Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Keep Austin Weird!

(Disclaimer...to all friends who I did not see or call in Houston and Austin...I apologize...we were spending quality family time...please forgive me!...hope to see you soon!)
(At a Spray Park near my mom's house)
After spending a few days with my mom and the boys (riding bikes, playing gin, getting a mani/pedi, playing in various water sprinklers, and relaxing), I met Jeffrey in Austin (actually first in San Marcus at the outlets).(My mom and Me)

We walked around at the outlets for almost 3 hours in the miserable heat! We were disappointed because we didn't think the deals were that good. Pottery Barn wasn't that great (although we still managed to spend money there). We ended up buying the boys 2 different duvet covers...one is going back or on eBay.

We then headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Doubletree Club Hotel. Warm chocolate chip cookies awaited as we checked in...yummy! It wasn't anything fancy but it was cheap ($69 on priceline). After checking in, we went to SoCo (South Congress for those who do not know the Austin lingo) to eat lunch (do you call it lunch when it is 3:30pm) at Guero's and do some shopping. Let me just tell you...they are "Keeping Austin Weird" (a slogan by Austin people that is seen regularly). I saw the oddest people and things...and I loved it. I've done a lot of reflecting on my "bubble" this past week...that post to come.

One of the coolest shops we went to is called Ten Thousand Villages and it is an amazing concept. It is a fair trade store and run by volunteers. So cool! We bought a cool vase that has a story about who made it.

That night we ate at a South American restaurant (which was not as good as Americas in Houston) then ordered a movie in our room called Waitress. Have you seen that movie? So great! (Jeffrey fell asleep the first 5 minutes, though).

The next morning, we went for a long walk along Town Lake (is it a river or a lake). It was so pretty...but so hot! I took a dip in the pool (although it wasn't the cleanest) and then got dressed. We ate lunch across from campus at Moe's (which we used to eat at all the time before they closed by our house in Coppell). After lunch, we shopped along the strip (we bought some cool photos from a vendor at the art market).

That night, we went to see the boys and my parents at the Hyatt Lost Pines where they were staying. Can I say amazing? That place was fabulous! So great for kids and parents alike (although if I didn't have my kids with me...I wouldn't want to be there because there were too many kids). We had a wonderful buffet dinner and then walked around the property. Again...so hot...we were melting! We left the kids there and came back to our hotel (which was 1/5 the price, almost).(Precious family on the Colorado River...bad hair day for me)

Yesterday morning, we headed back to Lost Pines for breakfast and swimming in the lazy river (oh, I could have stayed there forever!) before returning back to Dallas (for the 3 1/2 hour trip that took almost 5 1/2 hours due to a wreck on I-35 that closed the freeway).
(My mom and the boys)
What a great week! Now back to reality...laundry and dirty bathrooms! Less than 2 weeks of summer left...oh, how time flew!

2 comments:

Those Tonnes said...

Looks like you guys had a great time! So fun!

Kristen said...

fun to hear about your adventures in the town that so close yet so far from the bubble i live in, too. we stayed in a great suite at lost pines on steep discount through don's company. we loved it! much better than opryland! we're still coming your way in october near halloween. we'll be staying at gaylord and hope to see you!!