I can again delay the whole looming tax thing! I know, right? And if you should be in wonderment on the packing again well there's another adventure on Thursday as we head back to Texas again for a conference!

But before I dive into the taxes I might need to reorganize my underwear drawer or possibly alphabetize our canned goods, or seriously do a real workout. I need to do that, especially after being on vacation last week. It's not pretty! However, I am out here in the sticks and driving to the gym is not going to happen, so maybe I could just go get a walk in on this very gorgeous spring day! You know do really important stuff before I can possibly start on the taxes. I should also really try to read and catch up on FaceBook. After all, I have at least two more weeks before they are due...

FUNGUS :/

Well, maybe, I haven't gone to a doctor, I just Googled it. And we all know Google, which is run by the CIA is good for finding out ANYTHING.

So I did a search and I have a fungal infection! It's also known as ring worm. Yes, I know, I am also thrilled to find this out....what I was even more excited about was that it is really NOT A WORM. That certainly made me all sorts of better :)

Anyway, I now have an OTC ANTI-fungal cream that I am applying and also putting apple cider vinegar on it. I don't know why I am applying the vinegar. Well, actually, yes, I do, I am doing that because I read a link from the Google search that said that it can help. So I am.

So, you know how I like to have pictures when I post, right? Well, scroll down if you want to see them, if not stop reading now!!! There are two and they are self portraits as MiB is out washing his surfboard off!

 My lovely fungal infection on my left arm!

A little close up :)

It is a bit more red in the pictures as I have just vinegared it up. Usually it is a more dappled maroonish color. And should I be wrong on this diagnosis, I don't think I am harming myself. I have not even been able to find my Take Care of Yourself book since the move so you know to me Google is the next best thing and as long as my arm doesn't fall off I think it's all good. But should it not improve I will go to the doctor so no private messages telling me to go to the doctor please, I will if it doesn't clear up!

The girl is gone...

Well, we knew the week would not last forever, but we hated to see it come to a close, which it did as we dropped LilBlue at the airport this afternoon.

We took one last walk on the beach, ate TEXAS waffles, loaded up the car, checked out of the hotel and headed north. Made a quick stop for a last minute shopping excursion, gotta love scoring the 30 OFF :) and then on up the road to the plane. Without knowing how traffic would be in Houston, and it was B.A.D. we allowed plenty of time to get there. Then without knowing how quickly the TSA line would move, we had to allow time there...soooo we hated to but we had to give her up many moment sooner then plane departure. But such is the life of an air traveler. You have to be prepared and ready no matter. So we were! Anyway, we weren't happy to lose that precious time with her, but know that's the way it works... So she cleared TSA and we phone chatted for a bit more, then she went to find her a spot to wait for the boarding time. It was all good.

LilBlue with the TEXAS waffle!

After running the airport shuttle MiB and I headed on back to G-Town, stopping to check into our new hotel on the way. Did I mention that Houston traffic is B.A.D.? Well, let me be sure you get it...Houston traffic on a Saturday was BAD :/ Accidents, rubber neckers, road construction, ambulances and LOTS of brake lights, we saw it all! I am not thinking Houston will make the retirement list!

So we did finally make it back south and enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the beach after a quick stop for a filet-o-fish enroute. The beach was crowded, more so then we had seen it all week. But thankfully we snagged a great parking spot near 37th Street, which is a "surfing spot" so it was all good. MiB got water, I got sun, it was nearly perfect. We ended up staying well into the afternoon before making the trek back northward to our new hotel. We decided to bypass the hotel and go on for Mexican food at the original LaBrisa while we were out. We were NOT disappointed. It was very good and our waitress was really good, it was win, win. Love their happy hour frozen 'ritas!

Back to the hotel...it was full of a boy's little leaguers team, the River Rats, that had taken over the pool and hot tub so we opted for an evening in. After nice hot showers, we stretched out in the king size bed for a bit of tube watching and internetting.

Tomorrow we make our way back to LA. Personally, I could stay several more days at the beach...

G-Town

We rolled into Galveston via Surfside, TX which made MiB happy, even though he did not surf! Just the name of the town made him H.A.P.P.Y though!

We are staying right on the seawall and loving how close to the water we are, it's perfect! There are plenty of close by amenities as well and we are loving the area.

However, before we get going too far on G-Town just let me say we enjoyed SPI and on our last morning there was an awesome sunrise, which MiB and I enjoyed immensely!

Our trip up was uneventful...however, who knew there would be a border patrol check station???? Kind of odd and cool at the same time. We rolled up to a border patrol check station near Sarita, Texas and were asked if we were U.S. citizens; the whole encounter lasted only a few seconds, however, I have mixed feelings about this experience. I mean being asked if I'm a US citizen while on US soil  and while traveling inside the  UNITED STATES of America on a US highway by a person who appeared by all indications of Hispanic descent just seems weird. By ALL means I want terrorist and drug smugglers apprehended but this whole "check station" thing seemed a little odd and off and not at all effective and almost insulting...I'm having a hard time putting the thoughts I have into words on this so I hope I am not insulting anyone but conveying the uniqueness of what I felt in this situation...

Another BIG thing on this trip was that MiB drank water, yes H2O. I know right? This is a guy who rarely drinks water by choice but he did, I am so proud of him. He was a bit under the weather as we began this trip and I think he was trying to stay off the soda while mending, nonetheless he did drink water and so far VERY LITTLE soda, wowsa, this is BIG!

 H2O drinker!

 Surfside, TX

We were checked in to our room and had a great afternoon on the beach, MiB caught a few waves and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon/evening on the beach. It was PERFECT beach weather. We indeed enjoyed every moment. 

 

 Before dinner surf session :0)

After the surf session we headed to the room to freshen up and find food. Wasn't tough as there was a great Mexican restaurant right in the same parking lot as our hotel, we gave Tortuga a go. Not bad! 

 

MiB's burrito at Tortuga

However, as far as reviews go for the Quality Inn-Galveston, I cannot in good faith give it a GREAT review. Okay, yes, I suppose, however, our room, had definite odor issues, but location wise, it was wonderful. However, next time we visit we will most likely be looking here. This little place was right around the corner and just looked clean and neat. I will be checking them out on our return visit for sure!!

All in all a really great day! I am sad as I know our time is drawing to a close...and this was the rest of our Thursday. Friday was full and fun as well! We beached it for the a.m.

Never know what you will see on the beach, LilBlue chuckled at this sight...

After beaching it we did a little more G-Town sightseeing before we met the Curtis Clan for dinner at a new location of an old favorite, La Brisa. We visited the Baycliff location last year when we were here and the new location did not disappoint. Of course the company made the visit in all honesty, but the food was a nice plus. I personally think the tortilla soup is the bomb and the frozen 'rita's are the best I have even had. I am happy to return any day just for those :)

It was really neat to see our friends and their children, truly a highpoint!!

 T, Little J and Me

 Best Buddy and Lil Blue

 The most spectacular J!!!

MiB and James

Three J's and LilBlue :)

Thursday Thoughts

Heading to Galveston today, long drive. But soooo looking forward to it. We enjoyed this area last summer and now we will introduce it to LilBlue and we will also see the Curtis Clan! WooHoo :)

So thoughts are...

• I truly do love the water!
• Sunshine does my soul good!
• I like my own cooking, just sayin'

Hope you are having a great day...we are and it's a live like your dying kind of week, which they should all be but some are moreso then others! I am thankful for my life! I know I should always be but such is life that sometimes I complain more then comprehend and I am trying to be better at being thankful for the good life, cause I definitely know that I am living the good life!

Sand, Sun and Fun and oh, horses!

Today was all about the beach and water...

We started off this morning at Isla Blanca Park. It was a good stop and they give a military discount on entry so even better in our book! We hunted shells, found a sand dollar and saw several jelly fish!

 The jelly fish were quite large compared to the ones we were used to seeing in FL.

These jellies are usually called moon jellies. Much different then the Portuguese Man o'War we dealt with in FL since these are mild stingers...however, I prefer no sting at all so yeah I stayed away from them! LilBlue and MiB of course were right there on them investigating!

After roaming the beach at Isla we had lunch at a local Mexican place and sadly I cannot recommend it...definitely a touristy place that is friendly enough just not what we felt was quality food, portions were also skimpy. Of course another major criteria was the salsa...it was a warm salsa, which I am okay with but the flavor was not there and lets just say the queso was thinned Velveeta with a bit of something. But hey it did fill our food deficit so it ended okay!

The afternoon we spent lounging poolside in and out of the hot tub and pool soaking in the rays. I think some of us even snoozed a little but I will not mention names...

Then LilBlue and MiB went horseback riding on the beach late this afternoon. This of course was a huge hit and there are lots of stories from this excursion. Rosco and Bourbon had no clue what they were in for when these two saddled them up for the ride, God Bless them!

LilBlue & Bourbon

It's our last night in SPI, we are not exactly sure right now of our evening plans but I think it will be relaxing and low key. Showers are being had to wash off the horse! It's been another great day but we move on to G-Town.

More horseback riding pictures...

 

Out and About

Today we woke to soggy, windy weather, but no worries we made our own fun. We enjoyed a little balcony time, which is ALWAYS good for people watching, not to mention a nice lunch in the hotel restaurant then off to explore the area. We went back across the longest bridge in TEXAS to see the Port Isabel lighthouse. We didn't get the T-shirt but we did get the postcards!

Port Isabel Lighthouse

We also did a little window shopping in the lighthouse district which had that fun eclectic feel to it. The little square around the lighthouse is definitely worth a looksee should you make it to this area!

 The neat area around the lighthouse...

After the lighthouse excursion we did a little looking around the town before heading back out to SPI and drove the entire island, some areas had sand nearly over the road. In fact we saw the road crew removing sand in some areas so it wouldn't cover the road! Lots of undeveloped area here, which was a pleasant surprise in my book. I think it's awesome it is still all naturale'!

Then we made our way to that sea turtle place that we passed yesterday, that was closed! And THAT place my friends was the bomb in my book. Could have stayed for hours... While it is not a state of the art anything, it is obviously a labor of love and staffed by a whole slew of volunteers who share this same love and a common bond for the sea turtles. One of the volunteers presented a very informative session on the sea turtles native to this area and then told of the many dangers they face and many of them from our (human) laziness. The trash (plastics, mainly) that cause harm to sea turtles in unreal and shameful. We DID get the T-shirt here, well at least LilBlue did, and the Littles will have a new book next time we see them :)

Coolio turtle art!

 This is Fred...he lost his arm, err flipper due to a plastic fishing line that he got tangled in. They tried to re-release him on three separate occasions but it just didn't work. He is now a permanent resident at the sea turtle place, he seems pretty happy. He was flirting with LilBlue or maybe they were flirting with each other :)

 MiB with a Atlantic Green.

The Kemp ridley sea turtle is found here in Texas and they are just getting ready to begin the nesting season. They are not a turtle I had ever heard of and they seem to have a pretty rough go of it. I mean they even nest in the DAYTIME, good lord, can you say just let the predators have at it? And they do, as there survival rate is not that great. We got to see several young Kemp ridley's that had suffered from a predator attack. They will hopefully be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, however, there were so many and many more will come after this nesting/hatching season. At two years old these little guys were still pretty small!

A nearly 2 y/o Kemp ridley. This little guy survived a predator attack!

So that has been our day so far...we are getting ready to go take a walk on the beach and then find food, come back and have another session in the hot tub (if the "students" make room for us) before chillaxin' the rest of the night away! We are livin' the life here and lovin' it here on the island!

SPI

Definitely worth the drive...South Padre is nice! Of course there are a lot of "students" here but it is still a nice area and town. We really weren't all that impressed with Corpus Christi. However, the beaches at SPI are good and our hotel is right on the beach and we are loving that!
 

 We made it :)

 Awww, the view, is a/m/a/z/i/n/g!!!!

 Enjoying the balcony and surfin' but really wanting to surf in the water...

 Enjoying dinner at a good little Italian place!

Dinner tonight was Italian after a lovely afternoon poolside. After dinner was hot tub time and some interesting company...believe it or not they were from Nebraska! Small world for sure! Students from University of Nebraska! Two were '09 grads like LilBlue and one went to school with one of her church buddies at LaVista.

It's been a great day in SPI on the beach! Looking forward to a repeat tomorrow. Also hoping MiB gets some waves, though the water temp is quite cool IMO and I will stick with the hotel pool and hot tub rather then the waves.

S.P.R.I.N.G. B.R.E.A.K. Vaca :)

Woohoo we are on SpringBreak! LilBlue has been retrieved from the airport and we have made it to the hotel for our first night.

Yes, we brought the board...and yes, we stopped by the office on the way out of town!

The drive west was good, a few scattered raindrops here and there but no serious rain and no heavy traffic until we arrived in downtown H. That was a whole different animal with traffic everywhere. However, it was worth the traffic to retrieve a bag of goodies from Sprinkles! The BIG temptation will come when we come back through...to stop or not to stop again, THAT will be the question.  Already, LOVE the cherry and can't wait to try the strawberry...

LilBlue holdin' da bag :)

Heading out in the morning to go further south, CC for a day or two then on to SPI. Sooooo ready for the beach! For now though chillin a little before getting some dinner, then off to check out the pool and hot tub. Hoping everybody stays healthy. LilBlue is battling something and MiB is having some issues as well...so yeah, praying we all stay well and enjoy and no major worries with health this trip.

Checkin in tomorrow after I go to the beach!

Thursday Thoughts

It's good to be livin' life. It's great to be in love. It's awesome to be loved.

Life is Good.

Spring Break here we come! While it's not as a grand plan as last year, it's still going to be spending time with two of my very favoritest people. I'm excited. I need to finish packing. I have gathered most everything I need but I still have to get it contained. I love that we are driving it allows me more "carry-on" items! Not to mention snacks!

I'm not like counting down or anything, I just know that it's 54 hours til I see LilBlue :P

I am also getting excited to do nothing but lay on the beach and soak up the sun. It's been great weather here in LA for sure but ya know there is just somethin' bout bein' near the water that makes me feel good.

LilBlue is looking forward to the warmth and water as well. MiB is ready to hopefully find waves and good Mexican food.

Thoughts on Thursday!

•  Ready to be away...
• I'll be beachin' it soon :)
• Boxes, yes, there are still boxes.
• Taxes, smaxes, LilBlue's makes my brain hurt!

Off to do a little more gathering and hopefully make it to the Attic this morning. I have missed it!

Another Mr & Mrs :)

We arrived E.A.R.L.Y this a.m. for another wedding in MO. Like 0015. Got some sleep, hit the White Grill with the Grands for lunch, loved on the Littles and then headed to the Chapel!

My cousin is getting married today. Weddings are such fun events, this was no exception. After a simple civil ceremony we enjoyed a lively reception afterwards. It was neat to see the family. Always good to catch up and see how much our children have grown and the new additions. Always good to meet new folks too and do some reuniting with old friends and acquaintances! Usually these events are full of mini reunions all over the room and always lots of fun! This was no exception. 

It was REALLY sunny in the chapel...I squinted much of the time!!

 CUTENESS!!!

My favorite part of the processional, except the bride walking in, of course!

The ceremony was short and sweet and did the job. My dad made sure I saw on his watch that it had lasted 16 minutes as I had piped in earlier we'd probably be done in under 15 minutes. I was only a tad off. And as dad put it we drove/would drive an hour (round trip) for each of those minutes.

 Here she comes, there she goes!

The OFFICIAL part!

Officially Mr & Mrs :)

 Bubbles away...

At the reception we enjoyed some wonderful smoked meats and great sides! It was tasty. Thanks to the cookin' cousins for doing the spread, again, it was tasty! Then there were cupcakes, LOTS of cupcakes; and there was wedding cake of course, cause it was a wedding after all! Now those were all fine and good but I personally enjoyed the mints the most. They are my absolute favorite and I ate waaaaaay too many, but each one was yummy!  And just to clear any misconceptions, these are not store bought mints, which can be lovely, I like those too, especially the butter kind. Which are sometimes very difficult to find! BUT these, these mints were the homemade ones. Made with one of my favorite things, cream cheese! Oh yes, I did just say c r e a m c h e e s e. So, you know these are some kind of awesomegood mints and I did eat many; like 12 dozen or so, they are small. Okay, maybe not 12 dozen, maybe they aren't THAT small...I know I had at least A dozen :/ aaaaackkkkkk

 Cupid Shuffle :D

So after our dining on the lovely meal and indulging in the cake there was dancing. LilBlue and MiB participated more in this than did I but MiB and I did take a turn on the dance floor. It was a wonderful, celebratory evening!

Again, HUGE CoNgRaTs to the new Mr & Mrs! So glad we were there to spend your special day with you!