Since my man's been home...

Since Doug came back from Colorado, we've been enjoying getting our lives settled together here (all of that "responsible" stuff we have to do) along with lots of play time!  He still hasn't officially started his CSO (Combat Systems Officer) training.  He's just been reporting everyday and getting briefings and as he's stated, "been poked by a needle too many times!" with all of the medical exams and things they have to do.  He starts this week, so in the meantime, we've been trying to enjoy every moment of time together.  Here's a quick recap of all we've been doing....

One of my favorite San Antonio things to do is the the San Antonio Rodeo and Stock Exchange where there's the amazing rodeo, as well as a state-fair type of environment.  The Friday after Doug came home, we went to the carnival grounds for a date, then the next day, went to the rodeo with Ellen, Doug's sister, and her husband and his extended family.  It was a blast seeing Ellen and Brent.  We wish we had more time with them, but were glad for what we got!  

Last weekend, we went to Austin, which is just over an hour of a drive from our house.  We walked down the famous 6th street, but it would've probably been more exciting if we would like to get drunk off our rockers.  It was nice to walk around nonetheless.  Our favorite thing to see that day was the state capitol, which is a beautiful building.  That night we decided to venture out to a local play and decided quickly not to do that again, but once again, it was fun doing something different.  Austin has a theme which is seen all over the place of "Keep Austin Weird", which was obvious that there are many weird-friendly things there to see...   

The following day we went to the Texas State Museum and enjoyed learning a lot about the culture of Texas and saw the new Imax movie "Under the Sea 3D" (FYI, it was the first Imax I wasn't thrilled about... there's definitly better ones out there).  The best part of the weekend was just relaxing at Austin's huge park (Zilker Metropolitan Park) where there's tons of things to do.  We brought Sasha with us, so that was naturally her favorite place, as well.  Next time we go, we'll rent a kyack.  Anyway, Austin is our new favorite weekend getaway.   We're going to try to make it a monthly getaway for a Friday night campout or just to do something outdoors there.  I'm sure you'll hear about another adventure there within the next couple months.  Here's some pics from the trip:

Now this last week, we ventured out downtown to do the Riverwalk again, the Alamo, and other things.  Yesterday, we went to Six Flags, as well as Sea World (both of which are right here in San Antonio, just under 40 minutes away for both... obviously we had to get season passes!).  They're not as large as the ones in California, but they were a lot of fun, especially because they had no lines (they just opened up for the season last weekend).  We got through Six Flags' main rides in just over two hours, which is why we decided we could do Sea World that same day!  We hope a lot of you come out to visit us... we'd love for you to join us there!

So far San Antonio has looked pretty dead... sorry "dormant".  The weather is really nice this time of year and we're finally starting to see hints of spring green and blossoms.  It will be breathtaking, I'm sure, in the next few weeks.  This was our favorite Sunday as no obligations have taken our time... we enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon with naps, reading, and a nice roast dinner out on the deck.  We just got a new patio conversation set where after we ate dinner, we enjoyed the gorgeous weather and even had some great conversation (the furniture worked!) and then a long game of checkers.  It felt like a very American moment and I felt very blessed to be in such a heavenly setting.

So, in the two months that I've been here without a job, husbandless for a month, and no other obligations, you'd wonder what I've been doing! Somehow I stayed busy enough with getting the house settled, having family in town, going to Colorado, getting ready to sub, getting a husband back in town, and just enjoying our new Texas life.  I thought that by this time, I'd be deep into all sorts of put-off projects, but I haven't even touched them!   All of this "vacation" mode has been a blast, but I'm excited to finally get into a routine. As responsibility and routine are taking over our lives, we also decided to try out a new budget (Dave Ramsey's cash program... thanks Collard's and Burgess's for your inspiration!) which we're looking forward to doing.  Hopefully routine will also make time for those fun projects that I've been wanting to do... Doug will begin his hard-core training this week and I am going to start substitute teaching this week, as well.  I've missed my students and teaching a lot, but have definitly enjoyed a break.  It might be interesting going from my own classroom to a new classroom and students daily...  that is, if I survive substitute teaching... 

Have a great week... miss you all!