Adventures in Austin

Hello again all...or perhaps I should say... "Howdy y'all!!!"

In any case, today's blog looks to capture some of the exciting events experienced during a very short but still very exciting trip to Austin, TX. My sister, mom and I began our way down very early on Saturday morning for what we were sure was going to be a fun filled adventure!

For those of you who have never been there before, it is definitely worth heading to at some point because it is one of the most beautiful places in the entire state. Granted, there is quite a bit of traffic, in fact... these pics were taken while we happened to be stuck on our way in!

And if you need even more evidence that despite the city's good intentions of trying to stay active in their attempts to finish most of the construction within Austin... here's another lovely view we had for about 30 minutes while we were trying to get to our hotel (see the abundance of cars???)! I have to say that we Texans love our cars! Luckily, "The Great State" has started to realize that the environment is an important thing and has begun moving towards conducting those emissions tests that almost every other state in the U.S. requires!

Once we managed to get past all of that traffic, we ended up at the lovely Omni Hotel Southpark which I have to say had a great pool and nice accomodations. What was even better was that it was only a short drive for my friend Lisa to come and hang out with us poolside. Although it initially looked like it was going to pour down on us (and it did storm during our drive down), we did luckily avoid the rain and manage to get a good sunbath in! We even hopped in the lovely warm pool (not creepy warm mind you!) and enjoyed some time in there splashing around with some little ones enjoying their summer as well.

Let me just say right now that I love visiting with Lisa... she's so laid back and just the most fun to be around. The phrase "go with the flow" is one that I think she lives by, but don't get me wrong... she is no slacker! This girl is going to go places! She's getting her Ph.D at the University of Texas (I know, I know... but even us Red Raiders have our favorite Longhorns!).

But let me get on to the best part of our visit... dinner! We decided that it was worth it to treat ourselves to some great BBQ while we were in Austin at one of the most FAMOUS restaurants in Texas, The Salt Lick. Now, let me say that if you get the chance, and if you love you some good Texas barbecue... you need to hit this place up on your next visit! It's a little expensive and they only take cash (so be sure you have plenty)-- but I promise it's well worth the visit! My mom and sister would agree with that and give it their "two thumbs up" and shout "yee-haw"!

So, you may be asking yourself how the rest of our time in Austin was spent... well, I'll tell you. We actually ended up spending Sunday in San Marcos attacking the outlet mall! Kei was super diligent and on a mission to find some bargains, and truth be told... she actually did pretty well for herself. Now, don't get me wrong... I did pretty good too! I managed to get a new pair of shoes and a new swimsuit, which will come in handy for when I leave for Amelia Island, FL here in about a week!

After spending a couple of hours there... it was time to head back to the good ol' LBK. We actually made good time considering we stopped a few more times for gas and other "necessities" (does Super Target count?) on our way out. All in all, it was definitely a good time and although it was one of my shorter adventures, I can't wait to have another one... this time in Atlanta and Florida!

Stay tuned!