My first plane ride was in 2009 to Las Vegas! My favorite vacation spot...but that's beside the point. The plane ride was boring. What?? Yah. Boring. But NOW there's WiFi on the flights, and it's like...aaaaaaaaaahhhhh. Wonderful. Free movies. Free TV. It makes the trip so much more enjoyable.
Again...maybe the in-flight entertainment might not be the point either. I think my point was "first plane ride". Jake and I have flown several times since my novel flight, but we had never flown with our girls. When Jake's parents decided to spend a couple of months during the winter months in Corpus Christi, we found our opportunity to fly with the kiddos! A winter vacation on the beach? Count us in!
We found some dates that coordinated with the girls' school schedule and the in-laws snowbird dates and booked flights - unbeknownst to the girls. And we surprised the girls Christmas Morning with the news! I wasn't sure if we'd pull of the surprise. We all had known for so long...there had been a couple of slip-ups, but the girls didn't seem to notice. Phew!
The week we left for Texas was a busy one! Jake was traveling for work. I was trying to work, take care of the girls, do laundry and pack...our niece was born that Monday night, we had dance on Tuesday night, and dentist appts on Wednesday afternoon, basketball practice after that (Jake got back to town in time to pick Kam up from that), and finally parent-teacher conferences.
Once Thursday morning arrived, it was -13 degrees, and we were ready to get the heck out of Nebraska!
We loaded our bags into the pick-up and got on the road. We stopped in West Point to grab some breakfast and drove to the airport.
The girls really didn't seem too nervous - which was good and surprising. I thought at least one of them would be getting a little scared, but they were super excited - but cool, calm, and collected. They're great travel companions!
We got to park in the NEW parking garage at the airport. It was really nice actually...I mean, it's just a parking garage, but the building you walk through to get to the airport is a lot more modern and classy. Nice!
We checked our bags, survived the escalators twice, and got in the line to go through Security. We had never flown with the girls, so we weren't sure what to expect, but it was ridiculously easy. The girls and I walked through the old-fashioned scanner, and Jake went through the new one. It was literally that simple. We grabbed all of our stuff, and found four seats in front of the windows! Time to plane watch!
I decided we probably needed to give the girls some Dramamine before we got on the plane - Kindrey is a notorious, "I feel sick" kid while in the car. I could only imagine what a bumpy plane ride might do to her!
We boarded the plane, and got ourselves situated for our flight to Houston. I sat next to Kindrey. Kamryn sat next to Jake. I watched Downton Abbey, and Kindrey played on the iPad. She didn't seem the least bit nervous about the flight at all. Even when there was a little turbulence...she didn't even seem to notice. Dramamine? I dunno.
We landed in Houston, and had a 2 hour lay-over. So we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. We were all STARVING!
Then we walked around the airport - trying to show the girls what a larger terminal looked like, and to get their blood flowing. :)
Then we discovered our flight was delayed by an hour. We wouldn't be getting to Corpus until 5:30ish instead of 4:30. What can ya do?
Color. You can color, and drink coffee! (And maybe take a quick snooze ;))
The flight from Houston to Corpus was a short one. And it was really strange, but Downton Abbey wasn't available for me to watch on that flight. So I settled for Judy. Kamryn sat next to me on this leg of the journey. She's a sweet little traveller. So cute!
Oh gosh - but we finally made it to Corpus Christi, and the Nebraska weather apparently followed us. It was raining and like...34 degrees. Like seriously???? Story of our vacations though!
Anyway, we got in our rental pick-up, and headed towards Flour Bluff where Jake grew up.
Let me tell you a little story about Flour Bluff. Flour Bluff is dirty. The end.
I have been to Corpus Christi twice before, and all I could really remember about that area is that if I had ever been to Mexico, I would imagine it would look like that. I thought...maybe I was just YOUNG, and we didn't see everything there was to see, and was really hopeful that trip #3 would yield a different Flour Bluff. But no. It didn't. It's still Mexico.
But we wouldn't be staying in Flour Bluff. We had booked a condo on Padre Island on the beach. Our first Airbnb experience.
From the outside, the building (Gulfstream Condos) didn't look like much, but when we opened the door to our condo, it was like "Whaaattt??? Suh-weet!" It was beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. I really didn't take many pictures of the condo...just incidental pics, but check out the Airbnb pics here.
The girls took the actual bedroom, and Jake and I took the "studio" space with the view of the Gulf. I have to tell you...I've never experienced ANYTHING like waking up to see the waves crashing into shore. It was amazing, and I was certainly in Heaven.
Once we unloaded our luggage, took a quick tour, we just HAD to see Jake's parents. They were staying at a condo within walking distance, but it was raining and cold so we drove! ;)
The girls were so excited to see their grandparents and likewise. We visited for a bit, and then decided on a place for dinner - we were all starving!
Skuttlebutt's Bar & Grill was just a few minutes away from our condo...located inside a strip mall. Odd. BUT it was busy, so that was a good sign! Rumor has it, you can bring your catch in, and they'll cook it for you. We hadn't been fishing, so we weren't going to be supplying our own meat that night. ;)
There was live music, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed (but loud). The girls were NOT impressed with how loud it was. I think they were ready for some quiet time. They said they like the restroom because it was quiet. Sorry girls. But they both liked their food (I think they ordered grilled cheese and chicken strips).
The restaurant offers a little bit of everything. I knew I wanted to try something new-to-me, so when Jake order the Peel & Eat Shrimp, I knew I had to try it. And I also decided to order scallops - and being the inexperienced and famished scallop orderer, I nearly called them scallions. Jake found that funny.
I learned that if you try something new, you'll find out that you were right all along to not eat shrimp or scallops.
I will only eat seafood if I'm on a deserted island, and that's all there is to eat. Nuff said.
Day 2
We had heard the weather was still going to be on the chilly side on Friday morning, so we planned to go to the Texas State Aquarium. After waking up to a breathtaking view, and getting Jake's favorite breakfast tacos, we headed downtown.
The sun was shining, but the wind was a-blowin'! We were pretty excited to get inside and check out the aquarium.
We are pretty spoiled with the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. They have a pretty nice aquarium. But I don't recall getting to see the divers clean the aquarium in Omaha like we did here, and I don't remember there being a dolphin show...so...we got to see some new things in Texas!
Oh, it was pretty funny when we finally arrived at the dolphin show to find that the only seats left were in the Splash Zone. The girls sat up front, and were not spared of any water. Jake and I did really well staying dry until the last splash...it got us! And I got it on camera right before it made it's way up to us. There's nothing like being covered with salt water on a 50 degree day, no?
And what better meal after an unexpected shower than Whataburger?
I could think of a few. I don't really like Whataburger, it turns out. Jake doesn't feel the same way as I do. Can you tell?
Even though the girls were soaked, Jake just had to show Kamryn how much fun it can be to taunt the seagulls with French fries, so to the beach we went. Kamryn was excited and scared all at the same time.
It was pretty cute to watch. ;)
After some dry clothes (and a nap for me - I had taken an Advil Allergy pill, and I was down for the count!), we headed over to Jake's parents'. His mom wanted to take the girls shopping for their birthdays. So we went shopping at a few of the fun touristy stores. If you ever need anything nautical - a giant mermaid perhaps - you need to check out Ocean Treasures Gift Shop. They have a TON of stuff. Then we went over to Third Coast Beach Company.
After our shopping extravaganza, we went back to hangout on his parents' back deck/dock. The girls worked on their casting. ;) Gorgeous view. It was a perfect opportunity to sit and relax with a glass of wine.
Then we ordered pizza and ate it at our place...and then one of Jake's buddies from the good ol' days stopped by. He was thrilled to have his picture taken by Jake. ;)
Day 3
Jake's sister and her family arrived at the same condo as ours Friday night. So the guys made plans to go fishing during the first part of Saturday, and the women and the kids planned to go to the Barefoot Mardi Gras Parade on the beach (just down from where we were staying).
It was feeling a little warmer Saturday morning, so it was good to get outside and enjoy the sunshine! We walked along sidewalk along the beach. It's pretty handy!
There were a ton of people lined up on the beach waiting for the parade. Like so many. So we just found a spot at the beginning of the parade instead of trying to work our way down the beach.
There were a lot of parade entries! And lots of beads. The kids sure did come home with a few!
After the extra long parade, we headed back to the condos and got in touch with the guys who were also in charge of bringing home lunch (Whataburger again). I don't think they had much luck fishing. Oh well. Then it was off to the pool!
I felt a little bad for the older folks staying at the condo...sorry...our kids forget that other people are in pools...
Jake and I had plans to meet up with his old high school friends for dinner Saturday night, so the girls were going to have a sleepover with their grandparents. We all got ready for our evening plans and off we went!
The guys were like little school girls - so excited to see one another. They are quite the group. I don't know how they ever survived!
We ended up going to South Texas Icehouse - Bar & Grill for some grub after much deliberation. It just so happened, one of Jake's friend's parents' band was playing there that night, so it was an obvious given that we would all go there. Duh. I don't know why he didn't say something sooner.
But we made one of the guys get his mini-van, and he drove us to the bar while I listened to a very philosophical conversation about perspective and thoughts...I'll just leave it at that.
I think Jake had a nice time reconnecting with some of his friends. Thank goodness they're getting older. It could have been a crazy night. But we did learn about the Carnivore Diet, and that "Amaretto and Diet" isn't a well-known cocktail on the beach. The things you take for granted...vegetables and Diet Coke.
Day 4
Jake and I walked from our condo to his parents' to get the girls and a ride to our truck. It was a gorgeous morning. Perfect for some family-time before the men went on their guided fishing trip.
Sunday morning, we got more breakfast tacos and headed to Port Aransas. We wanted to take the ferry. Weirdest thing ever. You drive your vehicle onto a boat, and float across the water to the other side. But I suppose if you want to get somewhere quickly and the state isn't going to build a bridge, you get on a ferry. We saw some huge oil rigs while we waited in the ferry line. Wowza! The oil industry is pretty big down there.
We also stopped at a candy store. There wasn't much else to do at Port Aransas as far as I could see...there probably is more to do, we just didn't have much time before the guys had to go fishing.
We stopped at Good-N-Crisp Chicken to get lunch. I wanted a salad. Turns out they didn't have anything to make a salad and wouldn't until the next day. I opted to not get anything and just eat leftover pizza. The girls had fried chicken, and rumor has it that it was pretty good and crisp.
Well, it was time for the men to fish and the rest of us to hang out on the beach. Finally! The girls got to touch the water! And by touch, I mean, stick their feet in, and then fall in, and then swim with their clothes on so that the sand was glued to every square inch of their bodies. I really didn't think they'd get that wet. Moron.
If I wasn't so deathly afraid of the girls getting sucked into the riptide, I could have stayed there forever. But the amount of paranoia that I had for the safety of our girls was too much! So I was a little glad when the clouds rolled in, and it got a little too cool for our wet kids.
After trying to remove as much sand from the girls as possible, it was time for a little break.
So, as I had mentioned before, the guys went on a guided fishing adventure. Here are some pics. I don't know anything more about it. You'll have to ask Jake.
I think we just sat around after the beach and waited for the guys to get back from fishing so we could go to dinner. Jake's mom texted his dad to get some info, and she made sure to tell him that Kamryn didn't want fish for dinner. And when Jake's dad arrived, it turns out, he misread the text and thought she WANTED fish for dinner, and we laughed. So typical. No fish for us. We chose Padre Island Burger Company.
They have an interesting menu, but limited indoor seating. We ended up eating outside at the picnic tables on the patio. It was a nice enough evening to do so. I got The Chronic Burger. Delicious. :) Their burgers really were good. Everyone agreed.
The kids had fun while we waited for our food.
Did I mention that it is really humid on Padre Island? Jake thought my hair looked amazing. Thought he'd be really funny and take this pic.
Frizzy hair. Wavy bangs. They're all the rage, didn't ya know?
Day 5
Our last morning was spent feeding seagulls and exploring downtown. We had wanted to go to the Lexington, but just didn't have a big enough chunk of time to work it in. But we saw the Selena Memorial, caught a glimpse of the Lexington, and found a shrimp boat. :)
Then it was back to the airport for lunch and our journey home!
What a vacation! Everything we did was great. Going with no specific plans was really nice. We just did whatever worked at the moment. I think the girls had a great time, and would definitely want to go back. There is still so much more to see!
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