Answers

Ah, I love a good game! But even better are the FUN friends who will play games with me. Thanks for humoring me with your brilliant guesses...many of which were right on the money. So, now I shall give you the answers:

Where did we go? You can take the Dennises out of the Northwest, but apparently you can't take the Northwest out of the Dennises. Our first two stops on Friday morning were Starbucks and Costco...and it took us longer to find a Starbucks in San Antonio than anyplace I have ever been. With coffee in hand, we stolled the aisles at Costco in search of favorites such as Dubliner cheese and gourmet olives. I can understand the southern resistance to Starbucks, where Sweet Tea is King, but a Texas-sized store like Costco, with Texas-sized goods seems to be right at home in the Lone Star State.

What did we watch? Perhaps I threw you all off with the word "wildlife," as no one guessed this one correctly, not even my sister Keri (who has been to Port Aransas and once aspired to be a marine biologist). In South Padre Island, you can drive your car right out on to the beach. As we were driving home from lunch at a beach-side fish house, we glimpsed a herd of...porpoises! They playfully leapt in the shallow waters of the gulf, and we delighted in their frolicking. Beautiful, amazing creatures that swam with great speed and grace, jumping with ease, as if to say a cherful "hello!"

What did we argue about? My mother, the retired nurse, has an extreme love for and dedication to the use of toilet seat covers anytime she uses a toilet outside of her own home. She has even purchased her own travel-pack of seat covers that she can take with her anywhere she goes--though they were of little use on the squatty-potties we encountered in China years ago. I would not be surprised if my mother uses toilet seat covers when she visits MY house. But Me? I'm a wild thing. I laugh in the face of danger. I like to live on the edge. Therefore, I seldom use toilet seat covers. Ever. They slow me down at a time that I am usually in a hurry. I will wipe the seat off with a wad of toilet paper if, well, you know, it needs it. Otherwise, I just go. My mother is convinced that I will contract some communicable disease through my careless toileting customs. I think she is a paranoid potty-er. Where do you stand on the subject?

What treats did I buy? Jodie, my friend and co-worker got this one right--probably because she watched me savor my own treasured treat over lunch on Wednesday: Pralines! At many restaurants in Texas, homemade pralines are sold, individually wrapped, at the cash register. These pecan-loaded, brown-sugary candies are the BOMB! I have been inspired to attempt to make them myself, though I must say that the pecans in Texas are somehow better than the ones I buy at Costco. How is that possible?

What beauty product did I give to my sisters? Many of you guessed eye cream, which IS, indeed, a true love of mine. The clue I included to help rule out eye cream as the correct answer was the one about not being able to have these gifts in my carry-on luggage. Eye cream comes in tiny containers that could easily slip through the TSA's scrutiny. No, I did not give them eye cream, I gave them the Vegetarian Miracle Hair Conditioner, which I blogged about here. It makes me very happy!

So, I wish I had a few parting gifts for all my gregarious game-playing gal-pals. If I could, I would give you each your very own tub of the Vegetarian Miracle.

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