Update on Jason's Grandma

Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and well-wishes for Jason's grandma. The surgery was a success and the biopsy showed that the doctors removed all of the cancerous tissue. They also checked the local lymph nodes and didn't find any evidence that the cancer spread. She is still in the hospital and will probably be there through this weekend. It will be a long recovery, but she is still planning to go on a cruise with her three daughters (Jason's mom and two aunts) in October. She's such a fighter! Way to go, G-money!

Aqua Fit Class? A winner!

Well, lately I have been on a swimming kick (must be all of the hoopla with Michael Phelps), so I thought I would try the "Aqua Fit" class at my gym. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I always pictured that the group would have more of a "senior" feel. :) Today when I went, there were all kinds of people...younger and older than me, and both men and women. It was so much fun! (probably because it was my first time to go) We used these underwater dumbbells for toning, water noodles for all kinds of exercises, and even did quite a bit of cardio. The hour went by so fast! I think I'm gonna have to make this class a regular!

Prayer Request

Please pray for Jason's Grandma Jean. She was hospitalized for anemia on Tuesday and they subsequently found out that she has a colon mass. She is going into surgery tomorrow for a colon resection, and then she'll likely need chemotherapy. She is in good spirits about the procedure and trusts that God will take care of her.

San Antonio Trip: Episode 7 - The Last Day!

What's the best way to start a day of traveling? Eat a great breakfast! Phil, my good friend and co-resident from last year, always knows the best places to go. On our last day, we went to the Guenther House at the Pioneer Flour Mill for an excellent breakfast. You may know them from some of their mixes. The house held a dining area, a museum, and even a gift shop. It was beautiful, both inside and out.
The breakfast was yummy as well. Jason wanted to try their famous biscuits and gravy...
...and I wanted to try their fresh blueberry Belgium waffle with "sweet cream." They were both absolutely delish!
After our tummies were full, we were ready for the car ride back to Dallas! It was so great to see Phil one more time before we left. Hopefully we'll be back soon!
Of course, we couldn't get all the way back to Dallas without stopping at the outlet malls! :)

San Antonio Trip: Episode 6 - La Fogata

On the last night of our trip, we decided to go out for a "nice" dinner. Our destination? La Fogata Mexican Cuisine. It is a yummy Mexican restaurant in San Antonio (yes, I know there are lots!) with a great atmosphere. When you enter the "grounds" they have a neat courtyard area with a beautiful fountain. We had to wait a little bit so we ordered some margaritas. They were excellent and even had a little flower for garnish!
For dinner, we started off with the tableside guacamole (very good). I can't actually remember what we had for meals, but I know they were great. For dessert, we had guava empanadas! I know...they sound interesting, but they were absolutely fantastic! Even Jason liked them and he rarely ventures out into the "unique" food world. I highly recommend them if you're ever there!

We sat outside, although you can't tell from the picture. All of the waitstaff was very friendly, and there was even a mariachi band that provided music. In the picture below, our waitress is dancing with the trumpet player!
It was a great way to spend our last night of vacation. We will definitely go back to La Fogata the next time we're in San Antonio.

San Antonio Trip: Episode 5 - Sea World

On Saturday, it was time for Sea World!! Jason had never been, and he was sooo excited to go! (I thought it was cute) He REALLY wanted to see Shamu, but also wanted to see some of the other animals.
Jason spent about 30 minutes leaning over the edge of the dolphin pool, hoping for an opportunity to touch one. Unfortunately, there were so many people around, he didn't get to pet one. :( Oh well, maybe next time.
The first time we went to see the Shamu show (yes...I said first), we arrived kind of late and had to stand at the very top. It was hard to see, so Jason wanted to come back for another show so we could get some good seats. Although we didn't get to sit in the "Splash Zone," we still had a great view at the second show. All three of the Shamus were so beautiful and talented! :) I wonder where the real Shamu is?
Of course we also had to all of the rides. We rode one of those hanging roller coasters, the rapids, and the "Journey to Atlantis" (below).
While were were there, Budweiser had some of their Clydesdales on display. They also had a hospitality house with free beer! Although I'm not really a beer drinker, Jason was excited for the free way to "cool off." We also signed up to do a free tasting. This was pretty neat because we were able to go into this really nice room, get a free plate of cheese, grapes, chocolate, crackers, etc., and sample 4 different kinds of beer. At first, I wasn't planning on going since I don't drink beer very often, but I thought it would be fun just to go with Jason. When I looked at the list, some of the beers/malt beverages actually looked pretty tasty! I tried a blueberry beer called "Wild Blue" (good), a fruit-infused Michaelob Ultra (not very good), Bud Light with Lime (actually pretty good), and a Raspberry Mojito (very good, but very sweet). Overall, I was glad that I went!

San Antonio Trip: Episode 4

During our time in San Antonio, we stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Victorian Lady Inn. It was a beautiful house. Our room was on the first floor, and we even had our own fireplace (we didn't use it obviously since it was 100 degrees out).



My co-resident from last year, Phillip, is doing his second year residency in San Antonio. This was perfect because we were able to meet up with him while we were there! He lived in San Antonio during pharmacy school as well, so he knew his way around. On Friday night, we went to dinner together. Our first stop was a drive-thru margarita stand. It was by our bed and breakfast and Phil was excited to show us. Basically, you drive through this little barn and these girls come over to your car to take your order. We all ordered different flavors of frozen margaritas. When they bring them to you, they are ready-to-drink (i.e. in the cups with lids), but they're sealed in plastic bags. You wait until your at your destination to open them. This is how they get away with having a drive-thru place!
The night we were there, August 1st, was perfect because we were able to attend "First Friday." This is a festival in the arts district, complete with food and art stands. First we ate dinner at a restaurant in the area called La Tuna. Here, we were able to meet several of Phil's friends from pharmacy school. We had a great time! Then, we walked down to the festival. It was pretty neat because there were so many people. Phil was excited to eat "street food" (i.e. fried junk food). Although I was full from dinner, everything sure smelled good! After walking a ton, we decided to settle down at a restaurant/bar called Casbeers that was in an old church. It still looked like a church too...very strange! We spent the rest of the evening there visiting.
It was so great to see Phil while we were in San Antonio! I love the new residents, but I really miss my co-residents from last year too. We have sooooo many great memories! Hopefully we'll make it to San Antonio again sometime!

San Antonio Trip: Episode 3 - Riverwalk

Next, we were off to San Antonio. Our first stop was downtown to visit the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Jason had never been to the Alamo, so he really enjoyed it...being a history buff and all! After the Alamo, we headed down to the Riverwalk.
We entered the Riverwalk area through one of the hotels. They had some pretty fountains, so I had to snap a few pics (see above).
The San Antonio Riverwalk is so neat! There are tons of restaurants and shops all along the river. I know that OKC has tried to imitate the Riverwalk with the Bricktown Canal, but it just isn't quite the same.
Of course, I had to visit the Riverwalk CVS. We went in to get drinks so we could cool off, and I was able to use my employee discount! :)
We also took a ride on one of the riverboats. Our tour guide was knowledgeable...and funny! We were able to learn a lot about the history of San Antonio and some of the buildings and sculptures around the downtown area. After our boat ride, we went to Boudro's for lunch. It was pretty tasty! Our favorite thing was the tableside guacomole. I just drank water, but the prickly pear margarita looked pretty yummy too! Don't worry...I'll have a margarita before the end of this trip! 8-P

San Antonio Trip: Episode 2 - Schlitterbahn!

During our stay in New Braunfels, we spent an entire day at the Schlitterbahn! You may recognize this waterpark from the Travel Channel. It was ranked the number 1 water park in the country! If you have never been there, I HIGHLY recommend it! It was so much fun!

When we first arrived, we went straight to their newest ride "The Dragon's Lair." It was pretty fun, but not as exciting as the online animation made it look! I definitely wouldn't wait in line for this one more than ~30-45 minutes. The best part about waiting in this line were the waterfalls. Water spills over the edge of the ride onto all of the people waiting in line. This was nice, especially in the 100 degree weather! Even though it was hot out, the water was freezing when it first touches you!
Jason's favorite ride is "Boogie Bahn." This is a ride that mimics boogie boarding (see below). Most people don't last very long because the water is moving so fast, but some people have practiced quite a bit and can do turns and other tricks.
My favorite rides are the "Master Blaster," an uphill water roller coaster and the 40 minute lazy river/rapids ride that ends up in the real Comal River. The Master Blaster is in one of the newer parks, and the lazy river is in one of the older parks (there are 5 parks total!)
This was probably one of my favorite days, although the lines were pretty long during most of the day. We were able to ride several rides after 5pm because the lines started clearing out. We will have to remember that next time we go. Hope you can make it there sometime!

Audrey Update

Audrey (Kurtis and Amber's little girl) is growing and doing great! Amber just sent out some adorable pics, so I couldn't help but to post them on my blog so everyone could see my little "niece." Amber said that she is smiling now, and she even captured a picture. I can't wait to see her again soon! -- Auntie Lauren

San Antonio Vacation: Episode 1

We made it back from our summer vacation to San Antonio! Actually, we came back on Sunday, but it has taken me a while to update the blog. I decided that since I have so many pics and fun stories to tell, I would have to create several posts. So....I will start with our first stop, New Braunfels, TX. This is a adorable little town about 30-40 minutes north of San Antonio. It is home to the Schlitterbahn, one of the best waterparks in the world (more to come on that). We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Prince Solms Inn. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area. Jason and I decided that we like staying at Bed and Breakfasts more than hotels. Not only do they have yummy homemade breakfasts included with your stay, they have a LOT of character, unique decor, and little amenities (i.e. we had FREE bottles of water and snacks in our room). This particular house was built in the 1800s as an inn. It has since undergone some restoration, but was still very "authentic." This inn had about 10 rooms, each with a different theme. We stayed in the "Library Room." It was on the second floor and one entire wall was a bookshelf filled with all kinds of different books. Underneath the inn, there was a piano bar called "Uptown Piano Bar." It was actually very busy! We went there the first night and could barely get in the door!



New Braunfels was founded by people of German descent, so a lot of the streets, buildings, restaurants, etc. have German names. We decided that this would be a great place to get some German food, so we went to Frisenhaus for a delicious dinner. We picked a great night to go because they had live music with an accordion player. He played music and sang while several couples danced on the dance floor (Jason and I just watched :) The food was excellent too! Jason got the sausage sampler (see below) with saurkraut and german roasted potatoes. I got the jagerschnitzel which is a breaded pork fillet, pan fried, and covered in a mushroom onion gravy. My dinner came with red cabbage and potatoes. The cabbage was pretty interesting, but actually not that bad! Jason also ordered a German beer in an "official" stein.

During our stay in New Braunfels, we made it to the movie theater twice! The first night we saw Mama Mia (absolutely wonderful!!!! i am a musical lover and i haven't been able to get the songs out of my head for 2 weeks....i've even seen it twice!) and Stepbrothers with Will Ferrell. The movie was pretty funny, but the funniest part was when Jason started laughing and couldn't stop for like 10 minutes! I kept laughing at him!
Overall, we had a wonderful time!! I will post pics of the Schlitterbahn soon. We used a waterproof camera and the pics are getting developed as we speak!