deep in the heart of texas

Because I don't want to spend all of 2009 reporting on the last few days of 2008, I'm going to wrap up the rest of our Texas adventures in one last post.

As was mentioned previously, New Year's Eve was spent in Fredericksburg. The stake activity wasn't scheduled to begin until dinner time, but because we all wanted to wander around town beforehand, we got there earlier in the day. Aside from boasting some beautiful wildflower farms on the outskirts of town and a proud German ancestry, Fredericksburg is home to a main street filled with small curiosity shops, boutiques, and restaurants which are fun to wander in and out of.

One highlight of the afternoon was a ride for Garrett on a mechanical horse, courtesy of Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary.



Earlier in the week we visited the Mexican Market in downtown San Antonio. Like Fredericksburg, the thing to do here is wander in and around the various shops, admiring the brightly colored Mexican-made clay pots, maracas, and linen sundresses. My cousin, Julie, who lives in Austin with her husband and baby girl, was able to join us for the excursion. I cannot tell you how great it was to see her and to finally meet her daughter Sofia.



On New Year's Day, with the whole entire clan in tow, we descended on San Antonio's famed River Walk. We took a boat tour on the river where we learned some history of both the city and the river's signficance to it. Then, once the sun set, we wandered along the narrow paths it to see the Christmas lights twinkling in the trees.

So there you have it: our holiday trip to San Antonio. We did more than I reported on, I assure you, but I'm sure you're as tired of reading about other people's holiday activities as much as I'm tired of writing about ours. But in case you're not too good at reading between the lines, we had a wonderful time and are excited for the next time we get to visit.