Walking Backwards

Just a quick note about our weekend in San Antonio because I have a ton to catch up on here. Its also raining, so the plan to spend most of the day outside so I can catch up on reading is foiled. Hopefully, Nico will be okay with me just setting him up and watching him go while I clean and do homework. Anyway, the weekend:

Saturday, we started the morning by participating in the SafePlace walk. We got there about 11:30 and met up with my team, the AustinMamas. The walk itself was two miles and took us about 45 minutes. It really wouldn't have taken so long, but there were so many people there that it was very difficult to move quickly. We met up with our team again for a team picture and then Joe and I left because we wanted to get to San Antonio at a reasonable hour. The drive was uneventful and we arrived in San Antonio at Maria's around 2:30 or 3. Shortly after, we left for the San Antonio zoo because they have a new area designed for small children. Nicholas wants to live there now, I think. It has a sand beach with a pond at the bottom. That was his favorite. There was also a floating deck, a large area with a bunch of small hills to run up and down, and a fake camping area with a zip-up tent. I took several pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet. Maybe later today.

After the zoo, we drove back to Maria's and had dinner and then Maria and I left for a night-out without the kids or the husbands. We stopped first at the mall to grab dessert at the Cheesecake Factory and look at all of the stores that we are usually unable to even walk in with toddlers. We both lamented our current dilemma of getting to wear what we want versus what is appropriate for one who has a toddler. We saw lots of lovely items for people who do not have to dodge peanut-butter and jelly hands. Dry-cleaning is no longer acceptable. We did buy some lovely chocolate at Godiva, though. It was so strange to actually go into a mall. I try to avoid them usually, but it was kind of nice just to have a place to wander while we waited for our table.

When we finally got seated, cheesecake was ordered. I had a chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake. I could only eat about half of it, it had to be the richest cheesecake I have ever had. Maria got the Boston cream cheesecake and said that it wasn't as heavy. If I ever do go again, I think I'll not order a cheesecake styled after such a rich chocolate candy. The mall was closed by the time we finished and we went on a quest for alternate and exciting entertainment. We ended up at Clicks billiards. I was a little alarmed at how much my game had gone down. Before I got married I used to play a few times a week and had gotten pretty good. I suppose that is the kind of game that you have to play regularly to maintain any semblance of skill. I did get to drink, so that was a high point. I had a dos equis and four lone stars, both of which are not what you would consider high-quality drinks, but they were on special and seemed situation-appropriate. I was very drunk by the time we got back to the house.

Nicholas was kind enough to wake me up about four hours after I had gone to sleep. I didn't sleep that well either because Nico is not used to sleeping in strange place and would sit up regularly and ask me for something. Horrible, dizzy hangover ensued. It didn't last that long, but the early morning hours were spent lounging on the couch. Worse than the hangover was the stomach cramps from eating so much dairy in cheesecake form. After both had subsided a bit, Joe and I packed up and I called my dad to make plans to meet up for an early lunch. Maria, Mark, and her two year-old, Fiona, went with us. We went to Earl Abel's, a San Antonio institution that I have been going to since before I remember. The children were amazingly well behaved and the food was great.

Our trip ended there and we drove back to Austin, saying goodbye to my dad and Maria in the parking lot. I fell asleep as soon as I got home and woke up to my husband getting ready to leave for work. Nico and I spent the evening lounging on the couch and reading. After a very simple dinner to protect my ill-treated insides, we shared a very long bath and I put the little guy to bed. I stayed up until Joe got home around midnight and then fell asleep about five minutes after he walked in the door. That was my weekend. I guess this entry didn't end up being brief after all. Now that Nicholas' movie is about to end, I think its about time to be productive, darn it.