San Antonio

Last September I went to San Antonio, Texas for a marketing conference. I was really excited to go because I've always wanted to visit Texas. It was such a neat place. The people were extremely friendly and the food was fantastic!

You can't visit San Antonio without going to the Alamo. Luckily it was only a few blocks from my hotel, so I was able to walk there. It was much smaller than I had imagined it would be.

There were markers on the grounds that were so beautiful.

Hey, I think I know that girl!

My Alamo tour guide Tina walked us through all the ways to use corn.

I couldn't get over all the exotic plants around the Alamo. There were lush gardens everywhere and full of cacti of all sizes. I enjoyed the gardens more than anything because I had never seen most of those kinds of plants before.

This was the view from my hotel room on the 23rd floor. If you look carefully between the two highrise hotels, you can see the top of the Alamo.

More than anything, I wanted to ride on the River Walk through downtown San Antonio. Luckily the River Walk ran right next to my hotel. Again, it was much smaller than I thought it would be, but beautiful all the same and lined with great restaurants and shops.

This is my hotel as viewed from the River Walk and a handmade mural next to it that was a gift from Mexico. The mural is a visual history of Mexico and was handcrafted from stones found in the region. This picture doesn't do it justice but I can tell you that it was very impressive. The craftsmanship and vivid colors were remarkable!

The river was full of ducks which I really enjoyed watching. I had dinner every night at a different restaurant on the River Walk. If you are ever in San Antonio, I highly recommend dining at Boudros' on the River Walk. The food there was by far the best I've ever eaten. Also try out their Prickly Pear Cactus Margarita. YUM!

The bridges over the River Walk have been featured in many films and were all very unique. Many of them featured carved stars which represent the Lone Star State.

This old mission on the river was the featured in the film "Miss Congeniality". The bells have some historical value, although I can't recall exactly what that was.

Many of the buildings along the river have great historical signifigance as well.

Sleeping Beauty

10 days old and looking so adorable in her octopus outfit!

Emerald Isle, Good Friends and Four Cool Canines!

This past weekend Bryan and I stayed at Emerald Isle with our good friends Catherine and David. We had a great time and so did all of the dogs! You just can't beat time at the beach. I swear my blood pressure goes down as soon as we cross the bridge onto the island.

Here is Hannah (11 years old) taking it easy until it's time to play on the beach.

Jonah (16 months old) had a blast and is a certified beach bum now.

Scout (8 years old) is a salty dog at heart and an all-around great Lab!

And the newest member of the pack is cutie pie Tink, short for Tinkerbell (8 months old).

Jonah and Tink are now best buds and chased eachother nonstop!

They are so cute together and perfect playmates because they have the same high energy level.

On Saturday afternoon we took the boat out to a little island and went swimming.

The water was so warm and the fish were biting...seriously, the fish were chomping on us!

WARNING TO ALL VISITORS IN THE AREA: Beware of attack minnows

We did manage however to get in some much needed relaxation.

Catherine and I were so happy to be out in the sun and enjoying eachother's company

Long-time friends, David and Bryan, drove us around for a little sight seeing

Catherine and David got this boat last summer and it is very nice!

I took this photo shortly before the minnow attacks started. I'm not kidding about the fish.

Those little buggers left bite marks on me! I yelped more than a few times when they bit me.

(Yes, I'm probably a wuss)

Bryan, did you get taller again??

Aren't they cute together?

What a sunset!

We stayed out on the water until sunset and then went back to the trailer and

cooked up some yummy homemade shrimp and grits!

Catherine got in some cuddling with Tink

and so did David

Around lunchtime on Sunday we took the dogs to the beach for a little swim.

They all had a great time running on the beach and crashing through the waves.



Not sure what was happening here, but I think Jonah was chasing Tink

(he obviously forgot he was on a leash!)

Scout and Hannah, by far the calmest dogs in the pack.

Tink was so cute to watch running through the sand,

with her long floppy ears waving in the wind.

Scout and his daddy.

Tink went swimming in the ocean for the first time and did great!

She kept up with the "big dogs" and we were all so proud of her.

I rode back to Raleigh Sunday evening with Catherine and David.

On the way home an exhausted Scout and Hannah curled up next to eachother in the back seat.

Awwww!!!