Sunday, March 15th, Day Seven

We rolled out of bed Sunday morning...ex.haust.ed!!! I tell you what, after all the fun and excitement and for it to be over, just like that, we all hit a brick wall!!! I really am not sure what came over us, but for some reason we (my mom, Katy, Kristy & I) thought we would like to go shopping at this place called Plazas Las Americanas. We thought it would be fun and maybe we could find some more souvenir type stuff that was unique to Puerto Rico. So, somehow we talked my dad & Brent into taking the boys & Ashlyn to the Fort. I don't know much about the Fort except for it is really old and I guess some battle was fought there. Anywho, seemed like something the kids would enjoy, plus, it enabled us to shop kid-free.

So the 4 girls jumped in a cab and the guys took the rental car to the Fort. Well when we got to this Plazas Las Americanas we realized, this was a normal Americanized Mall!!! Nicer than A LOT of malls I've been to! We're talking Pottery Barn, White House Black Market, and a 2 story Old Navy...oh, and Macaroni Grill!!! To be honest though, it was a little disappointing. We weren't in the mood just to shop...I know, don't quote me on that! This is rarely the case. But we weren't looking for normal clothes, we wanted cool things so that we could say, "Yeah, I got that in Puerto Rico when I was there for my sister's wedding." The only thing tropical (and random) that we saw were plants and flowers up and down the center of the aisles, like Kiosks.

But oh well, fine, we'll shop at normal stores, twist my arm. I don't think I bought anything that day, I guess I was too tired to be interested in clothes that I could get back here in Houston. The whole time I was wishing I had just stayed back at the hotel in the glorious paradise that is The El San Juan Hotel & Casino pool or beach front! Kristy & I were moving slow, longing for a cabana and a virgin drink from the pool boy!

The only thing that saved the day and made it worth the trip was our lunch! We found this place called Que Pasta! MMmmmm it was sooo good! You got to pick your pasta, sauce, meat, and other toppings and then they'd cook it right in front of you. Of course everything you added was an additional price, but man, I don't know if it was because I was tired, or because all I had eaten recently was Puerto Rican food and it was nice to have a different cuisine, but it was some of the best pasta I've tasted in a long time!

Shortly after lunch we found this bakery type place and bought 3 ginormous slices of cake to take back to the hotel. You see, Brent had made one request from us while we were at the mall. He had been there before and had some divine coconut cheesecake. He didn't remember what the name of the place was, but we were on the hunt to find coconut cheesecake. Well, Katy had searched that mall up and down, inside and out, and none of the food places offered a coconut cheesecake. So, we settled for this place and bought a variety...the peice I had was de-lish!

After several wasted hours we called my dad. They were back from the Fort so he could come pick us up and save us the money of a cab ride.

Side note: my dad was so funny the whole trip. He was determined to get his money's worth out of having the rental car, so he was willing to drive as often and as far as necessary just to use the car. When someone needed a ride to or from the airport, my dad was on duty. If someone wanted lunch or dinner, dad was going in the rental car. This time, since we were done shopping, he was on his way to pick us up! This is just one reason I love my goofy dad!

You had best believe that the second we got back, we put on our suits and hit the beach/pool! Here are a few pics we took of our last time on the beach.

We stayed down there for several hours, basically til the sun went down. So we all headed upstairs and got ready for our last dinner in Puerto Rico.

We didn't really want to go far since there were so many of us, we wouldn't all fit in the minivan. But one of the only good places we had heard about close by was about $25 a head. But, we had also seen this BBQ place up on the 10th floor of the hotel. We went up and got a menu. It seemed slightly expensive, but we weren't really sure what other good options we had, besides the Chili's across the street, and several of us had already eaten there a few times, and it just didn't seem very festive or exciting. So, to the 10th floor we go.

I'll spare you all the details, but the night was a bit crazy. From not having a place to seat all of us, then getting seated where there is not roof overhang and then getting rained on and having to move the tables, to taking forever to get our food, to then getting some of our order wrong...it was a bit frustrating. But, we were on vacation and chose not to get upset about it. We got our food, it was a fun environment and it was our last night, so we chose to enjoy our time together rather than get upset about a few obstacles.

I guaruntee you that the kids only remember one thing, the mechanical bull!!! Yes, that's right. They had a mechanical bull and Ashlyn & Brady each had a turn! Now that's a fun memory!

All in all a good day, mainly because we did get a little chill time at the beach...notice a trend here?

Next post: last day, travel day :(

Super Duper: BAYLOR BEARS IN THE FINALS FOR NIT!!!

Super Pooper: Paper due & Test on Monday :(