We started off our weekend celebration on Friday, when Travis was awarded the "Best Instructor Pilot" from the class of students that were moving on to the next stage of pilot training. It was such a great compliment to him, especially from this class that we both loved getting to know. He really seemed to enjoy teaching these guys, and I had the chance to hang out with them on a few occasions and enjoyed meeting them as well. We are looking forward to going to their graduation in six months!
On Saturday morning, we drove to San Antonio. We had originally planned to go skydiving (my idea), but Travis' flight commander would not allow him to do it. So instead, we decided to spend the day at Sea World! As active duty military, Travis and his dependents get one free pass to Sea World a year, so we were happy to use it this weekend.
We had a wonderful time at Sea World!! Travis had never been before, and it had been at least 15 years since I had been, so we tried to enjoy it all! We watched an extremely cute sea lion and otter show, which was our favorite. We also watched a show full of dolphins, beluga whales, at least 15 exotic birds, synchronized swimmers, and divers. It was pretty amazing. Then, we walked around and visited all the various animal exhibits, that included penguins, sharks, fish, eels, and more dolphins. We also rode the roller coasters, one of them five times (it was our favorite). Travis really enjoys riding in the front row of the roller coasters, so we waited in some of the longer lines in order to sit in the front! It was pretty fun, though, so I'm not complaining! We had planned to go to the water park and water rides next, but by the time we headed that direction, the line to get into the water park was over an hour long and for the water rides it was two hours! So, we decided to leave and head to our hotel instead.
We drove the rest of the way into San Antonio and found our hotel down by the riverwalk. We planned to stay at the hotel we really love. The staff is always amazing, the rooms are really nice, and the breakfast they serve in the morning is phenomenal!! We got more than we bargained for, though, when we arrived.
Upon checking in, we found out that we had been randomly upgraded to the Presidential Suite for the night. Apparently, the hotel was overbooked, and the manager just picked one random couple to move up to the empty suite. It was AWESOME!!! And then, they found out it was our one year anniversary, and the concierge sent up champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, on the house!!
The room was absolutely amazing, and was probably about as big as our house. There were THREE bathtubs, a huge entry way, three chandeliers, a dining room, china cabinet, sofa, extra chairs, and two flatscreen tvs. Also, we were on the top floor in the corner room, so we had three patios, more than enough windows, and the best view of the riverwalk and surrounding area! Did I mention there was also a sauna in the bathroom? Check out the pictures:
Yes, we really stayed here!!
Our view from one balcony overlooking the riverwalk!
We could have spent the entire rest of the night in the suite, but we had already made plans for dinner. So, we left our beautiful suite and went to Fogo de Chao for dinner. It is one of Travis' favorite restaurants, and we both really enjoy eating there. The food was delicious and we had a wonderful dinner. Then, we had planned to go to one of our favorite clubs in the area, but the line to get in was wrapped around the door and didn't move for the ten minutes that we stood there. After waiting in lines at Sea World all day, we were tired and didn't feel like waiting in line anymore. We headed back to our beautiful suite instead. :-)
Then, in the morning, we enjoyed the beautiful breakfast buffet by the river. The waiters were so nice and pleasent, and when they found out it was our anniversary, they brought us a little surprise!! Check it out:
We had found that the one year anniversary is supposed to be the "paper" anniversary, so we chose our gifts accordingly. I gave Travis a couple of pictures for his desk in frames, as well as a fun card and letter. Travis gave me the sweetest card, and then completely surprised me with a Nook!! It's basically an online library where you can download books and read them anytime and anywhere you want. Here's a link if you want to see more about it: NOOK
We drove back home on Sunday morning after breakfast and took the puppies out to the lake when we got home. They had a great time swimming around and playing with all the people on the beach. My friend had shown me this new, great cove to go swimming in, and I think it is my new favorite place at the lake!
We came back home, had dinner, and enjoyed our defrosted wedding cake for dessert. Surprisingly, it tasted fantastic!! We felt like we had just taken the cake off the table at our reception, and we really enjoyed it.
Overall, our anniversary was a blast. We are still so very much in love, and we wouldn't change one thing about our lives today. It's sad to think that a year ago today we were on our way to Costa Rica, and now this year today, Travis is back to work and I am swamped with homework and laundry to do. We, however, could not be happier about our first year together, and we are both so grateful we had the chance to celebrate together like we did. It was a perfect weekend!
It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed!! One year ago in Costa Rica:
Today, our honeymoon continues. This time, though, we are just a little closer to home! :-)
On the riverwalk in San Antonio :-)
"That's the strange beauty of marriage: It's full of hard times and hard lessons that no one can ever prepare you for. But in the end, those are the things that give richness to your life together — and make your love even deeper and stronger than when it began."
