Weekend Vibes: Antlers, Cheerleading & Happy Sunday Endings.

Scarlett had her very first Cheerleading Show! It happened at Sunset Station in downtown San Antonio a couple weekends ago. I was SO excited to see her perform. I was also a little nervous since she missed 3 practices because we were on vaca. But still, she did great and of course I got lots and lots of photos and videos to remember it all. Maxwell was so into the fountain and the train there. We got to watch a the longest train ever go by. And yes, we had to watch ALL of it.

After her show we were starving so we went down to the Riverwalk and grabbed a quick bite to eat on the River. It was Friday night and the place was packed! Note to self, make reservations if you want to eat dinner at the Riverwalk on the weekends. We still managed to take in a bit of the scenery and then talk Scarlett off the ledge when we told her we were not going to ride the boats down the river. She's been asking since we got here if we can ride the boats so I need to make reservations to do this in the near future.

On Sunday we took a trip into New Braunfels to take in some of the scenery. We asked a local where we could get a bite to eat (best way to find the good food) and he told us about this little place called Antlers Cafe- said it was great food. The sign itself said it all. Now, I'm not really used to the tiny hole-in-the-wall places. Living in Saratoga Springs for the last 7 years I had gotten pretty used to a certain type of restaurant. In Saratoga, you can judge a book by it's cover, if you know what I mean.  We got to sit outside, which as everyone knows by now, I love. There was a hen house below the deck where we were sitting. Chickens were roaming freely. Of course the kids ran off to play on the play set not far from the chickens. I've noticed a theme that most of the TX eating spots are VERY family friendly. When I sat down and looked around, I had this feeling come over me. This recognizable happy feeling that I've been getting each time I discover new things here in TX. Antlers lined the walls making it obvious of the name choice. Two older cowboys sat behind us chatting.

The waitress dropped off the old man's salad and as he began to eat, I watched him. I'm normally not a people watcher. In fact, that's more of Ty's thing. I seem to be oblivious of others and usually my senses are focused on what I'M doing or experiencing. Maybe that's the Leo in me?  Anyhow, that happy feeling again. It came over me and I tried to pinpoint just what it was that made me smile inside. As I studied the older man's face, it hit me. He looked remarkably similar to my late Papa. The long face with white hair and oversized ears. The way he pushed his food around before he took a bite of his food even reminded me of him. He looked over and caught me off-guard. I quickly tried to act nonchalant and smiled to him. He smiled back with a nod as I suspect any cowboy would do.

I brought my focus to the menu. That's when the skepticism started. Frog legs and beer were the highlights??! Their menu also said "wine". No options. Just "Wine". When I asked what kind of wine they had, the waitress said in her ever so southern, sweet voice, "I'm not sure, I can show you the bottle?" The Bottle.... as in they only had one kind? I smiled and replied, "I'll just have a beer."  After we sat for a bit waiting for our food, Ty asked me if I liked it so far and I smiled. "Well, despite the one bottle of wine they offer, the beer is good and this place reminds me of the Rammer Jammer, so yes, I'd say I do." It really did look VERY similar to Bluebell's little hole-in-the-wall bar!

Ty and I ordered burgers.I took a big ole' bite of my cheeseburger with all the toppings. That's when the skepticism stopped. It. Was. Delicious!!! The food really was remarkably tasty!  And I put that down for a good ole' cheat meal on that day ;) I ate my entire plate: burger, fries, pickle, and a couple beers to boot!

Anyhow, after we finished our food and then watched the kids play with the chickens for awhile, we headed home. Windows down, warm air pouring in and Chris Stapleton turned up. I looked back to see two heads tilted to the sides with eyes closed. Just the way I like to end a Sunday. Full stomach & a happy heart.