Vacay in Texas-Part I

We had a wonderful trip to Texas over the holidays. I managed to keep it a secret from the kids until the morning we left. Watching the kids' faces as I explained the packed suitcases brought tears to my eyes. They screamed and cried and jumped around. I plan to do the same thing when it's time for Neil to come home.

I was as excited to visit Texas as they were; I had begun to miss Texas with this ache inside my heart. I miss the wide open spaces, the exact shade of sky blue that isn't the same anywhere else, the tortillas and salsa, the rocks in the road-side cliffs in the Hill Country, the familiarity of it all, even in places I don't live, such as Austin. I especially missed HEB, although I didn't actually go grocery shopping. It's not vacation if you have to grocery shop. (That's probably why I loved Disney World: no cleaning, no grocery shopping, and no dishes. What more could I need? Only my husband.)

I realized as I drove around San Antonio that I was grateful not to live there without Neil. Looking for him everywhere, never to see him. I would have gone crazy with grief. It was hard enough for the few days I was there. It would kill me to be up at BAMC on a regular basis without getting to see him. It is much better to be somewhere that I never expect to see him. I'm rarely at the hospital here, so I don't think about dropping by his office to say hi. He never went for runs around this neighborhood, so I don't look for him as I drive past men jogging on the road...

While we were in San Antonio, we went to visit friends and the girls' school. It was a fun afternoon for Sydney to hang out at the 5th grade winter party with her old friends. At Hardy Oak, in the 5th grade, the official class parties are grade-wide celebrations instead. Having girl after girl run up screaming and hugging Sydney filled her "love bucket." Ainsley's three best friends ended up in the same homeroom this year, of course, so their teacher lovingly added Ainsley to their afternoon of watching a movie and going to recess. Even Zach's best friend from pre-school was there at Hardy Oak, so he got to say "hi." On the flip side, it was good for Sydney to see the drama that she would be involved in if she were there. It was a good reminder that the grass is not always greener.

It was wonderful to see my family and friends! My mom and grandmother really took care of me and the kids. I didn't cook once and got to sleep in every day! They figured the break was the best present they could give me, and they were right.

We had quite the adventure ice skating with my mom at the Galleria. I have dreams where my mom's arm still hurts. Who knew ice skating was so dangerous? Oh wait, I did.

I was wishing for helmets for my kids, especially Zach, as he skated around. I hated wearing a helmet when I was a kid, but I was going nuts worrying about Zach skating too fast, falling on his back, and cracking his head on the ice. That is because I saw a kid Sydney's age do that exact thing five minutes after we started skating. Zach loved skating! He was doing spins and figuring out fun ways to come to a stop.

Audrey honestly cried the entire first hour we skated. She only stopped the tears when I said that we were fixing to get off the ice for a break. When we got back on, she didn't cry again. I held one of her hands the whole time and one hand slid along the wall for balance. It was slow-going around the ice, but surprisingly the time fled by. I'm not sure how we were there for two hours.

Ainsley did not enjoy the first hour and thought I was torturing her, but then my mom took her the second hour and showed her how to skate without falling. She felt proud that she skated around, not holding onto the wall, and didn't fall. She overcame her fear and realized that it felt good. Thanks, grandma!

Sydney, of course, was a natural. No fear and, somehow, she already knew how to do it. Probably the rollerblades that are somewhere in our garage at this point. She skated around and around, punching the people that accidentally grabbed onto her as they fell. I'm not kidding. When someone attempted to grab onto her to keep from falling, she would punch them in the arm and tell them to keep their hands off her. I think she even called them names. Can you imagine watching that? I wish I had seen it because she felt so tough, but her arms are as big around as an English cucumber. It would have been good for a smile at least.

We spent Christmas Eve with my cousins Travis and Courtney, their boys, and Courtney's family. I can see Zach and the twins, Brock and Hunter, making mischief in a few years. I know Neil will want to plan hunting trips with the boys!

Christmas was wonderful. We enjoyed spending time with my mom's friend, Randy, and Samantha's in-laws, the Braden's. It made for such a festive afternoon!

More to follow on our trip to College Station next time!