A Vacation and a Pilgrimage - The Ynostrosa Way - And an Air Compressor

 Hello out there!

A couple of weeks ago, Jim and I headed to Galveston, Texas. This was the first vacation he and I had been on since July of 2018. We have gone to visit our family, gone to watch our grandchildren play sports, etc. but have not just picked a location and our own agenda since that summer. We stayed home for our 40th, 41st, and 42nd wedding anniversaries - We needed to celebrate the gift of so many years together and we did! We had such a good time! 

I like to make sure everything is in order before we go anywhere overnight; fridge cleaned out, no dishes in the sink, trash cans empty, house neat, no dirty laundry, plants watered, etc. I also do a last minute walk through making sure the thermostat is turned up in the summer and down in the winter. I leave the the ceilings fans on during the summer, make sure the lights are off, coffee pot unplugged and spritz Holy Water throughout each room! Jim knows how I am and waits "kind of" patiently in the car! Once I'm buckled in and we've backed out of the driveway, we say a prayer for safe travels and hit the road!

 We left at noon on Saturday, right on schedule! We enjoyed the drive, the scenery was beautiful and we were ready for our adventure! We checked into our hotel about 8:30 pm that night. On Sunday morning we got dressed and went to the 11:00 am Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Galveston. We walked through the doors, dipped our fingers in the he Holy Water, made the Sign of the Cross, genuflected and knelt down to pray. The church was full of families, and we were truly blessed by the entire Mass. At the end of Mass, before the priest and deacons processed out, Father Jude thanked the families for bringing their children to Mass. And then he said, "Let the children come to me. Do not prevent them. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) That really touched my heart! 

We went to lunch at Fish Tales and sat by the window where we could see the beach. One of the waitresses pointed out that the dolphins were jumping in and out of the waves! It was an amazing sight! We shared an appetizer - egg rolls filled with crawfish and some other stuff - really good! Best clam chowder I've ever had! Jim ate shrimp cocktail.

We went to the hotel, changed clothes and then walked on the sea wall along the beach. That night we went to the Fisherman's Wharf and sat by the window that faces the harbor and were able to see some ships and tugboats. 

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we worked our plans around daily Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica. Mass starts at 12:10 pm and they pray the rosary before Mass beginning at 11:30 a.m. We really enjoyed praying the rosary before Mass and everyone was so welcoming. Each day was a blessing! Daily Mass helped make our trip all the more special. 

I'm hitting save because Jim stuck his head in the back door and hollered that he needed my help. 

I'm back...after helping him relocate an 80 gallon air compressor from his shop, around to the opposite outside wall. When I walked in the shop it was hanging from a hoist in the air. I pushed the dolly below the air compressor and Jim lowered it. We strapped the compressor to the dolly and we pushed, pulled, prayed and moved it to the new location without any injuries! I'm sure we'll both be sore tomorrow! And that is another reason we need to go on vacation more often! And also why I'm going to have a large glass of wine while we sit on the back porch tonight! 

I'll try to share more of our vacation memories next week! Hope you enjoy the pictures! The first picture is of the upper part of the sanctuary at Sacred Heart Church and the picture below it is one of the outside pictures of the church I took. We drove around Sunday night and looked for St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica so we would know where it was the next day. The pictures I took Sunday are of the steeple with the statue of Mother Mary and the bell tower lit up and the picture below is of the stained glass window above the front door, The Agony in the Garden. Peace, love, salt, and light! 

And as always,

Peace and blessings to you and yours,

near and far, wherever you are!

Bye for now, Sharla