Vacation Stories Part Tres

Well, we made it to Del Rio late Wednesday night, checked into the hotel, and....went to WalMart!!! Yeah, we did :) We got a blow-up mattress for Ian b/c the room only slept 4 (he ended up sleeping at the bride's house with my brother, the groom, that night). We stocked up on a few essentials (drinks and wine) and went to bed so we could get a good night's sleep.

Thursday we woke up early because we didn't know what time Mexico opened. Hahaha, seriously, we didn't know what time the shops opened :) The whole wedding party was not in town yet, but we told everyone who was already there that we were going to be leaving the hotel around 9-ish....come 10:30 we had a small crowd of friends and family and were still. at. the. hotel. (Our family has a running joke that if you need to be somewhere, you take whatever time that is and add 15 minutes per Herrick - let me just say there were a LOT of Herricks in this group!)

We headed down the road and less than 5 minutes later were at the border. We decided to only take one car into Mexico and everyone else took a "Border Taxi".




So there we are, a truck full of "gringos" headed INTO Mexico! Yes, they got a few looks :)

Once we got into Acuna, it was very pretty. We stayed on the main strip, it was very clean and the shopkeepers were very nice. I am in love with the architecture:


This is the main strip (where I assume the tourists mainly stay). We were told by several people not to go into Mexico after dark, so we only came in during the daytime. OMG it was hot - the ice cream vendors were a welcome sight after a while. Here's a shot of the main street - very quaint, yes?



Here's Molly on one of the many benches scattered throughout the sidewalks:

I think this is the restaurant we had lunch at. When I tell you it was a siesta I am not lying - we were there over 2 hours!!!

It was very nice inside, and right before our food was served this guy showed up:

That's my 9yo with her guitar we purchased for her right before lunch - he was very nice and even tuned it for her. We joked that the reason lunch took so long is that he was at home and the restaurant called and said "Hey, we've got customers - how soon can you get here?!?"

I should point out - when we got there, the street was empty. We went into one store, and when we came out, everyone had put out their "wares" for us:
And of course, you can't forget all the cheap meds (notice the Viagra - they advertised for it everywere!):

My (new!) sister-in-law says you go in to the pharmacy and tell them where it hurts and they give you meds - yikes!!! Oh, and there's a dentist or orthodontist every 1o feet - true story!!!

The store owners were very happy to see us - they thanked our Mexican American hosts several times for bringing us to visit.

Next post: More relatives come in to visit and how we stole some taxi driver's "juice".

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Vacation Stories, Part Dos

Still tellling car stories:

In Texas, passed a creek called "Woman Hollering Creek" - what's up with that? I'd love to hear the story behind that one.

We passed over sooo many creeks that were just dry beds. I don't know if they fill up in the spring or what but there were tons of bridges that said there were creeks there but had no water under them. It was weird.

Closer to Del Rio, we started to pass ranches on both sides of the road. I didn't realize that they really do have those big ranch entrances with gates and names on them. It was kind of cool. And, being the romance reader that I am, with each ranch we passed I imagined the sexy cowboys who live there and the women who love them.

One thing we always have on road trips is beef jerky. I don't know why, we just do. So, we're in the car and eating the jerky, and of course the conversation ends up there. You know where there is, especially if you're the owner of a teenage boy. So, the conversation went something like this:

Me (to hubs, who has just handed me a piece of jerky): Thank you dear.
Son: *snickers* Dad's giving you his meat - ewww!
Me: *big smile* I love to have your dad's meat in my mouth. Mmmmm...
Son: Ewww!
Me: You're the one who went there...Mmmm...salty and delicious!
Son: *gags*



(Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself with pictures - this is Ian and the bride's sister, BV, at the reception)


Next post - Mexico stories and pictures, I promise!


Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Vacation stories, Part Uno

Okay, I'm not going to give it to you all at once, it would be a long, boring post. Instead, you get bites:

The five of us set out for Houston, were we met up with Mike and Hannah (my brother and sister-in-law/BFF), had dinner together and spent the night at their house, then traveled together to Del Rio.

Hannah: All white people dance badly.
BB (my 9yo): That's why you need beer.
~~~~~~
Me: Bridget, Hannah's giving you props!
BB: Could I have a present instead?
~~~~~~
At the restaurant:
BB, listening to how hard it is to quit smoking: If you quit smoking, it helps to start drinking.
~~~~~~

M/H took Ian to Del Rio in their car, so the girls sat in the back seat together in our car. They played barbies for quite some time and were very good. I was reading a book, but occasionally overheard a few gems:

Molly: Mom(to Barbie, not me)!!
BB: Not yet sweetie, Mommy is getting a tattoo.

Then, they cracked each other up for miles making the barbies smell each other armpits. Seriously, for miles they did this back and forth: Smell my armpit - no YOU smell MY armpit. hahahahahaha! (I couldn't complain, they weren't fighting!)
~~~~~~

Then, there's the bedtime story: Molly asked Michael to put her to bed and tell her a bedtime story. Michael told her a story about a princess with a beard. Then Molly asked for a story about a man. BB said, "The man who kept us down?" , to which Michael said "yeah - that man. The End. True story." So, through the whole vacation, Molly would pipe up "There once was a man who kept us down. True story!"

Pics from a rest stop in between San Antonio and Del Rio:

It's too early to be over it already!

Vacation Stories Part Uno, Part Dos, Part Tres, Part Quatro, and Part Cinco

Hey Family - Romance Books aren't so lame after all...

I've seen this video in a couple of places on the internet, most recently over at a fellow-book blogger (MamaKitty Reviews).

The Jane Austen Fight Club:

Quick hello, we're home!

We got in LATE last night. I'm tired, sick, and have to go to work.

Funnest. Wedding. Ever.

I haven't had time to even go into our camera (battery died halfway through reception) but here's a taste:

The bride and groom dancing to the El Mariachi song from the movie Desperado (yes, they had a real Mariachi Band at the reception!):

I've got a ton of stories to share, this trip was a blast!

Happy Birthday Ian!

I can't believe your 17 already! I'm not going to go on and on about how you were so tiny when we brought you home and I can't believe you're almost grown-up.

I'm just going to say I love you and hope 17 is your best year yet!

Better late than never....

Bridget's impersonation of Vampire Alice.

(why do I think she looks like my cousin "Orlando Brian" in this pic? I think it's the smile)

I'm not cheap, I'm fiscally thrifty

Two ladies were talking on the parking shuttle today about how they seem to be going to a lot of funerals lately and how expensive they are. Which got me to thinking:

Dear Family,

When it's my time to visit The Great Bookstore In The Sky, and you're planning my funeral - go with the cheap stuff. Seriously, bottom of the barrel - only get what you're required by law to buy. If I don't have the memory foam mattress while I'm alive, I certainly don't need it now that I'm dead.

Thanks,

Patti

P.S. Just a reminder: If Amazing Grace is played or sung at my funeral, I will come back and haunt your ass. Just sayin'.

Monday Miscellany on a Tuesday...

The three day weekend was nice and quiet.

Friday went to see Eclipse - my fave of the three movies so far. Loved the action and the music! I still don't think they'll win any awards, but for fans of the books they're fun.

My local used bookstore was closed, so that was kind of a bummer, but not too bad. Usually on Saturdays I take the girls to the used bookstore, where they have a drink and read and draw while I browse the shelves (don't worry - it's a teeny, tiny shoebox of a store, I'm not leaving them alone!). Then we go to McDonalds where they play in the (indoor, air-conditioned) Playplace and I read one of my new books. Then we come home and do chores (yuck!).

Sunday I came down with a mild stomach bug, I'm still not feeling great today but am at work. Bridget came down with it on Monday, so she laid around grumbling about her stomach most of yesterday. Of course Molly was jealous that Bridget got to eat tums.

Yesterday I stayed in my pajamas until around 4:00 pm. Oh, yeah, I sure did! Then J cooked dinner and made Sangria and you'd better believe I drank the Sangria, stomach bug or not!

My jury duty starts today but I called last night and my group didn't have to go in today so yay! I have to call every night for this week and next to see if I have to report for my civic duty the next day.

BB wrote down a slew of quotes Ian's teenage mind came up with while we watched Harry Potter the other night. Some gems like "Grasp your mandrake and pull firmly!" *snicker* Oh the joys of having a teenage boy in the house. He paused the movie so we could see how Mr. Weasley's tie looked like an "accidental dong". *sigh*

And Molly had a fit and threw a shirt onto the floor. I told her she had to pick it up and she said "But I want you to pick it up." I told her that wasn't going to fly, just ask her brother and sister. So she turned to them and said "Will you pick it up?" Hahaha - that girl is going to be the death of me when she's older.

I also have a pic of Bridget dressed like Alice from the Twilight movies that she asked me to post. Will try to remember when I get home tonight.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Happy 41st Anniversary to my two favorite parents!

Thanks for setting a great example for us kids.