Birthday Bash by the Beach

The Historic Pleasure Pier- Galveston, TX 

Memorial Day Weekend 2017

Our KICKOFF to Summer 2017!

It was Memorial Day weekend 2017 and Chris and I were nearing the end of the school year. My district was done with students and only had 2 more professional days and Chris's district had 3 more days with kids and 1 professional day. My parents had given Chris an amazing EXPERIENCE for his 39th birthday... A trip to the Historic Pleasure Pier in Galveston. The Pleasure Pier had ticket options but this pack came with 2 unlimited ride passes (normally $26.99/ per person) and a $50 Landry's gift card for $85. It was WELL WORTH THE PRICE and I would highly recommend this package to anyone! 

We enjoyed a kid free Saturday as our kiddos left with my parents on their annual baseball trip the day before. We enjoyed dinner out and the movies as well as some much needed rest and relaxation before the FUN weekend in Galveston. 

Sunday

When we woke up on Sunday morning to load the car Chris noticed my front passenger's window was broken. We took nearly an hour to clean up all of the glass from the car and even the drive way. I was a little shaken up from the whole ordeal and we thought about cancelling the trip but it was non-refundable and it was too late to cancel the hotel so we put my damaged car in the garage and headed south.

There was glass EVERYWHERE... Of course, we didn't think to take a picture until after we vacuumed most of it up! 

Once we got home we tried to tape it up but it was just a disaster! 

We enjoyed breakfast on the go and made our way to the Pleasure Pier. It was a holiday weekend but surprisingly was not as crowded as we expected. We parked our car at the hotel, which was directly across the street from the Pleasure Pier. We got our tickets and wristbands and headed straight to the roller coaster thinking there would be a line but we got right in. In fact, the lines were very minimal, especially for a holiday weekend, and we rarely had to wait anymore than 15 minutes to ride any of the rides.

After an eventful morning... WE HAVE ARRIVED! 

Let the FUN begin! 

Beach Selfie! 

The seagulls were out in FULL force... Well not OUT but more like LAZY! 

A view of the Southwest side of Galveston Island/ Seawall! 

The Northeast side of the island looking out towards Galveston Bay and Harbor!
(The tall building is EAST BEACH and the entrance to the harbor... We always know our cruise is over when we see it!) 

The Texas Star swing ride... this became our favorite ride!
The Iron Shark roller coaster was in the background- If you like coasters, this one was AWESOME! Seriously on the top of my all-time list! 

The RCCL Liberty OS and Carnival Breeze loading up for another week at sea! 

Two gorgeous beauties... Oh how I cannot wait to be on them
Breeze- July 2017

Liberty Of the Seas- "tentative" June 2018

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying all of the rides with little to no lines. We even got to see both the RCCL Liberty of the Seas as well as the Carnival Breeze set sail from the Galveston Harbor. This was a discussion point for the rest of the afternoon as we are true cruise ADDICTS! We would set sail on the Carnival Breeze in 7 weeks so we started planning and thinking about it! We were even tempted to go and see if any cabins were available... I mean we were kid free for the rest of the week! It was hot and muggy with little overcast so we went back to check in to the hotel around 5PM.

The Carnival Breeze is setting sail... 7 weeks (now 5 at time of writing) and that will be US!
Cruise #11 WITH THE KIDS is 1 month away! 

If you squint and look closely you can see the Liberty of the Seas leaving the bay too! 

We were staying at the Four Points by Sheraton on Galveston Seawall and it was just across the seawall from the Pleasure Pier. The location was ABSOLUTELY perfect and worth the price. It was very well maintained and perfect for a weekend at the beach or Pleasure Pier. We paid $207/ night which is a lot but it is ON the beach and perfect location. Also, it WAS a holiday weekend. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is planning a trip to the Pleasure Pier and look for lower rates during the week. 

A view of our hotel (the red building) from the Ferris Wheel... Such a great find! 

A view of the Pleasure Pier from our room! 

We checked in and got settled then walked back to the pier to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. This was a fantastic meal as we were able to sit on the porch in the shade and enjoy the cool ocean breeze while eating some amazing Cajun seafood!

The Bubba Gump patio... PERFECT dining even on a hot Texas evening! 

We walked around the pier a little bit before going back to the room to let the food settle in the AC. After nearly and hour of settling we got back out and rode some the rides at night which was perfect as the cool breeze was nice and crisp and the sights were gorgeous. We ended the evening with a WAY TOO BIG funnel cake and then went back to the hotel to crash at nearly 11PM.

The Pleasure Pier at night as seen from our hotel! 

Nighttime Selfie! 

Holy cow... This was just TOO MUCH! 

Monday

We woke up with plans to enjoy the beach before the brutal hot sun came out. We got in our beach clothes and made it down to the hotel lobby and saw the waves and wind which were out of control so we decided to go get brunch first and then try the beach later in the day in hopes the waves and wind would die down.

It was FIERCE out there! 

We ate brunch at Sunflower Bakery, a new find my sister told us about, and it was, as always delicious. We made our way back to the hotel and then went to the beach. The waves were still high and the wind was vicious but we braved the weather and enjoyed some time on the beach, nearly all to ourselves.

My Gulf Shrimp Omelet... It was perfection! 

Time for the beach... Not our ideal situation but we made it work! 

Even in the rain, wind and fog, I LOVED our beach day and enjoyed the ocean and beach all to ourselves! I love you Chris Davis and cannot wait for this summer to start! 

We made our way back to our room to shower and pack up before our late check-out time came. We loaded up and then enjoyed driving along the seawall on our way out of town. We made it back to our house by 4PM and got ready for our last week before the OFFICIAL start of summer. These last few days are so easy yet SO HARD because they are full of teacher meetings and professional development that is somewhat redundant and unfulfilling. 

It was a GREAT weekend of feeling like a kid again and enjoying the Pleasure Pier and Galveston Island. We loved the Pleasure Pier and the beach, despite the crazy weather! 

Thank you Mom and Dad for an incredible birthday weekend EXPERIENCE for Chris's birthday! We cannot wait to take the kids in the near future! 

God is Good... All the Time!