Adam's sister, Laurel is still a voice in the Millennial Choir and Orchestra and we again enjoyed a Christmas concert this year. (We might get used to this...it might not be Christmas without MC.)
Oh you knew this was coming! This year's advent calendars are done and sent to nieces in Utah and California. And I don't know about the girlies, but they have been some of my favorite. Had I figured out what I wanted to do sooner, I would have created 25 unique designs...but I'll settle for six!
Marla found a great deal on a cruise line new to the ports in Galveston. So we booked our tickets on the MSC Seascape with Marla, Lex and new friends Jenni and Pat. Not forgetting—this was an occasion to celebrate Lex's early retirement too!
Marlex treated us to an excursion to the Chacchoben ruins. We climbed up giant steps and were greeted by two large, partially restored ruins. For the most part, the structures are solid—no chambers inside. Shocked? Us too.
A large group of about 30 monkeys live in the area, four swung from the trees above us. Marlex had hoped to see more.
It amazes me how many ruins have yet to be uncovered, but the man-power and money alone explain why man has have yet to discover all that has been lost on this earth.
There is a slide in the video of the guide is displaying an image of ruins before they had been restored. They are a giant pile of rubble because the foliage and trees push their way through stone structures and over time, they topple into mounds of stone and dirt and begin looking like part of the forest again, the only thing giving them away is are the hills of earth that seem out-of-place.
After the ruins it was a quick drive to the Lagoon, Bacalar. We were served three kinds of tacos (very yummy) and house-made drinks—that we stupidly sipped on and how we think Adam contracted Montezuma's disease for the next five days so far. (Only drink bottled/canned beverages when traveling!)
Jenni paddled around the lake in a canoe; Adam, Pat and Anna took a dip in the lake while Marlex took rest in the shade and enjoyed the day. And yes, a stranger found Adam. He is such a magnet for chatty strangers. Ha!
Second Stop: Honduras, Roatan, Fosters Beach
Because we had such a memorable at this location in 2017, we tried to replicate the experience. To our dismay we were provided with almost the opposite. The area had "grown up" as Marla put it.
The taxi ride was expensive, we were charged to enter the "private" beach, we dished out even MORE for chairs and umbrellas which Adam VERY begrudgingly did with the help of friends, as his pockets by then had already been emptied of cash.
A new dock had been built which meant more boats and other water toys with more exhaust to breathe in while bobbing in the ocean. And as were DONE sharing our money, a snorkeling trip was out of the question. Plus boats were zooming in and out of the bay so swimming along the shore face-down with a mask on was too dangerous.
The silver lining for me: our chairs were in the front row with an unobstructed view of the beach. There was chatting to be had, smuggled snacks to chomp on (including my favorite beach treat: dried mangoes) and refreshing drinks courtesy of Lex, all while we sat under the purchased shade—until the rains started. At which point we abandoned all hope of reliving our previous experience and left an hour early.
Third Stop: Cozumel
Having been to Cozumel twice previously, we padded our way into the local shops instead of booking an excursion. Jenni and Pat found items to gift to their kids. We all found foods to try from the local supermarket. The day on land was low key.
The MSC Seascape
The ship was modern, fancy and quite the maze with no visual cues to help navigate yourself throughout the ship. As a designer this frustrated me more than I let on. Shhhhh. I will not step onto my soap box for your sake.
The Cafe Lounge was a favorite of mine. It had a bit of mid-century mixed in; low back chairs and sofas. Dark woods. Great lighting with lamps and ceiling installments and a giant windowed wall. I felt like a cool grown up there.
Activities included eating, water slides, lounging, talking, hot tubing (where Adam made new friends, again) eating, a song and dance show every night (those backlit screens are a game-changer for the industry, as is AI...ALL the backgrounds they used were AI sadly), card games, eating, dancing, trivia, good conversation and more eating.
In the End
I am grateful for old friends who continue to invite our company. I am grateful for new friends who are open and generous to the idea of letting new people in.
Spent some gift money on extra Christmas swag for the house. I like the result but something about it bothers me too. It's not as refined as I was imagining. We'll keep working it. I think it's the red bows that are making it look dated, or maybe it's because they are hanging UNDER the gutters, hmm. But look how pretty the tree leaves are!
As a gift Marla gave me a marbling class. And I LOVED it. I have always been curious about marbling. Sure, I could go get a YouTube degree, but learning how to do it in-person is always preferable and waaay more satisfying.
Was feeling lonely, so I sent out an open invitation to anyone who wanted to come over and make some Halloween apothecary bottles with me. I had been saving up supplies for over a year. (Four signed up, and two cancelled—story of my life, I am not a popular person, but I keep trying anyway.)
The idea came from Magia Mia's site. Below: Joy and Becky
The bummer situation is that I still have a ton of supplies left. I'm not sure what to do with them. I can't just drop off a bunch of empty pill bottles at the second-hand art supply store....
For Adam's 44th birthday we decided to hang out at the Airbnb for swimming and cake and invite a few people. But no one responded, except one, to communicate unavailability.
So, we spent the evening just us two, swimming and playing games then later invited anyone available from his family—who all live down the street—to help us eat his cake. Glad a few showed up.
Here is a lame video of our Summer in California 2025. Not much to share evidently—there aren't even enough photos to tell a proper visual story. Were Dwynne and Natalie and entourage even in attendance??! My bad.
We drove to Historic Nauvoo, Illinois. But first, let's talk about the layover—we stopped at Black Sheep Burgers and Shakes in Springfield, Missouri for dinner.
After looking at the Black Sheep menu, you will agree that stopping here was exactly the right choice.
There were plenty of sauces to choose from and we should have gotten a shake, waah! Just look at their lovely gallery of photos. Seriously, go look.
Hotel Oasis
We stopped overnight at the Hotel Oasis in Springfield, Missouri. It was dated but they they leaned into it with landscaping, paint and decor, giving it a fun and original feel.
The indoor pool had a myriad of large plants creating a lovely green space with pathways.
Let's talk about this fiddle fig tree! The size made me so happy—I put Adam next to it for scale a couple photos down. I have never seen one with this shape either. They don't branch out like you would expect. They have to be pruned in specific ways because they like to grow one looooong branch. (I have three and pruning is always a frustrating adventure.) Which is why I just HAD to see the underside of the tree to see how they got it to "umbrella"—I'm pretty sure they lightly wove branches around one another. I know it's funny, but I will remember this fiddle for the rest of my life.
The hotel had a second, outdoor pool where Adam and I spent the rest of the evening floating around until after sunset.
Took Lysha to see our Grand Prairie Airbnb and to try a bakery, Paris Baguette, which I've been meaning to get to for a long time. It did not disappoint. This is also the last photo I have of her before she moved away. Doesn't she look like the kind of person I need to have closer than in OREGON? I hate change. Sigh.
We invited our friends to the SandFest down in Port Aransas, Texas (roughly a 7 hour drive down to the gulf from Fort Worth.)
Slovacek's Gas Station
First stop: Breakfast at Slovacek's which is famous for their PLETHORA of kolache options.
Their store is PACKED with all kinds of nick-knacks too. Someday I would like to spend more time here just to look around. We all bought more kolaches than needed...but we hardly EVER get to stop here...and why not?
Burnt Bean Co.
Next up was a planned stop in Seguin at Burn Bean Co. for award winning Texas BBQ.
To our pleasure, we noticed they had become a Michelin restaurant since Adam and I were here last! It's roll-your-eyes-back good, so I'm not surprised. We arrived before opening to join the line that had already made its way to the end of the block. (I'm glad, because then it validated the hype we gave to the Mitchells. Lines make food taste better.)
The sides are good too. I hate a BBQ place that has wimpy sides.
The leftovers were delicious. Cold even.
Before leaving town, I saw a map on the side of a building with a "world's largest pecan" statue marked on it. So of course we had to do a drive by.
Cinnamon Shore South
We rented a house in Cinnamon Shore South—a planned beach community with on-site dining and activities, experiences, and beach buggies so you've got everything you need. (Honestly, the community design code and houses BLEW my mind. In so much that I NEEDED to know about its inception, its creators and its future. Here's what I found.)
The house was a perfect fit for us with two main bedrooms for the adults and a bunk room for the kids where they spent a lot of time (win!) There were three full bathrooms and a large enough kitchen, table, and living room for all of us to sit together. (So many rentals do not provide enough seating to match the amount of beds they provide and it peeves me.)
Anyhow, if this community were in a better location, I would seriously consider buying property here. Once we become millionaires.
We ended the long day at the beach which is just a stroll through the gorgeous neighborhood and out onto the beach access path.
Next Day: SandFest
Hear me clearly: DO NOT attend the SandFest. The tiny community of Port Aransas HAS NOT figured out how to handle the influx of people parking at their event. It was confusing, maddening, and ruined our goodwill toward the event and robbed us of precious vacation time. It took about 1.5 hours to park the cars and it was quite the hike to get to the entrance gates. It then took about 45 minutes to vacate when we were done. That's long enough to leave a bad impression and experiencing it once was all I'll every be willing to do.
The SandFest itself with competitors coming from all over the word, was enjoyable. Winners are usually posted on their website. Unfortunately, I cannot name the sculpture artists at the time of this post and the sculptures are not yet complete in the photos.
The event also has plenty of vendors selling goods and a lot of carnie food. Avery bugged Lee for a coconut drink—and hated it. (It was simply coconut water.) So they shared with us. I like a good coconut water and the straws were edible. Thanks guys!
(Had to look this up to be sure I wasn't' spreading rumors: Coconut water was temporarily used as an IV fluid during WWII when saline was in short supply.)
At the Pool
Originally we had wanted to spend the rest of our day at the beach. But after the experience at the SandFest event, NONE of the adults were in the mood to be on the beach anymore. Relaxing at one of the three Cinnamon Shore pools was the preferred option.
Pizza
The food scene at Port Aransas is non-existant. Finding somewhere good to eat (or anywhere to eat at all) has been a problem in the past. We were LUCKY to find a pizza place with just a 20 minute wait at Cinnamon Shore North. It was fine but as you can tell by Lee and Jamison's faces—nothing to write about. (The appetizer was better than the pizzas.)
Return Trip: Terry Black's
On our way home, we stopped in Lockhart to try Terry Black's Texas BBQ and were NOT disappointed. They're known for their beef ribs (not a common item) and they were good!
We stuffed ourselves again and left happy, but also questioning ourselves: Did we come for the SandFest or for a Texas BBQ Tour?
