The Thursday before Mother’s Day, my family made its way to San Antonio, Texas, to bury my mother’s remains. The Saturday before Mother’s Day would have been her birthday, and we decided that would make a fitting circle. Mom and Dad have always been big genealogy buffs, and so in the course of her research, she found a direct connection to many old San Antonio families and qualified to be buried in the historic Coker cemetery. (It was fun to see Jones Maltzberger Road on signs, since those are family names I grew up hearing a lot.)
Despite the reason for the visit, I knew we needed to do something to make the trip a little more fun for my boys (and, honestly, for me) — something that would build some good memories around the hard ones. San Antonio being the city that it is, that was actually pretty easy.
After we landed, we grabbed our rental car and headed off to the Alamo (in the header image, just in case you didn’t recognize it.) (All of my straight-on photos have the kids in them and I try not to put pictures of them online these days.)
I suspect I’d visited the Alamo before when I was younger, but I don’t have a clear memory of it. So it was a fun surprise to realize that a) inside is a chapel and b) there’s more of the mission still standing. (Usually you just see the iconic front and it’s like “the Alamo!” and that’s it.) A lot of the back area was closed for renovation, which was sad, but we peeked at the statues and wandered around what we could.
In the gardens behind the Alamo, they had costumed interpreters. This man is showing how they would have fished.
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There were also some enormous koi in the old aqueducts.
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And there’s this super-cool tree near the well.
New Releases
June 2019
The Texan’s Secret Daughter (Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch) by Jolene Navarro
Only Together (The Imagination Series 5) by Staci Stallings
The Art of Rivers (A Coastal Hearts Novel) by Janet W. Ferguson
Risking Love (Maple Run 4) by Toni Shiloh
The Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage (Montana Ranches Christian Romance 4) by Valerie Comer
Homecoming Blessings (Dalton Brothers 3) by Merrillee Whren
Starting Anew (Life Unexpected 3) by Melanie D. Snitker
Hope for Christmas (Hope Ranch 1) by Elizabeth Maddrey
At First Spark (The Spark Brothers 4) by Liwen Y. Ho
My Wayfaring Billionaire (Grimwood Legacy 3) by Jackie Castle
Tender Wishes and Butterfly Kisses (Honeysuckle Cove 8) by Mary Manners
May 2019
Cherish Me (A Chapel Cove Romance 3) by Autumn Macarthur
Wilde About You (Weddings by Wilde 1) by Deb Kastner
The Cowgirl’s Christmas Gift (Last Chance Ranch 1) by Deb Kastner
Hopelessly Devoted to You (The Imagination Series 6) by Staci Stallings
Markers: Savannah Sweethearts Prequel & Books 1-2 (Savannah Sweethearts Boxed Set 1) by Jan Thompson
Milestones: Savannah Sweethearts Books 3-5 (Savannah Sweethearts Boxed Set 2) by Jan Thompson
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Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
I’ve heard San Antonio as a great place. I’m glad you got to do some things that created happy memories even though you were there for a sad reason.
Hi Elizabeth, I’m glad you were able to make something positive out of a sad trip. The Alamo sounds interesting- I should do some research on it to understand the history and significance to Americans.
Blessings:)
I’m glad you got to visit places pertinent to your family’s history.
Last August we had a memorial for my mother who turned 101 a month before she died. It brought back memories of the history trips Mother planned when we visited Daddy’s home town in Pennsylvania. I guess I got my love of history from them. Mother was an Antique Dealer and Daddy was in WWII.
Thanks, in all I think it ended up being as fun as a trip like that was going to be. You see more we did on Sundays in June :)
Basically it started as a mission during the Spanish conquest of the southwest. Then it was a military outpost when Texas declared it’s independence from Mexico. Probably it’s most known for sheltering Texan rebels from Santa Ana when he came up from Mexico to try and keep Texas from independence. But definitely read up, it’s fascinating.
101! That’s amazing. How lovely to be so long lived.
My mom loved history – I think she would have appreciated that we spent time on historical sites when we were there to remember her.
Hi Elizabeth! Sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your family history and trip to the Alamo. Texas is one state I have not travel to. Glad you were able to not only share your family history with your children, but visit the sites. As I contemplate my mom’s story, I wished I could visit her East Prussian family farm. History, genealogy is so very interesting. Best wishes. Enjoy your Sunday.
Thanks, Renate! There are so many places in Europe I’d love to visit and many are from Mom and Dad’s love of family history.
Texas is so big, I’ve been to several places there but still have only touched on seeing what it has to offer.
Sorry for your loss and thanks for sharing your experience with us. You and your family will never forget the trip. Have a great Sunday.
I am sorry to hear about your mother. What you did surrounding her funeral was a great idea. Our family tends to get together after the funeral at a restaurant and we have a great time remembering our loved one. All the fun and positive things.
Thanks Colleen!
We did that as well.my dad’s siblings all came out so it was good to see all the aunts and uncles in one place.
Thank you for sharing such a powerful time in your life, Elizabeth….your children will always have this special memory ❤️
<3
Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth. Sorry for your loss. Glad you had a safe trip and made memories.
Thanks, Jackie.
So sorry for your loss. What a neat way to make memories with your sons, though! I’d love to visit the Alamo. Also, how neat that your Mom found ties so that she could be at that old cemetery!! I’d have spent time walking through looking at headstones!
I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m glad you got to make family memories while there. Blessings!
Thanks, Trudy. We have a lot of rubbings from various cemeteries from visits throughout the years – my sister and I joke that it wasn’t a vacation if we didn’t spend at least one day up to our knees in itchy grass in an overgrown cemetery.
Thank you! I think my mom would have approved :)