Busy Week Final Episode

Wednesday dawned foggy and misting.  It was Erin and Eric's last day here and they wanted to "do something fun and touristy".  As soon as I got back from taking Alyssa to school we got everyone up and dressed and ready to head out for The Riverwalk! (except Grampa who didn't want to do that much walking.  Besides, he'd "already seen the riverwalk.")  The 2 little girls were thrilled!  They love the Riverwalk and could hardly wait to get there.  The closer we got to downtown the harder the rain started to fall, but not to worry, we had an umbrella!  Natalie had her stroller with the built in umbrella and the rest of us had sweaters and sweatshirts, some even with hoodies.

 Rainy day on the Riverwalk

We strolled along the entire length of the walk from where we parked at the very end (or beginning, I guess) of the developed Riverwalk.  We decided we really didn't need the umbrella that bad so stowed it in the stroller and enjoyed a very deserted walk which was great.  The NCAA women's championship basketball game had been the night before in San Antonio so I thought it might be very crowded but I guess the rain kept everyone inside.  We waved at the guys manning the empty water taxis and admired the flowers and architecture along the way.  We even saw a whole flock of ducklings with Dad and Mom herding them along.  They all came racing over to Samara and Natalie hoping for some food but Mom and Dad quickly chased them into the middle of the river away from us!

 Here come the ducklings with Mom

 Mom quickly herds the ducklings away!







Eric was getting hungry so we decided to stop for lunch at a Mexican restaurant along the walk.  We had a pleasant meal and then continued on our way all the way up to the Alamo.  By then, the sun had come out and it started to get crowded.  We strolled down the street and looked in at all the souvenir shops.  There's one I want to go back to the next time we go down there.  It is a huge very typical Mexican-type mall in the basement under McDonald's.  You know, with all the little booths of different things.  Erin and Eric wanted ice cream so they went into an ice cream parlor and shared their ice cream with Natalie and Samara.  

 Following the Maze

 Our lunch break along the Riverwalk

Erin and Eric wait for their lunch

 Samara loves nachos

Natalie loves quesadillas

JJ loves salad.  It is part of the cabbage soup diet, right?

Meemo loves nachos, too!

 Erin also loves nachos!








We had to leave then and get back in time to pick up Alyssa and get Erin and Eric on their way back to Dallas.  Of course, when we got home, they didn't want to leave so decided to watch a movie and then play some more Rock Band.  Unfortunately, they had messed up somehow and it didn't work so they finally got on the road around 5 or 6 that night!

Thursday was Mother's Day Out so all the kids were in school.  JJ, Bob and I went to Target to get me some new PJ's (I left mine in Baton Rouge at the motel).  I got some neat pants on sale but they didn't have what I really wanted for a top so I decided I'd get it at Walmart when we took Samara to gymnastics

Alyssa had a great day at school and we kind of owed her some ice cream so we took all the kids to Coldstone Creamery after school.  Yummmmm!  I love their ice cream.  So did the girls!  Just a note:  Alyssa's ice cream got knocked on the ground about halfway through.  JJ went in to get Bob his dish of ice cream (he was sitting in the car waiting until we all finished ours outside at a table).  She mentioned that Alyssa's had spilled and the clerk gave her another whole one bigger than she had in the first place so Jay didn't get one for Bob and Alyssa and Old Grampa shared that one.

 Here's some ice cream for you!

 Alyssa enjoys mint ice cream

 Samara loves strawberry ice cream!

 Natalie loves to goof around!



Friday was gymnastics, early out for Alyssa, and getting JJ ready to fly home.  Her flight loaded at 5:30 AM Saturday, so she had to leave "in the middle of the night".  JJ  had been craving Bill Miller Bar BQ all week so finally we talked Bob into letting us go get some and bring it home.  He carried on about how we would be all afternoon trying to find one, but JJ said we had the Garmin so not to worry.  I should have been, knowing JJ with her "getting directions" handicap!  She had simulated the whole drive on the Garmin but did not show it to me.  We got into the car and she suggested I drive since she was too short and had not driven on the interstates in Texas.  Well, I hadn't either but off we went.  Jay announces, why isn't this Garmin working?  It just keeps doing the same thing over and over.  I stop and pull over before we get on the interstate but she says keep going I'll figure it out.  Now I'm on I-10 headed toward San Antonio and she is still fiddling with it.  I get to Anderson Loop and know we have to get on it but don't know whether to go East or West.  I randomly (and dumbly) choose east right into bumper to bumper rush hour traffic!  We ease along and JJ decides to call Erin to see if she can tell her what's wrong with the Garmin.  They decide the GPS is not working and I suggest she turns off the simulator but she doesn't know how.  I finally get worked  over and get off the interstate onto a parkway that leads into an elementary school where they didn't have early out and it's time to pick up kids!  I found a parking place and told Jay to let me see the Garmin or else she would have to drive!  I went into the settings, turned off the simulator and on came the GPS!  We found the nearest Bill Miller and were on our way.  No problem, except the whole street in front of this Bill Miller was under construction.  We got our food and the Garmin took us home.  Only Erin knew we had another adventure--until JJ put it up on Facebook!

We picked up Micah and Kim Saturday night at 6:30 PM and our adventure was over!  Except that we couldn't find the cell phone waiting area and had a nice tour of the employee parking area and then missed the right pick up lane and ended up picking them up in the no stopping part of the shuttle lane.........