Austin Trip

Our little plane


The Ladies


The Men


The Lake


The Bugs


We just got back from visiting Ryan and Lauren in Austin. They moved about 2 months ago and when they left it was like losing a family member. They were our best friends and such an important and special part of our lives here in Walnut Creek. I was so excited to visit them in their new town and explore the sites.

We got in Friday morning around 3:30AM and needed to sleep a few hours to catch up on some ZZZZ's. After we woke up, Ryan took us to a cute restaurant for lunch. Lauren got off work a few hours later and then we headed to the airport to pick up Amber and Adam that were flying in from Columbus. I realized how much I had missed both Lauren and Amber with having both of them move from the Bay Area in the past 6 months. I was so excited for this weekend and I knew it was going to be perfect and just what I needed after these last few months.

Friday night we headed to Z-Tejas. An Arizona favorite. We all had a delicious meal with some great cocktails. After we headed back to Ryan and Lauren's apartment for a game of HEARTS (an Adam Scott favorite). Whoever lost each round, had to take a shot of either Crown Royale (Jason's favorite) or some sort of mixed grapefruit/vodka. Thankfully I only lost twice because the Crown Royale does not go down easy for us ladies.

Saturday we had the perfect day. We had a wonderful breakfast pizza, cooked up by Lauren. Kadie and Derek arrived from Dallas and it was great to see them. We headed to our boat tour on the lake. Our little electronic boat went the amazing speed of 10MPH, but it was fun to be on the lake crusing around. Amber was unable to make it on the boat due to a wicked hangover from all the Crown. Later that night we went to dinner on 4th street which was delicious. The guys got to watch the College Football games, while the ladies just talked. After dinner a few of us wanted to go out, so we moved up 2 streets to 6th Street. We went to The Belmont and another bar with Adam and Amber. Majority of the bars in Austin have rooftop bars, so it is nice to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. We got home around 2:00 after a quick stop for some fast food Mexican.

Sunday the men watched football as the ladies headed to Rudy's BBQ and picked up lunch. Lauren then brought me on a tour of Austin to show me some neighborhoods and even a house they were interested in. I was so happy to see how she loved being in Austin. I think it is going to be such a great adventure for the two of them.

What a perfect weekend...who could have asked for anything more? The best of friends, laughter, fun, beautiful weather, great food...truly the best time. Although it is sad that I no longer see my friends daily, I'm reminded that these trips are just as important and something I will truly cherish. I hope we can continue to keep the tradition going and plan something special each year. It will be fun to see where we all end up next year.