Sunday, July 26, 2009

Rest Peacefully.....


I didn't know him well....but there is one thing I knew well about him. He loved his girls and they will always love him. Rest peacefully, Shel....we'll all meet again one day. Until then, know that they are wonderful ladies....with a very loving family and awesome friends, and we will all wrap our love around them and keep them safe and warm. Until we meet again....

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Best Mother's Day Ever!!!!

I went to visit my girl!!! Dennis wasn't all that happy that I'd be leaving for six days, but I assured him that I could handle everything that needed handling from Texas, so I packed up the laptop, phone, Blackberry and some clothes and headed down!


As always, the second we land I turn on the phone and within 2 seconds it rang....Shelby wondering where I was.....we talked until I hit the top of the escalator and saw her at the bottom. As always, tears come to my eyes....she's such a beautiful sight! And she greeted me with these....

Since she had worked all day and I had been flying all day (the two hour layover made it feel that way), we decided to stay in for the evening. Of course, I was anxious to meet my GrandDog and spend some time with her!!!

We had a great time playing while Shelby cooked dinner for us.....what a nice role reversal from the olden days! AND she's quite the cook!On Friday, Shelby had to work and so did I.....which was difficult to do because playing with Lily is such a blast! We took lots of walks around the apartment complex where Shelby and Justin live....it's just beautiful. It was also hot!

Shelby took off early and we decided to head down to the Riverwalk for traditional Cactus Pear Margarita! I had my first one when Dennis and I went to San Antonio for the first time in 2001 and I have one EVERY TIME I visit......first stop, Zuni Grill!!
The bonus was the mariachi guys playing in the background!!! After that, we decided to look for a nice place to have some dinner......BUT the Riverwalk was packed and so were the restaurants. The more we walked, the less hungry we were because of the heat, so we decided to stop in at Zocca Restaurant in the Westin Hotel/Riverwalk, which is where we stayed the first time we visited San Antonio. We had some wonderful wines and some great tapas....Bruschetta with goat cheese.....yummmm......fried balls of risotto with a surprise in the middle....cheese and proscuitto. It was the perfect meal for two hot ladies...literally! Oh yea....see that cute little top I'm wearing? Shelby went shopping that day and bought it for me.....said I needed something to wear besides my signature white tops. I love it!



After that, we headed back to the hacienda to rest up and plan the next day's trip to Texas Hill Country to visit the wineries. The next day we were up bright and early, packed the cooler, then headed for the mountains.....well, Texas Mountains....


The picture is what it really did look like......it's usually quite hazy in the morning in San Antonio and actually pretty cool. Later the sun comes out and heats everything up. Anyway, we took a drive through the mountains/hills.....saw my first Longhorn (they were small, but they were horns!)
.....then we headed for the first of MANY wineries! First stop, Singing Water Vineyards....
Our favorite wine there was Sweet Lupe......we got a bottle...or two or three...for the road.


I really cannot tell you how many vineyards we visited that day, but we had a great time. One that we loved was Grape Creek Vineyards....it was almost like being in Tuscany and the tasting room was filled with several tasting stations and lots of great gifts to browse.


While we were there, we met another Mother and Daughter Combo that were so much fun. Mom was visiting daughter from California and we all decided to join up together for the rest of the afternoon.....
Next stop.....Becker Vineyards....this place was fabulous! Not only did they have lots of great wines to taste, but they had food! By this time, that was exactly what we needed. There were huge meat and cheese trays with delicious crackers and we stuffed ourselves between sips. I will definitely go back to this place next time I visit SA. I don't remember which wines we bought there, but I do remember leaving with a bag! When we got out to the car, a pony had come up to the fence in front of the car.....Shelby felt bad for him and tried to feed him her Goldfish....

We visited a couple more wineries on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, TX, then headed into town to try some of the places right on "Main Street".....it was so much fun and Fredericksburg is such a unique little town.....here's some pics::




What a neat little town....if you're ever down that way, you have to visit Fredericksburg!!!


After the winery tour, we were exhausted (and a bit buzzed!), so we turned the car around and headed back to SA, trying to decide what to have for dinner.....should we go out, stay in, go out, stay in.....indecisive Galvin Girls strike again! We stayed in and watched a great girly movie, had a little more wine and just enjoyed being together again.


On Mother's Day, Shelby made breakfast for me!!!! It was her infamous Whole Lotta Ricotta Frittata....remember this from her blog?




.....notice the Mimosas, a holiday breakfast tradition....and Miss Lily waiting patiently for breakfast time!!!


That afternoon, we went out to do a little shopping......Shelby was determined to grow basil, on her patio.....even though the sun beats down on it most of the day. So we got a LARGER pot, that WASN'T terra cotta and used some great soil that retains moisture. We even went to TJMaxx and Shelby bought me a new bathing suit (I forgot to bring mine....and I must have 10...now I have 11) so we could hang out at the pool in the afternoon.Texas summers are only bearable IF you have access to a pool, and Shelby's and Justin's apartment complex has a very nice one! It was so relaxing.....



After we got back from the pool, we repotted her basil and got the patio looking great. Then we relaxed watching TV and chatting. Our time together was starting to wind down, and with her having to go back to work on Monday, we were quietly starting to feel it. Check out this pic of Miss Lily watching the sun go down....Texas sunsets are gorgeous!


Shelby managed to get off a little early on Monday and we decided to spend some more time down at the pool. It was early afternoon, so there was hardly anyone there....we took our books and read some, took a dip, read a little more....took a dip. It was truly relaxing!








The next day was awful......six days may have seemed like a long time to Dennis, but it flew by for me. I hated to admit that I didn't want to go home....I didn't want to leave her and I didn't want to leave Lily, who I had very quickly fallen in love with!! She is soooo sweet! She is lucky to have such a great Mommy!


Shelby is truly a blessing in my life....I'm a mother who knows she is loved. She is always happy to see me and loves to share her life with me, whether it's to get approval for her new recipe idea, or to see what I think about the stresses in her life. (Dang, I didn't think writing this post would make me cry!). I miss her today, and I will miss her tomorrow.....and every day after that when I can't see her face or feel her hugs. Thank you Shelby, for the best Mother's Day I've ever had....I should have been celebrating you while you were celebrating me.

So, on our last day together we headed to Aldacos for lunch!! I took a cooking class there back in 2003 and loved their food, so Shelby and I went there last year when I visited and she loves it, too!!! Although going to Zuni Grill for the cactus pear margarita is a tradition, it is now a tradition to go to Aldacos and have one of theirs!!!! It's the best! They make a regular top shelf margarita and then pour the cactus pear syrup on top! It is to die for!





We also topped off our meal with a piece of Tres Leches Cake....ohmigosh!!!! This stuff is so good.......the only bad thing about it is when it's all gone!
After lunch, it was time to head to the airport.......I don't even want to talk about that part of the trip....only the moments between the time I arrived and the moment we headed to the airport. I can't wait to visit her again.....and I'm hoping it's soon! I love you, Shelby.....

No Excuses....

....just reasons. I have posted in a long time, but I do have a reason. Dennis bought a new camera and I took over his old one, BUT when he disconnected the old one, he misplaced the cord! I looked everywhere...and the card is bigger than the slot in my laptop, so I couldn't download the pictures that way....sooo, I finally bought a new one, so here we go!

Old news.....but I gotta post them.....