Spring Break

On the first day of my break, I drove home in the morning and arrived (via plane) in BestFriend's city that evening. To keep up with our college hangout traditions, we watched episodes of The Nanny (our favorite show!) while eating frozen pizza and cookie dough. Yum. :-)

The next day, we decided to go shopping ... at the hugest outlets I've ever seen. Even cooler- the entire outlet shopping center had a Venetian theme ... and BestFriend and I had been in Venice together a year and a day earlier. :-) For the most part, I was able to avoid impulse buys ... but a set of 4 tulip-themed plates ($8 at Crate & Barrel) and a set of 4 pink and red plates ($10 at Pfaltzgraff) leapt into my arms ... as did deliciously-scented lotions and shower gels at Bath & Bodyworks (< $15), and a CD set (a great resource for music education). In addition to these indulgences, I found two pairs of shoes for which I'd been searching for a LONG time. A pair of concert shoes (which must possess the following traits: modest heel, pretty, closed-toe, not pointy toe, easy to walk in, must be able to be withstood for several hours at a time) and a pair of casual summer black shoes (because my sister made me throw out my old pair because they literally broke in half in Prague- I insisted that I could hot-glue them when I got home, but she told me that was unacceptable. "Just throw them out, Estrella!" she commanded.) So now I have what I hope will serve as a worthy replacement of that pair.

When we returned home, we drank wine in the hot tub and chatted. I felt like such a princess. :-) The next morning, BF's husband made breakfast (good man!) before we set off on another all-day adventure! We drove a distance to get to another awesome city. We walked on the famous Riverwalk (a magical experience ... trees hanging over the water, brightly colored umbrellas, miniature waterfalls, art on the walls), we visited the Alamo (and enjoyed part of the re-enactment which took place that afternoon), we briefly glanced inside a Cathedral where GradSchool choir had performed before I even knew of the school, and we shopped at Market Square, where I purchased some small souvenirs.

Another magical event occurred in this city. I had known that Mentor was going to be in the area, and I'd called her when we got into the city. We didn't make plans to meet up because BF & I were trying to squeeze as much sightseeing as possible into the trip. However, on our way to finding dinner, I spotted Mentor walking ahead of us on the Riverwalk. How fun! So ... we walked together for a little while (and got a picture together, to prove we'd met up across the country!), and she recommended a lovely littler place where BF and I ended up getting dinner. Candlelight, margaritas, and quesadillas on the Riverwalk at twilight ... Westley got a little jealous when I told him about this, as did BF's hubby. :-)

After dinner, BF & I met up with a friend of ours from AlmaMater. To celebrate our mini-reunion, we went shopping at a discount clothing store (where I got a cute top and dress!), and a grocery store (for Ben & Jerry's necessities) before heading back for hours of conversation at our friend's apartment. Wonderful evening. With the time change, we didn't get back to BF's apartment until 3:30am!

The next morning, we dutifully got up for church. Nice service, good message. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and evening (hot tub, dinner courtesy of BF's husband, and chick flicks).

On my last full day, we had lunch with a guy I'd met in Salzburg. Three brothers from BF's city had approached me while I was writing in my journal in front of the statue of Mozart in Mozartplatz. The brother whom we met this week had asked where they might find an internet cafe. We hung out in the internet cafe, had dinner from a vendor (for which they paid), and hung out at my hostel (so they could use the phone there) before they drove to Germany later that evening. I thought it was SO COOL that BF and I had the chance to meet up with a random friend I'd made in Austria! :-) The rest of the day was spent lazily: enjoying the hot tub, looking over scrapbooks, watching chick flicks, and sharing GirlTalk.

The previous entry (below) describes my adventures on Tuesday. Wednesday consisted of a dentist appointment, a haircut, and other errands.

Yesterday was another great adventure! Westley and I figured out a halfway point between our two hometowns, and we met there yesterday before noon. At his suggestion, we went shopping (he had specific things he wanted to get), but neither of us had any luck finding anything. After 3 hours, we drove to another nearby town to walk around. (This little city had a tiny Riverwalk, modeled after the Riverwalk I'd visited days earlier!) We meandered lazily through the streets and along the river ... savoring conversation and our time together. We ate dinner at a sweet little restaurant where my parents went on one of their early dates. :-) It was so difficult to say goodbye and drive away at the end of the day. I'm in great danger of falling hard for this guy. He's really quite wonderful. In fact, I may have fallen already. *happy sigh*