A Few of my Favorite Things

We have so enjoyed our time in San Antonio and will miss many things, however pictured below are are the things I will really miss before we make our way to Mississippi.

1. Concordia Lutheran Church - This church, led by pastor Bill Tucker, has truly enriched our lives through sermons, Sunday school, VBS, and adult bible study. It's one of a kind!

2.  HEB - I love this grocery store and so wish they would make their way north to Nebraska.  It's awesomeness is just so hard to explain, but the fact that Avery will willingly go to this store for free samples solidifies just how wonderful it really is.  Additionally, right next to the handicap parking they have "Customer with Child Parking."  This ensures a rock star park almost every time! 

2.  HEB

3.  MSSA - Pictured below is Avery and Amelia standing in front of their school.  We have such wonderful memories from Ms. Cheri and Ms. Maribeth's classrooms.  Additionally, these ladies are a wealth of knowledge and their role modeling will come in handy as we embark on "homeschooling" this next year. 

4.  Our neighborhood and friends -  People are just so friendly in San Antonio and the friends we have made during our stay are truly gems.  We really feel lucky to have been in this neighborhood.  Both friends and neighbors were kind enough to throw us an adorable going away party and send us off is style.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will be back in San Antonio in two years. 

5.  Kickboxing with Margie -  Margie is one tough cookie.  If you want a good workout she is the first person you should see.  Kickboxing is by far my favorite workout and Margie is the best.  It will be hard to fill this gap once we move to Kessler AFB. 

Some Serious Celebrating....Torre di Pietra

Our last stop....Torre di Pietra.  We arrived, headed towards the outdoor bar, bought bottles of wine, (some titled "Dirty Girl" & "Midnight Nymph"), took pictures by the vineyard, and proceeded to cut a rug to the Mitch Jacobs Band. This band was awesome, his Roy Orbison and Chris Isaak were spot on!  However, I took only one picture at the vineyard; it was of my mom, Mary Jo Bures, standing by a pole titled"MJB2."  The rest of the pictures were taken on the bus by someone who thankfully hijacked my camera.  We broke all the rules on our bus ride home dancing to Michael Jackson, opening the "Emergency Only" Exit, dancing in the isles, and chugging beer!  We had a BLAST, these people are SOOOO much fun!

Note:  By the end we were filling our water bottles with wine.

Some Serious Celebrating.....Becker Vineyards

The next stop on our wine tasting tour....Becker Vineyards!  At this point we decided to deviate from the "wine tasting" plan and buy bottles of wine instead.  Forgoing actual "wine tasting" wasn't initially a choice, since the vineyard overbooked tours and put us on the "B" list, however, it turned out to be the best thing.  We were able to sit and talk, walk around the grounds, and enjoy the atmosphere, which definitely set the tone for our last stop.

Note:  Rule of thumb....the more wine ingested, the less pictures get taken.     

Elizabeth and Brian

Some Serious Celebrating.....Grape Creek Vineyards

After a 4 year residency Shane and I were in need of some serious celebrating, and lucky for us we have some friends that aren't afraid to cut loose and join the fun .  We rented a party bus and crammed 16 passengers in the lounge style bus, including family and friends, for a day of wine tasting in the Hill Country.  Our first stop....Grape Creek Vineyards. 

Note:  Breakfast for some included a wholesome combination of vodka and OJ.

The Petersons

The Browns

Megan and Elizabeth

The hilarious Greco brothers.

Meme and Shane

The dads

Taylor and Ash

Tim and Annette

Graduation Weekend is Finally Here!

This past weekend Shane graduated from his radiology residency.  Additionally, he passed his radiology oral boards.  That means he is officially a board certified radiologist.........and family practitioner!!!!  Honestly, I can't believe after 4 years of some very long days and weekends that we are really here.  In fact, even though I say "long days and weekends" the past 4 years have gone by a little too quickly.  We have had so much help and support from family and friends, because an endeavor like this isn't done alone.  We were lucky enough to have family trek down to Texas to help us celebrate this achievement.  

On our first night we ate at a local pizza joint called Fralo's and the weather was perfect.  Additionally, they have a nice outdoor eating area suited for both adults and kids.

Friday, was the actual ceremony held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.  The ceremony was 2.5 hours long, and with the help of "Angry Birds" the kids managed to sit still better than myself.  

The graduation dinner and reception was held at the Dominion Country Club Friday evening.  Once again it was a beautiful evening and a nice way to say goodbye to Shane's fellow residents.