Christmas came early this year because Grant and I are going to Singapore on the 25th. So it was decided that we were going to go to San Antonio early this year to celebrate with the family. Our adventure begins no different than any other with a plane ride to…Las Vegas? Our flight had changed from its original booking and its new iteration included a three-hour layover in Las Vegas.
Since we had just received our pre-check we wanted to take full advantage of the layover. The irony in the situation is that we had just left Vegas on Sunday and we’re back again on Friday. So we literally had two trips to Vegas in the same week. To make sure that we didn’t get into to much trouble we went to the Mandalay Bay’s buffet which was the closest to the airport that we could think of. It was nice because both Grant and I had some work that needed to be done so we were able to find a booth, complete our work, pig-out on everything that was there at the buffet, and then jet-setted back to the airport.
We made our way back without any issue, hopped on the plane and in two 1/2 hours we were in San Antonio. Carole, Grant’s mom, picked us up from the airport and took us to one of Grant’s favorite places, La Fonda. Their queso was really on point as they included guacamole and fajita beef. Something that we would definitely get it again next time we go. Grant was hooting and hollering about their enchiladas but I didn’t see it. Truth be told I was hooting and hollering about La Hacienda the restaurant I grew up on and he didn’t think the enchiladas were that great-- so I guess it’s what you grow up on.
After we ate, Grant and I parted ways with Grant’s parents and rendezvoused to The Pearl. This was a weird area that use to be a former brewery operating from 1883 to 2001 that had been converted to mixed use space of high end and trendy restaurants with residential. Most everything was closed but there was an ice cream place called Lick that was open. Grant and I both got weird ice cream, which definitely ruined our diet but we didn’t care as our previous meal was a buffet. Cheat day.
The next morning the rest of the family including Jake, Jillian, and Clint came over so that way we could exchange presents. Last year, Grant got everybody gag gifts in Port Aransas and so he wanted to continue that tradition but spend way more money doing it this year. One of the gifts I was most excited about receiving from the Beckwith clan was a pass to Six Flags Fiesta Texas as I was the only one who had never been.
Following presents, we cleaned up a bit and then headed to an arts and craft festival where we ate barbecue. There was a lengthy conversation about cars and who was going where and when. Eventually, Grant and I just snuck out to head to the theme park to avoid the kerfuffle.
We made it to the park relatively quickly and then began riding rides. Unfortunately, age is a bitch and the rides that we grew up with were clearly more chaotic than our bodies were used to. After riding the first rollercoaster, our next stop was to the theme parks convenience store to purchase Advil. Not a shock but they had a wide selection there to choose from so it was comforting to know that we were not alone in our wallowing.
The rest of the gang showed up and we continued to ride these crazy roller coasters. Some of the roller coasters that were there were not there when Grant was a kid so he got to experience some of the new roller coasters for the first time like me. Our favorite roller coaster by far was The Joker, a new pendulum ride that was advertised as the world’s tallest pendulum ride. Afterward, for surviving I treated myself to a smore which as everyone knows or should know is my favorite food on earth. The marshmallow was incredibly good as it wasn’t a standard generic basic marshmallow but had way more substance and density. The firepits throughout the park were a nice touch as it was getting cold for sure.
When we left we all decided to go to a restaurant. My only request was that it was not a chain so of course, we ended up at Cheesecake Factory. The service was abysmal, but the food when it eventually came out was pretty good.
The next morning Carol wanted to have a family luncheon and so Grant’s Aunt Ann and her significant other Dan came over to celebrate. We had ham, turkey and all the fixins for a scrumptious meal. Due to the timing of our flights, we had to pack up and jet-set out of the luncheon pretty quickly to make our flight.
Due to Southwest weird flight frequency and destinations, our flight ended up going to Houston and then to San Diego. There was a 45-minute layover in Houston and we were hoping to get dinner there. Southwest was late in San Antonio and it caused us to literally get off the flight in Houston and run to our next flight. We made it. I scored brownie points because I ran to Rocky Mountain Chocolate that was right by our gate and picked up Grant’s favorite candy bar. I lost half the points though because I ate half the candy bar to Grant’s dismay.
One holiday celebration down and one to go in Asia.
