I’ve blogged before about our “Secrets of a Pretty Happy Marriage.”  I have been giving my fair share of advice to my girlfriends these past couple of weeks. I was telling all the swim team moms about how my husband and I were determined not wake up one day as empty nesters and look at each other and think, “Who the heck are you?”

Marriage takes a lot of work and I guess we were overdue to pay a little attention to it when my husband blirted, “What hotel do you want to stay in for your birthday?’

I guess I was being a little cranky. OK, I was being a lotta cranky.

My man is so smart. He knows that the quickest way to turn things around for me is a high thread sheet count.  And if you throw in room service and a facial, then I’m good for the next year or so!

I used to feel so guilty being away from the kids overnight but now that they are older and it is 3 against the 2 of us, we have to join forces and regroup so we can move on! Plus, it is healthy for your kids to see you in love. I’ve been in such a better mood just knowing that we have a night out in the future, that it made my daughter ask at dinner the other night, “Mom, why are you making googly eyes at daddy? It’s kind of weird!”

We booked a room at the Eilan. We haven’t stayed there overnight yet and I was able to use my points on my credit card to pay for it. I’ve been there before when I took pictures of my friends pretending to be fashion models. Y’all it’s swanky! I can only imagine the thread sheet count! Is it weird that I also grade the hotel on how fluffy the robe is and heaven forbid if they don’t have a robe for you to wear!

The only other plans we have is to stroll around LaCantera and hold hands and eat dinner where we want to and leisurely read a real magazine at the bookstore. I already have my heart set on O Magazine!

Where am I going with all of this?

Oh, when I was doing my research on whether there was a new place to eat while we were pretending to be honeymooners again, I came across something unexpected!

There is going to be a new farmer’s market out at the Eilan and it starts THIS Sunday.

Do y’all remember how much we love a farmer’s market? Some of our very first few dates were at the Dallas Farmer’s Market!  We can fall in love all over again at the new swanky farmer’s market!

In case you want a little romance in your life this weekend too, here are the details about what is going to take place. You know I love to share my new finds and experiences. I might take my camera with me to share it with you but I might be too busy making googly eyes at my man to remember to actually take it out of the case.

It’s called Ripe: A Spirited Market at the Eilan. It’s the hotel across from the Rim and near Fiesta Texas. It is scheduled to have tomatoes, artisan cheeses, free -range eggs and loaves of fresh bread and fresh flowers. There is going to be cooking demonstrations and cookbook signings. And they will even have wine and spirit tastings, live music and face paintings and arts and crafts activities for the kids. There is going to be a food truck rodeo around the big fountain so you will have plenty of casual food options.  It is scheduled for this Sunday, June 23^rd from 10am to 2pm on the Promenade at the Eilan Hotel & Spa.

We are going to have to go back to the hotel on Sunday and see for ourselves!

It seems  like this next  week with my man is going to be extra sassy!

Stay Sassy Y’all.

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He has been attending the same school since the third grade. We have been with the same group of kids for so long now that they truly have become part of our family. From cheering them on at football, basketball, soccer and volleyball games through the years, it was going to be hard to say goodbye. It made it even harder that all the parents were asked to provide photos for the graduation slideshows.  Some of these kids have been at the school together since they were 3 years old.  Seeing those little faces in the pictures suddenly turned into these young ladies and men was almost too much to handle! Let’s say that we have all been a little nostalgic and teary eyed about not seeing each other roam the halls around the school. They are soon going to be in various high schools all over town.

It has been a long tradition at the school for the parents to host a graduation party for all the families at the end of the year. It varies from year to year depending on what the class decides to do. For our class, it was going to be a little tougher this year. Our kids were involved in national playoff games and state competitions of all sorts.  Where would the parents find the time to plan it all?

It somehow came all together with just a few phone calls. We had a limited budget to work with and the boys had already informed us that they were not going to get all dressed up to have a sit down dinner at a country club. The girls on the other hand wanted to dress up. My son actually went so far as to tell me that he wanted a party somewhere that he could wear his t-shirt and gym shorts. Can you say compromise? And we did.

We held our 8th grade graduation party on the beautiful grounds of Lutheran High School.

 It was the perfect backdrop for the girls to dress up.

And the boys to be boys.

We had food catered by MARS Mobile Kitchen.

All the parents brought water and different types of soft drinks.

We just didn’t realize that they would drink them all at once!

And for dessert,  we had  a banana split bar.

The decorations were courtesy of various dollar stores all over town.

One mom texting another about what she found in just the right color scheme.

It  was all in our school colors, with a little bit of bling for effect!

It somehow came together perfectly.

With all us busy moms, it just happens like magic!

One of our mom’s found a photo booth to have at our party.

They had so many props and took as many pictures as we wanted. We were able to purchase them and they even put the school logo and date on them.

Everyone got in on the fun.

We even had a DJ in the gym.

The principal was so sweet and laid down a tarp for the kids to dance. It was a lot of work since they had just resurfaced the gym floor.

Here are a couple of kids taking a break between songs.

The picnic tables were a popular spot too.

This trio were waiting on their food while making memories.

The burgers and fries were fabulous and made to order exactly to your specifications.

They even had some vegetarian options.

It was such a great night to be together as a family.  

Knowing that time passes way too fast.

 Next up is high school.

And then off to college.

But we made them take pictures to record the moment.

In hopes that time might stand still.

If only for one night.

An extra special Thank You to Mrs. Gary, the principal of SHLS and all the wonderful teachers that make our little school a very special place.

We will miss being together.

Your smiles.

Your laughs.

Your hugs.

We promise to make you proud.

Love,

The Class of 2013.

Stay Sassy Y’all.

Photography by Tammie Holt and Bea Simmons

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Sassy Mothers of Multiples  

We laugh.

We cry.

We eat.

We  shop.

 Sassy Teachers 

And  through it all, we support one another.

Sassy Triathletes 

Every now and then, I like to give some things away to my readers because what sassy girl doesn’t like a chance to win something?

Y’all, with this give away, we have hit the mother lode!

I have two pairs of tickets to the upcoming Bon Jovi concert in San Antonio, Texas.

It is taking place on Tuesday, October 15th, 2013 at 7:30 in the evening at the AT&T Center.

I think we should try and make it a citywide holiday for those in attendance so we can have the day off.  After all, we need time to prepare ourselves for seeing Jon. Bon. Jovi.

Sigh.

In order to make this give away a little sassier, I plan on blogging about the whole experience with your girlfriend to share with all my readers.

Now, you better get started on what you plan on wearing! It’s only four months away!

In case you haven’t heard, the “BON JOVI Because We Can-The Tour” has been selling out across the globe. The 2013 arena tour takes live performance to a whole new level. The production stage evolves and transforms on every song.

Can you imagine seeing Jon Bon Jovi in these jeans from every possible angle?  Oh, my word.

And if you just can’t wait, they have a FREE BON JOVI APP so you can see this digital experience for yourself. Yes, there’s an APP for that!  It is a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. I know, your man may not understand but your girlfriends surely will.

In order for you to be included in the random sweepstakes drawing, you need to comment on this post. You can tell us your favorite Bon Jovi song or even your favorite hairstyle they may have been sporting over their 30-year career span. You can even tell us where you might have seen them in concert.  I am sure you will remember every single detail and have pictures to share with us from a long time ago.

We might have changed but Bon Jovi seems to stay the same, as in fabulous and dreamy.

Sigh.

I will be notifying the winner(s) on July 4th, 2013 by email. Don’t worry, I won’t disclose or sell any of your email addresses and there is no need to give your full name.

You can find out more information on the “BON JOVI Because We Can-The Tour” by clicking on SASSYNIGHTOUT   They have a lot more pictures like these on their website. Hint, Hint! It has ticket information, VIP Experiences Packages and complete list of tour dates.

You should really click on there and look “Because We’re Sassy Like That!”

Love Y’all.

Stay Sassy.

Courtesy Photos of Jon Bon Jovi

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All of these areas of town have their own distinctions. I know most people choose where they want to live based upon the location of their job or the schools they want their child to attend.

(The patio at Restaurant Gwendolyn on the River Walk) 

When my husband and I moved to San Antonio over fourteen years ago, we had no idea where to move. The most important thing on our list was that it be close to his work. I was nine-months pregnant and looking at houses in a record heat wave in August. There was a shortage of houses in the neighborhoods that we loved the most and we kept losing out on contracts. We finally decided on one after my husband sent me pictures to approve from the air- conditioned comfort in our then house in Plano. Yes, I finally realized the zaniness of this decision when we rolled up to our new house with our four- month old son. I was seeing our house for the very first time. I guess pregnancy hormones, impending motherhood, 100- degree heat and my new career as a stay at home mom caused me to make some quick decisions.

(New lofts going up right off of Broadway near the Pearl) 

All in all, we have loved living in our neighborhood. It is close to everything and we can easily zip on Interstate 10 and be anywhere in as little as 20 minutes. Our neighbors are more like family and I think we might have the best neighborhood pool and swim team in town!  It isn’t really practical for us to move anytime soon. We still have kids in elementary school and we don’t want to go to the huge expense of moving. As easy as it would be to sell our house right now, we need to wait.

(Part of the meal at Restaurant Gwendolyn when I went with the Junior League of SA’s dinner group) 

Although the timing for us might be off, it apparently isn’t for a large group of the population. There is a shortage of listings not only San Antonio, but in other parts of the country that are starting to see growth.  We have a friend that  sold their house in one day and another friend sold theirs in eleven days.  They both live in different parts of San Antonio.

One of the couples decided to move to downtown SA. They are empty nesters and thought it was the perfect time to down size. I think my husband might be a little jealous because they will be near one of his favorite coffee shops. I am pretty sure that when the time is right, it might be our choice to move downtown as well.

(The coffee brewing at Restaurant Gwendolyn) 

I never expected to an urban dweller after growing up in such a small town. The tallest buildings when I was growing up in Kilgore, Texas  were the girl’s dormitory at Kilgore College and two of the banks in town. I think the tallest one is five stories high!  I still remember riding in an elevator for the very first time. It was big excitement in our family when we went to the safety deposit box at our bank. It would mean that when our mom was done conducting business, we could take turns pushing the buttons on the elevator!

Fast forward a few decades and I can find myself actually being a full time urban dweller.  And my children are growing up with a very different experience than my own childhood.  When I loaded the pictures off of my camera this morning, most of the things that I photographed were all  located  downtown.

(The interior of a loft being built near the Pearl) 

I think my love affair with downtown San Antonio began when I started training for my first half marathon. All those early Saturday morning sessions would take me places that I had never seen before and now some of those locations look very different.  There is a definite urban renewal happening in San Antonio.

There is just something about being downtown that makes me feel alive. It  fuels my soul.

And for this small town girl that lives in the suburbs, that’s pretty exciting indeed.

Stay Sassy Y’all.

(The interior of the new Brown Coffee location near the Pearl) 

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When I finally turned on the television to see the extent of the damage, it literally took the breath out of me. I immediately thought about all those families who had spent the morning rushing out the door to get to school and work. In a few short hours, their lives would never be the same. A seemingly normal day was now filled with such devastation.

We still don’t know exactly how many people were given their last kiss goodbye or no longer have a place to call their home. Hopefully, we can start coming together as a nation to help in some small way.  And until then we can only pray.

I pray that more people are found under the rubble.

I pray that the first responders stay safe in the difficult task of search and rescue.

I pray that the families can rebuild their lives in the aftermath of such tragedy.

And may The Lord wrap his loving arms around those that lost their loved ones and give comfort in their grief.

I think I’ll go watch my children sleep.

And pray a little more.

May God Bless our friends in Oklahoma.

Amen.

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Andrew Weissman is the creative force behind this new restaurant as well as Il Sogno, the Sandbar and Big’z. I have been lucky enough to dine in all of his restaurants and consider myself a huge fan of his food. He is a native of San Antonio and he “gets us!” There are already people lining up to dine in this unique setting and sample some spectacular food at reasonable prices!

My sister was in town this past weekend attending the International Reading Conference. We decided that she needed to have the experience of dining out in this new restaurant. It would be our first time too. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining.

To be honest, we didn’t look at the menu very long because my sister had to get back to the conference so she wouldn’t miss one of her favorite presenters. I have total trust in the chef and spotted him in the kitchen, although I am pretty sure he has absolutely no idea who I am!  I ordered a variety food so we could all taste different items. I knew our taste buds were in for whole new experiences!

It is located right across from the San Antonio Museum of Art and nestled among the shade trees.

The bike rack is evidence that it is for locals as well as the tourists that use the B Cycle system.

If you haven’t strolled around the Museum Reach area, this is your perfect opportunity.

You can see the parking garage and part of the newly opened apartments.

And here is a view of the Riverwalk. We saw an occasional barge go by with tourists.

There is a water bowl for your dog in case you want to bring them along.

Who can argue with these views?

No one was in a hurry to go anywhere.

Here is a couple enjoying bocce ball. If you’ve never heard of the game, you can “google” it for details.

I am too busy relaxing to explain it!

I guess I should get around to the food experience.

Here is the view from the sidewalk on the Riverwalk.

You can see the bocce ball area to the left behind the bar cargo container!

It has a rather large selection of beer and wine to be housed in a cargo container.

Can you even believe that sentence?

Although, there was a place in my hometown that served frozen concoctions of the alcoholic kind out of a cargo container.

They even had a drive through lane, but those are stories for a different day!

The menu for the day is posted on a chalk board.

I ordered for our group and relied on the suggestions of the staff.

Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith!

They did well.

I don’t know that I would have ever ordered this sandwich.

It has black beans, plantains, egg and ham among other items.

Oh my word, was it good.

I would be happy with just the bread it was served on but to have so many different flavors come together like this; it was rapturous!

The fries are not to be missed.

They are perfectly crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

How can fries be so  sinfully good?

Everything we tried was full of flavor.

Our daughter loved the salad with kale, cranberries and sunflowers.

And dare we order something else healthy!

It was a chopped salad  with all kinds of fresh vegetables and seasoned with olive oil and fresh herbs.

The pulled pork sandwich was served on the same perfect roll.

The caramelized onions added so much flavor.

It was hard to choose a favorite dish.

But does it really matter?

After all, this is the perfect place to relax, hang out with your friends and try something else new and creative that comes out of that blue cargo container!  The Luxury is a must stop place whether you have family in town or not and parking is easy and it’s free!

Stay Sassy Y’all.

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It was such a wonderful opportunity last year to share my loved ones’ stories. I knew that my perspective was unique in that my parents met while my dad was in medical school and my mom was in nursing school.

To be honest, I  almost didn’t go. When I first got the email about speaking again this year, it had only been about 5 months since my mom had passed away. The pain was still so raw. How could I possibly get through it?

When I emailed their staff back about my hesitation, of course they were very understanding. It is a wonderful program for the students. They have been studying textbooks all year and this is their first experience in talking to actual people about their experiences in a loved one’s death. They hear all kinds of stories because every family is different as well as every instance of death.

I only changed my mind this past week. I thought about how proud my mom was after I told her about my experience last year. And when I went home last summer to visit, I noticed how tattered the pages were from the print out that my sister had given to Mom. She never wanted to get Internet access or a computer so she would only get copies of my posts after my sister Janie would hand deliver them to her. It was very obvious that she had read them over and over.

How could I not share her story? Their stories?

I knew I would be the only family member that was going to speak about not only one death of a family member but three; two people who had careers in the medical field and an educator.  A doctor, a nurse, and a woman that had her Ph.D in Education. My sister died of a very rare form of breast cancer at the age of 51. I was to speak about Daddy, Mom and Liz.

I was more than honored to keep their memories alive. In that plain classroom from a simple chair, I told of their life experiences as well as their deaths. I don’t know that I was eloquent and I choked back a lot of tears. They all lived with such passion and purpose. Would my words be enough to relay my message that there is beauty to be found in death?

I again realized what a gift I had been given in being their daughter and sister. My parents taught us to see not only the beauty in life but even in death.

Being able to see that look of God on their faces in the split second that their souls left this earth is forever imprinted in my mind.

It gives me comfort. It gives me hope. It fuels my faith.

My prayer was to convey to these medical students that death is a spiritual experience and not just a clinical one. My prayer was to open their minds as well as their hearts to the possibility in recognizing this with their future patients. My prayer was that this group of medical students will continue in their studies and become wonderful physicians in their chosen field of study.

Life is such a gift.

I hope I honored them in the way they deserved and in how they lived their lives.

And in how they gracefully they left this earth.

I am forever grateful in God’s grace for allowing me to be witness to HIS vision on my loved ones’ faces as they made their journey home.

It has allowed me to subdue fears not only among my friends but my readers as they are approaching the difficult task of calling in hospice. It is very surreal in coming to grips with the finality of losing your family members.

It is my prayer that in my words, others will find some clarity in approaching the time of being with their loved ones without the fear of death. My prayer is that they will be able to witness the beauty in those final moments. My prayer is that their heart heals from the pain of loss and be able to reflect back on the experience without tears but a renewed appreciation of life.

Life is indeed a journey.

My journey started by being born a child of two remarkable healers. I grew up in a large, and faithful family.

I was able to witness my parents giving of themselves on a daily basis throughout their entire lives.

It is my prayer that I will always remember.

It is my prayer that as long as I am still on this journey,  I will never forget.

And for this, I am eternally grateful.

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This full-time working is cramping my style a little bit! Can you believe they expect you to work and everything!

Well, I managed to ask, convince, cajole, OK, beg really, a couple of my new coworkers to go hunt for some spring fashions so I can update my blog.  It was way overdue for some spring looks.

We had already bonded over the love of bargain shopping. When you are high fived by someone because you just told her you found your entire outfit for $14.99 at Ross, you know that you might just may be friends for life!

Since we are all busy working moms, we went to a store on our lunch hour. It is just up the street from our office. I had gone to Moda Luna last year to take pictures of friends in rodeo fashions. I met Monique, the owner,  at Ole’ Market in October and knew that she had opened this location in Stone Oak.

Isn’t it just the cutest store?

They even have clothes for baby and toddler girls!

There is nothing like being able to pick up an outfit for you and baby gift at the same time!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about the peplum coming back!

Now, this is one look from the 80′s that I welcome back with open arms, but sleeveless not so much!

This is Liz.

Isn’t she pretty? Oh, those eyes!

She’s from East Texas too! She has a love of costume jewelry and it’s like a fashion show when she arrives at work!

And this trendy necklace is the perfect match to the print top.

The necklace is around $24 and the shirt is $29.

It comes with matching earrings.

Here is Erica, the mother of two precious girls.

Let’s pause while you take it all in!

Yes, her legs are that long! This dress is perfect on her!

And as if that doesn’t make you jealous enough, she’s awfully sweet too!

The dress is $49 and the necklace set is $24

It’s the same necklace as the one on the peplum shirt.

The hubby needs to buy her this for date night. Hint. Hint.

Next we have a little more casual look.

No ladies, it’s not time for happy hour yet!

We have to go back to work!

Here is a close up of Liz’s necklace and shirt.

We all loved the necklace. The color is so unique and is the perfect match to the polka dots.

It also is $24 and comes with earrings which are hidden by the gorgeous hair of hers!

Erica thought this dress was so comfortable and perfect for running errands on the weekend.

Moda Luna has shoes too. These are flats so she is only 6 ft tall now!

And I finally found someone who carries a heavier purse than me.

Don’t you love her bright orange bag!

Spring is here and it is full of color!

We would like to thank Moda Luna for allowing us to pretend to be models for a day!

As you can tell, we had an awful lot of fun.

Busy working moms need a break every now and then.

After all, it helps us Stay Sassy!

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Our kids seem to be growing out of their clothes by the minute, so we wanted to stroll around Shops at La Cantera to find them some summer clothes and shoes.  It’s almost time for swim team to start so they all needed new bathing suits. And the weather was just perfect to keep shopping outdoors. We had no plans on eating while we were there but it was taking so long to find what we were looking for that my husband wanted to grab a bite to eat at the new burger place. Neither one of us knew it was open before we by it,  so we had no idea what the food would be like. If I had a little more time, I would have looked it up on Internet to get an idea or a menu sample.  Instead, we just threw caution to the wind and ordered like we knew what the heck we were doing.

Aren’t we edgy?

Since I was in no mood for a burger with red meat, I opted to order their quinoa burger. Yes, I said quinoa burger. I have never tasted one and quite frankly, have never even heard of a quinoa burger. I have had quinoa in salads of all kinds. It tastes OK and it very healthy for you but it’s not like a crave quinoa! Can you even believe how many times I typed quinoa in this paragraph?  It’s an awful lot for a little bitty grain!

Well let me tell you, that was  the best burger I have ever tasted in my life. No,  I can’t believe it either. Quinoa Baby! They serve it with white cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and some secret sauce on a multi-grain toasted bun. It is pure heaven.

There were way too many French fry options to choose from so we asked the cashier for a recommendation. She suggested we only order the regular size fresh cut fries and split them between us. They serve the fries with all kind of toppings. Her favorite is the one with Parmesan cheese, herbs and a garlic aioli sauce sprinkled on top. And oh my Lord, was she right. I think those were by far, the most flavor-filled French fries I have ever tasted.  In a matter of about 15 minutes, I went from, “Honey, I’m not really in the mood for a burger, I would rather have a salad” to “this the best burger and fry combination on the planet! “ I was so mad that I didn’t have my camera with me. As we were walking to the car after finishing up our shopping, I was “googling” information about Burger FI.

(these are the plain fries because I had no camera when I had those heavenly parmesan ones)

I wanted to know how they came up with such wonderful recipes. And I wanted to know exactly how many calories were in that burger so I might plan on having it in the near future again. The near future ended up being the next day! We took our son back after his full day at a basketball tournament to get his take on the new burger place. It just happens to be right across the street from Grimaldi’s which is his most favorite pizza place in town. And this time I brought my camera along to show my readers our experience. Our boy ended up getting a regular burger and the twins split one with some plain fries. The big Stud and I got the quinoa burgers again but ordered the onion rings to share this time.

The kids weren’t as enamored with the place as we were and talked more about the “COKE” machine. You can create your own flavors. And there are even more drink choices than just the fancy machine.  It made my head spin so I made them get just water.  Aren’t I an awful mom to deprive them of such carbonation mixology? I just hate those machines and the drinks are almost $3.00 a piece!

They survived the deprivation of playing with the machine.

Our burgers were just as good as the day before and maybe more so because I was anticipating it so much. I looked up the calorie count and they come in at 520 calories. I wish I could say the same about the onion rings but I only had a couple of those. They are huge and they were made to perfection too but I think I like the fries more. They serve cupcakes and frozen custard of all flavors and toppings. I can’t imagine having any room for dessert. There were lots of people coming in to just get something sweet and catch the end of the Masters game on their four TV’s.

I now need to get the chef in the family aka the hubby to perfect our own recipe for quinoa burgers because after buying all our ever growing kids spring clothes, we can’t afford to  eat out as much!

So, if you find yourself strolling around the Shops at La Cantera and start to feel hungry and need to see the score of a game, you might want to give Burger FI a try. They have some incredible French fries with a multitude of sauces and that totally unexpected quinoa burger.

I think I might dream about it tonight!

Stay Sassy Y’all.

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Can y’all forgive me? Does it help to know that the  winner of a random drawing will be able to spend a night at the elegant and recently totally renovated Emily Morgan Hotel in downtown San Antonio?

I went to an event there a few months ago and just fell in love all over again with this hotel. Since the renovations, the lobby has a real hip and trendy vibe while reminding you that you are in one of a kind historic location. And the Alamo is literally right next door.

Now, I haven’t been in their remodeled rooms yet, but from the pictures on their website, they look absolutely beautiful. A night’s stay is sure to make you feel oh, so sassy!

Fiesta is almost here. We are kicking off the one week countdown with this sweepstakes giveaway. We will announce the winner in a random drawing next Thursday, April 18th, 2013. It is the first official day of Fiesta 2013

All you have to do to enter is comment on this blog post with your favorite Fiesta event. If you’ve never been to Fiesta, then your favorite San Antonio attraction! And if you’ve never been to San Antonio then I really feel sorry for you! You need to hurry up and visit!

And y’all need to hurry up and enter. And I need to hurry up and finish our taxes!

Love y’all.

Stay Sassy.

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