Coming Home

Well, there we were, driving to San Antonio for our week long honeymoon and feeling like we were in a fairytale/movie/dream... etc. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a more memorable experience! We couldn't stop talking about all of the friends and family that we saw, all of the behind the scenes things that went on that no one really new about, the funny things that happened throughout the day that will always be some of the greatest memories of our life. It was truly a blessing and we have never felt more loved and blessed than that moment in time.

As we arrived at our hotel, we unloaded, still dolled up in wedding attire, and headed to the front desk. Everyone around stared as we were exuding that newlywed aroma and were excited to holler congratulations as soon as they could. We were high on cloud nine and fully prepared to stay there for a long time. Not to say we weren't realistic, because we were, but we were still feeling very regal, special and we were in a very surreal place.

We woke up that next morning, exhausted, and moved forward onto all of the many activities for the week we had planned. We began our week on the riverwalk where we consumed some of the best mexican food we have ever laid our tongues on! Casa Rio has been on the riverwalk since the 1940's and continues to prove their reputation. As we walked along the riverwalk we wore our "bride" and "groom" t-shirts and, again, on-lookers took the first opportunity they had to let us know that they noticed by giving us a walk-by "congratulations!" It was so exciting to be noticed as 'taken' in the world; we were now one.

As the week continued we ate so much food... Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives took us to two restaurants that we otherwise wouldn't have known of, Dough Pizzeria and The Cove. Both were extremely good and certainly deserved to be on Guy's Food Network TV show! It was a great experience and so fun to have been and eaten somewhere that was on the Food Network. Our most VIP experience, though, was at the Tower of America's restaurant called Chart House. This five-star restaurant definitely treated us like super stars... again... very surreal and regal moments in our lives. When we arrived at the restaurant we were dressed much more fancy than many other people although there were not the only ones. Our hotel called to make us reservations, so as they did, they told the restaurant that we were on our honeymoon and this initiated the VIP treatment that we had throughout our dinner.When we were seated, we noticed a little card on the table that stated the table was reserved for VIP's. Little did we know... we were those VIP's! As we sat down we noticed some beautiful flowers on our table and as we looked around we noticed, well, we were the only table with flowers. As the night continued, we had the best service and we were greeted and congratulated by the manager and the chef as they checked on us to make sure we were being taken care of. It was truly a movie star moment for us! We had breakfast the next morning at a restaurant called Mi Tierra's and it was as fabulous as we had expected; fresh homemade chips and tortillas first thing in the morning truly makes for a great start to the day. We spent our last night in Fredericksburg where we ate authentic German food and shopped til we dropped!

 It was now time to return to Austin to finish up last minute business, pack up the rest of my stuff and attend worship Wednesday at Central. Our plan was to pack everything up and leave on Thursday at noon... the weather, however, had different plans. Just as it was time to load up the cars and get on our way, a HUGE storm hit Austin and poured down rain for a few hours, which was more than welcomed after the lack of rain they had been having. So, staying flexible, we decided to split up and Cody headed out first and then I would come later with my parents, since we were blessed with so many gifts, we had more stuff than we had room for.

So, here we are, in Oklahoma, alone... it's weird, different, exciting, fun, irritating, and definitely a huge transition for the both of us. I go from being in a world surrounded by people I know and love in my home of 24 years to a place where I only know a select few people and my, now, husband. I also went from a house full of the nine cutest dachsies you could ever imagine to a house with 2 big dogs... it's been a transition. I went from having the cooking, cleaning, laundry, coffee in the morning, etc. to literally having to do it all... it's been a transition. We went from talking about dreams of being together and silly flirting talk to serious talks about getting out of debt, having a plan for our future, buying groceries, making budgets, etc... it's been a transition. However, I have never in my life been more happy and more excited for the life that lies ahead. I, also, have never felt this grown up. I'm still a kid and it feels like I'm a kid living in an adult body and life, almost like I haven't earned being in this role yet... like I'm still too young, but I think I'm doing alright and I know I will continue to do well. I'm taking it as my challenge as I do with anything unfamiliar.

Excited for the rest of our lives together!