Christmas in Texas

Tim and I spent Christmas in Texas with Tim's family this year and had the best time!  The morning after we arrived in Houston, Tim wanted to show me San Antonio so we borrowed a car and drove down for a day. After a frustrating and traumatic episode with TomTom (the wretched GPS), we remembered how to read and followed the signs that led us to San Antonio.  What a beautiful city!  As soon as we got there, we jumped out of the car and ran (literally) straight to the Alamo.  It was so fun touring the grounds and learning more about Sam Houston, Davey Crockett and Santa Anna.  I was beaming with ideas about how to teach this unit and ready to put down my life savings to buy 40 toy bayonets so my classes could reenact famous war scenes.  Fortunately, my husband gently painted the picture of 40 battled, bruised and crying students which would only lead to outraged parents that I had to put the guns away and walk out of the gift shop.
There was an IMAX theater around the corner that presented the Alamo Story 3D and while we walked there with the full intention of learning more about this famous historical event, we found ourselves walking into TRON instead.  While the storyline was tedious, the special effects were cool.  I think TRON is a movie I will see once and that is it. 
That night we walked along the River Walk and enjoyed the mariachi bands, watching the boats motor along the river, all the people, and especially the lights hanging from the trees.  Tim and I felt like we were on a Disney ride like Pirates of the Caribbean.
When we got back to Houston, the entire family had a gingerbread house contest.  I don't know if it was the color of the frosting but the girls (using yellow frosting) houses seemed to last about 5 minutes while the boys (using green frosting) built elaborate houses that could withstand an 8 scale earthquake!  Bry crafted a Cathedral with flying buttresses, Tony had a different type of candy on each side of his house, and Kevin's was a two-story factory!  Mine, on the other hand, looked like a house destroyed by a recent California mudslide.
It was so fun to watch everyone open gifts on Christmas morning!  Tim's family gives the best gifts ever!  I feel so blessed to have married into such a sweet fun family!  I can't thank Becky and Tony enough for flying us out to be with them for Christmas.  We had the greatest time and can't wait 'til Spring Break!