Dan's Birthday Weekend and Galveston

Dan turned 39 this year. Can you believe a man who thinks that a sock monkey with a precariously placed tail is worth taking a photo of can possibly be on the brink of turning 40?



Well, it's true. And I gathered all his friends to meet us downtown at our old stomping grounds for a surprise celebration. And he was indeed surprised. It was a wonderful time and I think he was touched with how many people came. People from different times of his life and people who traveled from other cities just to wish him well. It was really, really fun. And he really, really deserved a fun night to celebrate!



We had a great time. And Emi came in with a surprise for Sofia - Matthew! Sofia was so surprised that she was literally speechless. But they had a great time. Unfortunately, I somehow managed to not get a single photo of the two of them.

The next day, after everyone left, Dan spontaneously decided we should spend a night in Galveston. So we did. We stayed at the Harbor House right on the bay. It was so nice to be together, just the four of us.

We relaxed in the hotel room,





walked along the Strand,



and ate dinner outside right on the bay.



The next morning after getting ready



we walked to Sunflower Bakery for breakfast.



On the way we strolled down Postoffice Street,



and went right past the house where Dan and I lived for the first three years of our marriage. It brought back so many memories.



Here you can see our house with the ANICO building, where I worked so miserably, in the background.



We haven't really been back to Galveston since Hurricane Ike came through in 2008 and the most noticeable changes were how clean everything looked since being put back together and the lack of trees. We remembered Postoffice Street being lined with big, old trees. And now there are mostly small new trees or old stumps. It was still a beautiful walk. The old houses really look great for having survived so much over the past 100 plus years. I liked this one.



After breakfast we went back to the hotel, packed up



and headed to the beach. Luckily for me a storm was blowing in so the beach trip was short. Galveston beaches have not changed - they're still full of seaweed and brown water. But Sofia didn't care. She and Dad had fun playing in the sand.



And Ana enjoyed her first trip to the beach. I promised her we'd show her a better beach trip this summer.



It was a wonderful short trip to Galveston. It will be nice to go back again soon.

Beach Trip 2010

There's nothing I love more than having an annual trip. And there's no better trip than a trip spent with great friends at a great beach. Sofia has gone on this trip every summer of her short life.

Here she is at six months with Tia Sara,



and again at a year and a half,



and finally this year in all her two and a half years.



I can't tell you how important this trip is to us. It is like a recharge, it is so relaxing and best of all it is spent with some of our dearest friends in the world, Sara and Kevin. They live in Laredo so we try to tack on a trip to Laredo so we can visit there first. In July we rented a car and drove on down.

Their family owns a really cool restaurant, bar and gaming place in Laredo called Hal's Landing and we went to check it out. Sofia loved running around playing every game she could. She even tried miniature bowling.



We visited with Sara's parents and Sofia got to take a dip in the pool.



She then made herself comfortable in front of some Nick Jr.



while we dined and discussed the details of the ashes we'd be spreading over the ocean.



No, I'm not kidding. Here's the very strange side story:

Michael Strickland, the man I work for asked me one day if I was going on my annual beach trip. When I said yes he asked if the water was blue in South Padre. When I again said yes he asked if I would spread some ashes in the blue water for a friend of a friend.
Seriously? Seriously.

I thought there was no way I would ask Sara and Kevin if I could bring a dead guy with us to the beach this year. But when they came for a visit to Houston and we brought up this crazy story I should have known that Kevin would love the idea. He's as odd a sort as Michael Strickland. Did I mention I love odd sorts?

Apparently this man, James, who died left his last request to a dear friend of his that his remains be left in blue water. Since his friend couldn't make that happen for whatever reason, we did. Over that dinner in Laredo, and over the course of the week we came up with several plans on how to make it happen. The plan ranged from the reserved to the absurd (think Viking Funeral). We settled on the guys renting jet skis, taking James out and spreading his ashes as far out in the ocean as they could.

This is the short version of the story. For all the details you must ask Dan about it, preferably over a couple of beers. It really ended up being a very comical story over all, but in the end James was treated with respect and his final wishes were fulfilled. As Kevin spread his remains he very fittingly said, "James, we're just trying our best just as I'm sure you did."

So after a few lovely days in Laredo off to the beach we went!

The beach is the same every year. These are the constants...

Pool time,









and beach time, of course!























No one needed this trip more than Dan.





It had been an emotionally draining couple of months for him and this week-long vacation was a much-needed respite. John was such a wonderful father to him and obviously he quietly taught Dan how to be a wonderful father as well. Sofia and Dan had so much fun together. She's a lucky girl to have such a great daddy.











She especially loved it when Daddy would help her fill up her little beach pool. They are such a cute pair!







Some other constants of our annual trip:

Resting,



Mexican house dresses,



eating,





being cute,



and Sofia's bathing suit fashion shows.

















And one thing that will always be constant about our annual trip is how sad it is to say goodbye.



Until next year... xoxo