Moon Roadtrip in Ten

June 9th - 14th held a first for me:
My first road trip with Chris and his parents!

San Antonio was the destination, but we decided to make a quick stop in New Orleans...
'cause you know New Orleans is on the way in a backward-L-shaped-sort-of-way.

I was super excited and ready for a break.

Now, before I get into the details of the trip, allow me to enlighten you on my packing process. Oh yes, I'm a packer. I make lists all the time, and my packing is fabulous enough Tom Hanks' "Cast Away" debaucle would've been a cake walk if he only had my suitcase.

Fortunately for me, my mother-in-law is also a genius packer. I was greeted by the sight of a large Coleman cooler wedged between the bucket seats of their van. Packed inside was an assortment of drinks and snacks, including Starbucks Coffee Frappuccinos and trail mix with chocolate.

So, without further ado, I give you:
The Moon Family Roadtrip in Ten

1) The trip itself was rather relaxing and fun. I didn't drive much and slept a lot, only to awaken when we made food stops at Dairy Queen (for the traditional cookie dough blizzard) and Arby's.

2) Our one-night stop in New Orleans consisted of the usual tourist activities: St. Charles Avenue, Cafe Du Monde and averting our eyes to the risque posters splashed across most of the windows on Bourbon Street.

3) We arrived in San Antonio the next night to HOT HUMIDITY. Yet, like true troopers, we braved the temperature enough to peruse the Riverwalk that evening.

So fun!! I felt like I was on the Pirates of Caribbean ride at DisneyWorld, and lucky enough to get out of the boat to explore the town (minus the dirty pirates and voluptuous women.)

4) The better part of our stay involved us searching for a restaurant that served fried ice cream. Come on! You mean to tell me that's just a Tennessee thing?!?

The Alamo

We never did manage to find any, BUT (at the urging of my mother) I did become introduced to "real tortillas." Thick and doughy, I bought a dozen from a local Mexican bakery and munched on them for the remainder of the trip. Yes, they are that good.

5) Moon (a.k.a. Chris) surprised me with a pedicure at the hotel's spa. He feigned a trip to the hotel's gym with me, and turned around at the doors with a smile to inform me that I had an appointment. :)

Chris riding the rides at the Pacific World War II Museum

So I indulged in an incredible (and incredibly expensive) pedicure wearing my workout clothes and tennis shoes. I guess that's what those disposable flip-flops are for. It was a rather embarassing shuffle back to the room amid the other hotel guests.

6) My iPod got stolen an hour later...

7) Spent some of the trip visiting with Mom Moon's twin sister and her family. Uncle Dave, Aunt Roxanne, and their daughter, Raeanne, treated us to a tour of the area, complete with Texas-shaped tortilla chips, something called Horchata - a type of sweet rice milk, and a cute, little German-esque town nearby called Fredricksburg.

Did not expect to eat wienerschnitzel in Texas, but hey...

8) We also made a stop at my childhood home in San Antonio (one of many). My family lived here while my Dad was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base.

This was actually a home in which I have some memories. It was here I first saw and loved The Little Mermaid. I also remember a giant papasan chair, a scorpion, a bee-infested honeysuckle bush, and a swimming pool - not in the same memory, mind you.

9) Had a fabulous dinner at Boudros, a highly-recommended restaurant right on the riverwalk. They have the BEST guacamole, made tableside. Recipe here! (Why do so many of these "top ten" include food? Hmm...)

10) Last, but not least, I learned a little something about each of my travel companions.

Dad Moon is a pro on a TomTom GPS and he shares my love of DQ.

Mom Moon is someone with whom I could trust to pack for me, and she has a great fondness for chorizo in her omelets.

And Chris? While listening to my iPod with my earbuds on (before it got stolen), I learned from Chris that my "soft singing voice" is not as soft as I thought...