Open Water....

Jordan has been training for a Triathlon and he has been practicing his swimming in the pool at our gym. It is HIGHLY recommended to practice at least one open water swim before the race, so Jordan, Karma, and I ventured to Lake Ray Hubbard on Sunday morning for Jordan's practice swim! He did great, I was a nervous wreck...

He swam a total distance of 1700 meters, a little over a mile.

Jordan didn't swim alone, look at all these crazy people joining him (this is a triathlon training group, they allow guests to swim with them to practice open water style)

After a little pep talk from the leader, which consisted of, "I have seen grown people FREAK out on their first open water swim and have to have the kayaker bring them back to shore"....uh thanks for that, they lined up along the shore...

I wonder what my husband is thinking here....maybe, "what have I gotten myself into?"

And they are off....

Jordan didn't understand why I couldn't see/track him as he swam...can you see him?

waiting patiently

finishing up the swim....

1st open water swim...SUCCESS!

Jack and Friends

After our little mini-vacay in San Antonio, we continued the fun with Jack Johnson and G. Love. Two awesome singers that are my favorite! They put on an amazing show! We went to the show with some good friends and had a blast--minus the 100 degree weather.

Before the show, Jordan and I hosted dinner at our house--Hawaiian style with pork and pineapple skewers, corn from the grill, homemade brownies, a yummy salad and a great little cocktail!

Basically the Hawaiian part was the pineapple! : ) Here's the cocktail recipe...yummy...

All you need:

-3 cups pineapple chunks (I used canned in 100% pineapple juice)

-1 1/4 c light rum

-1/2 c agave nectar (on the sugar aisle, natural sweetener)

-1/4 c lime juice

-Combine above in blender and mix well

-Place in pitcher and slowly pour in 1 liter of ginger ale

-Serve over ice with a lime garnish [LA ALOHA by giada laurentis]

YUM-O

After dinner, we headed to Fair Park for the concert, and caught G Love on stage

He announced that he would be hanging out signing autographs so the girls decided to go steal a picture and say, "hi" : )

Krystal, G Love, Sarah

As soon as we reached our seats, Jack Johnson started his show! He did an awesome job mixing old tunes with new

G Love joined Jack on stage for a little jam session!

An encore with Jack Johnson! I would have preferred a personal concert, just me and Jack on the beach in Hawaii, but I guess this just had to do! Jordan and I have so many great memories from JJ songs, it was so great to experience this with him!

Good music. Great friends. Awesome night.

Remember the Alamo!

Since I had a week and a half of "summer," Jordan and I decided to take a trip--just the two of us! We headed to San Antonio on Thursday and returned back to the real world on Sunday...well Jordan returned to the real world and I continued my laziness.

It was my first trip to San Antonio, Jordan had a quick trip when he interviewed there for residency. We stayed at the Omni on the Riverwalk. So nice....

We arrived to San Antonio about 7pm after...ahem...a little mishap involving a brand new tire, a speed bump in Dallas and Lili and her not-so-great driving. We had the tire replaced by Firestone in Waco--highly recommended if you are ever in the area ; )

Jordan and I headed to the Cove in San Antonio first which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and is a self-proclaimed SOL food restaurant/laundromat/carwash. Interesting place. The SOL-sustainable, organic, and local has been written up in the New York Times and Texas Monthly. They are known for their burgers, "burgers with conscience." It was eclectic to say the least and a bit of a local place off the beaten path.

a little drink waiting on the food and listening to live music...love the bottle Save our Shore!

I had the fish tacos which were delish...Jordan had the lamb burger which was yummy!

The band was fun, check out their tip jar...it's a lite brite...Jordan and I both had those as kids.

A great place to visit while in San Antonio, best part was when we asked a local if she was from San Antonio and she replied, "And you're not, why aren't you at the Riverwalk?" I think the Cove is a local favorite.

After we arrived to our hotel, we decided to take a walk around and explore the Riverwalk, and we ended the night with a pint at an Irish pub across from our hotel.

The next morning we decided to go see the Alamo. What a beautiful place, it was so interesting to hear the story from historians and stand where so many men lost their lives for freedom. They do not allow photography on the inside the Alamo

Building the Alamo began in 1724

The grounds are beautiful...

A jazz band played in the courtyard.

I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like after hearing the story again in the Alamo, I have a better understanding of "Texas pride."

After the Alamo, Jordan and I grabbed lunch and margaritas on the Riverwalk and then headed to the pool for some R & R. Our hotel hosts a happy hour on Friday with a Mariachi band, and we stopped by to check it out!

We decided to take a boat tour to learn a little more about San Antonio and the Riverwalk

The umbrellas is a famous Mexican restaurant on the Riverwalk!

Cute little boats...

Beautiful Mosaic illustrating the many different people connected in San Antonio

Pretty German Catholic Church...we heard their church bells and songs every morning

After the boat tour, we grabbed a couple of our favorite drinks, then we headed to a great wine bar, Zinc, just a couple of streets from the Riverwalk!

The next morning we went to the San Antonio market, El Mercado

and enjoyed lunch at Mi Tierra

check out that FANCY decor...

There are so many beautiful churches in San Antonio.....

We even caught a groom in one church waiting for his bride, so sweet!

We headed back to hotel on the Riverwalk to get ready for our last night on the town!

Dinner at Boudro's--yummy!

We had a GREAT time, and it was so nice for a getaway, just the two of us : )

No more Mr. Duck

20 credit hours and many hours studying behind me which means 1/3 of nursing school is complete! I have to admit it feels good, but I still feel I have awhile to go! Whew. The best part of the summer was the transition from Mr. Duck to the REAL patients.

Meet Mr. Duck, don't worry I don't climb in bed with all of my patients. Ha! These patients are poked, prodded and spoken to by nursing students on a regular basis. It's been fun Mr. Duck (we have Mrs. Ducks too), but I have to say I am FAN of the real patient. My clinical group started on an orthopedic floor and it was a great learning experience with dressing changes, shots, removal of drains, and even some baths--don't be jealous. Having real patients and having them talk back about the care I am giving them has only solidified my decision to become a nurse. So, here's to the next week and a half "summer" break and then we'll talk about the 23 hours for fall.