Fun in Alamo Town

Erika and Matthew taking
a break from the heat
 in the visitor center at the
Botanical Gardens.

I have been blessed to get to see so many people I love during my journey west.  I spent Monday night through Wednesday morning in San Antonio with my college friend Erika, her husband Daniel and their almost 4-month-old little one Matthew Gilroy.  Matthew, Erika and I had a lazy morning on Tuesday, which was great after my long drive the day before.  Perhaps shamefully, we spent a few hours watching the reality show Sister Wives (sorry to out you Erika!).  It's a crazy show about a polygamist Mormon family with one husband, four wives and something like 17 children. Sometimes its just fun to zone out and imagine what life might be like sharing a husband...  I promise we actually got out of the house too!

With Erika at the Botanical Gardens.

We spent the afternoon at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.  It was very beautiful, but also very hot.  Summer has definitely arrived in San Antonio!  Erika and I enjoyed visiting the greenhouses and walking in the wild flower and rose gardens, while Matthew had a nice nap in his stroller.  For dinner, we went to the local Chick-fil-a.  There is one in Flagstaff, but I think its in the university cafeteria, so we decided this might have been my last official Chick-fil-a of the summer.  It was delicious!

Matthew Gilroy in his
new Samford hat from
Aunts Bliz and Amanda.

I had a great time catching up with Erika and meeting the new addition to her family.  Matthew is a very sweet, although sometimes vocal, little boy.  I especially enjoyed observing the dynamic between Matthew and their dog Jack Bauer.  Jack looks like an auburn-colored golden retriever with  the body shape of a greyhound. He is a very sweet dog who is very interested in taking care of Matthew.  In my observation, Matthew is tough kid who handles big dog licks to the face with a great deal of poise.  (Of course his mom and dad don't want Jack Bauer to lick him like a puppy, but its hard to get ahead of him sometimes...)