This past week/weekend, Brad took a couple days off and we headed South...waaaay South for a long weekend/mini vacation. We used our stimilus check courtesy of the govt and got what we thought would be a decent hotel, free gas (courtesy of Expedia) and spent our time in Corpus Christi. (I was really pleased with everything we did, hotel, gas, food, shopping, fees, etc we spent no money outside of our stimulus check. So we are out no money out of our own pocket! Pretty cool, eh?) Oh..and PS - we got gas in Victoria for $3.59!!!! All around Victoria it was about that price, but everywhere else it was 'normal' prices for the area/state in the $3.80 something range.
Now, you may remember this past week the Texas border was facing Hurricane Dolly, just as we were headed out of town. And the only way we could get our free gas card was to book a non-refundable room. So, in short...we were going to the beach! Come hurricane or high water! I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Not so much of the hurricane itself (which hit around Brownsville the day we left town), but more of the rain and possible flooding, winds, etc.
But we got down there and the rain had just subsided. We only hit a couple sporadic showers. The wind was fierce though! But it made it kinda fun that first night. :) Brooke could barely walk on her own - the wind was knocking her over! LOL
Anyway, the next day was better and sunshine-y, so we really lucked out! The only drawback to our unfortunate timing was the beach itself was kinda dirty from all the washed up algae. But it just reminded me of Galveston beaches. And we did find some nice pretty areas to park our 'camp'.
So, the first evening, we drove around and I reminisced (I lived in Corpus while going to Texas A&M-CC for a year). We drove down Ocean Dr, went downtown and ate at the original Whataburger (Brad's decision). It is a really cool Whataburger - two stories! We also took the extra time and walked along the Seawall and let Brooke fight the wind. Her and Brad walked out the pier and she freaked over a tiny crab! You have to understand at this point, she has been watching Bindi the Jungle Girl on Discovery Ch lately and once saw Steve Irwin wrestling THE largest crab on the face of the earth and watched it snap a tree branch in half with it's pinchers. Hence the reason for her new fear of crabs.
Anyway, we went back to the hotel and got acclamated. Come to find out...what we thought was an ok hotel was actually the nicest one I've ever stayed at! And it was really cheap! It was an Embassy Suites and every night they had free drinks. Whatever you wanted - Dr Pepper, beer, mixed drinks, anything. Pretty cool amenity if you ask me. Also, the room was a suite so it had a living area and bedroom. So we could put the kids to bed and not go to bed ourselves. The sheets were amazing - I think they were the softest sheets I've ever slept on. And the free "continental" breakfast ended up being a hot, cooked to order breakfast. We had omelets, pancakes, bacon and eggs and such. They had an indoor pool which is nice (for the baby's sake anyway) and in case of the anticipated bad weather. So, I highly recommend this hotel if anyone ever needs a place to stay in Corpus.
The next day we got up and spent a good portion of the day at the Texas State Aquarium - got to touch lots of sea life, see some pretty big sharks, run with the dolphins and more. It was a pretty exciting day! That evening we just hung out by the pool and enjoyed our hotel.
The following day we went to the beach. It was sunny and hot. Brad and I both got some pretty bad sunburn, but the girls were both lathered up frequently with sunscreen. Plus Brenna spent her time in the shade Brad made for her (see pics below). So, we had a picnic at the beach, spent the day, fed the seagulls, flew a kite, etc. You know...all the things you do at the beach. The waves were still pretty big from the hurricane remnants. But it was a fun day. Brooke would only go in the water attached to one of us, but enjoyed her time in the water when we were out there. We did some shopping at some of the cool gift shops on the water and came back to the hotel and crashed!
I also got to go to the mall and get a few school clothes for Brooke at my FAVORITE store - The Children's Place. And on the way home, we took the long way and stopped at a new outlet mall just outside of Houston, which I needed way more time at. :) And Brad got to eat at his beloved Pancho's. :P We also got to stop at my next favorite store - Babies R Us.
Now we're home and life is getting back to normal, after the umpteenth load of laundry, the sleepy eyes, the peeling sunburns, etc. Our dog missed us greatly and we are all happy to be home! Now back to real life...
Here's a slideshow of pics from our trip for your viewing pleasure:
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