Monday, March 30, 2009

Austin Trip - The Final Installment

Here's the installment you've all been waiting for... I'm tired though and don't have the energy to post as many photos as I'd planned. Perhaps I'll post some more later this week. As you can imagine, Sixth Street was a blast -- we sure rang in Will's 21st birthday with style. We went to six bars in total - and all of them had live music. And yes, the night did get rowdier than shown here, and Will may or may not have gotten a little sick by the end of the night. But hey, it was his 21st - and it sure was a night to remember!





Coming Soon!

My last Austin post with a wrap-up of our night on Sixth Street is in the works -- and should be up this evening once I've had a chance to upload the photos and such at home. Stay tuned!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Adventures in Austin - Day Two (Part Two) and Day Three (Part One)

We gave Will a few birthday gifts last night before heading out.



We went to dinner at a place called The Oasis. There was a bar and live music upstairs, and incredible views of Lake Travis (seriously, Lake Travis!) as the sun set. We had to wait a bit before we got a table, but we enjoyed some margaritas in the meantime. Dinner was great!





This morning we headed down the street to a place called Jim's for breakfast, and then drove out to San Antonio to see the Alamo and explore the River Walk. It was a little chilly in the morning, but warmed up in the afternoon and ended up being a beautiful day.






Right now we're going to relax and potentially nap (all the sun and walking wore us out!) before getting showered and heading out to Sixth Street for a night on the town - and the official birthday celebration. Wish us luck!!!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Adventures in Austin - Day Two (Part One)

Phew! We've done so much already today that I figured I'd post now, and then again in the morning to talk about our evening activities.

This morning we woke up to rain - lots of it. Will cooked breakfast, and then the boys set out to the local gas station for Will's first alcohol purchase...



As much as I hate beer, I was feeling celebratory enough to share a morning Corona with my brother on his 21st birthday.


Once the rain cleared up we headed out to explore Austin. We spent some time at Town Lake, and saw the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue - which Will worshiped...




The weather here is beautiful! It is so nice to be out in the warm sunshine! I know Trav, for one, is getting into the Texas spirit...


We ate lunch at Daddy's on 6th Street - where they have allegedly the best burgers in Austin. They WERE tasty! Will ordered his first bar beer.


Before heading back to the apartment we stopped to grab some supplies for the weekend. As you can see, the boys came out with their arms full!



We're relaxing at the apartment for an hour or so, freshening up, and then heading to dinner. More Austin Adventures coming tomorrow - Stay Tuned!

We Made It! (Austin Day One)

Despite some delayed flights (Tim) and a bad case of food poisoning (Travis) - we all made it safely to Austin. It's 1AM central time, and I'm EXHAUSTED!

While at the airport in Detroit, Trav and I had fun in the light/music tunnel between concourses -- it was like a disco in there!




Travis and I landed at about 9:30PM and met up with Will...


(view from the airplane - the lights were so pretty!)


We took our bags back to his apartment, which is a great set-up for him, by the way. Nice size, everything he needs.


After relaxing for a little bit we headed back to the airport to grab Tim. We had all made it!



Now the boys are watching the Chappelle show (ugh!) to wind down for the night (we attempted to go get Will a birthday beer but nothing was open...) and I will be asleep on the futon in a matter of minutes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILL!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Leaving for Austin TOMORROW!!!

It's finally upon us -- we leave tomorrow afternoon to drive to Detroit and fly out to Austin, Texas to visit my brother Will! This trip truly could not have come at a better time. Things have been so busy and hectic lately and Travis and I are 100% ready for a break, and to get out of town.

And we all know that I'm looking forward to a change in climate. You can imagine my delight at the weekend weather report today...

Weekend Forecast for
Austin, TX

Friday Mar 27

Partly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy
High
85°F

Low
45°F
Precip:
20%
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday 28

Sunny
Sunny
High
71°F

Low
42°F
Precip:
0%
details details
Mainly sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 40s.
Sunday 29

Sunny
Sunny
High
77°F

Low
54°F
Precip:
0%
Sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s.

Loving it!

Now, as with all trips - at least in my house - I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off today trying to get ready. I have a major proposal I'm working on and have been writing on and off since 7:30am so that I can get it wrapped up before I leave.

Bella is going to her grandparents Roehm in Portage, and gets picked up tonight, so I have packed up all of her stuff ready to go (tear... I feel like I'm leaving my child!)

The house is a mess, so I'm trying to get everything clean before I leave - nothing is worse than getting back from a great trip and having a messy house and lots to do.

And then there's the packing situation. Here's what our spare bed looks like right now...


It's kind of funny actually -- you can tell a lot about me from my reading selections in the right hand corner... Donor Centered Fundraising, Oriental Trading Catalog (Crafts Edition) and Real Simple magazine. Ha!

I'll be blogging daily from Austin - so you can expect to hear from me again LATE tomorrow evening since we don't get in until after 10pm, and will be stopping for a birthday drink for my brother Will (who turns 21 at midnight tomorrow) before heading to the apartment for the night. Until then - Happy Wednesday!