Quick Visit to New Braunfels/Gruene

I had a blast yesterday and this morning visiting my Aunt Kelley, Uncle Steve, my cousins Kirby and Keller, and all of Uncle Steve's family in New Braunfels, a small town located on the Guadalupe River about an hour south of Austin.  Aunt Kelley texted me a few days ago to let me know they were all coming up from the Houston area to stay at a rental house on the river for their Spring break vacation and that I was welcome to come out for a visit.  I conveniently had yesterday and today off from work, so of course I accepted the invitation!

My Aunt Kelley and Uncle Steve have been together since they were in middle school!  It's the most incredible love story ever.  They grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools, and they began dating as preteens.  Uncle Steve's family relocated to Durango, Colorado when they were in high school, so they were forced to break up.  He sent my aunt tear-stained letters from Durango because he missed her so much!  Years past and Aunt Kelley was engaged to someone else shortly after college when low and behold, Uncle Steve moves back to Texas.  Of course, she broke off her engagement to that other guy to marry my uncle, and the rest is history.  So sweet!  Our (me and Aunt Kelley's) family and Uncle Steve's family have always been very close, so his family feels like my family- I've grown up seeing his sisters (Karen, Sharon and Becky) as my aunts, and they even used to babysit me when I was little.  So it was wonderful to get to see and spend time with all of them and each of their own families.

We shopped around the Historic Gruene District (a neighbor-town to New Braunfels) where there are antique shoppes and wineries a-plenty (aka- HEAVEN for me)!  We saw some antique rotary dial telephones, identical to a couple that Nana still has, selling for $90!  Outrageous.  Why does that stuff HAVE to be so pricey?  Yeah, yeah increase of value or whatever.  After we'd worn all the menfolk out with shopping, we went back to the house and lounged around watching the kids (and a few adults) run around the yard playing volleyball, kayaking in the river and shaking our heads in disapproval as my teenage cousin Keller hesitated for about 15 minutes before jumping off a rope swing into the not-so-deep water.

Things got a little crazier after the sun went down.  Drinks were poured, jello shots were taken, card and dice games were played and music was cranked.  Fun fun fun.  And all before 11 pm! haha