This past winter passed by quickly, and now it’s already spring. Soon it will be summer and time to plan vacations. Some people might be planning european river cruises, but for us it will be a simple vacation driving somewhere. Years ago, we took some nice vacations flying to Disney World and another year flying to Hawaii when our daughter graduated from high school. But with the economy the way it is, I will be happy just to get away for a weekend.
If you’ve never eaten at Abuelos, this is a great Mexican food restaurant that our whole family really likes. We don’t eat there very often, but we always enjoy it when we do.
My husband and I went there to celebrate our anniversary, and the great thing is that we had a coupon for “Buy an entree and two drinks and receive a free entree.” I joined Abuelo’s eClub last year and received a coupon like the one mentioned just for joining. The timing wasn’t right so we weren’t able to use the coupon. So what we did this year was to wait to have my husband sign up for their eClub until the week before our anniversary. That way, we were able to use the coupon for joining on our actual anniversary date.
Not only were we able to get a free entree, but we had enough food left over for a meal at home the next day. We both really like their enchiladas. I usually barely eat two enchiladas by the time I’ve eaten a lot of chips and salsa. My husband wanted three enchiladas. So…we each ordered the four enchilada plate which was only $1 more than the three enchilada plate (and remember one plate was free). There was so much food that we only ate half of our refried beans and “Papas Con Chili” (their signature dish of whipped red potatoes, four cheeses, red & green peppers, sour cream, garlic, and jalapeno – yummy!). We both got take-out boxes for our leftovers plus took our refill of chips and salsa that we had barely touched. Like I mentioned, we had enough food for another meal at home. The Frugal Novice would think that this was very frugal!
(I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.)
We have had a lot of cold weather this winter in north central Texas, including more snow than we’ve seen in quite some time. Some people have had enough of it, though, and are wishing for warmer weather. They might even like an Orlando vacation so they could travel to where it’s warmer. But soon, the really hot summer weather will be here and some of them will probably be wishing for this cold weather again! How about you? Do you like the weather hot or cold?
There’s so much sickness going on right now. I have been doing more substitute teaching recently because of it. I feel sorry for our daughter, Christi, and her husband and two babies. They’ve all been sick with everything from pink eye (Baby C), throwing up, ear infection, to just not feeling well because of a bad cold and/or fever. They need to take an Outer Banks vacation to get away from all the sick germs that are at work, preschool, and everywhere!
It is chilly here today in north central Texas. I am ready for some warmer weather, but I think it’s chilly everywhere in the states, even at the north myrtle beach hotels. Of course, it is winter and we’re supposed to have cold weather in the winter. But I’m used to having some nice days in the 60’s here in Texas, and I’m ready for a few of those days!
We are visiting my mother-in-law, and it’s been very cold here this week. We went out to a few stores today and to check out the sale at Kohl’s, and we hurried inside the stores as fast as possible. Days like this make people want to check out destin florida vacations or someplace where it’s a lot warmer than 15 degrees. We’re back home where it’s nice and warm and cozy, and this is where we plan to stay the rest of the day. Some hot chocolate sounds great, so that will take the place of a tropical destination for now.
We haven’t taken a vacation for the last three years, but we do take trips to see relatives which are great. In the past, we’ve taken a couple of orlando vacations, several trips to Colorado, and when our daughter graduated from high school we went to Hawaii. It was always great to visit another part of the country, experience the local culture and just get away from the usual day to day routine!
Austin is a fun place to visit and can provide an inexpensive vacation. It really is a pretty area, and one part of the vacation can include driving on the west side of Austin and enjoying the beauty of the hills and the Colorado River.
There are several free things to do while visiting Austin.
Freebies:
* Texas State Capitol – open daily. It’s 14 feet taller than the National Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as one of the nation’s most distinguished capitol buildings. It is definitely impressive inside and out. The view from the ground floor looking straight up to the top of the rotunda area is awesome! Children enjoy going up the beautiful staircases. Located at 1100 Congress Ave. (512) 463-0063
* Austin Nature and Science Center – provides families, individuals, and also groups with recreational and educational experiences including a “living museum,” trails, interpretive exhibits, programs, and collections. Open on Saturday 9- 5 & Sunday 12- 5. Located at 301 Nature Center Dr, Austin, TX.
(512) 327-8180
* Texas Memorial Museum – a natural history museum which contains exhibits about Texas’ geological and zoological history. Children especially enjoy the first floor. They are open on Saturday from 10 – 5 & Sunday from 1-5 and are located one block north of the UT football field at 2400 Trinity St. Austin, TX (512) 471-1604. Free admission.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS WITH ADMISSION FEE:
* Texas Rowing Center located on the Hike and Bike Trail on Town Lake – a fun place to rent canoes. They are open 6 AM until dusk every day. (512) 467-7799. (We have done this a couple of different times, and it’s a fun activity for the whole family. Town Lake provides a great view of downtown Austin.)
We made an overnight trip to Austin this past weekend for State UIL Band Solo Contest. This is the third (and last) year we’ve done this. Our family tradition is to eat at Chuy’s when we’re in Austin, and so we had to eat there this time, too. Besides, we had to celebrate our son getting a score of “1” which is the highest score one can get at UIL.
Chuy’s is big on atmosphere and great food. They have awesome enchiladas, guacamole, and salsa, just to name a few items. Tortillas are made there on location at their restaurants, chicken is cooked there (not frozen or canned chicken), guacamole and salsa are freshly made…does that give you an idea about the quality of their food?
They are also known for their cool T-shirts which they sell at the check-out counter, and probably their most famous T-shirt is “Keep Austin Weird.”
Their locations have spread from Austin to other Texas cities. I looked online, and these are the Texas cities where Chuy’s is located:
* Austin (3 locations)
* Dallas
* Houston
* Round Rock
* San Antonio
* Selma
* Arlington
If you visit one of these places, try to eat at Chuy’s while you’re there. It’s a fun place to eat great Tex-Mex Food. Maybe it will become a family tradition with you, too!
NOTE: The original Chuy’s from Austin is not located in Ft. Worth. The one in Ft. Worth is “Chuys Mexican Restaurant” and Google just happens to have a link to the original Austin Chuy’s beside each Ft. Worth listing. However, I made a phone call to verify and found out those are two distinct restaurants.
Choice Hotels has a great offer for a free hotel stay. That’s a great deal that’s hard to beat. By staying with them, you can earn a free night. So what are the Choice Hotels? There are quite a few, so you might want to check out their site. With vacations and trips being planned for the summer, now is a great time to include them in your planning. And with money being tighter for a lot of people, a free night’s stay helps ease one’s budget a little bit.
Are you going to be visiting San Diego soon and needing a San Diego hotel to stay in? There are beautiful hotels there such as the boutique hotel pictured. I have a friend who visited that area on a business trip with her husband and really enjoyed it. It sounds like a nice place to visit, whether for a business trip or for a vacation!
If you have never experienced a GPS, they’re great! Our GPS has saved us from getting lost on trips, vacations, and just trying to find someone’s house. Once we were in downtown Denver (I live in Texas), and it directed us through all the one-way streets to get to Hard Rock Cafe (our daughter wanted a T-shirt from there.)
Recently, I went with a couple of girlfriends to a Ladies Retreat at a really neat ranch & retreat. We had printed directions and were going by that. My friend had her GPS turned on, though, and it was giving us conflicting directions. After we drove around for a while not being able to find our destination, we stopped and asked directions. Turns out her GPS was right and our directions were giving us the wrong street!
I don’t know if my friend had a Garmin GPS, but we wished we had listened to her GPS in the first place. Then we wouldn’t have gotten lost! (However, we do have a good story to laugh about now!)
