Albuquerque, NM

On our way to our next destination , we decided to stay overnight in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I normally use Hotwire to book every hotel we stay in on the road, that's not our Wyndham Timeshare, but the prices we found were kind of high, so I splurged and called the Embassy Suites. They had room -- and gave us an awesome one too, that was huge, because we're rewards members with them. We made it just in time for Happy Hour! We actually drove 11 hours today -- almost all of what we needed. And we used our AAA discount to save !!!

 At happy hour the hotel had a clown that did face painting, balloon animals, and she had crafts for the kids to do. It was fantastic! I was tired from driving all day, and then to have them entertained while I was able to relax was out of this world. There was a bunch of kids they played with , so I was able to chat with other parents and just hang out. It was super nice.

 Look at our view

Everyone went to bed early so we could wake and get an early start. 

We planned some museums to visit before leaving town to continue our voyage.

One  museum down , one to go... Next up - the New Mexico Museum of Natural Science and History.

With only Trader Joe's left to hit before we're outta here... It's almost time to hit the road!

Day out in San Antonio

We went and walked around the market here, spending the day in between the warming sunshine and the little stores. I love the Mexican influence and decor here. We have no problem finding anything with skulls on it!

 

#1 is all smiles because I waited with him while he got a hat painted. 

After browsing the shops we took them to another Man vs. Food location for dinner.. Lulu's 

Their special is the huge plate size chicken fried chicken dinner and it's only like 8 bucks! The kids thought just the sheer size of it was amazing, but delicious too,, so it was finally a win- win for a meal! They were so full , they didn't have room for the 3 pound cinnamon roll. Too Bad!

We went back to the room to digest and they tried on their market purchase.

Then they thought they should wrestle too, so we had to go out again to entertain them. We walked around the town, the hotel is only 2 blocks from the Alamo.

Then we thought we'd give #2 an early birthday gift and surprise her with a carriage ride. We kept seeing them from our hotel window and she was mesmerized with each one that passed, so...

We got her one! #1 stayed back at the room because he has a bum toe, so it hurts him to walk. It was neat, he told us some history of the buildings we passed by. Then we walked a little more and peeked in at the touristy place we didn't want to pay to get in to.

Then we had to go back to the room, we have an early day tomorrow, Husband flies out at the crack of dawn, so we need to be packed and loaded to go. We have 15 hours to drive to our next location.

We've made it to San Antonio

We have reached our hotel and it's awesome! I love Wyndham and our timeshare. Our room was two stories with a hot tub on the deck upstairs. The kitchen was a bit tiny- very tiny-

but at least it was a kitchen , and the living room was a tad small, but it's a living room!

 The bedrooms totally make up for the lack of kitchen and living room space- it's only one night and it's better than a regular hotel room - and cheaper too- we're using timeshare points!

 The deck was off of the upstairs bathroom , that also had a full bathroom too, and a beautiful view....

It had a full bathroom and bedroom downstairs too. After we all had a good night sleep, we woke early to go to another yummy eatery. I factored these Texas places into my budget while in the planning stages because I love to eat here!! The food is just amazing! So we took the kids to a well known place - Guenthers-- they manufacture flour and make their own baked goods, breads, biscuits, pancakes, etc.. it's so worth every bite. 

See.. happy faces from a full belly of good food!

After eating we had to go back and change rooms. I was a little nervous because it's supposedly a smaller room. But since I've booked all the rooms on our trip in the discount point time period- I can't be choosy, I'm basically choosing from leftover rooms that didn't get rented at full points- So it is what it is. that's how we're able to travel for so long. 

So I worried for no reason. Our new room is absolutely amazing and blew away the first one by tons! It still had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms but just no hot tub- that's OK! 

 We were super close to the hotels observation deck, so we were able to use it as if it were our own!

After getting settled in we spent the rest of the day out....

On Our way to San Antonio

We've made our way out of New Orleans and into Texas. I didn't book a room because I wasn't sure how far we would drive since Husband is here for a few more days, he can see at night to drive! So I waited too long. I decided to try and find something on Hotwire at about 12:03am and found out I was out of luck! Same day reservations need to be made in the same day-- sounds silly reading that out loud, but at the time I thought nothing of it and was thoroughly confused! So we had to do it the old fashioned way and actually read the road signs, then pull in and inquire verbally if they have accommodations available. What a pain in the rear , and it costs more. Goodbye savings! We made it all the way to Houston, about 6 hours from where we left, leaving about 4 hours to finish tomorrow. I need to also say we drove past the Galveston exit, so I missed seeing one of my favorite shorelines. Boo!!
 We woke early so we could get a move on, but then decided -- again-- to detour to Austin for the day. We ate at one of my favorite eateries-- the Commerce Street Cafe-- oh so yummy.. they have carrot cake french toast! The kids didn't love the fancy menu, they settled for cheese quesadillas, plus we let them drink soda and promised them donuts later - so they got over it quickly!

 We stopped by the Austin Speed Shop

 Then walked around the town some, visiting the costume shop. We saw people participating in the Great Race game. These ones had somebody dress up like Chewbacca. The kids thought it was great. A few more teams came in , so we say like superman, and a few more costumes that I don't remember.

 After that we went to the towns best pizzeria and I wanted a shirt, so #3 inquired how much they sell for , and the lady told him, then also added that he could get a 15% discount if he let her draw a mustache on him. So of course he did, then they didn't even have my size! So #3 got  a shirt instead!

After feeding them pizza we took them for donuts ,as promised. We went to the place that was on Man Vs. Food, Round Rock Donuts. Husband and I had them last time we were in Austin. They are the most delicious things ever! They came out warm and the kids thought the same. 

After a day of stuffing our face we finally went to find our hotel and check in.

Last day in New Orleans

After what started a little rocky, it turned out to be a wonderful time. The rain finally took a break, and we took the kids to the aquarium-- again, Aunty had free passes!!! Awesome!! Thanks so much to my Aunt! Her and my Mom went and spent some sisterly time today. We're meeting though for a farewell girls lunch while the boys go to the WWII Museum. My Mom and Aunt are both taking off today. 

We splurged and went to a place called the Court of Two Sisters- a wonderful jazz brunch. It's amazingly delicious, and beautiful too.  #2 enjoyed how fancy it was. After brunch #2 and I walked around to a bunch of little art galleries to peruse their wares. But before all that took place we visited the aquarium with the boys.

It had a temporary exhibit with birds. Just as the butterflies, the birds were drawn to #3

 This was super funny, she freaked a little!!

 How cute is this little guy! I wanted to sneak him out in my backpack as a gift for my nephew!

 #3 thought he could ride the sea horse. Sometimes I feel as though I'm the only one in any place that has to continually tell my children "GET DOWN"!!!

 Maybe if she waits long enough, it will turn into her prince charming!

 After the Aquarium and "Girls brunch" and Boys Museum and Lunch time, we reconvened. We had to pack our stuff and make our way out of town. On our way out we drove by a famous cemetery. It was so beautiful. I wished we had time to walk around it. Next time we will make time.

So all in all the kids turned out to love New Orleans just as much as Husband and I do. Thank Goodness! They are talking about the next time they come, what they want to see and do. Grandma still prefers to keep her distance, saying it reminds her too much of her days working in NY City. I guess not every one's going to appreciate it the way I do! Oh well.

I'm just so glad we have our Wyndham timeshare so all this is possible. I couldn't imagine having to splurge on hotels and eating out the whole time. Having the space is wonderful for the kids to wind down after being so active and being able to use a kitchen is a complete bonus. But I guess we wouldn't be on such an excursion if we had to do it a more traditional way! So Thanks Wyndham for making traveling so easy!! On to our next adventure!