Birthday Tales: Adante Fam & Pearl Jam

When Naysia and I arrived in San Antonio last year we didn't have much of a plan in place.  I had enough money saved up that would allow a slow job search and I took advantage of it.  At just the right time a position as a nurse in the memory care unit of a nearby Assisted Living opened up.  

As just the nurse (#nottheboss) with limited supervisory duties I was able to let my hair down with the amazing CNAs and CMAs that I worked alongside. Considering I hadn't been there all that long I didn't know how kosher it was to talk birthday plans.  As the time drew closer it became a topic of conversation.  After a short dialogue with Yolanda one day I decided to set up an event so we could happy hour at Luther's Cafe. 

Although it had been mentioned in person, I thought to exercise my technological social media skills and create an event on Facebook.  As the day carried on the replies were a bunch of maybes.  Yolanda kindly pointed out I selected the wrong day. 

Birthday eve I felt like an elementary school girl.  On the inside I desperately wanted to ask the girls if they were coming to my party.  Then I heard Allie mention she wasn't sure and my heart skipped a beat.  Stephanie wouldn't be able to and Lisa was experiencing a family emergency.  In my mind I envisioned Naysia, Patty and I at Luther's alone, us 3--which would've been perfect--but I wanted my new friends to be there. 

Friday, January 27, 2017

http://www.lutherscafe.com/menu.html

We parked in the neighboring garage and walked over.  Luther's had reasonable happy hours specials, the crowd was eclectic and the atmosphere fun yet relaxing. We showed up too early for karaoke but I can see how it would be quite entertaining.

Ann Whataburger texted saying she was on her way. 🙂  Yolanda was already there 🙂  Asia soon strolled in 🙂  Lisa slid thru the side door 🙂 And it wasn't long before Allie

appeared 🙂.

For two hours we talked, laughed, ate and drank!  It was awesome for my Adante fam to meet Naysia and Patty and it absolutely blessed me that these ladies--who I know have classes, husbands, long commutes, little ones and a tough job--to pause their lives and celebrate with me.  In that moment I realized that time is irrelevant.  It didn't matter that I'd only known them a few months.  What mattered was a connection was made and I'm fortunate to call them my friends. 

 

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Much like my work situation, our church life was the same.  We 'shopped' several churches but kept returning to Pearl Street.  After much prayer we really felt like it was the place God wanted us to be.  We eventually began to attend Growth Groups separately.  

My women's group meets every Thursday.  Our lovely host, Candace, opens up her home weekly.  The group consists of women of all ages, life experiences and varying walks with God.  It's an atmosphere of worship, praise, prayer and very real talk. 

Facebook birthday notifications have allowed us to send out greetings when we may have otherwise forgotten.  Several of the my growth group sisters sent shout outs and I was quite appreciative.

 

Sunday, January 29, 2017

The same time vs. relationship mentality applied to this group so I was taken by surprise when favor was showered on me when I arrived to church on Sunday.  Due to our rushed drive in from Corpus Christi we were fast walking to get into service on time.  Amy had messaged me earlier to see if I was coming to church...and then told me to see Candace if was going to be late.  

Amy was leaving the previous service as we were hurrying in when I saw her.  We greeted one another with a hug and she had some beautiful flowers in hand, meant especially for me. Shortly after entering the sanctuary we were approached by Candace.  We shared a hug, I introduced her to Patty and she also had flowers in hand, especially for me. 

I know enough about Candace and Amy to know they have busy lives, important situations and families to care for.  And in the midst of it all they thought of me, who they've known for a brief time.  In that moment I realized that time is irrelevant.  It didn't matter that I'd only known them a few months.  What mattered was a connection was made and I'm fortunate to call them my friends.  Thank you ladies for loving on me! 

What they have no way of knowing is my love of fresh flowers.  It's been made a part of my budget to have flowers in my home.  But, it's also the first luxury cut when changes need to be made.  Considering how seriously I take my hosting, I knew it would be a while before I'd be able to buy them again.  How beautiful is it when God uses others to give us the desires of our heart!!

 This concludes Birthday Tales.  Many, many thanks to all who brought joy to my life during this birthday season.  I hope I'm just as much a gift to you as you've been to me.

Birthday Tales: Patty

I met Patty Early at Fellowship Square several years ago.  My circle of close friends is quite small and I am thankful to have her as an integral part of it.

She is hardworking, loyal, thoughtful, hilarious, generous and if a fight was necessary she would definitely have my back!

We spent every workday together and most times hung out at least once during the weekend. I have to be honest, it was quite difficult leaving Tucson knowing I would miss her terribly.  Although we've communicated frequently since my move, there is nothing like being together.  So, bless the Lord!  All plans came to be and she was able to visit San Antonio for my birthday.





Thursday, January 26, 2017

The workday zoomed by with joy and anticipation of Patty's arrival.  Her flight was a few minutes early.  Underestimating rush hour traffic, we were a few minutes later than hoped for to pick her up.  Smiles appeared as we saw her on the curb patiently waiting for us.  Naysia helped load her things in the car and we headed home.

Her carry on was jam packed with real tortillas and I got busy cooking chicken quesadillas and guacamole.  We all settled into the living room to break bread and conversate.  Naysia eventually made her way to her room and Patty and I went out for a bit.  We took a short cruise around the neighborhood, drove by my job, and returned a purchase to Ross.

She was tired from the day's travel.  I was tired from my work day and visit prep.  We started saying goodnight about 10.  And then we talked more.  Giggled tons.  Naysia joined in with the story telling.  Numerous times I'd say, "okay, we'll go now" and we'd keep on.  Finally about 1130 Naysia and I headed to bed.


Friday, January 27, 2017

The birthday morning was off to a great start!  I tried to quietly answer the phone as the men in my life (surprisingly) made early morning calls.  I was blessed to hear from them!!  Eventually Patty surfaced from the bedroom.  Naysia is not a breakfast fan so Patty and I dined without her.

http://www.twinsistersbakeryandcafe.com/

Twin Sisters Bakery and Cafe had a booth available along the window.  Patty prayed a lovely prayer, not only over the food but over my life.  The coffee was smooth and hot.  Their bacon is my favorite.  

We spent the next couple of hours cruising around town.  We drove through Alamo Heights, window shopped at The Quarry, and purchased a few things at the Huebner Oaks shopping center.

Our afternoon didn't allow for too much activity as we had plans to meet the Adante fam at 5pm for Happy Hour.

*********see the next blog for details********



The hour was indeed a happy one!  After taking Ann and Naysia home we hit the streets again.  Judith had given such a great review of Club Industry and I really wanted to go there.  Located frighteningly close to a funeral home, the mid sized club's population was sparse--but the present ages appeared quite close to my own and it was familiar 80s music.  There was one gentleman on the dance floor and within minutes we had created a story about his life.  Although we laughed, I eventually shared that I was slightly envious of him.  He could care less about how he looked, did not matter to him that he missed several beats and he was alone.  He was happy and enjoying his life in that moment.  #goals.  Just as we made ourselves comfortable, I could feel someone standing behind us.  I turned around and this is what happened...

Him: Edison High School, class of 1990.
Me (confused): Sunnyside High School, class of 1994
Him: I don't know where that is.
Me: I'm not from here.
Him (counting his fingers): Class of 1994, so that makes you 33 yrs old
Me (shrugging shoulders): ummm sure

This guy, Mario, talked. Alot.  His 17 year old daughter dropped him off.  He loved 80s music and we knew that because about every seven minutes he'd throw both hands in the air and yell out "I LOVE THE 80s!!!!"  He enjoyed break dancing, but wouldn't.  He was down with selfie photo bombs. He was disappointed that he hadn't seen anyone from his high school. He enjoyed the way Patty's hair smelled and thought the  hour spent with us was a waste of his time when I told him we were leaving for the night without him.

We opted for a trip through the McDonald's drive thru for some fries.  Stayed up later than planned, again.  Excited for Saturday we forced ourselves to retire.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Bags packed✔ Rental car picked up✔ Car loaded✔ McDonalds brekkie✔ Starbucks caffeine✔
Blasted thru the 281, zoomed down the I 37 and arrived to one of my favorite places.  The beach.

Port Aransas aka Port A was a relatively last minute decision.  We had plans on sitting in beach chairs, blaring jams via the bluetooth speaker, perhaps reading a book while wearing trendy sunglasses and relishing in the ocean air.  Instead we were met with cloudy skies and cold wind. 

Disappointed, we took the beach chairs back to the car and traded our towels for blankets.  Although cold we all walked along the shore.  Sometimes as a group, once in a while one of us would drift off.  We, like little ones, were entertained by dead fish on the sand and unique sea shells.  We kept hoping the sun would break thru but it didn't happen.  Refusing to give up on a day at the beach, we migrated to the pier.

http://www.keepersportaransasfishingpier.com/

 
The Horace Caldwell Pier is probably a fisherman's heaven.  For us, it served as a dance floor, cat walk and a place to check out the surfers.  There was a family on the beach playing some Reggaeton and we couldn't help but dance.  Much like the gentleman from the night prior, we took turns standing in front of the painted 'Keepers' signage and we took turns dancing!!  We posed along the fence, talked to strangers, felt the power of the wind.  And the sun even came out ever so briefly to warm us.

It became colder as the evening drew close.  We were hungry and ready to get in some fresh seafood.  We took a scenic detour to the hotel.  Considering the off season, there wasn't much traffic.  We stopped at the touristy beach store simply to go into the belly of the shark beast.  Ending up at the marina, we were sandwiched between two cars  staring out into the bay, we soon realized the fascination.  There were several dolphins nearby!!  Although we never captured clear pictures of them, we were amazed by the beauty so close to us.  We stayed there long enough to see the sunset and then freshened up for dinner.

http://finsgrillandicehouse.com/

Dinner at Fins Grill and Ice House was a delicious way to end the day.  Naysia had chicken (surprise).  Patty and I split the fresh crab cakes.  I had a green iguana, fried fish, mashed potatoes and coleslaw.  Patty ordered a margarita, grilled veggies, fish tacos and rice.  The portions were huge so we passed on dessert.  

Nosiness lead to a rather uncomfortable encounter.  Naysia mentioned the kid in the booth behind us looked like someone we know.  In my secretive attempts to see him, his grandma came to our booth to ask if everything was okay.  She thought perhaps he was moving around too much and she had wanted to apologize on his behalf.  oops!!

This night's faux early bed time was hijacked by a brief dance party and Snapchat filters.  We laughed until we cried and then enjoyed a satisfying night's sleep.

Sunday, January 28, 2017

Coffee in hand, phone and camera charged, blanked wrapped around...we were on an early morning mission to catch the sunrise over the ocean.  We made it to the beach with minutes to spare.  With expediency, we jumped out of the car and went our separate ways.  The pending sunrise commanded our silence and attention.  As I stood in position each photo captured a different shade of each color.  The pinks became brighter.  The oranges became bolder.  And within minutes the sun began to ascend over the horizon.  Oh Joy!!  There is no doubt that every time I am blessed to stand on sandy shores I am overcome with gratefulness and praise for the beauty He created.  I am thankful for the ability to have senses to hear the waves, feel the sand, see the sun, smell the water and even at times taste the salt in the air.  Imperfect me, He knows the desires of my heart and gives me such majestic gifts.



  Patty and I eventually reconnected.  We captured a few selfies and talked tentative to do list for the day.  With plans on attending Pearl Street's 12:30 service we didn't have much wiggle room. We'd have to be on the road by 930am.   We hung out a few more minutes watching the birds and admiring the decorated posts.





We met our departure time of 930am by the skin of our teeth.  Being the risk takers we are, decided to stop at the beach just one more time.  Corpus Christi's North Beach wasn't too terribly far away so we did it!  In about 8 minutes we ran thru the sand once more, failed at awesome Boomerang beach jumps, took pictures of USS Lexington.  We had a major scare on the freeway.  About halfway back to San Antonio there was a car driving fast in our lane--towards us!!!  Bless the Lord we were able to get over without trouble.  Adrenaline pumping and with thankful hearts we made it to Pearl Street at 12:26pm.

Service was great.  It was one of my favorites, baptismal service.  Naysia's girl Azari was baptized.  I was blessed by my growth group fam *********see the next blog for details********  
We cruised thru the Pearl for a short while.  Caught the tail end of the farmers market and delighted in dessert at Bakery Lorraine. 

Our final stop for the day was the Riverwalk.  We did the Alamo--and for the first time went inside.  I was scolded for taking pictures.  We were amazed (again) by the massive tree in the courtyard.  Dinner was planned but the location was undecided.  Having heard all sorts of laughter coming from the Irish pub in the past I thought we'd get a kick out of it.  A piano man was present belting out some well known hits.  What was missing was service.  The young lady who took our drink order nearly refused to serve us because of Naysia's age.  I insisted on being her mother, she complimented me, brought our drinks and never returned.  After about 10 minutes we left cash on the table and had dinner elsewhere.  Lastly, we did the classic Boat Tour.  It was a fun group of people on board and as always there was new information gathered.  Naysia filled Patty in on fun facts that had been missed.  Night was drawing near and with departures and early morning clock ins due we headed home. 

The last night together, with anyone, is always an emotional one.  I knew I'd see her again (and I did in a month's time) but nonetheless goodbyes are difficult.  We individually prepared for the following day, she tried to switch up the existing sleeping arrangement, and then we had some more Snapchat laughs. 

Monday, January 30, 2017

Patty was kind enough to go to the airport early so I could avoid an adjustment in my work schedule.  With 7am clock in required our time in the morning was short.  We prayed on the way to the airport.  The drop off was joyful yet somber.  

This birthday is one I won't soon forget.  My heart was full as I spent the weekend with my daughter and one of my besties. Thank you Patty for the financial and time sacrifices you made to be here for #41.  I hope we can do it again next year.

Birthday Tales: Nerissa

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

                                    


Naysia and I sat in a booth placed near the center of Cheesecake Factory at Northstar Mall.  Waiting.  Anxiously.  For a phone call or text message.  Our flirtatious server checked in frequently--and we continually reminded him we were waiting for one more person to join us. 

The phone pinged!  The text we were waiting for finally came through.  It read, "I'm here".  I jumped up and headed to the hostess station.  I almost didn't recognize her with straight hair.  Our eyes met and we were on the verge of pushing the family separating us out of the way. 

The height difference should have made the embrace awkward.  But it wasn't.  I led her to the booth where Naysia sat and she and Naysia hugged as well.  We were SO happy to see Nerissa.

Our server returned several times, certainly disappointed-perhaps frustrated-that with each return trip we had not even begun to look at our menus.  We were busy talking about our move, the current Fijal Family happenings, our GTTN family and the city of San Antonio. Nerissa shared that Jacob was sad because he couldn't join her.  Having the heart for others that we do, we added salt to the wound by sending him pictures of our smiling faces and shared our pretend plans to see the Naked Magician show. 

We shared with Nerissa our numerous experiences with local wildlife.  Naysia was particularly eager to tell the story about the late night when a raccoon was trying to climb through her bedroom window.  As she encountered it police cars went zooming by, further enhancing the situation. 

The portions were hefty and we all had leftovers to take home.  Considering Nerissa had a long day of travel and we had to be up early the next day we called it a night relatively early.  We made tentative plans for Nerissa to come to our place the next day and maybe even hit the Riverwalk since she hadn't been there in years.  There was a chance we wouldn't see her again as she had an engagement to attend in the evening.

Grins from ear to ear, cameras flashed, and hugs exchanged as we wished her a good night.


Wednesday, January 25, 2017

                                    
We hadn't communicated throughout the day, so I wasn't certain about what we were going to do for the night, if anything.  Naysia and I cleaned house just in case.  I was able to crank out a few cupcakes for work the next day while we waited.  About 630pm Nerissa called to say she was on her way!  Eek!  We were all hungry and agreed to meet at Chris Madrid's. 

http://www.chrismadrids.com/

She made it there before we did.  This was the first time we'd been there in the evening and it was packed!  Parking was a challenge--Naysia got frustrated with my grandma style of driving around the parking lot and eventually got out of the car and met Nerissa in the long line.  By the time I made it in they were close to the register.  We agreed to split one meal....yes, the portions are that big! 

I love the vibe of this local restaurant.  The food is good, fun yet relaxing atmosphere.  Seemingly geared towards supporting schools in the city and I can almost envision a scene from 'High School Musical' taking place here.  We have always sat inside--but not this night.  We sat outside in the cold, with our cold drinks, waiting for our order number to come up.  The vision and insight of their young(er) brains landed us a table just inside the entrance. 

We prayed over our family sized fries and Porky's Delight Hamburger, complete with bacon slices,
melted cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions & pickles.  While eating we noticed all the writing that was on the table.  Nerissa, an architect, always prepared pulled out her pencil pouch.  I started to leave my signature "Tx2" when a Chris Madrid's employee began to head our way.  I nervously put the marker down and waited for a scolding.  Only to realize he was just coming to bus the table :) 

Naysia had an equally exciting moment when a Mariachi band member came over.  As he played his guitar his  belly covered with a tightly buttoned white shirt, was smack dab in the center of Naysia's face. Nerissa and I tried hard to keep the focus on his musical abilities, but Naysia's reaction was priceless.

Although we had another early morning in front of us, it was impossible to think the night was going to end after dinner.  We decided to go downtown.  We did our favorite Riverwalk Boat Tour.  While waiting for it to begin we were all on Snapchat.  And wouldn't you know it......one of the filters was titled 'Racoon City'!  We got the giggles as Naysia's disgust showed on her face.  It was the last tour of the night, and one of the longest, most informative ones we've been on.  Afterwards we strolled over for a lovely night view of The Alamo.

She drove us back to our car.   On a quiet street corner downtown, near El Mercado we hugged our hearts out.  Good-byes are so hard.  Thanks for blessing us with your time, Nerissa.

And then got lost on the way home.