Aquarena Center, pt 3 - wetlands

After the boat tour, we walked around the wetlands.  They have a walkway that goes out into the wetlands... while it was kinda interesting and I know that wetlands are important ecologically speaking, they aren't exactly great to look at though.

(in the distance, you can see Old Main, the administration building and highest point on campus - that building used to be the entire university in its early days)

everything just seemed to covered in a layer of muck ... even the turtles.

Aquarena Center, pt 2 - glass-bottom boat tour

The main event, the boat tour! and best of all, Danny got us student discounts! :)

... hard to see in the photo, but these are some of the spots where the underground springs bubble up through the bottom of the ponds, churning the water and sand.  ... it kinda looked like bubbling cream of wheat.

some areas roped off for research

some of the researchers passing under us

... their bubbles left air pockets on the glass of the boat making it really hard to see... :\

... this turtle was hanging out behind us when the boat started backing up. he didn't jump into the water until we'd already hit the log he was on... guess he lived, lol.

Aquarena Center, pt 1 - aquarium

the little aquarium ... we saw the whole place in about ten minutes while waiting for the next boat tour

all the fish, reptiles and amphibians were local to the area

small exhibit about the natural underground water resevoirs in the area

Parents visit Texas State

Since my parents never got a chance to see our place in College Station (I wouldn't let them see the place), they took a long weekend to see us in late February.  The weather was nice and we got to show them around town and on campus.  We also went to Aquarena Center, a former theme park that now serves as a preservation for the wetlands and natural springs along the river, and also gives glass-bottom boat tours and has a small aquarium.  It was really nice to spend some time with my parents and get to do some things around town that I probably would never have gotten around to seeing otherwise.

Here's photos of Danny taking us through campus, showing the highlights.

Welcome to Texas State University!

this is the history building, where most of Danny's classes are

the school mascot, Boko the Bobcat

... it is a very pretty campus, but waaaay too many stairs for my liking.

... see what I mean? way too many stairs... we've already climbed half of them.  This is the library.

Off in the back is the student center

looking at campus from the top of the library

construction on one of the new dorms ... they require freshman to live on campus, but the classes are growing faster than the dorm spaces.

... I wouldn't want to be in a wheel chair or crutches on this campus, that's for sure...

... one of the food courts on campus, where Danny and I have lunch together.

some of the ponds and fountains in front of my building, really pretty paths and parks where people come to feed the ducks and turtles

Theatre building, right next to the building I work in (... guess I forgot to take a picture of my building, lol).

Valentine's Day

For our first Valentine's Day since we've been married, we kept it simple but definitely still celebrated the day.  I can't speak for Danny, but I had possibly one of the best days of my life.  It was on a monday, so we still had work and school, but everything was just so nice.

That morning we celebrated with (attempted) heart-shaped pancakes and scrambled eggs.

At lunch, we would often eat together on campus between Danny's classes, and today Danny surprised me with a vase of flowers that I got to keep on my desk at work, and got lots of compliments.

He even surprised me with candles, because he said we should have a candle-lit dinner to make it extra special.

After work, I made a big dinner with chicken cordon bleu and all the fixings.  We exchanged cards...

... and ate heart cookies I had decorated the night before.  (I used too much red dye though, the next day the frosting kinda cracked and looked like it was bleeding, lol).  I love decorating cookies!

It was just such a wonderful day!  Nothing too fancy, but defiintely all the love.  I never would've guessed I could like this holiday so much.

why I don't multi-task...

A little explanation... one, I didn't realize the oven was still on (the burners were all off).  two, I didn't realize at the time that the oven vents through the back right burner leaving the burner hot enough even while off to simmer soup.  and three, I really just should never try and multi-task, especially when food is involved... otherwise, this happens:

... that was one of my plastic cutting boards ... with a new hole melted right through it.

... how I found it once I smelled something burning... thankfully it didn't catch fire or smoke or ruin anything else, too much at least.

... all the plastic melted onto the burner... luckily, once it cooled it popped right off fairly easily... it was a bit harded to get the melted plastic out from the vent pipe that goes into the oven.  We eventually got it all off ... I think.  and now I'm *very* careful about putting things on the stove.  (Case in point, while waiting for the oven to heat up, I had a tray of muffins on the stove, and the muffins above this burning starting cooking before I even put them in the oven! whoops.)