Summer 2017

It's my last official day of MY summer and I'm sitting in MY favorite spot (the coffee shop), reflecting on MY summer. While it wasn't quite the adventure of last year, I have a lot to look back on. The summer started off great. My hubby and I celebrated our nine year wedding anniversary at the fair in Del Mar. Was that an interesting adventure!! The fairgrounds were beautiful. We stayed at the Hilton, right across the street from the fair. What a convenient location to stay. We didn't have to bother with traffic, driving a car or paying for parking. We just walked to the fair. The hotel itself was pretty. Our room was standard. They had a beautiful pool, which we didn't use and an amazing bar in the middle of the grounds, with a fire place, where we could relax on couches. 

I've decided that the Orange County Fair is my favorite. Unfortunately, I didn't make it this year. By the time the OC Fair rolled around, I was very sick and we couldn't go.  I'm very upset that I missed out on Terrie's Berries. I don't like the fried fair food, so Terrie's Berries candy apples are my one splurge. There's always next year. I think we may hit up the LA county fair this year. It's been ages since I've gone and I don't think my husband ever has. 

The summer blockbusters were a bust. I didn't find much to be happy about when it came to the movies this year. Nothing really peaked my interest. There were a few I loved. Wonder Woman was amazing. I loved it! Girls Trip was super funny and The Glass Castle was great too (not funny at all). During the summer I'm usually at the movies at least once a week. Not this year. Every year I make two lists. My 10 favorite movies from January to June and then from July to December. 

I read a few books, but then stopped when I got sick. I only read three. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Pretty in Plain by Jen Lancaster and Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts. I've never read a book by a Nora Roberts or a Danielle Steel or a Janet Evanovich or any other author in this genre. I always felt that they were beneath me. I know that's smug and snobbish, but I have seen the light. The book wasn't bad. It was readable and fun and quick. Since it's a trilogy I have two more to go. I started reading Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. This is the book I stopped when I got sick. I love the Outlander series and have to finish this before season three this fall. 

I spent some time at the gym. I was going a lot at the beginning of the summer but stopped when I got sick. I was out of commission completely for two weeks. I didn't leave the house unless it was to a doctor's appointment. I started to emerge the 3rd week, but really maintained and continue to maintain a low profile. 

I did a no makeup buy for July and shopped my stash all month long. I have a lot of makeup. Every week I change out my eye shadow palette. I hit pan in my Sweet Peach Too Faced palette. I love that one the most. It sat on my nightstand for the weeks I was out of commission. August 31st Too Faced is coming out with their Peaches and Cream line and I'm ready. There are a few things I will be getting from that line. I didn't get much from the original line. I bought two of the lip oils and of course the shadow palette. I realized I never posted a review of the Sweet Peach palette. I'll hold off until I purchase the Peaches and Cream.

August also saw the Grand Opening of the NYX Cosmetics store in the Cerritos Mall. The Ultimate Multi Finish palette in Sugar High is amazing. I also bought the Epic Ink in Hearbreaker. It's a stain and I love it!! They were having an online sale so I bought another palette in Warm Rust and two of their Pin-Up Pout Lipsticks in Bombshell, a hot pink and Darling a light pink. Both of these palettes are great complementary palettes to the Too Faced Sweet Peach. NYX is beginning to be my favorite drug store cruelty free brand.  

When we were in San Diego, I bought a few things from 100% Pure. I've seen the brand at the Del Amo mall, but never tried anything from them. I'm trying to be more organic and pure. 

I also bought some makeup from Kiko. They're cruelty free too and I can't wait to try it out! My mom and I stopped at the mall after one of my doctor's appointments and this was my treat. I had to have a blood test that day. Instead of a sucker, I got makeup. 

My car was in the shop the first few weeks of the summer, so we were down a car. I got up every morning at 6:10 and drove my hubby to work. I would go back home and nap, but it wasn't the same. 

I bought a new laptop! It's what I'm using to write this blog. The same day, we celebrated my hubby's 47th birthday. 

I didn't see many of my friends this summer, with the exception of a few. Again, it's because I got sick. 

I spent a lot of time with these friends. Sammy and Mia playing in a box.

I love spending summer days with my dogs. They're the cutest and the best. My Mia had surgery. The day after her surgery I was in the ER.  I'm glad I had my little buddies to keep me company while I recovered. Mia went to the groomers a week before her surgery and came out with a pink tale.

After the groomers

After surgery. Sweet baby girl.

My mom bought a beautiful new bird. I love animals. 

One final great thing of the summer, my nephew had his major league pitching debut. I won't talk about who he is, but as a family we couldn't be more proud of his accomplishments. The middle of July, he pitched against the Angels. So many family members and friends came out to show their support.  Watching him pitch has been a major highlight of the summer. 

My summer is over and while that's sad, I have so many things to look forward to coming up in the next few months. The hubs and I have a few trips planned. One to Vegas (we go every year) and the other to Chicago!! I've never been and can't wait to explore the city. 

Spring Break in Texas

I have been a California girl my entire life, born and raised, but I love to travel. I love history and I'vealways wanted to visit San Antonio. I remember watching Miss Congeniality and seeing Riverwalk and wanting to be like "Sally Freebush" (what a horrible alias, I know the intended implication). Last year when Tim and I traveled to Florida, we had a layover in Texas. That's when I decided that Spring 2017 we were going to the Alamo!

This trip was very different than the trip we took the year before to Orlando. I felt like we were on the go every day in Orlando. In San Antonio, we moved at our own pace. We could relax and have fun.

First off, my husband wasn't to keen on the idea and when asked whose idea was it to go to Texas, he quickly responded with "It was Jonelle's idea."  Whenever we told people our travel plans, we were met with the following replies, "Oh.....Texas?" "Ugh, why Texas?" "Who goes to Texas?" "What's there to do in Texas?"

I was starting to have some doubts



Day 1: Saturday, April 15th. Our flight from John Wayne to Phoenix was a disaster. I LOVE my husband, but traveling with him is always a disaster. He moved in the X-ray, (extremely dangerous radiation) security machine. Because of his movements, he had to have a cavity search (just kidding, but he was padded down extensively). In the meantime, I had collected his belongings. When I gave everything to him, he was missing his boarding pass. An argument ensued, I left  him to his own devices to grab lunch. Of course we made up by the time we boarded the plane and he was able to get a new boarding pass from the counter.

Our landing in Phoenix was bumpy and I thought I was going to get sick. The Phoenix airport is the worst airport. I really do hate it. It's too crowded and the walk from one gate to another is ridiculous.

Our arrival in San Antonio was 1000 X's better!! We got to San Antonio at a reasonable hour, grabbed our car rental and drove the short distance to the Wyndham La Cascada. We were treated so well by everyone at the hotel!! The view was spectacular. We were right on the Riverwalk. Because it was late and we hadn't eaten, we decided to walk a few blocks to a local "tourist trap" called Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery.  The decor was similar to Buca di Beppo. It was loud and bright, but completely fun. The food was good, not great, but extremely satisfying. After dinner we walked around the city then went back to our condo for the night.

Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery

Wyndham La Cascada

Day 2: Sunday, April 16th. We woke up late. Tim went to the cathedral for Easter Sunday mass. When he got back we got our car and explored the city. Stop 1 Whataburger. Definitely not In n' Out. I know this is the big burger chain in Texas, but In n' Out is so much better. We then went to Trader Joe's to pick up some basic groceries for the week. We had a kitchen in our condo, so why not save a few bucks and eat a couple of meals at home. That night we strolled Riverwalk, took a boat tour and again walked around the city. Riverwalk is beautiful, but lacks really good shopping. You have the Riverwalk Center Mall, where we bought Spurs T-Shirts, go Gasol!!, and La Villita Arts Village. I wasn't impressed with the mall or the stores. There was nothing spectacular and this trip, I didn't get to go outlet shopping.

Day 3: Monday, April 17th. Another day of a lot of walking. We walked to the mall, grabbed some ice cream, and some coffee. We went up to the pool on the roof of our building. We didn't go swimming, just looked at the city view. That night, I went to my very first basketball game. Since Gasol is a former Lakers player, I didn't feel bad about rooting for the Spurs in their playoff game. After the game we listened to music at Rock n Brews. We have one right by our house, but it was fun anyway.  We watched a local cover band and got to listen to some rock music.

Day 4: Tuesday, April 18th. The Alamo. We spent this day at The Alamo.  I love history, so this was one of my favorite days. The actual museum is very small. It only takes a few hours to go through the grounds and read all the plaques. We rented the audio guides for $7, not worth it. I loved the Alamo. After The Alamo we ate sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. From there, we walked back to the condo and got ready for our fancy martini bar, called SoHo Wine and Martini Bar. It looked like a 1920's speakeasy. I loved it in there. I tried their coconut creme brulee and s'mores martinis. They were yummy and almost too pretty to drink. The bar had late hours, but since it was a Tuesday, things started to die down by around 11.  We Uber(ed) it to the bar, but since it was really close to the condo (something we realized after taking Uber) we just walked back home. We met some really cool people and had a really great night.



SoHo Wine and Martini Bar




Day 5 Wednesday, April 19th. This day was another favorite. We drove a few miles out of the city to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. It was just lovely. I picked up a few souvenirs for family and then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the beautiful gardens. In the middle of this garden there's a little lake with a cabin. It was so peaceful and beautiful, but very hot!! After the garden, we went home to get ready for our "anniversary dinner"  at the Chart House in the Tower of the Americas. Our concierge said that if we told them we were celebrating an anniversary, they would give us a free dessert. Well, they didn't. We did get a custom paper menu wishing us a happy 9th anniversary. Our anniversary isn't until June. I have to say I wasn't impressed with The Chart House. We have one in Orange County, so it really wasn't special. What was special was the rotating restaurant during sunset. The ambiance was so romantic. The drinks were yummy. I loved my lobster mac and cheese. My husband wasn't impressed with his dinner, so we shared the mac and cheese. Again we Uber(ed) that night, but when dinner was over we walked through this beautiful park, back to our condo. We didn't realize how close the Tower was until we got to the restaurant and could see our condo.



San Antonio Botanical Garden

Tower of the Americas




Day 6 Thursday, April 20th. The start of Fiesta. We got to hit up the beginning of Fiesta, San Antonio's annual celebration, which is similar to Mardi Gras, but according the residents bigger than Mardi Gras. This was the day that I tried to purchase something from an aroma wax shop and my ATM card was declined. Someone had cloned my card and spent over $500. My bank was amazing and they took care of things immediately. So back to fiesta, people collect these pins, like Disney pin collectors. You can earn them for free or purchase them. I donated money to an animal rescue, so I got a cute pink dog pin. That night we ate at a really cool hipster restaurant outside of King William Historic District called La Tuna Grill. The food was very good and healthy. My husband got the Country Chicken Fried Steak and I ordered the Garden Bean Veggie Burger. Again, I loved the ambiance. The night was warm, not too hot, but being outside under the stars was nice.

La Tuna Grill

Fiesta San Antonio

Day 7 Friday, April 21st. Our last full day!! At this point in my trip (during any trip) I start getting depressed. Having to leave makes me sad. The day started with a walk up the river to the King William Historic District. I felt like I was back in New Orleans. We walked all around the beautiful houses then had coffee, and soup and sandwiches at the Mad Hatter's Tea House. I loved it there. It obviously is decorated like Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. From there, we walked to the Menger Hotel to await our very exciting dinner and ghost walking tour!! Our guide was featured on Ghost Adventures, the Myrtle Plantation episode. We went with the Sister's Grimm Dinner Tour, just FYI. They have a few different tours to choose from. What I like about these, and I've been on many,  is that you get a historical tour of the city, with some ghost stories added in. Who doesn't love a great ghost story? This was the day we walked the most and the furthest. I won't go into details about the ghost tour, except that we started with dinner at the Menger hotel and then went from there. This was another one of my favorite days. Our tour ended pretty late. We stopped off for coffee at Starbucks after,  and hit up Whataburger one last time. This was the first weekend of Fiesta, so the city was out of control crowded. Police were everywhere. Yes, it was a Friday night, but the Saturday before was completely dead.


Mad Hatter's Tea

Sister's Grimm Ghost Tour

King William Historical District

Day 8 Saturday, April 22nd.  Our last day. Our flight left San Antonio at six in the evening. That day, we went out for breakfast at a German restaurant called Schilo's. Our waitress was great!! After that we went back to the Riverwalk Mall to watch Gifted (me) and The Fast and the Furious movie (Tim).  Once our movies were done, we drove to the car rental and jumped on the tram to catch our flight. We had a layover in Phoenix once again. This is probably one of the worst airports I've ever flown into.



Things I've learned.....
I didn't need a rental car for the $24 a day we had to pay to park. We only used it twice during our trip.
Don't fly into Phoenix for a layover. That airport is way too crowded. We had a problem the year before, I should have known better.
I love San Antonio and would really like to visit again.
Oh yes, I forgot, we did eat BBQ one day, at a place called Augie's Alamo City BBQ. They drink a special drink, I forgot the name.
Next up Chicago!!!  I can't wait!!!!

Teatro Martini: Dinner and a Show

What once housed Buena Park's Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (not many people will remember that, it closed in 2005) is now a Pirates Dinner Adventure along with an adults only cabaret show called Teatro Martini. A few weeks ago our friends Anthony and Raquel invited us to Teatro Martini to celebrate Raquel's and Tim's (my husband) birthdays. Thankfully they had a deal, two tickets for $75. Tickets normally go for $59.95 for Friday and $69.95 for Saturday. Teatro Martini Showtimes and Tickets

The show comes with hor'dorves and a bar in the lobby and then dinner by the mail stage. What's great about this particular show is that you can pick your meal. It comes with a tomato soup, salad and your choice of chicken, steak, vegetarian or salmon, for a $12.95 upgrade you can get a lobster tail and a dessert. I'm actually happy with the choices. I don't eat steak, so having the other options is nice. Is the food amazing? It's ok. it's standard dinner theater food. Nothing special. The same cannot be said about the delicious cocktails. I had a couple of the Ruby Martinis and they were amazing!! You can purchase a special martini glass, a leg with a fishnet stocking. I didn't get one. Teatro Martini Menu 

The Ruby Martini

You can upgrade your ticket to VIP status for $15. This gets you front row seats. Other upgrades are available depending on the celebration. Teatro Martini Upgrades

The show was very entertaining. That night we got to enjoy the comedic stylings of magician Naathan Phan "Magic Asian Man". Naathan was very funny and extremely entertaining.  I don't know too much about Teatro Martini and the entertainment lineup. Does it change weekly? It would be nice to see Naathan Phan again. His show was very interactive. My favorite part of Phan's show was the multiplying doves. That's really the only way I could describe it. Eventually these doves become a bunny. I love animals. The doves were cute, the bunny was cute.  Pham's Scottish accent was also fun to listen to. Yep, that's what I said, as Scottish accent.  You have to hear it to believe it, so when you can, check out one of his shows.  

The entire show had audience interaction and not the lame interaction from other shows in the area.  It reminded me a bit of dinner mystery theater. This is certainly not a show for kids, as some of the interaction is a bit risque. It was nothing too embarrassing, a little bit sexual, and very entertaining.  If you're a prude, go down the street to Medieval Times. 

Audience Interaction 

There is also an acrobatics performer, and dancing and singing. It was a really fun night and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it. My husband and I were actually wanting to go to their New Year's Eve celebration this past New Year's but by the time we tried to get tickets, it was sold out.  

I've been to the Pirates show, I've been to Teatro Martini, I've been to Medieval times. I've seen the Medieval Times show more recently than the Pirates Dinner Adventure show. I really can't remember the Pirates show so I'd like to check that one out again. The Medieval Times show is always the same. The script doesn't change. Is Teatro Martini the same? I hope not. Will I see it again? Maybe with family visiting from out of town. I would totally recommend this show.  

Saying goodnight 

On a side note, something was wrong with my formatting, so just deal with it, sorry. On a second side note, this post was written very early in July, but I got very sick and had to recover. Anyway, go and see the show. It's a fun time!