Thanksmas

A lot of people bemoan the fact that people start the Christmas season before Thanksgiving happens. In my family, however, we purposely do this every 2 years. We have a tradition called Thansmas.

Some of my family live near each other, but some are nowhere close to us. I have family in the UK and Australia as well as other states within the US. Usually, we get to see each other every 2 years ~ if we're lucky. Every other year, as many of us as possible descend upon San Antonio, catch up, and celebrate the season together. This year, the family that made it were: Mum, Dad, Nana, Grampy, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and her 2 kids, and my husband and myself with our two dogs. Quite the full house. We wished our other out of country relatives could be there, but I'm sure we'll get to see them again in the near future.

We went down Tuesday night after work. That in itself was quite the feat. We had to take a power nap in the car because we were so exhausted. It is roughly a 5 hour drive from our house to my parents on a good day. It was not a good day.

On the Wednesday, we were exited to be in San Antonio. After we got our dentist appointments over with that morning (I'm a wimp when it comes to dentists, and I have so far refused to change to someone up north. Don't judge), we enjoyed hanging out with family, taking walks with our dogs, and just relaxing in general.

My nephew and niece adored our dogs, and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual. 

My husband doing jazz duets and improvising with my nephew. 

On Thanksgiving, we exchanged presents before Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, we hung out, played games, and just generally let loose like you only can around family. 

Crowns courtesy of our Christmas crackers.

Can't have Thanksmas without a Christmas pudding!

We Jenga-ed Jenga, built Stonehenge, and then found the true reason it fell down: giant pug attack!

The next night, after a day of being in a food-induced coma, we went out to eat to celebrate my brother and sister-in-laws' 10 year anniversary. We were joined with a few more family members who live in San Antonio. We went to the restaurant where they had their rehearsal dinner, and, coincidently, my husband and my rehearsal dinner was at the same restaurant. 

Waiting for some ridiculously good Mexican food. 

On Saturday, we headed up to Austin to see my other siblings (technically step-siblings, but I think that sort of labeling is unneccessary. They're family. Period.) and their families. That's when things started to get really ridiculous. In total, there were 6 siblings, 5 sibling-in-laws, 6 nephews and nieces, 2 parents, 2 grandparents, and 3 dogs (ours were left at my parents' house, so this does not include them). It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone and seeing how much my nephews and nieces have grown. It's a rarity that all 6 of us, plus families, get together. We really should try to make it happen more often. It's so much fun! 

The siblings, plus their families.

Our last day there was Sunday. My Mum made an amazing Sunday roast, and then we were the first ones to leave, since we had the longest to drive. It was sad to go, but I look forward to doing it all again in the near future. Chalk this one up to one of the highlights of my year. To me, family is everything. 

A Family Weekend

The weekend before Thanksgiving, my Mum, Nana, and Grampy came to visit our little family (my husband, myself, and our fur babies). This was a huge deal to me because my Nana and Grampy had never before seen any of my houses/townhouses/apartments, and this was my Mum's first time seeing our new house. I looked forward to it for months before it actually happened.

They drove up on the Thursday, and I took the next day off from work, so I could hang out with them. Unfortunately, my husband still had to work, but we had a great time on Friday. It happened to be the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, so, since everyone but myself remembered the event, we braved the cold and the crowds and checked out the memorial.

The street in downtown Dallas where he was assassinated. 

Memorial on the Grassy Knoll. 

They unveiled a plaque on the Grassy Knoll with a portion of JFK's speech he wrote but never got say on that fateful day.

Since we were on a presidential kick, and we were in Dallas, we also hit up the Bush Library. It was very well done, and the portion of the museum dedicated to September 11th was very moving. 

They have beams from one of the World Trade Center buildings in the museum.

The next day, Saturday, we once again braved the cold weather (am I not supposed to be in Texas? Our weather has been crazy so far this winter) and headed over to Denton for the UNT vs UTSA game. We may have lost, but it was fun showing my family around my college town. 

After getting coffee on the Denton square to warm off after a FREEZING football game. Sorry for the grainy picture. 

They originally planned to stay with us until Monday morning, but, according to the weatherman, we were going to get some crazy, icy weather. Instead, they decided to have lunch with us Sunday morning and then go ahead and head back down south, so their drive would be safe. Even though the winter weather didn't come that time (I'll post about when it did in a future post), I'm glad they decided to stay safe. Plus, I got to see them later that week in San Antonio. 

Mulligan

I can't believe I haven't posted about our newest member to our family: Mulligan!

Poor dog didn't know what he was getting himself into. 

We adopted him on October 13th, and he is a really sweet. They told us he is roughly 3 years old, but we're not so sure about that. Now, I know we're used to a pug ~ the most crazy breed ever ~ but he's so mellow! I've seen some bursts of energy here and there, but he mostly likes to chill out with us. Him being naughty is trying to kick a person off the couch, so he can sit there instead. Seriously. 

I think it's safe to say he has made himself at home. 

Now, there has been an adjustment period with him and Sadie. Sadie is an alpha, and I don't think he was socialized with any of his past owners (we're guessing he had at least two before us). They started out a little bit frosty. Most of the time, he ignored her which was sad because she wanted to play. Every now and then, they would get into a fight over something stupid like the water bowl. Dude has a thing about his water. Maybe he used to be an outside dog, and they didn't keep his bowl full?  The funny thing about the fights were that I could get him away from Sadie, no problem. However, when Sadie gets mad, she's fearless. She would keep lunging at him!

Don't let the cuteness fool you. She's a killer. 

Luckily, they haven't fought for over a month ~ knock on wood. Another crazy thing we're getting used to is that he doesn't like toys or bones, and Sadie loves all of the above. There was also the issue of crate training him. We may be on our second crate ~ he has some strong jaws ~ but he has adjusted and is now fully crate trained. Any new family member, furry or otherwise, is an adjustment, and I think he's been doing great. 

Next up on the agenda is getting him more socialized. He does not do well with other dogs. Especially big dogs...even when he's bigger than half the dogs he's growling at. I mean, I'm pretty sure he has a lot of German Shepherd in him, and I think he may also have some husky. Dude's big and muscular. 

Check him out taking up most of our entryway, asking for a belly rub. 

Luckily I have some awesome friends coming over tomorrow, and they're bringing at least one of their big dogs ~ one is a puppy ~ to help with his socialization. We'll also be spending Christmas with my husband's family, and his aunt has a small and a midsized dog. We'll get there sooner or later. 

I'm so glad we made the plunge and adopted this sweet boy. All he wants is affection and walks. If anyone's ever worried about adopting an older dog, as opposed to a puppy, do it! They need love, just like any other animal, and, yes, there may be a little bit of baggage. However, if you rescue them, they will be such loyal companions, they will never leave your side, and they will always enrich your lives with their love. You just need to give them a chance. They'll fit into your family perfectly. 

The day we took him home. 

In a Drizzly Dream of a Dublin Walk...

Upon arriving in Ireland, we took a train up to Dublin to crash after a long day of travel. Our first full day there, we could not help ourselves. We had to experience one of Dublin's biggest exports in the biggest way possible: we went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

Free pint of Guinness after the Storehouse tour. 

How's this for iconic?

After the Storehouse, we set out to explore the city. I had no idea that Guinness and Jameson (yes, as in the whiskey) helped restore St. Patrick's Cathedral and other iconic sites in Dublin. 

Sir Guinness in all of his glory. 

I also did not know that Dublin has two catherals: St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Apparently, St. Patrick's Cathedral was outside of the old city walls, so Christchurch Cathedral was the official cathedral of Dublin for a while. 

After touring some of the city, we ended up in a pub on an older side of town, enjoying some jazz. No matter where we go, we always seem to find the jazz. 

On our way home, I saw this little gem out of the corner of my eye, down a side-street: 

It's anyone's guess if they're actually related to my husband's family or not, but it was really cool to see. Especially because, unknown to us, it was our last day out and about in Dublin. 

Our last day in Dublin, my husband was not feeling well. We ended up staying in the hotel room. I ordered room service, watched bad tv, and read. Although I was disappointed we couldn't go out on our last day, it was nice to recuperate from our whirlwind trip and reflect. 

I always adore going back to my non-stateside home and seeing family that I do not see nearly as often as I would like. It can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, being so far from family. However, the situation has made it so I will always value my family and treasure every second I get to be with them. I always try to tell my friends not to take their family for granted for this very reason. 

Treasure your family. Collect experiences, not possessions. 

Hwyl Fawr am Nawr

Well, that was a prolonged break, I apologize. And towards the end of my trip re-cap, too. I should be ashamed. Let's continue, shall we?

West Wales was filled with the comfort of family and walks along the rugged coastal paths.

The unexpected beauty despite the harsh conditions. 

Inexhaustible views. 

With crystal clear water. 

I've never seen such raw beauty as I have there.

Even the plant life bows to the power of the elements. 

We took numerous walks during our multiple days there, just soaking it all in. 

During one of our longer walks, we caught a glimpse of my all-time favorite cathedral: St. David's Cathedral. Absolutely breathtaking, tucked away below the city of St. David's. 

On our last day there, we took a walk to the top of a cliff where we could see all of Fishguard (where we were staying during this portion of our trip). 

We caught one last glimpse of my family until we can return again...

...and then we set sail for Ireland. 

The Road Less Traveled

My grandparents wanted to drive us to my cousin's in West Wales, so, instead of driving straight from Cardiff to Fishguard, we decided to take a more scenic route and make a stop along the way. We went back up to the area around the Brecon Beacons and, per the suggestion of my aunt, stopped at Carreg Cennen Castle.

We drove through small towns and up winding country roads to get to the site of the castle, and it was absolutely marvelous. There were painters all around one of the nearby fields, trying to capture its splendor.

The castle itself was very impressive, but the views were the best part.

You felt like you could see for miles.

The castle itself was also very impressive. 

I may or may not be about to fall over on those steep steps...

My favorite picture: my Grampy taking it all in. 

Only regret? Not renting a flashlight so I could check out the cave that was connected to the castle. 

As far as we were able to go; it was pitch black. 

The stairs leading back up to the castle. 

After the castle, we continued on to Fishguard to see my cousin and her family. They own a fantastic B&B, so they put us up in one of their rooms. Talk about living in the lap of luxury! Every morning we would wake up, go down to the dining room for a cooked breakfast, go upstairs to get ready, and then walk over to their connecting cottage to hash out the day. Our room even had a tea station (yes, again with the tea. Sorry.)! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The night we got there, we relaxed with a delicious meal, made by my cousin's husband who's an amazing cook. Then, we were able to just relax with a cuppa and catch up. It had been, after all, three and a half years since we'd last seen them.