San Antonio to do – Hoots of a Night Al

iFLEW at iFLY San Antonio!

May 29, 2017 2 Comments

Louis and I have been together for 11 years. Yes, over a decade! We’ve done pretty much every date night in the book, so we’re always looking for fun, different activities to try. Enter, iFLY. They reached out to me, and asked if we’d like to come in for some complimentary flights, and we JUMPED at the chance…get it? 😉

In case you’re unfamiliar with iFLY, they are an indoor skydiving facility. Yes, you read that right. They provide flyers with the thrill of skydiving, without the risk of jumping out of a plane! Sound too good to be true? It’s not.

In fact, anyone from ages 3 to 103 can skydive, according to iFLY! (Sorry, if you live to 104, you’re out. 😉 I kid, I kid. ) It’s as easy as filling out a waiver, checking to insure you fit within the other parameters, selecting your flight package, and you’re in! They’ll even let you wear bright red lipstick, so you can unintentionally match your flight suit! I know, it just keeps getting better.

The iFLY team greeted us immediately upon arrival, got us quickly checked in, and minutes later, we were getting our flight training from our amazing trainer, Dave. The training was quick, but thorough, easy to comprehend and remember, and entertaining (thanks to our great trainer!). Next, we got to suit up! Your flight equipment includes a jump suit, ear plugs, goggles, and a helmet. (Make sure you wear lace-up shoes, as well! No flats, flip flops, or bare feet in the tunnel, please!)

Then, BAM, we were flying!! I mean, we had to go into the tunnel, wait our turn, yadda, yadda, yadda, but our flights came up even quicker than I was expecting! Louis went first and looked like a pro! At 6’4″, I was worried the tunnel would be too small for him, but he fit perfectly and did such a great job!

I’m definitely a daredevil, but something about the tunnel had me scared at first. Thankfully, about 5 children flew right before me, so they put my fear in its place. Thinking, “If they can do it, surely I can!” I stepped/fell/leapt into the tunnel, and I was flying!

Okay, full disclosure, our instructor was helping/holding me every second of the way, but still! I did it! And it was so fun! The time FLEW by, and before we knew it, our flights were over, and I was staggering around jelly-legged from the adrenaline rush.

We checked out the kiosks for our flight pictures and videos, got our super official flight certificates, and grinned from ear-to-ear! I love that they take high quality photos and video of your flight, so you don’t have to worry about trying to snap a blurry, grainy phone shot!

Tips from a self-proclaimed pro:

If you have long hair, BRAID IT, SLICK IT BACK, SHAVE YOUR HEAD (kidding.). I braided mine, but the few tendrils of hair that slipped out got twisted up like dreadlocks in the tunnel! Thankfully, they were easily brushed out, with minimal-to-no hair loss ;), but I can’t imagine if I had left it down!
Wear lace-up shoes! Not flats, flip flops, or slip ons…lace-up shoes only! I wore my trusty Mickey & Minnie Mouse sneakers, and they worked great. Thankfully, there are tennis shoes on site if needed, but I’m sure you’ll fly more comfortably in your own shoes!
Don’t be scared! Try and relax in the tunnel. If you hate the feeling you get in your stomach when you go down a rollercoaster drop, don’t worry! You won’t experience that sensation at all in the tunnel.
Trust your trainer. They will be within an arm’s length from you (or in my case, constantly holding your flight suit) the entire time you’re flying, and they do everything they can to make your flight experience safe, fun, and amazing!

iFLY San Antonio was such a cool, unique, fun, original, thrilling experience! If you’re looking for a new date night, an awesome birthday party, a great team-building event, or just want to try an exciting experience yourself, definitely check out iFLY…you won’t be disappointed!

I received complimentary flight packages from iFLY San Antonio in exchange for this review, but, as always, all opinions are my own!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on these links or make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small percentage of the profit at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hoots of a Night Al!

Monthly Favorites

June Favorites!

July 2, 2014 8 Comments

Howdy folks! Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite things in June!

How to Train Your Dragon 2: If you saw How to Train Your Dragon, you probably fell in love with Hiccup and Toothless and cried when *SPOILER ALERT* Hiccup lost his leg, and they had a major bonding moment. I have to be honest though, the original is better than this sequel. Hiccup reconnects with his mom in Dragon 2, and she’s basically like, “Sorry I left you for 20 years, but I was hanging out with these dragons, are we cool?” and Hiccup is like, “Ya totally!”….so that was kind of dumb. There are a few other parts about the movie that I don’t want to spoil, but I didn’t like. Having said that, the movie has several funny moments and was a fun movie to see with Louis. If you enjoyed the first one, it’s worth making a trip to the theater for.

Chef: Chef was a light-hearted, funny movie following a chef’s decision to leave his restaurant and open a food truck. He travels cross country with his son and friend, and it was an enjoyable journey to witness. Don’t see this movie on a empty stomach though…there are countless scenes of mouthwatering food! Also, as a warning, there is a LOT of bad language. If they took out the curse words, this movie could easily have a PG rating, so I’m not sure why they thought it was necessary to include them? Regardless, if you aren’t bothered by foul language, you’ll probably enjoy Chef!

MasterChef: Speaking of chefs, Louis and I are loving MasterChef this season. It came on a few weeks ago, and we already have our favorites and least favorites picked out. I have no idea why we enjoy this show because we’re totally NOT foodies! Almost all of the “successful” dishes they present aren’t something either of us would even try! I do love the drama between the contestants and the challenges outside of the kitchen though! If you’re watching, who’s your favorite contestant right now?

Amazon Prime Music: Recently Amazon Prime released Amazon Prime Music, and I’m loving it! If you are an Amazon Prime member, they have created a collection of millions of songs that you can instantly add to your library and play at anytime for “free” (if you pay to be an Amazon Prime member). It’s a lot like Pandora, except you can skip an unlimited amount of songs, and there aren’t any ads! You can instantly add any songs to your library, which can be accessed from any of your devices. I downloaded the Amazon Prime Music app for my iPhone, and I constantly have my music playing from there now. They have an amazing selection of artists and songs available, so if you have Amazon Prime, definitely don’t let this new resource go to waste!

Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber Bath & Body Works Set: When I visited home a few weeks ago, my mom surprised me with this set of goodies from Bath & Body Works. It smells so yummy! The scent is very light and fruity and perfect for summer. I love using the lotion and body splash before heading out for the day because the scent is fresh without being overwhelming, and the shower gel is great for bubble baths! The adorable bag they came in is precious, too. It’s perfect for carrying the set in, or it can be used for storing makeup! Thanks, Mom! 🙂

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Facial Cleanser & Hydrating Gel Moisturizer: I recently started using the Clean & Clear Morning Burst face wash, and I love the way it smells! It sort of reminds of cucumber melon, but it smells even more refreshing. It does a great job of getting all of my makeup off when I use it at night as well. The gel moisturizer has a unique, light texture that is great for my daily moisturizer to wear under my makeup. I would give this set a try if you’re looking for some new products.

Garlic Salmon: I made garlic salmon with some sautéd squash and onion and garlic butter green beans last week, and it was to-die-for. I love salmon, but I haven’t cooked it in so long. I forgot how yummy it is! I think this is going to be one of my new go-to meals!

San Antonio Adventures: Louis and I have really been trying to make it a point to explore San Antonio more and embrace this city, and it has made the last few months so fun. Our most recent adventures have created some really fun memories and broken our pattern of dinner and a movie for every date (though we still love our movie nights!). I’m excited to see what other neat places we discover! Any suggestions?

San Antonio Public Library Card: This may be a nerd alert, but I am SO excited about getting a San Antonio Public Library Card! I have NO idea why I didn’t get one sooner! It is an awesome resource that our taxes pay for, and I feel dumb I haven’t been taking advantage of it because I love reading so much. I didn’t realize that they offer eBooks I can download to my kindle, streaming of movies, TV shows, and music, and hard copies of books, movies, CDs, and more at the library! Seriously, check into what your local library offers…I bet you’ll be surprised! I’m so excited to start utilizing my membership. Any book recommendations? I usually go for young adult fiction. Not even joking. Also, check out how awesome my local library is! I will definitely be using my membership a LOT in the near future.

The One: Speaking of books, I finally got around the finishing The Selection series by Kiera Cass. The One was the final book in the trilogy, and it was great! I’ve talked about this series before and how they are basically The Bachelor, but with prince selecting his future wife (plus way less trashy). If you’re looking for a trilogy that is light-hearted, full of fun characters, and a quick read, try out these books!

I haven’t done a monthly favorites it a couple of months, so I obviously had a lot of catching up to do! 🙂 If you check out or enjoy anything I listed, let me know! I’m excited to be starting July off with a long-weekend with Louis and looking forward to heading home later this month for some family celebrations! Happy July!

Married Life, San Antonio

Night Al Migrations: Government Canyon State Natural Area

June 26, 2014 4 Comments

I’m back to share our most recent adventure! This past Sunday, we took a short, fifteen minute drive from our apartment to Government Canyon State Natural Area. After almost two years, we had no idea it even existed, let alone how close it was! The area is almost 9,000 acres and boasts over 40 miles of hiking trails for biking, hiking, or running (if you’re asking for a twisted ankle.). You can also camp overnight if you’re just wild and crazy.

As soon as I realized how close Government Canyon State Natural Area was to us, I mentioned it to Louis, and he was eager to go. We’ve been trying to explore San Antonio more lately, so this jumped to the top of our “To Do” list. After some research, we found out that there are DINOSAUR TRACKS IN THE AREA. What!?!?!? So magical. We made that our #1 destination and set off to achieve our paleontologist dreams.

As soon as we hopped out of the car, Louis pointed to some animal poop and said, “Scat!” I immediately told him if we were part of a nature troop, he would be awarded the Scat Badge, and we spent the rest of the hike pointing out scat. Anyway…after our scat discovery, we came upon the visitor center. It was very quaint and housed a gift shop along with a rentable picnic pavilion and restrooms.

After asking a ranger the best way to reach the dinosaur tracks, we headed out on Joe Johnston Trail to begin our 5-mile hike. The trail was very well maintained, with benches every mile or so to rest. There were some rocky patches, and I almost busted my face about 78 times, but thankfully I managed to stay upright the entire journey. So much for looking outdoorsy and adventurous in front of Louis. (Like he doesn’t already know me after 8 years. Wishful thinking.)

Our hike was mostly flat, but there was some beautiful cliffside scenery along the way. It was so peaceful; we barely passed any other hikers on our journey. All we could hear was the wind rustling through the trees, birds singing, and the occasional “Oh crap!” from me as I tripped over another rock.

Before we knew it, we reached the dinosaur tracks! It was so cool! They were just out there in the open for anyone to admire! I feel like stuff like that is usually behind glass at a museum, so we felt pretty special getting up close and personal with the giant footprint? Clawprint? Track…?

Look at how little our feet look! It was basically a modern day Jurassic Park.

The tracks were located next to a beautiful bluff, along what is probably a creek during rainier months. We spent at least 30 minutes wandering around the area, and we had the whole place to ourselves! It felt like a hidden oasis.

Louis even miraculously found this adorable, teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy frog! How precious is it? Have you ever seen anything so tiny??

We made sure to snap plenty of pictures with our Dino Discovery and wondered together what the dinosaur was like and if he was running after prey, drinking some water, or just chilling when these tracks were made. Probably chilling.

We got creative with my iPhone and managed to take a panoramic including both of us! Aren’t we just the smartest.

Thankfully, a nearby rock kindly offered to take our picture via self-timer, so we posed together for one more shot before heading back to the car. (AKA another 1.5-hour hike back the way we came.)

I’m so glad we went to explore Government Canyon Natural State Area together! Our hike and exploration lasted around three hours and provided exercise, great memories, and a fun, new experience together. The area costs $6 a person (free for kids under 12) and is open Friday-Monday, 7am-10pm. After 10pm you’re locked in the canyon to battle the wolves TO THE DEATH. Just kidding. You do actually get locked in though…and I’m pretty sure there are wolves, too. If you’re in the San Antonio area, I’d recommend visiting if you’re looking for something different to do! It really felt like we were hours away from the city, and I hope we return soon to watch a sunset with a picnic or do some stargazing!

P.S. Make sure to bring sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and LOTS of water with you! Snacks may be a good idea depending on how long you’re hiking, too. We only hiked 5 miles on a relatively cool day, and we easily finished a gallon of water while there. It’s always better to be prepared!