The Martinez Family: Unforgettable Summer

I can't believe that after three months of much needed rest, the kids (and I) will be going back to school. Our summer vacation couldn't have been any better this year. We were very fortunate to have taken several trips despite not having an extra paycheck this summer(which we had gotten used to). For the past five years I've worked straight through until July leaving me with only about six weeks of vacation and rest to re energize for the following year. But this year I actually had my first summer off since school let out. I have to admit that I felt strange at first with so much time on my hands, especially since I was not accustomed to it. The forthcoming days ahead turned out to be the busiest of any of my summers. Not by work, but by all the activities I did with the kids. I loved spending time with them and meeting everyone of their needs no matter what they were or requested. Of course being a mother comes with the territory, but the role of mom was much more fun and one of the most rewarding.

Our vacation started immediately after my official last day of work. Our Memorial Day weekend turned out to be the perfect antidote to my overwhelming year. Charlie was so supportive and convinced me to leave (and pack) right after he got out of work. That evening we headed right to San Antonio. While there, Charlie and I took the kids to the Alamo and surrounding attractions such as the much talked about cruise by the riverwalk on the boat, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

Since we were not far from my sister's in Austin, we planned on visiting her as well. However, she had a much better idea. We met halfway for lunch in historical Lockhart, Texas.

We ate at the internationally known restaurant, Blacks Barbeque. We were so impressed at how big their BBQ Ribs were and especially how delicious their food was. It was definitely a family affair and one we will certainly have again sometime.

After our delicious lunch, Omar took us to a park nearby. When he told us about it I wasn't expecting what we saw. We were impressed to find out it was much like Garner State Park where the kids had so much fun swimming in the Five Mile Dam. Our afternoon at Dudley Johnson Park turned out to be perfect considering it was Memorial Day weekend. There were just the right amount of people and the weather couldn't have been better.

Last week we planned on going camping but our plans changed and went to San Antonio and Dallas instead. That evening in San Antonio, Charlie's aunt and uncle offered to take care of the kids while Charlie and I took a stroll down the Riverwalk. Since it was already late we went to Howl at the Moon. Charlie had never been to that bar and admitted to having a lot of fun and enjoying the humorous atmosphere.

In the morning we took the kids to Schlitterbahn. They were so excited that they didn't even hesitate to take off their clothes and rapidly changed into their swimsuits. My first and only trip to the water park had been when my sister, Sandy and her husband, Alex took me and Melissa (Alex's sister) 13 years ago. I was just as excited as the kids were in getting on the water rides. We managed to survive the heat and stayed until the park closed. Needless to say, the kids had a blast! Take a look at the slideshow!! I took so many pictures of the fun we had.

We stopped at my sister's house for a quick visit in Austin after leaving Schlitterbahn. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures since we arrived late in the evening and left early in the morning for Dallas. For the following days we took a tour of the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, traveled to Oklahoma to gamble at the Winstar Casino (the kids stayed with Cindy and George and went for a swim in their pool! We ate at two great restuarants-Rio Mambo and Macaroni Grill, on two separate evenings, were treated to a delicious dinner at Amanda's and Manuel's house, ice skated at the Galleria, viewed a Red Bull Art Show, went swimming on one of our last nights and managed to drop my phone in the pool! Luckily, I was able to recover it (thanks to Cindy's advice).

I still can't believe we did so much!! We can't wait to see what the summer has in store for us next year!