We are sitting at a table on a balcony on the 3rd floor of the Hard Rock Café overlooking the San Antonio Riverwalk. "Hold still for 3 seconds... and we can get this picture." The San Antonio GRIN group holds still, and "voilà!" we have the dinner picture for the GRIN. It's been like that all day...doing stuff together as a team. And I really mean ALL day. Here's how it started...

At 6 AM Saturday morning, my husband and I walk into Denny's, looking around to see if anyone recognizes me. No, it's not "star ego," it's my blue glasses that will identify me to the GRIN group. "Suzy!!!" I look over and there's the Eons group: Pmacphoto and his wife, Alberta, and her friend, Sheila.
Joining us before the next cup of coffee arrives are BeeGee53 and Melm. We chow down a quick breakfast and head out to see the missions at dawn.


We're just getting to know each other as we arrive at the first mission just as it's getting light, Mission Concepcion, then San José, Espada (which means sword in Spanish), and San Juan. Each has a beauty and mystery its own. As we finish the tour around 10:30 (many thanks to Pmacphoto), we've gone from strangers to Texas friends."


We head over to Mi Tierra at the Mercado. Meeting us at the restaurant are wolflt52, ajijicchic and lawrence, melm, and patches3.

Mi Tierra has a mural highlighting all the people that have supported the restaurant and the Hispanic American community. They keep adding to it continuously. We know why the restaurant has been there so long, the food is fabulous! It's the best Mexican food this Boston woman has had in years!

After lunch we head over to the Alamo — our last ‘mission’ of the day. The Park Ranger is speaking: Remember the Alamo! Americans around the world recall the 13 day defense of the former Spanish mission conducted by a small band of deterined rebels. Santa Anna ultimately defeated the garrison, killing the defenders to a man. The event, however, demonstrated to the Texans that their fight for freedom would only end in "victory or death." Victory came on the banks of the San Jacinto on April 21, 1836." We listen in rapt attention, then wander through the gardens and the rooms, in awe of the heros who fought and died here.


For the seven of us that did the morning tour, our eyes are drooping as we head back to our hotels to get ready for the San Antonio GRIN dinner at the Hard Rock Café on the Riverwalk. Wow! The Riverwalk is absolutely beautiful! All decorated with lights for the holidays, including the boats on the river. We have a table on the 3rd floor balcony overlooking the riverwalk -- like a private dining room in the open! (Great job, Wolflt52!) "First round is on Jeff Taylor (the founder of Eons)," I say. Everyone cheers! As we're ordering, as we're waiting for the food, as we're eating, as we're laughing and talking, Ajijicchic and her husband, Lawrence, are taking pictures. I give out my Eons "gifts." Blue neon Suzy glasses for everyone! Lawrence manages to capture a picture of us — without a flash — so the glasses and holiday lights are glowing. Great idea! It's a fun evening, with some serious discussion thrown in, and we all feel closer to everyone in the group.


Uh oh, we're going to miss our riverboat ride! Wearing our ~suzy glasses, we rush down the Riverwalk. People are waving at us, "where did you get those glasses," they say. We get extra smiles and laughs and looks because of them. What fun! We get on the riverboat and have a guided tour around the Riverwalk canals. There's laughter and music and chattering all around. After the boat tour, we go to Starbucks and exchange "goofy gifts" and then hug and bid everyone goodnight and goodbye. As we get back to the hotel, the clock strikes 12 midnight. It's been one amazing day.

Join in on the next GRIN or SKIT -- they fill your life with friends you'd never meet otherwise!

Boom boom boom ~suzy

p.s. Click on the pictures to see larger views. Here's the link to the collage picture at top.
p.p.s. GRIN stands for "Group-In" or "Grin-In" because that's what you do the whole time! Goes along with SKITs, which stands for "Spending the Kids Inheritance Tours."