Wednesday, April 14, 2004
So last week I went on vacation with Sandy. We had to go through a lot of drama to do it, but we weathered it. It was well worth it.
Friday night, after a late start due to dramaness, was spent driving west on I-10 towards San Antonio. At the halfway point, we called it a night and found a nice hotel called the Antler Inn. Two beds, cable, fridge, microwave, and a vibrating bed (that didn't work in our room :()?! For $40?!
Coolness.
Saturday was the fun day. We woke up early and headed past I-35 and into New Braunsfels. This was the centerpiece of the trip: a four hour raft trip down the Guadalupe River. I'd done it a couple of times previously, but Sandy had never done anything like it before. I had promised her a new experience.
Yeah, I'd say I delievered.
We rented a raft from Jerry's River Rafting, and after 30 minutes of changing clothes (Me to Sandy: "Love, bathing suits aren't really given a chance to do their job if you wear clothing over them"), we started our voyage.
Here's where I made Dumbass Mistake #1:
I forgot that the stronger person needs to be in back to steer. Instead, I put Sandy in back because that's where she wanted to be.
So when we hit our first rapid, we end up hitting it SIDEWAYS.
To put the effect it had on Sandy into proper context....Sandy is scared to ride just about any Astroworld ride. I kid you not, she freaked out on the Warp 2000 for crying out loud.
And I have her on a river, riding rapids and hitting "dips". I'm a smart guy, aren't I?
By the time we clear the rapids, she's panicking, and her oar is floating down the river.
Don't worry, I rescued the oar.
Oh yeah, Sandy calmed down after a bit.
To be honest, considering her shelteredness, she handled it like a trooper. She never said to turn back or stop, and she never said we shouldn't have done this.
She was just worried that the first dip was a preview of coming attractions.
Luckily it wasn't, and I was able to tell her so. Before we left, I'd told her "The river is 80% calm and peace, and 20%...uh, fun". I stuck by that and reassured her.
The calmness and serenity of the enviorment helped, and she tried her best to relax.
Then we hit another rapid.
This is where I made Dumbass Mistake #2: Never blindly listen to advice someone gives you when your instinct tells you otherwise.
See, the guy who rented us our raft told us "When in doubt, go left". Well, I saw two directions I could take, so I went left.
And got stuck on a bed of rocks.
I spent 20 minutes standing on rocks with my barefeet in cold-ass river water trying to lift, pull, and push the raft back to open waters, and making sure the raft didn't speed off without us when I succeeded.
You know what? In a sick, sick way, it was fun. We had to solve a problem, and we did.
After that, it was nothing but fun. Sandy got over her fears and had a great time (God, I love her). We spent the next few hours taking in the serenity of nature. Eagles flew over us. Turtles swam with us.
And ducks. We fed ducks.
After we finished our adventure, we were forced to wait in the blazing sun half-naked while our shuttle failed to pick us up. It took an hour, during which I figured out how one skips stones across a river as well as realizing why alcohol and water don't mix (Hey drunk dude, it's called "sunscreen").
The shuttle ride was fun. Sandy and I sat in a hot van while two guys behind us smoked weed. Yup, they was smoking the weed. They also had hemp tattoos on their chest and marijuana leaves on their shorts and caps.
I know weed is supposed to be cool and all, but isn't having marijuana leaves on your clothing just a TAAADDDD over the top?
"Mommy mommy, I'm cool! I've got wuaahhheeeeddddd on my shirt! Eheheheh, get it? That means I get high! So, like, I'm rad!"
"Awww, sure you are son. Now hurry up, or you'll be late for your Justin Timberlake concert."
So we get back to our car and head into San Antonio to get a room. We end up staying in a place called the "Knights Inn" in the Northeast part of San Antonio on I-410 (That's their loop).
Sunday was supposed to be a day of touring the city. However, two problems occcured. One of them was an Act Of God the other was.....::drumroll::......Dumbass Mistake #3!
First off, it was going to rain that night. Bad. Real bad. So we decided to head out early that day, when we'd planned to leave the next morning.
Second, when I planned our vacation a month in advance, I failed to check what was scheduled to happen in San Antonio for that weekend. Lo and behold, we ended up taking a vacation in San Antonio on the weekend the NCAA Final Four was in town. How's that for brillant planning? So the traffic and parking were not looking condusive to cruising around downtown. After checking out the "Sunken Gardens" (Sandy's big wish for the trip, although sadly the place was no longer being maintained), we headed back to Houston.
That was our very first trip on our own, both individually and as a couple. Here's what I learned from it:
- Settle all drama well in advance of the trip. Drama interferes with trip planning, and figuring out where you're going to stay the day you're leaving is living dangerously.
- In our first non-stop 72 hours together, not once did we get frustrated or fed up with each other, even though there were plenty of frustrations abound. Sandy and I handle issues that arrive very smoothly. It speaks well of how we'll work together later in life.
- Sandy can be stubborn sometimes (like a certain writer of a certain blog with a certain rugged handsomeness), but when it came to making decisions, she was wonderful. Not once did we deal with the "I want to do this, I don't want to do your thing" problem.
- Sandy also showed an amazing willingness to try new things. Going down a river with rapids interspersed had to be scary considering her makeup and experience, yet she managed to overcome her fears and enjoy a great experience. After spending the first 5 minutes panicking, she ended up having a good time and is up to doing it again. I am incredibly lucky.
- If you're going down a river, don't buy chips with the idea that you'll be able to eat them on the river. The first rapid you hit will take care of that silliness, as all chips and such will be too soaked to serve any other purpose other than food for ducks.
- Well, sealed bread is still good, but not if Sandy.....er, somebody doesn't watch where they step and smushes it.
- Make a well calculated and thought out plan weeks in advance of your trip. Carefully make adjustments as the date approaches. Then, the day of the trip, rip up said plan and just go have fun.
Friday night, after a late start due to dramaness, was spent driving west on I-10 towards San Antonio. At the halfway point, we called it a night and found a nice hotel called the Antler Inn. Two beds, cable, fridge, microwave, and a vibrating bed (that didn't work in our room :()?! For $40?!
Coolness.
Saturday was the fun day. We woke up early and headed past I-35 and into New Braunsfels. This was the centerpiece of the trip: a four hour raft trip down the Guadalupe River. I'd done it a couple of times previously, but Sandy had never done anything like it before. I had promised her a new experience.
Yeah, I'd say I delievered.
We rented a raft from Jerry's River Rafting, and after 30 minutes of changing clothes (Me to Sandy: "Love, bathing suits aren't really given a chance to do their job if you wear clothing over them"), we started our voyage.
Here's where I made Dumbass Mistake #1:
I forgot that the stronger person needs to be in back to steer. Instead, I put Sandy in back because that's where she wanted to be.
So when we hit our first rapid, we end up hitting it SIDEWAYS.
To put the effect it had on Sandy into proper context....Sandy is scared to ride just about any Astroworld ride. I kid you not, she freaked out on the Warp 2000 for crying out loud.
And I have her on a river, riding rapids and hitting "dips". I'm a smart guy, aren't I?
By the time we clear the rapids, she's panicking, and her oar is floating down the river.
Don't worry, I rescued the oar.
Oh yeah, Sandy calmed down after a bit.
To be honest, considering her shelteredness, she handled it like a trooper. She never said to turn back or stop, and she never said we shouldn't have done this.
She was just worried that the first dip was a preview of coming attractions.
Luckily it wasn't, and I was able to tell her so. Before we left, I'd told her "The river is 80% calm and peace, and 20%...uh, fun". I stuck by that and reassured her.
The calmness and serenity of the enviorment helped, and she tried her best to relax.
Then we hit another rapid.
This is where I made Dumbass Mistake #2: Never blindly listen to advice someone gives you when your instinct tells you otherwise.
See, the guy who rented us our raft told us "When in doubt, go left". Well, I saw two directions I could take, so I went left.
And got stuck on a bed of rocks.
I spent 20 minutes standing on rocks with my barefeet in cold-ass river water trying to lift, pull, and push the raft back to open waters, and making sure the raft didn't speed off without us when I succeeded.
You know what? In a sick, sick way, it was fun. We had to solve a problem, and we did.
After that, it was nothing but fun. Sandy got over her fears and had a great time (God, I love her). We spent the next few hours taking in the serenity of nature. Eagles flew over us. Turtles swam with us.
And ducks. We fed ducks.
After we finished our adventure, we were forced to wait in the blazing sun half-naked while our shuttle failed to pick us up. It took an hour, during which I figured out how one skips stones across a river as well as realizing why alcohol and water don't mix (Hey drunk dude, it's called "sunscreen").
The shuttle ride was fun. Sandy and I sat in a hot van while two guys behind us smoked weed. Yup, they was smoking the weed. They also had hemp tattoos on their chest and marijuana leaves on their shorts and caps.
I know weed is supposed to be cool and all, but isn't having marijuana leaves on your clothing just a TAAADDDD over the top?
"Mommy mommy, I'm cool! I've got wuaahhheeeeddddd on my shirt! Eheheheh, get it? That means I get high! So, like, I'm rad!"
"Awww, sure you are son. Now hurry up, or you'll be late for your Justin Timberlake concert."
So we get back to our car and head into San Antonio to get a room. We end up staying in a place called the "Knights Inn" in the Northeast part of San Antonio on I-410 (That's their loop).
Sunday was supposed to be a day of touring the city. However, two problems occcured. One of them was an Act Of God the other was.....::drumroll::......Dumbass Mistake #3!
First off, it was going to rain that night. Bad. Real bad. So we decided to head out early that day, when we'd planned to leave the next morning.
Second, when I planned our vacation a month in advance, I failed to check what was scheduled to happen in San Antonio for that weekend. Lo and behold, we ended up taking a vacation in San Antonio on the weekend the NCAA Final Four was in town. How's that for brillant planning? So the traffic and parking were not looking condusive to cruising around downtown. After checking out the "Sunken Gardens" (Sandy's big wish for the trip, although sadly the place was no longer being maintained), we headed back to Houston.
That was our very first trip on our own, both individually and as a couple. Here's what I learned from it:
- Settle all drama well in advance of the trip. Drama interferes with trip planning, and figuring out where you're going to stay the day you're leaving is living dangerously.
- In our first non-stop 72 hours together, not once did we get frustrated or fed up with each other, even though there were plenty of frustrations abound. Sandy and I handle issues that arrive very smoothly. It speaks well of how we'll work together later in life.
- Sandy can be stubborn sometimes (like a certain writer of a certain blog with a certain rugged handsomeness), but when it came to making decisions, she was wonderful. Not once did we deal with the "I want to do this, I don't want to do your thing" problem.
- Sandy also showed an amazing willingness to try new things. Going down a river with rapids interspersed had to be scary considering her makeup and experience, yet she managed to overcome her fears and enjoy a great experience. After spending the first 5 minutes panicking, she ended up having a good time and is up to doing it again. I am incredibly lucky.
- If you're going down a river, don't buy chips with the idea that you'll be able to eat them on the river. The first rapid you hit will take care of that silliness, as all chips and such will be too soaked to serve any other purpose other than food for ducks.
- Well, sealed bread is still good, but not if Sandy.....er, somebody doesn't watch where they step and smushes it.
- Make a well calculated and thought out plan weeks in advance of your trip. Carefully make adjustments as the date approaches. Then, the day of the trip, rip up said plan and just go have fun.
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