San Antonio

As Jadie has pointed out, I am addicted to vacations.  I really crave one every year.  I am already preparing myself for next year's "vacation drought" due to the threat of the union strike in 2009.  The possible strike is important though.  It means the difference between phenomenal company benefits and healthcare and going broke paying for insurance and such out of pocket.  Anyhow, back to the vacation subject.

I know we just went camping, but our "real" out-of-town vacation this year was to San Antonio.  This was our first year to take Caleb along.  We thought he'd enjoy Sea World and the Riverwalk (and it doesn't hurt that it's still free to take him along).  We all had an enjoyable time, but here are a few things to note for those of you with small children thinking of vacationing with them.

1. Caleb is used to a loose naptime/bedtime schedule, but both were hard to adhere to when trying to catch all of the sights and sounds we were interested in.
   
2. Trying to wheel a stroller down the Riverwalk is next to impossible.  Thankfully, I have a strong, uncomplaining husband who carried Caleb and the stroller (while Caleb was still sitting in it) up and down bout 15 sets of stairs along the river.
   
3. Caleb is also used to having easy access to a fresh drink whenever he wants it, and there aren't many suitable drinks available at the drop of a hat.
   

Before we left, we searched for some ways to save on dining costs.  We found one really great website for purchasing gift certificates to restaurants.  We purchased a $25 certificate for only $6 and another $10 certificate for $2.  The website doesn't have much available for the area where we live, but it had a few choices for the San Antonio area which helped us save a little cash.