A Little Haunted, A Little Humbled, and A Lot Grateful😇

Originally published on March 22, 2026, this post is being reshared from my previous website as part of my new digital home. Thank you for continuing this journey with me!

Vacation Recap

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

My visit with my sister is slowly coming to an end. I fly out on Tuesday and head back to Tennessee. I’m still here—and already missing them.

I was and am so grateful that I was able to spend this time with my sister and niece, enjoying her spring break and our stay at the Menger Hotel.

This trip turned out to be a learning experience for us—especially when it comes to haunted hotels.

1. Test out all equipment before going on the trip.
2. If you’ll be doing a lot of walking, prepare your feet ahead of time.
3. Bring comfortable shoes.
4. Check the weather.
5. Look into restaurants near your location.
6. Double-check your reservations.
7. Know the history.

We actually did most of these… except we definitely could (and should) have tested our equipment better, prepared our feet more, and absolutely should have rechecked the reservation.

We were supposed to be in the King Ranch Suite, but the registration clerk placed us in the Roy Rogers room. It was a nice room—but not what my sister had requested or wanted.

The hotel itself was beautiful, and the staff were great (except for the mix-up). We even made a few connections, so when we go back, we’ll have someone to help ensure everything is set up properly.

As for the ghost tours—take the bus unless you truly enjoy walking miles. Supposedly it’s only about two miles, but between everything we had already done that day—including the tour and walking to dinner afterward—we ended up logging about five miles.
Our feet were not happy with us.

While at the hotel, we didn’t see anything ghostly, but we definitely heard some things. The light in the closet kept flickering—but only for my sister. My niece and I didn’t experience it at all. Every time my sister went in, it would flicker.
When we asked the staff about the noises, they casually said it was “most likely paranormal.” So… yeah… I guess.

As for food—every restaurant we tried was good. Alamo Biscuit Company, Yard House, and The Colonial in the hotel were all great. On our way there and back, we also stopped at Cracker Barrel.

On our way back, we stopped at a fabulous shop in New Braunfels called The Empress, and I absolutely loved this place. The staff were friendly and incredibly helpful.

One thing they do—which I wish more stores would—is provide sample decks for each set of cards, so you can actually flip through them and get a feel for each one. They also had information available for every crystal and stone in the shop. The rooms were beautifully decorated and thoughtfully organized.

They even had a prosperity altar where visitors can leave coins or money, which is then donated to the community.

Melissa (Sales Associate), Peyton (Manager), and Elizabeth (owner), were wonderful, and I definitely plan on visiting again—and shopping online. I’ll include the link to their shop as well. See Below.

While there, I struck up a conversation with someone in line who turned out to be their psychic/intuitive for the day—her name is Zamira. I didn’t have time for a reading, but she was such a sweet soul, and I look forward to connecting with her again in the future.

Well, it’s getting late, and I still have a few things to do before heading to bed. So, until Wednesday (or Thursday if I’m running late), have a fabulous week—and make sure to fill it with hugs, love, laughter… and a few extra hugs.

Goodnight! 🌙✨

https://theempresstexas.com/