Category: Photos

I didn’t think I’d get to go on a weekend trip with my hubby so soon after he started his new job, but I did! It happened to fall on a weekend the kiddos were with the other parents so it was a last-minute thing for me. I got out of work on Friday and went grocery shopping for Mom so she’d be prepared during the weekend. Right after I got home and unloaded the truck I left to Infusions to meet Gerry for some catching up and gossip 😆 !

Gerry and I shared this beautiful plate. I only ate a little teensy pasta :D.

We finished catching up on each of our goings-on and then I went home. Jorge and I watched a little bit of TV before I–as usual–passed out on the sofa 😆 .

The next day, we got ready calmly and slowly. When we were all packed, we went to Rodeo to grab some food. It was an insane line, as usual, so there was a bit of a wait. We got some seats and our food was finally ready. I ordered Menudo and water–super Keto!

Alaethia saw it on Snapchat as soon as I posted it and she sends me a message that says, “????” LOL I told her they’d join us on the next one.

Unfortunately my menudo was extremely spicy, so I passed it on to the hubs. Even HE said it was spicy so we left it there and he picked me up a taco.

And then my truck got a bath:

And then finally, we were on our way! We laughed and blasted music–I took over the playlist when he had his weird music on repeat. I turned on our Amazon Music and Jordan Davis – Singles You Up came on. He said, “This was me looking at you, baby!” I love this man :D! I can’t believe I hadn’t heard that song!

We had some Keto snacks:

And I took a selfie to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day. I was ready in green!

When we got close to San Antonio I Google-Mapped our destination and then we arrived: for lunch at Wing Stop!

My love had a meeting (the whole reason for the trip) and when he was done we checked in at the hotel. We were seriously lucky to find a room during St. Patrick’s Day weekend!

As we’re unloading our things we notice the Bow Tie Chevy Emblem is missing from my car. We immediately think someone jacked it…but then we remember the lovely car wash. It must have knocked it off! But fear not–Jorge was already on eBay ordering a new one LOL.

We lazied around and watched TV for a while. Then we freshened up to go to the River Walk and get a bite to eat.

There we people EVERYWHERE! There was some Tejano/Conjunto type of event going on and people in lawn chairs with all sorts of clover accessories littered the streets. We finally found a parking lot (that was of course charging for parking!) and were literally across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe. The last time we ate there was in 2013 before “The Cowboy Rides Away” George Strait concert. Darn old man. I’ll never forget how expensive those tickets were because we thought the old geezer was going to retire! I do believe he’s still going strong! But…it was a wonderful concert and we’d had a wonderful weekend!

Anyway, my mind is wandering again. So we walk across, making sure to avoid being pummeled by the beautiful Clydesdales pulling carriages. I’m Ooohing and Awwwing and snapping photos as we pass. We get into the restaurant, which is obviously packed. They send us up a flight of stairs to get to another host and we’re lead to the wrong side, so people are cutting in front of us. My anxiety is already slowly rising. There’s an hour wait. So we head to the bar and BOOM, we find 2 seats!

The background wasn’t the most aesthetic, but it had to do.

This was supposed to be our appetizer!

Needless to say, I was stuffed and packed about half my salmon and sides to go. The bartenders were hilarious and making conversation with us. We had a really good time 🙂 .

My St. Patrick’s Day pins; finally wore them after storing them for 8 years!

When we’re ready, we leave the restaurant and decide to take a stroll through the River Walk.

The only time I’d ever been there before was when we’d eaten at Hard Rock in 2013, but hadn’t really explored. So really, this was my first time exploring the River Walk that I can remember. The water was dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day and there were lots of people around, naturally. We were going to take a ride on one of the boats floating the river, but the line seemed never-ending so Jorge got us a carriage instead!

It was such a beautiful evening; it was fresh and clear. I had a cheesy smile plastered on my face and told Jorge, “I’ve always wanted to go on a carriage ride!” He said, “I know, that’s why I wanted to bring you on one.” People waved as we passed and a girl yelled, “You better propose!” We laughed and Jorge said, “Way ahead of you!”

We were dropped off right in front of our car and had an easy time getting out of the parking lot considering how many people were out and about. We stopped at a gas station for some waters (and a 6-pk. for Jorge lol) and I found these!

Jorge and I split them, and it wasn’t long after that I passed out. I slept so well!

We woke up the next morning and showered, then watched Golden Girls as we packed. We checked out and made our way to La Madeleine, a quaint French cafe. Jorge and his partner had had breakfast there the week before and he said he had to take me because he knew I’d love it. And love it, I did!

Jorge asked if I wanted pastries but I was so full I declined. NEXT TIME FOR SURE. I mean, look at this!

I’d been asking to go to Trader Joe’s to get some Everything But the Bagel Seasoning that so many people on my Keto Instagram swear by, and my babe took me :). I found those AND my favorite One Bars.

(I’ve been obsesssed with that seasoning on my cream cheese eggs ever since!)

Next we drove to the outlets in San Marcos to find Jorge some work boots and meet up with Dinah, Briana, Javi and the kiddos for lunch 😀 .

I had a maximum allowance of 2 stores to visit -_- and ended up buying lotion and tees for the girls from Justice lol. Totally forgot I wanted new shoes!

We went to get Jorge’s boots next and meet up with the family. Briana and I tried on boots and Mia showed me all her cool Riverdale stuff. I kinda got her hooked on it LOL.

We had an awesome lunch at The Outback:

And then it was time to say see you later to the family 😥 . Time goes way too fast!

It was back to co-pilot duties for me on the way home. Jorge is the best and–when I told him I wanted photos of bluebonnets–he stopped at every patch to make it possible. We even found some other scenic areas. I just love that man!!

It was such a great time. I can’t wait to go back!!

This is super easy and tasty to do, but since I get lots of questions on IG, I figured I’d add this as a quick recipe.

I use thick cheese slices (usually Tillamook or HEB Natural) so these make nice mini tacos. Provolone is the best, followed by muenster, followed by Monterrey Jack, in my opinion. Cheddar is ok, too, but gets toasty and hard fast–which makes it good for tostadas or “chips”!

Preheat your oven to 400°. Place parchment paper or a silicone mat on a cookie sheet then place your slices of cheese about 1.5 to 2 inches apart so they won’t make 1 giant “tortilla” –or DO, if that’s what you want LOL! I can make 6 “tortillas” or “shells” at a time with my large cookie sheet.

Bake for 5-6 minutes, keeping an eye on them, until nicely browned on the edges. I’ve let the timer ring for an additional minute and *BOOM* tostadas 😆 . So, with that being said: if you want tostadas or “chips,” bake for an additional 1-2 minutes for a total of 7-8 minutes.

Let your slices sit for about a minute (to prevent them from becoming gooey if they’re scooped up too soon), then transfer onto a paper towel to drain them. Then fill (or top) and serve :).

It was so freaking awesome to have today off! I’ve only been at the new place for 16 days and I already had a day off 😀 .

I started my 3-day weekend by having coffee with Sally and her kiddos at Moonbeans. My kiddos were at their other parents’ for the weekend and Jorge was working late, so who better than to spend my Friday evening with? It’d been a while since I’d been to Moonbeans, but was pleasantly surprised that I could order an iced coffee with HWC and Torani sugar free vanilla! I don’t think I’d been there since before they remodeled.

We chit-chatted, and caught up–I need to see this girl more often! I love hearing her stories and laughing when we get together <3.

The kiddos were becoming antsy, so we drove to Bill Shupp Park just a block away. They played around and Sally and I tried getting the perfect selfie, but we were losing daylight and the kiddos started photo-bombing us 😆 !

It got dark and we went home. Jorge called to ask if I wanted sushi and well…who am I to deny my husband some sushi?? I haven’t been 100% Keto (and you can totally tell by my complexion 🙁 ), but I keep telling myself, “Just this time and then that’s it! Back to Keto!”

But look at that! Ugh. Like, there isn’t even a way to possibly make Keto Sushi with Flamin’ Hots! (Or is there…?? I must look into this!)

After my carb-fest, I passed out on the sofa shortly after trying to watch “Riverdale”. I swear I was on Season 2, Episode 4 for WEEKS because I always fall asleep! This is a show the kids and I got into during Christmas vacation (or was it New Years?) and they’ve all gotten so much more ahead than me!

So Jorge left to work the next morning and I lazied around in bed till I was good and ready to make breakfast.

I FINALLY finished that episode of Riverdale…just to realize it was my last one! So disappointing!

So that brought an end to my lazying, unfortunately.

I started tidying up the kitchen (as much as I can; I need to really give that place an overhaul! We have so many random cups and storage containers 🙄 ) and I started watering and cleaning up my succulents.

Jorge got home from work and I made him lunch, only to get into it about money, 🙄 . Men, I swear. He left and I went about my day.

I went outside to check on my plants and realized my rescued cacti is on drugs…not sure exactly what is going on here LOL.

I filled up my pink Yeti with some Starbucks blonde roast, heavy whipping cream and Torani SF sweetener–this would serve as my “Lunch”. Then, Mom and I left to the cemetary to change out Gramma’s decorations from Valentine’s to Easter. As much as I love to decorate, I just feel…strange? Not even sure how to describe how I feel going to the cemetary. I mean I know I’m “visiting” Gramma’s body, but maybe it’s because I’m with Mom that I feel like I can’t totally just be with her and speak to her. I just miss her 🙁 .

I finished tidying up her space and we came home. I was supposed to go grocery shopping but I didn’t feel like it, so I started tidying up my closet. I love shopping (thrifting, mostly!) and my closet has just EXPLODED with clothing that I can’t put any clean clothes away sometimes, then my computer chair gets messy because that’s where I “store” them. So I got rid of a trash-bag full of clothes that I haven’t worn for over a year, and that bag will probably sit in my garage for a month before they make their way to Goodwill, heh.

I tried sticking to Keto all day, but I started festering anger in my chest about Jorge and my argument earlier (because that’s what I do) and decided to clean up the dining room table, but not before devouring the last 5 chocolates in 2 different chocolate hearts I “found”. Hey, I’m human, and that’s unfortunately how I cope: by devouring shit that’s bad for me and will make my face explode in acne.

Still, I was starting to feel hungry, so I browsed through the fridge. Hmm. Everything required cooking. I just so happened to find 1 Corona, and 1 Michelada picante mix so you know what happened after that:

No regrets. It was the best damn Michelada I’ve had in a long time! (I don’t think anything will beat the one we had at La Jaiba that one time, though!)

Anyway, I happily took my Michi with me to my desk and caught up on my blog posts. Now that only leaves about 5 more that I need to finish! FML.

Jorge started texting me around that time and never really apologized LOL, but we got to chatting about why he exploded. He was feeling run-down and underappreciated in all different ways–but I told him that’s still no reason for us to argue because I won’t hold back lol.

Made us some nice eggs and bacon. Was thrilled until my egg popped 😕 and Jorge rolled his eyes as I bitched about it 😆 . But it was still delish. Does anyone else use their bacon strips as “chips” to scoop your yolk with??

I used to have an obsession with scooping my yolk with Doritos 😆 , so this serves as a substitute.

Jorge and I caught up on a show, and then he had to go in to work. I used the time alone to go to HEB and finally do some shopping to get it over with. (I love to eat and cook but despise grocery shopping. And shelling out $200 almost every time isn’t thrilling either 😕 .) I got home and cleaned and instead of making a nice dinner, Mom treated us to Wingstop instead :D.

Robert M. came over to visit the hubs. They had a few beers outside on the porch and came in later on. We caught up on life and my new job and everything else.

We went to bed when Robert left. I didn’t know what to do the next morning: lazy around and read, go to World Market to use up my gift card, blog, or take a quick run in the morning.

I woke up today to the doorbell. My poor Alaethia had a terrible stomach ache so she stayed home. All the boys were off for President’s Day as well, so poor Emmos was officially the only one who went to school that day :(. Alaethia rested on the sofa and I made myself the best Keto Krepes, ever. I wish I had some sugar free syrup to add to them, but the last time I tried buying some, I realized it had tons of carbs still! But, I just added some Kerrygold Butter on top of these and I finished the whole thing!

Linda and I chatted a while and then I showered and Alaethia and I went to visit my peeps at the Chamber to turn in a box of supplies I still had and the Parks-n-Rec. key for the bathrooms. I got to see Rosie, Sarah (who said, “Quedate!!” Stay!! LOL), EZ, Blanca and Gerry, Beto, Anabel and the new girl they’re training to take over her place (she’d be taking Sandra’s old position). I went upstairs and saw Jorge and we chatted a while, Tom, Michelle, and I chatted with Luis, my old supervisor, for a while. I missed everyone else since it was already noon. As much as I miss my old workplace and my co-workers, upon seeing the piles of papers on my old boss’ desk, I’m kind of relieved that I don’t have to deal with that anymore 😆 . This is the “busy season” and I’m sure I’d need a Xanax or meditation by now if I were still there!!

Alaethia and I finished up at the Chamber and left for lunch. She was feeling better and the first thing she could think of eating was Taco Bell 🙄 . So I called Jorge up and we picked him up to eat lunch.

I tried getting the most Keto-friendly thing possible: a bowl. I didn’t know the bottom layer was rice, so I left it. And then it was time for Snapchat LOL.

We dropped the hubs off and then we headed to World Market, must to Alaethia’s chagrin. She wanted to be home, watching videos on YouTube 🙄 . We took our time looking around and Alaethia loved it. She especially loved the candy section 😆 . She picked some items for her and Emily and I got a mug rack, some coasters for our new nightstands, Martini glasses that were on clearance and super cheap, Torani syrup and another pump.

Jaylen had been dropped off while Mary went to pick Eenan up from school. Emmos got home and then I started chopping up my poor, overgrown bougainvillea. After almost 7 years and Jorge’s constant nagging about how ugly it is, I finally decided to start the process of chopping it down 🙁 . The poor thing has been through hell (when we moved in, it was already ugly and chopped up LOL), but the hail storm in 2012, the roofers smashing it later on and then it cracking down the middle didn’t help. Now grass has taken it over so Jaylen helped me chop it up. I swore I’d be extremely store but I was ok. I had several cuts from the thorns, but I was grateful for Jaylen, and later Eenan, for helping me drag the giant branches to the curb.

I made some Keto Zuppa Toscana for dinner and had enough for leftovers at work, woo!

And then I had some Carb Smart Ice Cream with Lilly’s Dark Chocolate Stevia Sweetened Chips (that’s a mouthful!) for dessert.

(I was sitting at my desk with all intentions of pounding out this blog post, but I get distracted and am–undoubtedly–posting this 2 weeks later 😐 .)

All-in-all, it was a great weekend. Now I’m refreshed for a great week!