Galveston Island

We are headed home from a beach at the beach.

You do still call the Texas coast a beach right?

I  handed Harper a sleeve of graham crackers, in the car, on the way home

. I promise that wasn't  a mess.

Overall, our trip was good. Chris was gone three days of it so really only enjoyed 3 days of pool. We didn't spend any time on the beach which is very odd for us but our friends have an infant and really couldn't be in the heat, sand or salt water. Lots of time was spent between the pools. One about a mile away and the other, a shaded lazy river was a bit further. This however was not listed on the rental information that everything was so far. The beach was just down from the house. These pools, you had to drive to them and HAD to have a paper wrist band at all times. Everyone knows how long paper lasts in water. Seriously? But to get a new band, you had to turn in your old one. No smiles either. What a bummer! A friendly smile goes a long way. 

Just a quick recap:

Saturday, we arrived to a house that had not been cleaned. Nothing. I spent quite a while washing sheets, towels, blankets, spraying Lysol on everything in site, sweeping, mopping, etc. it was a mess! The owners were nice to work with in the mess we arrived to. Unfortunately, the maid service wasn't available until Sunday. We had kids running on the floors, people sleeping in beds Saturday night and using the bathrooms so it could not wait. Once good as new, I was exhausted and headed to bed before the rest of the gang arrived.

Sunday, we woke to ants covering the pantry. Yep, seriously. Luckily, we hadn't put a ton in the pantry yet but still had to throw out a lot. Then we spent a few hours at the pool and grilled steaks. I love a husband who works for a steak company.  We love cooking out some with local food when traveling but unfortunately, this was our only meal. Uncle Mark came down and Lauren drove Riler down from Irving. We had a fun house full!  HG was about to burst with excitement when the three of them walked through the door.

Monday, another few hours spent at the pool then headed to town. Dinner at The Spot and Pleasure pier. The kids are still talking about the pier and had hoped to go back again. We settled on two hermit crabs instead. Much cheaper. :) You can find pictures here of the pier.

Tuesday, more pool time and the husband flew to Louisville while the ants reattacked the pantry. It was frozen food (pizza and nuggets for dinner) and early bedtimes for my girls.  My girls are those that need 12 hours of sleep and hadn't had it since arriving. Harper slept in the big bed and did so well.  She even slept until 9 most mornings.  Maybe she won't be in a crib forever? 

Wednesday, even more pool time followed by nuggets again for dinner. Exciting dinners at the beach I know but far away from town and without a car, we had to get creative. :) I watched the kids while our friends went to town for dinner and groceries. Everyone was super good and watched movies or tv. Chris got home around midnight with Uncle mark in tow for a fishing trip. HG could not believe that Uncle Mark slept just a room away from her without her knowing.  That was her topic of Thursday.

Thursday, the guys fished all day (seriously, gone 9 hours!). When my tahoe pulled up, I've never been so excited. The girls and I had been without a car since Tuesday. Our friends had one but being so far from everything, fitting in one car just wasn't an option with car seats and boosters. We were dressed and ready to head to town when they pulled up. Dinner at Fish Tales, bluebell ice cream and a trip to Murdoch's was great. I ordered what I thought was a simple dish and it surprised us all. Tilapia over a poblano pepper stuffed with blue crab meat and cream cheese. Black beans and rice accompanied with a creamy and spicy sauce. I tell you, it was not what I thought I was ordering but so incredibly yummy. It was awesome to have a good seafood meal after bacon cheese burgers at the pool during the day or frozen food the previous two nights. I don't do frozen food much except for vegetables.

Friday, we headed to the lazy river before our friends left. Harper called Kalli's name for hours looking for her, they love her. Both girls napped during the day before heading to town. We opted for Mario's, an Italian and Pizzeria place I had been one previously. It did not fail us. So yummy!! Who doesn't love Italian food? We even ran into some people we meet at the pool. Mario's seawall is located at the complete opposite side of the island. Spinach and artichoke dip for starters per HG's request. Seafood pasta dish, pizza with crawfish, crab and shrimp and of course their version of Mac n cheese. The service was awesome as well.

Saturday greeted us all with a headache. The husband and I had one for a few days and HG on Friday. He managed to pick up a cough as well.  I'm sure a mixture of sun, heat and allergies. Then add no coffee in the house to help with headache, we were moving slow. While packing and loading, I washed all the towels, wash cloths and kitchen towels for the cleaning lady. A little nice in my opinion but I always leave a place cleaner than I found it. All counters were cleaned, floors swept, fridge and dishes done. Besides the unmade beds and carpet that needed a good deep cleaning, it looked as if the cleaning people already came.  The husband always gets on to me for doing too much.

Not even 10 minutes (probably closer to 5), Harper had a diaper that took me 25 minutes to clean her seat. That is after I took the car seat cover off. It was a mess, she was a mess. Nothing that a little water, soap and Lysol wipes can't fix. Or fix enough for the ride home. A quick lunch in the cutest little place with Uncle Mark to take him some stuff, we headed to College Station. We hadn't planned on stopping in Houston since it is just the first leg of the trip but we had some of Mark's stuff and needed a deep scrub in a bathroom.  The husband had some work to do and it really isn't that far out of the way living in Keller. HG loves going to CS, she loves the idea of college towns. She gets the same way when we go to Fayetteville. We stopped at Layne's and Grub Burger.  I wondered why I was up 5 pounds in 10 days. :) 

 

Vacation is over for now.

School is just a few sort weeks away.