Summer 2014 Part 1-San Antonio Love

Loving his time with Grammy and Papa.

 So this is one of those cases when you're too busy living life to record it, but I don't want to forget a moment of our time. I knew it would go by in a flash, but I didn't realize it would go that fast. And really, I'm only 3 weeks into my summer, but somehow it feels like it's slipping away so quickly. So here is my best recollection of our short time in SA.

We arrived in Dallas after a relatively smooth, albeit cramped 14 hour plane ride. We struggled to gather all of our luggage (they lost our stroller, but found it!), we met up with Donnie's parents and drove about an hour out of town to a hotel and settled into watch the Spurs. They won their fifth championship that night, and between being with family and extreme exhaustion, I couldn't help but cry. It was a perfect way to start our summer.

The first week back in SA was a blur of shopping, eating, and World Cup. We took every opportunity to run in our old parks, eat at our favorite places and meet up with friends to watch the soccer matches. It was exhausting, but my heart was full. I met up with the ladies from Oak Grove, and marveled with them how big our kids were getting. :) Getting to see all the familiar faces and catch up with what had happened in the past year was exactly what I wanted to do.

World Cup!

Beach time with this hot chick

Before I knew it, it was the end of the first week, and Donnie, his parents, and Paul left for the beach, while I waited for my sister to arrive from Seattle. She got in on a Friday evening, and I whisked her off for a run. It was a little hot and uncomfortable, so we quit early, and headed home to prep for a night out. We hit all my favorite spots, minus the awesome taco truck, but it got too late for that. It's always a blast with Andie, but that night was especially fun. :) She was like a magnet for guys, every time I walked away, I'd come back to find her deep in convo with somebody new. I couldn't help but smile. :) We got home late, and up early for our long drive to the beach, but it was worth it to lay by the pool and lounge around the beach for the weekend with her by my side.  We spent the rest of the weekend being lazy, the sun and lack of sleep caught up with me and I ended up being too sick to watch the US vs. Portugal game out. So we cheered them on from our apartment, and then it was Monday, and time to head back to SA. After a long drive, a doctor's check up for Paul, and another soccer game, we dropped her off at the airport. I hate saying goodbye to her, but I know we'll see her again soon when she comes to HK in August. She's a rock, and I love her for her amazing calm and motivation and patience. she continues to be an inspiration.

Perfect girl's night out.

Life is good. <3

Yay, beach!

Sand castle attempt.

Ahh the wide open space of TX beaches.

The days seemed to get shorter after that. Donnie and I took a quick trip to Austin with the intention of going to see some live music, but we spent the day eating and shopping and ended up being too tired to go out. We got up early the next day for a 10 mile run around the lake, which has changed since we left. It was fun, but tiring, so Wednesday was quiet.

The next day we watched Germany and US play at Beethoven Maennorchor with lots of German and US fans. It was a loss for the US, but both teams pushed on to the next round, so it felt like a win for both. :) From there, we did some final shopping and I took a nap before meeting up with the BDC girls at a cool new outdoor eatery. Unfortunately, we got rained out and ended up at a pizza place. I laughed so hard that night; they are so funny and so warm. I miss my monthly get togethers with them. We went out after, but I was too tired to dance, but I had a great time laughing and people watching.

Love this chica.

The hot girls of BDC

The next day was another full day of errands, friends and food. We met up with Ron and Angie's old friends and their kids who have become our friends. Their two kiddos are great with Paul and he played his heart out. The following day, we met up with Donnie's best friends for a zoo trip with the kids. It wasn't too hot or crowded so we spent a couple of hours wandering and doing all the fun stuff, like the carousel, petting zoo and feeding the birds. From their we caught a soccer game with everybody, and although we had planned on all meeting up later for drinks, Donnie and I spent the evening packing.

The Hales!

Paul and Sophie are the same size. She's six.

Back on the Brackenridge train!

Feed the birds! Josie's skeptical.

The cool kids.

Finished ten miles in 80% humidity!

Our last day in San Antonio started with a 10 mile run, then a rush to go see the poor Mexico team lose to the Netherlands, then more packing and that's when the sadness hit. We went downtown for a Brazilian steakhouse dinner, and then finished up our packing. I went out for a last minute drink with Jane, and couldn't help but feel that ache of wanting to stay when I drove home.



There is so much I love about San Antonio, the food, the culture, the way of life that is so warm and welcoming. There are so many people there that hold pieces of my heart, that when I'm there it feels so good to be whole again. But when I seriously think about my daily life their compared with what I have now in China, it's hard to compare. Yes, things are easier in SA, it's familiar, and so much that made me who I am happened there, but after review, I struggled a lot. I worked hard, with little payoff, I was frustrated a lot with an education system I didn't quite believe in.

I know I'll be back in SA sometime soon, and it's never far from my mind or heart. I am so grateful for the short time I had with all of the people I care for there. I hope you all know that I think of you often, and I love you all. <3

And now on to Summer 2014 Part 2!