TEXAS!

So, our family went on a business trip to San Antonio, Texas for a trade show in early March that has schools supplies, back packs, clothing, stationary, basically one-stop shop for all your campus bookstore needs. It sure was an experience. I had envisioned in my head some sort of carnival of vendors all handing out the coolest things to get you to stop by their booths. There was a bit of carnival there, I mean I got some popcorn, but for the most part it was a hurried rush to see all that was there to make sure your store had the latest and greatest. By the end of the day you were exhausted and ready to sort through the treasures you got that day. Whew! By the third day we were all ready to skedaddle! The most fun was at the end of the day when we dumped out our loot and everyone tried to one up the other for the free stuff they'd been given---

"I got a pencil pouch!"

"I got a T-shirt!"

"Yeah, well I've got a full set of 36 permanent markers!"

"Yeah, well I GOT A BACK PACK!"

...and on and on it went. The free stuff was fun!

Anyway, it made for very long days, and not much vacation.

We did manage to sneak in a day trip to Corpus Christi which we had heard great things about! We heard it was warm water and because it was near the Caribbean, it was supposed to be tropical. Alright, well no offense, but I'd like to talk to someone who started those false rumors! It was cold, and dirty and grimy and so much trash on the shore...the best part was watching the fisherman who literally drove their trucks to the water's edge and put fishing pole into PVC pipes that had been tied onto the front bumper of their truck. I'm sorry, but that's a little hill-billy for me! So our day trip turned into about an hour at the beach itself...2 1/2 hours in the car both ways for the beautiful oasis called Corpus Christi! --I should make a disclaimer though...growing up on the coast of California, I will say I'm a little spoiled and I can see how people would think of it as such a great place if that was the closest thing around...anyway, we'll let the locals keep that little gem to themselves.

There were some other moments of fun on the journey. We visted the Alamo, the San Antonio River Walk--which we learned the river is only 4 feet deep--the scary thing is that there aren't any rails! If you're not watching where you're going...you may end up taking a dip! Especially at night, there are a lot of restaurants and so it gets quite crowded.

So, there you have it--our week-long adventure in Texas--it makes me a little proud to be a California girl!