San Antonio, TX

On Tuesday, September 8th, Steve and I flew down to San Antonio, TX...ALONE! My mother offered to stay with the kids for the week, so we capitalized on the opportunity. Steve has been wanting to show me his mission since we were engaged and after 13 years, his wish has been granted. I had heard so much about the Riverwalk and the Alamo and the bats in Austin, I was very excited to go. Plus, I didn't have to cut anyone's food, but my own, put anyone to bed, do any dishes, or shuttle children around for 3 whole days!!! What a break! Of course, being in Texas meant eating at some terrific places for Steve and I. We were able to throw in some Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, which is always fun and interesting. The Cove had to be my absolute favorite. It is located next to a laundromat, has live music every night, a playground is in the back, and has pictures of the farmers/ranchers who provide their organic meat and veggies. UN-BE-LIEV-A-BLE!! While there, a native told us to try "Chuys" for the best Tex-Mex. That was another GREAT suggestion. They had some "Boom-Boom sauce" that was to die for! So, with the Tex-Mex, real barbeque, and sleeping in, and being able to read an anxiously awaited book, I was in heaven. It was extremely odd for me to not have any kids with me. I spoke to them and to my mother about them quite often, but still it was different not having to check luggage and to eat whenever we felt like it or take lots of potty breaks. Because Steve was released from the Stake High Council and knowing he was being called to be a seminary teacher, we viewed the trip as a kind of send-off until June.:) It was the best 3-day date I've ever been on. Thanks, honey. Thanks, mom! I can't wait to do it again! (I'm sure my mom needs a few years to recuperate, though).

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives UTAH

While we were in Utah, we knew we HAD to stop by a local establishment that had been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives from the Food Network. We had just been to Heritage Village at "This is the Place" Monument in SLC across the street from Hogle Zoo and found Ruth's Diner just 5 minutes away in Emigrant Canyon. Yum! We were hesitant to eat outside because of the heat; however, in that canyon it was absolutely gorgeous! We got to try their featured "mile-high biscuits" that were humongous and delicious. All of us were very pleased with our food...and there were 17 of us (Bird family -minus Ryan)!

The Lone Star Taqueria was a fun, family-friendly place with authentic Mexican food. Yum! The kids loved their steak quesadillas, Steve had the carnitas, and my mom & I thoroughly enjoyed our fish tacos which were featured on the show. I would definitely give both places 2 thumbs up!

13 years...

As of April 24th, Steve and I have been married for 13 years. It's not that we didn't think we'd get here, it's just that it's gone so fast! Time flies when you're having fun! We both feel blessed to have one another. Carter asked me a few days ago if I ever wish I had married another guy I had dated. With complete confidence, I answered "No. Your dad is the perfect husband for me." I then proceeded with my story about having my prayer answered that I should marry Steve, confirming my feelings. Carter smiled a comforted smile. I'm grateful for the chance to let him know how much his dad means to me. I really am a lucky woman. On Saturday, the 25th, Steve took me to our next Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives establishment. It's Glen's Diner in Wrigleyville.

Marvelous! It was started by the guy who owned a fish market downtown (that everyone in Chicago seems to know about). It was fresh, delicious, quaint, fun, and not even that expensive. One wall is decorated in boxes of cereal, which one can order from in any combination any time of day. Steve got the sturgeon with a mushroom-bacon sauce; I had the rainbow trout with brown sugar & candied pecans. Being an official "diner", they had multiple pies for dessert. I typically am not a Pie-person, but brownie pie was an option, and it was an occassion to celebrate--with chocolate, of course. OK, this brownie pie was one of the best desserts in the entire world!!!! I am salivating just thinking about it again! To Die For! Then to cap off the beautiful (and wet) evening, we had tickets to Mary Poppins. Spectacular! Because of my deep love of the movie, I was concerned how It would compare. It was definitely different, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me laugh, cry, and put me in awe. The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious scene was unforgettable as was "Step In Time." What an amazing, magical night!

Springfield, IL

OK, so I'm a little late and out of order. I've finally figured out how to do the slide thing. So... over Spring break, we decided to take the kids to Springfield, IL and do a little history tour. What a marvelous time! We left in the afternoon on Wednesday, April 1st and ate at Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket--an experience--to kick start our vacation. That evening entailed driving, checking into our hotel, swimming, and dinner at McDonalds. Carter, my hardest to please child, said as he stepped into the hotel room, "Is this it? Well, it'll do." Whew! I'm glad we can at least meet expectations. Saturday was supposed to rain the entire day. Here is where we received a tender mercy. We tried to shove in all of the out-doorsy stuff ASAP so that we could be inside the museum during the rain. Well, we first visited Abraham Lincoln's tomb. Next, we drove 30 miles outside of town to New Salem, where he spent quite a bit of time, ran a store, got into a fight, read, became a surveyor, read some more, etc. They had a nice little museum and an old fashioned village that the kids enjoyed. We could tell later in the season that they probably have employees dressed in time-period clothing teaching ways of life back then (similar to Nauvoo). We only got 1 lady in the saloon, but she was great! We went back to town for another Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives location: Charley Parker's Diner. Fun, fattening, and cheap. Lincoln's home came next and then a sprint past the old capitol and into the museum, which blew me away. I loved it! The shows were impressive and educational. The "tours" presented lots of material in a memorable way. I cannot give it a higher thumbs up. I'm so glad we went! They even had a kids' play room, which was a relief. As we walked out of the museum, we felt our first few drops and within 5 minutes of driving, it was pouring rain. What an absolutely lovely day! Enjoy the slideshow!