San Antonio / Houston: Day 3

Happy birthday to me! :-)

I slept in until 9:45am! Katie and Kristina left a happy birthday sign hanging outside my bedroom door! It was a nice surprise to wake up to.

I got up, got ready, repacked my bags, and at 11:30am, David came by and picked me up. We stopped to fill up his truck with some gasoline, and then we went to pick Shannon up from work. She had a half day, and so was able to leave work around noon. She also just won a contest at work...guessing how many skittles are in a jar. Her guess was closest, so among other things, she won a jar of over 4000 skittles, so we had that along for the ride, too. We barely made a dent in it, though!

Big Texas skies

The Driver

Nap time! Shannon is somewhere under that big, floppy hat!

 Air guitar to "You Can Call Me Al"

Shannon's "Pink Bear" wanted some skittles, too!

We drove the three-ish hours to Houston, but had to make a pit stop a little over an hour out in Lulling. A light came on David's dash saying that a bulb was out, so we stopped to check the brake lights. Sure enough, three of them were out, but thankfully the gas station we stopped at sold them. We were stopped about 20 minutes while we changed the bulbs, and then we got back on the road.

 We arrived at Gammy's house at about 3:45pm.  We sat and talked with her a bit, then David and Shannon went to the grocery store to stock up on the basics for her. She is having a lot more trouble getting around recently, so she appreciated that. I got a birthday phone call from my friend, Crystal, and we talked for about 20 minutes.

Once David and Shannon were back, we put the groceries away and then piled into the car and headed to our family favorite, Molina's! It just so happened that we ran into our cousins, Camille, Gene, and Jennifer there, and we were seated at tables right next to each other! I was glad to get to see them! A couple of birthday margaritas, some really good salsa, and excellently cheesy enchiladas later, I was a happy (and slightly tipsy!) girl!

After dinner, David, Shannon, and I went to Blockbuster and picked up a few videos. Gammy had a gift card that needed to be used, so we got three movies. Tonight we watched Temple Grandin with Claire Danes. I hadn't heard much about it, but apparently it won some Emmy Awards. I was pretty sleepy and still tipsy, so I dozed off and didn't really pay much attention, but everyone else really liked it.

I followed up with some emails and then we all piled into Gammy's bed and talked to her for a while until she was ready to go to sleep, Then, Shannon and I went on a little exploratory mission and looked through all of Gammy's old photos, books, and memorabilia. It is so cool that she has books from 1888, her father's college diploma from 1906 that is literally falling apart from old age, and old photos and newspaper announcements.

I stayed up much later than I had wanted to, but it was a great day!

San Antonio: Day 2

Nothing really exciting here...just a nice relaxing day spent with family!

I don't know why, but whenever I'm staying with Katie and Kristina, I trend to wake up so early! Probably because we always go to bed earlier than I'm used to! Lol!

So, I was up at 6:30. I talked to the girls while they had breakfast and got ready for work. After they left, I started to get sleepy again, so I snuck in a quick early morning power nap. Hahaha!

Around 10:30, I decided I'd better get up and get moving, so I showered and got ready and waited to hear from my brother who will be my chauffeur for the day. Well, he'll be my chauffeur for most of my trip, really! (Thanks, Dave! :-)

He picked me up at 11:15 and we went to the store to pick up a few things. I bought some groceries...a head of lettuce, apples, soup, deli ham...so that I don't have to eat out much while I'm here. I want to be frugal with my money and my calories! I've lost 10 pounds since the middle of July, and I'm going to try not to undo it now! (Although you can be sure that I will be having some good Mexican food while I'm here! Oh yeah!! :-)

We went to David's apartment, had some lunch, and then watched "The Newsies." We used to watch it all the time when we were little, so it was just like the good ol' days! David's friend Tara came over for a little while, too.

Around 2:30, mom called David and said that her car was dead. So, we had to go get her at work, take her to buy a new battery, and then David replaced it for her. He's so handy! :-) We ran one more errand (Compass Trading Company for a new wallet!) and then we went back to the apartment. Around 6:00 Shannon got home and we got ready for dinner. Mom took us out tonight for our birthdays. We went for Chinese food, which, even though I didn't eat much, is now feeling a bit heavy in my stomach.

After dinner, David and Shannon dropped me back off at Katie and Kristina's. They were out at a work function that Kristina had to go to, so I just killed time on the computer while I waited for them. They got home a little after 9:00 and we chatted and caught up and just enjoyed each others' company.

I am so sleepy today. I know I'm going to sleep very very well tonight!

San Antonio: Day 1

I know I initially began this particular blog to countdown to and share my adventures in Europe last year, but I don't like that its now just sitting out there in empty blog space not being used. I decided that since it is titled "Sarah Travels the World" it is only fitting that I should use it to blog about any and all trips I take, no matter how big or small!

This week I am in San Antonio! I decided back in February that I wanted to spend my birthday in San Antonio surrounded by old friends and family. It also works out that I will be here for my brother's birthday, as well. Yay!

My flight left Louisville this morning at 7:00am. Which meant getting to the airport at 6:00am. Which meant waking up at 4:45am. Ugh. No one should have to see how dark it is at 4:45am...unless you are just getting home after a wild night out! Haha! ;-) Only kidding!

The first leg of my trip was from Louisville to Chicago Midway Airport. Since I mainly fly Southwest, I have become quite familiar with Chicago Midway. It is a nice little airport. The plane was only about 2/3 full, but I was in the last group to board and ended up sitting towards the back of the plane. Behind me was a family with three children all under the age of three! The parents were beautiful, and sweet as could be, but they couldn't have been more than about 22 or 23. The children were just as beautiful...round rosy cheeks, big blue eyes, soft blond hair. However, they were not happy campers this morning. They were crying and hollering for most of the 50 minute trip. Mom apologized saying that they were grumpy as a result of being woken up three hours earlier than normal in order to make the flight. I hear ya, kids! I then overheard them mention that they, too, were heading to San Antonio. I secretly wished to be seated no where near them on the next flight! :-)

After a brief layover, I boarded the plane from Midway to San Antonio. The pretty blond family was now seated about 5 rows behind me. Still within hearing range of the crying children, but not close enough to pierce my eardrums. I slept for about half of this flight, and read during the rest of it. Before I knew it, we were in San Antonio!

I gathered my suitcase from baggage claim, and headed outside to wait for my mom to pick me up. As I was waiting, I noted pleasantly that it didn't feel too hot...at 11:00am...in the shade. Aaaaaaaand, I soon changed my mind! Not more than 5 minutes in a car with broken A/C and I was longing for the cooler temperatures of home!

Before mom dropped me off at my brother's apartment, we made a couple quick stops. One stop was Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. I love that place...and not for the merchandise, but for the decor! :-)

Finally, mom dropped me off at my brother's place to hang out with him the rest of the afternoon. We sat on the couch and talked, played with the cute baby bunnies, and I watched him play the old Sonic the Hedgehog game on Sega!

This trip, which was intentionally meant to be all pleasure, quickly turned into a semi-business trip when I announced on my Facebook photography page that I would be booking photo sessions while I am town. I now have 5 sessions (with a 6th one pending) booked over the course of the next 7 days!

The first session was scheduled for this evening. My friend Kathryn asked me to take some portraits of her to give to her family as gifts. We headed to the beautiful McNay Museum to find some pretty places to shoot. Not more than 15 minutes passed before it started to POUR! We thought that it was just a quick, passing storm and waited it out for a few minutes. But it lasted longer than we thought it would. After poor Kathryn was drenched and had makeup running down her face, we decided to call it quits for the day and rescheduled for Monday afternoon. It was such a bummer because the rain did stop shortly after, and the sky and light were so gorgeous! It would have made for great photos! Hopefully we'll have the same conditions (minus the rain, of course!) on Monday!

I went back to my brother's apartment and found him and Shannon on their way out the door to go to the pool. I said I would go with them, but I didn't pack a swim suit, so I would just sit on the side of the pool while they swam. Well, that didn't last long! Before I knew it, they had pulled me into the water, fully clothed! The pool was the PERFECT temperature and we had it all to ourselves. I think the last time I was in a pool was in 2006! It felt really nice! Now I want to go out and buy a suit so I can go swimming more while I'm here!

We stayed in the pool until about 9:15pm, and then I went back to their apartment, put on some dry clothes, and David and Shannon dropped me off at Katie and Kristina's apartment, where I am staying this week. I caught up with the girls for a bit, and then by 11:45, we were all in bed.

It was such a long day, but overall, it was a great start to what I'm sure will be a fun trip!

New York Day Three/Going Home 12/14/09

I don't remember what time we woke up this day, but we did get a pretty early start. Natashia had a 10:00am meeting at the culinary school, but we decided that we would go to Macy's to see Santa before she had to be there.

Macy's is HUGE! Towards the top floors, the escalators are still the original wooden steps from back when Macy's first opened in 1902 (although they have had metal treads added since then.)

The store was decorated really pretty, and Santa Land was awesome. To get there, we had to go up to the 8th floor, and then walk through a train car, complete with sound effects and vibrating floor!

Thankfully, we chose the perfect time to go as there was absolutely no line! We walked through a maze of Christmas trees and wintry scenes complete with ice skating penguins. We finally made it to Santa, and had our picture taken with him! When he asked me what my Christmas wish was, I told him I wished for health for my brother. :-)

We also found Mrs. Claus and took a picture with her. She was very cute!

After visiting Santa, we did a little browsing, and then stopped at McDonald's (one of many restaurants inside Macy's) for a quick breakfast before going our separate ways. Natashia went to her meeting, and I went south to Ground Zero. It was a pretty emotional experience, and very surreal to think that 9 years earlier, I had been at the top of one of the fallen towers. I walked around and took some pictures through the fences that surrounded what is now a huge construction site.

I also went right across the street to St. Paul's. It is an old chapel that has withstood many disasters, and now it is a memorial to the events, heroes, and victims of 9/11.

Nearby, there is also a little museum with more mementos from family members of victims, and also plans for the new World Trade Center and memorial that is being built. It will be quite impressive. A block away is St. Peter's, the oldest Catholic Church in New York City. Outside of it have been placed the famous cross-beams that stood in the wreckage of 9/11.

After about an hour and a half, I went to meet Natashia. We then headed over to Hoboken, New Jersey on the PATH train to go see Carlos' Bakery from the TV show, Cake Boss. We got a little bit of everything to taste, and ended up with enough to take home!

We also stopped at a little pizzeria and had a delicious lunch! So yummy! After lunch, we went back to Melissa's, I gathered all of my things, and was chauffeured to La Guardia Airport. When I checked in, I was told that my flight was delayed, and that there was a chance I would miss my connecting flight in Chicago. I decided to take that chance. I was ready to be home! My flight was delayed about an hour and a half, but I realized I was not the only one taking the connection out of Chicago to Louisville. With literally only a couple of minutes to spare, we all ran as a group to our next terminal. Thankfully, Southwest is a great airline and they waited for us all to board!! Everyone clapped when the last person got on the plane! I was so happy when I made it home! I spent the next day relaxing, doing laundry, and playing with my puppy! She was glad to have me home, too! Lol!

Overall, it was a fantastic trip! Paris was, by far, my absolute favorite city. I would go back there in a heartbeat, with someone or even by myself. I felt safe, welcomed, and at ease there. I could even see myself staying long-term. I enjoyed Rome as well,  and would like to go back for a couple days to see things more in-depth. However, I would not want to go there alone, and would be very careful with my belongings. I was glad we had a male escort for most of the day when we were there. The same with Barcelona. I was a bit sad that we were so tired and not able to see all we had wanted, but it gives me a good reason to go back!

New York Day Two 12/13/09

I woke up at 7:45am. Natashia was going to mass and brunch with Melissa, but I decided I would go by myself to Times Square and stand in line at the TKTS booth. I got there pretty early, and there wasn't even a line yet, so I decided to walk around Times Square. I enjoyed being on my own for a while. I did some souvenir shopping for my family, walked to and took pictures of the Late Show studio, and got a bagel for breakfast.

At about 9:30, I got in line at TKTS and talked on the phone with my mom while I waited. It started raining, but it was a soft, cleansing rain, so I didn't mind...it was actually kind of nice! I was towards the front of the line, so when it opened at 10:00am, I got through pretty quickly. I got two 10th row tickets for Irving Berlin's White Christmas for just under $100 each...didn't think it was that great of a deal, but I got them. After getting the tickets, I walked around some more, and then around 12:45, I decided to get some lunch before meeting Natashia for the show. I went to TGIFridays in Times Square and paid $26 for a turkey sandwich and a water. I figured it was worth it, thought, just for the experience of being right there in Times Square! A little before 2:00pm, I met Natashia in front of the Marquis theater, and we went in and got our seats for the show.

It was decent. There is still nothing that can even come close to matching the original Bing Crosby movie version. At the end, it started snowing over the audience as they were singing "White Christmas," and I did think that was pretty neat. Between the overcast sky and the short winter days, it was almost dark when we got out of the show between 4:30 and 5:00. But being in Times Square, you would never know it from all the lights!

It was still drizzling a bit, but we decided to take the metro to Rockefeller Center to see if we could get a better view of the tree. It was a lot less crowded, and I did get a few really good pictures. The tree is much prettier all lit up at night!

We were also there to catch the light show at Saks! The snowflakes on the side of the building blink in time to Christmas music. That was really fun to see!

Since it was so rainy, and we were kind of tired, we decided to go ahead and call it an early night around 6:00pm. We took the metro back to Melissa's, I took a shower and put on my cozy pj's, we ordered a couple salads for dinner, and watched some TV (White Christmas was on!). I'm sure we fell asleep relatively early that night.