R Squared | Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy
Dear Ones,
Thank you for joining me for another Style Me Bloggers Link-Up.
Today we are talking about our summer (vacation) plans.
I don’t have any.
And because I don’t have any solid plans, this post could be over right now.
The End.
But when have I ever failed to find something to say? Even where I have nothing to say at all.
(Don’t answer that Paul!)
And today is no exception.
Even though we don’t have any plans set in concrete, I am going to share the vacation ideas that we are kind of tossing around.
Not exactly PLANS, yet.
Then you can come back in the summer to see if they materialized.
Since PC and I were married in 2008, we have taken three international (oo-la-la) vacations. In 2009, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in France. Four years later, we traveled to Cancun, Mexico for our five year anniversary. And last summer, 2014, we vacay-ed in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in celebration(?) of my retirement.
Truly, I don’t think PC is as unhappy or irritable as he might appear above. He just doesn’t smile for pictures, or that’s what he tells me anyway.
Several times we have met up with my daughters Brennyn (Ft. Worth) and Lauren (Houston) for vacations in Galveston, Texas (beach, sorta), which is about an hour from Houston. My sister Valerie (Houston) usually joins us for part of the stay.
I say that Galveston is sorta beach because if you have NEVER been to the beach (like most of my students in El Paso), Galveston does have sand and surf and sun. So, it has all of the necessary ingredients for a beach.
But Galveston has a little something extra to offer beach-goers.
Seaweed.
“Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin’.” ~ Glen Campbell
Yup, all of that brown stuff is seaweed.
But how ’bout the beautiful sunset out beyond that seaweed, huh?
So, part of our possible vacation plans for the summer of 2015 tentatively include a night or two at the beach.
We can step right over that seaweed. As PC demonstrates below.
Seaweed Shuffle
Just never mind about all that ‘plant life’.
But Galveston is good enough to have had a song written about it.
You don’t hear Glen Cambell singing “Ha-wa-ii, oh, Ha-wa-ii”.
We generally go on vacation in July and that is a HUGE month full of milestones for our family. In fact, the whole summer is one big celebration. Paul’s son Matt’s birthday is 6/1, our anniversary is 7/11, Paul’s daughter Katlyn’s birthday is 7/26, Cady’s birthday is 7/28, Brennyn’s birthday is 7/30, Lauren’s birthday is 7/31, Francisco’s birthday is 8/15 and Corey’s birthday is 8/31.
$$$Ka-ching$$$
(PC and I have stopped having birthdays)
We usually do some kind of joint birthday celebration in Galveston, including Cady’s first birthday in 2011.
That year, in her honor, there was limited seaweed on the beach.
Our favorite place to stay in Galveston is Pointe West. We usually rent a house and all snuggle in together. First stop is Walmart for groceries and then we drive out to Pointe West, about 20 miles from Galveston.
Pointe West
[source]
This year we are thinking of shaking things up a bit.
If we go to Galveston, it may only be for a day or two.
And this year, my brother Kevin (Lexington, KY), niece Shelby and nephew Jacob are joining us along with my sister Valerie, her husband Roby and my nephew Trey.
Lastly, we are thinking of throwing in a day or two in New Braunfels, Texas, north of San Antonio. We’ll probably do this after Galveston. This little village is like a “little bit of old Germany smack dab in the middle of the Texas Hill Country. New Braunfels is the kind of old-fashioned town that makes folks feel right at home.” [source]
In another lifetime, I took Brennyn and Lauren to New Braunfels, specifically Schlitterbahn Water Park. We were there only overnight but had a wonderful time and made some sweet memories.
[source]
We are thinking of staying in the cabins at Summit Vacation Resort. The cabins are riverfront so that we can jump into our inner tubes and float the Guadalupe River. Then we can jump in the car and head to Schlitterbahn for a day.
Summit Resort
[source]
But as I type this, I am remembering there is a Schlitterbahn IN GALVESTON. We might need to rethink this whole vacay. It might be that we could just do it all in Galveston.
One stop vacation shopping, if you will.
Actually, it really doesn’t matter where we go. If I am with PC and get to see my daughters, their husbands, my Cady, my sister, my brother and their respective families, then I am happy.
Seaweed is icing on the cake.
I just hope to make some more wonderful memories this summer.
Please stop to see where my blogger sisters are vacationing. And leave me a comment below with your vacation plans.
Happy holidays!
Hugs and kisses,
Add me to your vaca list friend! I’ll be thinking about a good song to go along with the seaweed shuffle!
Ha! We need a song for the seaweed shuffle. Maybe something from the Little Mermaid? Sebastian has a cute song about “Down by the Sea”. I am going to try real hard to figure out a way to see you this summer. It has been too long! Maybe I can zip up there on Amtrak or we can meet up in Dallas or Houston? Thank you for coming by. Love you for always supporting me. XO
I love seeing pictures from your part of the world, it’s so different than here!
Deena, El Paso is like a country all its own. Most of Texas doesn’t even claim us as part of the same state. We are even on a different time zone from the rest of Texas! Crazy. I love El Paso, though, and wouldn’t trade living here for a life in Houston, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio. Thank you for coming by, sweets!
Love all the pictures, and you’re posts are always so funny 🙂 and well thought out.
Ha! I don’t know how thought out my posts are. Actually, this one was kind of thought out, for a change, except I tossed all of my original ideas and threw this together Thursday night. I get so nervous sometimes writing a post and worried about how it sounds! Glad you think I am funny. I think I am just a goofy girl who never grew up. Sure enjoyed your vacay pics. You have such a lovely family. So blessed.
I’ve always wanted to go to Galveston. Looks like fun! I’m with you – as long as I’m with my family, I’m happy.
It is hard, Lana, because I am sooooo super family-family-family and PC is not that way. I feel like I have to try to balance my relationships with my daughters, mom, brother, sister with time I spend with Paul. And he doesn’t have the same relationship with his family as I do with mine. Very hard. But when we are all together, I am in HEAVEN. And Paul is very patient. Thank goodness.
stupid internet ate my comment…
anyways, HOLY BIRTHDAYS!! I don’t even know how you keep track!!
I love how close you are with your family!
Also, beach with seaweed is still the beach!
I like your attitude about a beach is a beach is a beach. Seaweed just makes it beachier. I do love my family, big fast, which has been a little tough for PC at times because I tend to be OVERBOARD where the girls are concerned. But that’s being a mom!
The one and only time I’ve been to the state of Texas, I was going on a cruise out of Galveston! So needless to say, I didn’t see much of it! (it was recently hit by a hurricane went I went too) I need to get back to Texas to explore. Galveston does look beautiful!! Have a wonderful time with your family. I think that another thing you and I have in common Leslie! We are both very close to our families!! 🙂
Galveston was leveled by a hurricane in 1900, but I am pretty sure that was around the time of your cruise! I keep telling PC that there are cruises leaving from Galveston all the time, we just need to get on one!!
I love that we are both close to our families. I love seeing pictures of you with your family. How is your mom adjusting to retirement? Is she working at all or just enjoying life?
I’ve only been to Galveston once but it was a blast. I remember the brown seaweed too!
Galveston isn’t Cancun, but the best thing about any place is who you got there with! We are still working on our details for this summer but hope to make it back to Galveston for some sun and seaweed again this year.
Those cabins at Summit Resort look fantastic! I’m starting to think those sort of rentals are the way to go when vacationing.
We like to get cabins or houses or cottages so that we (I) can cook for everyone. Saves some money and uncomplicates things in a lot of ways. I don’t get to cook for my kids often enough any more so I am glad to do it when I can.
Oh those beach pictures make me want to go on vacation right now!
Grab your suit, let’s go!!!