Summer Catch-up

With temperatures hovering near 100, it's hard to believe summer is almost officially over. However, the first UT football game is less than two weeks away, which means my family will begin making regular weekend visits to Austin very soon. As usual, my summer has been busy at work, but I've managed to have several fun weekend adventures. Since I haven't been able to write about them yet, I thought I would do a "catch-up" post to cover all of them.

June – Family Fun in San Antonio

Paul, Esther, and Grace (Esther's sister) came to visit me one weekend back in June. Since Grace had never been to San Antonio, we decided to drive down there on Saturday morning. We hit most of the traditional San Antonio destinations — Alamo, eating at Casa Rio on the Riverwalk, and taking a boat tour. After the boat tour, we headed back to Austin and made a slight detour at the San Marcos outlets (Paul never had a chance with three women in the car). Once we made it back to Austin, we dropped by campus and 6th Street and then stopped at Amy's to end the day.





July — Cats, Dogs & the Citywide Garage Sale

Toward the end of July, I visited the Blanton Museum of Art to see In the Company of Cats and Dogs. The exhibit focused on works of art that featured cats and dogs over the ages. I appreciated seeing the different cat paintings and photographs, but the best part may have been the cat videos at the end. After I left the museum, I walked over to the gift shop, and as I was leaving, I saw UT's famous albino squirrel. Legend has it that if you see the albino squirrel before a big test, you're sure to ace it. Let's hope this sighting brings me good luck!

After this momentous sighting, I walked around campus for a little bit before heading over to Barton Springs. Once there, I ate at the new food carts near Chuy's. I was a little disappointed in my fried chicken (it was hard to cut, a little red, and definitely NOT Southern), so I treated myself to a cupcake from Hey Cupcake! Later I went to the Palmer Event Center for the Citywide Garage Sale, where I found a daisy Pyrex dish.





August – Girls' Weekend in Dallas

For the last few years, Mom and I have met up in August for a girls' weekend (2012 and 2013), and this year we were excited to invite Esther along for the fun during the first weekend of this month. Mom and I met up first at the Grand Prairie outlets and then drove on to Southlake. Esther joined us soon after we checked into the hotel. That evening we ate dinner at Brio, shopped around Southlake, and enjoyed gelato from Piccomolo.

The next day we visited a few thrift/antique stores in Grapevine and then drove out to McKinney. Downtown McKinney was really cute, and we enjoyed looking in the shops around the square. Our first stop in town, though, was Emporium Pies. I had a piece of cherry pie, and it was absolutely delicious. After leaving McKinney, we stopped at the Allen Outlets and then came back to the hotel. That evening we ate dinner at Kobeya, a Japanese restaurant, and picked up cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory (yes, we did well on sweets during this trip).

On Sunday, we ate breakfast at Corner Bakery, and then Esther decided to head back early. Mom and I drove over to Dallas to visit the big Half-Price Books (it's a tradition). Afterward, we ate lunch at Twisted Root Burger and shopped at North Park before heading our separate ways.

Skate Austin Bluebonnet Open

This past weekend, I attended the 2014 Skate Austin Bluebonnet Open at the Cedar Park Center. I only went for a few hours on Saturday night to see the senior and junior ladies (and one novice man). Two of the ladies in the senior competition — Amber Glenn and Ashley Shin — are the reigning junior national champion and bronze medalist, respectively. They both live in the Dallas area. Claire Untalan, the other senior lady, competes for the Philippines.

It was fun to try out my camera lens, since I haven't had it at other competitions.

Amber Glenn

Claire Untalan

Ashley Shin

All in all, it was a nice way to spend my Saturday night, and it was definitely much cooler inside the arena than it was outside.

Weekend with Mom & Dad | May 2014

Happy Sunday!

I thought I would take a break from my Europe posts to share some pictures from last weekend when Mom and Dad were in Austin. They arrived late Friday night, so we had all day Saturday to explore. I decided to take both of them to Mayfield Park and Preserve, or as I like to call it, "the place with the peacocks." (I visited the park for the first time last year.) The peacocks are so tame and let people walk right up to them all around the park. We were all a little disappointed that none of the peacocks decided to show off their feathers while we there, but they still vocalized for us. (Strangely, their voices sound a little bit like cats' meows.)






The park is located very close to Mount Bonnell, one of Dad's favorite places in Austin, so we also visited there while we were in the area. The views of Lake Austin and downtown are just extraordinary. It was a beautiful spring day, and many people were enjoying boating on the lake down below.





After we climbed down from Mount Bonnell, we were hungry, so we headed to Matt's El Rancho for a late lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon hitting some of our favorite Austin places, including BookPeople, Half-Price Books, Paper Source and Whole Foods. I also introduced Mom to Room Service, a vintage store I've visited a few times. We enjoyed looking around, and I even found two wooden dolls from the U.S.S.R. to add to my collection. We ended the day with ice cream at Amy's, where I convinced Dad to take some pictures with me in the photo booth.

The next day, we went to church in the morning and had lunch at the new In-N-Out Burger in Cedar Park. Since I had to be back at church around 3 for the spring concert, we looked around a few places there before Mom and Dad dropped me off at the apartment so I could get ready. The concert began at 4, and I think both of our pieces went well. I enjoyed playing "Over the Rainbow" since we had one of the choir members sing along, and our other piece ("All Things Bright and Beautiful") had a fun Caribbean flavor.

Mom and Dad headed home after the concert, but it was great to have them in Austin for a little while.

Weekend with P&E

At the beginning of last month, Paul and Esther came down to Austin to spend the weekend with me. I love when they come down because it gives me the opportunity to be a tourist in my own city. These are just a few moments from their visit I want to remember:

For the love of sunsets

I love a good sunset. There's just something so magical about seeing the sky put on an amazing, colorful show for a brief time each evening. Over the years, I've captured many beautiful sunsets on camera. Everywhere from Italy...

Weekend with Mom, March 2013

Last month my mom came down to Austin for a long weekend. We shopped, explored new places, ate some wonderful food, and worked on several projects around my apartment. It was wonderful to spend this time with her, and I thought I would share a little bit about our weekend here. (Warning: This is a very text- and photo-heavy entry.)

Mom came down on Friday afternoon, and we spent our first few hours together picking up some chalk paint from a store in Cedar Park and eating lunch at Einstein's Bagels. I had a haircut at 2:30 p.m., so Mom dropped me off and shopped a little on her own. Once I finished at the salon, Mom and I headed up to Georgetown for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We stopped in several of the little shops on the square and found a few treasures. Since we both needed shoes, we also went to the DSW across the interstate (where I found my fun neon blue work-out shoes). Our last stop of the day was Monument Cafe, where we each had the fried catfish and shrimp plate. We split a chocolate pie for dessert; it was good, but I missed having a real crust.

The next day we put the first coat of paint on my coffee and end tables and then drove out to Marble Falls. The road there was super hilly and curvy, so it took a little while to get out there. Once we made it into town, we went to the Blue Bonnet Cafe. There was a long line out the door, but it moved quickly and was definitely worth the wait. We both ordered hamburgers and then split (another) chocolate meringue pie for dessert. Everything was delicious!

Blue Bonnet Cafe

After we finished lunch, we drove downtown and looked around. The only things we bought were a book a piece (of course). I also enjoyed taking pictures around town (and Mom enjoyed taking pictures of me taking pictures, for some reason). We decided to head back after that but took a different way since the other road had been so hilly (and slow). Along the way, we were excited to spot the first bluebonnets of the season — always a momentous occasion each spring! We also stopped at a flea market in Burnet and found a few things.

Downtown Marble Falls

The first bluebonnets!

Once we were back in Austin, we went to JCPenney and Target to look for new curtains (we found some — and a new duvet cover — at Target) and then brought our purchases home. We got out a little bit later to pick up Fire Bowl for dinner and spent the rest of the evening at home, working on our different projects and watching the World Figure Skating Championships on a British internet feed (well, I did the last part).

On Sunday, Mom and I went to church in the morning and then drove down to South Congress to eat at the food carts. The food carts closed after the end of South by Southwest, so we got to eat there on the very last day. We shared Thai fried rice from Coat & Thai and then split a cupcake from Hey Cupcake! It was nice to walk around the area since SXSW was still going on; there were parties at several of the venues along the way and we could hear live musicians playing. At least I can say I've done SXSW. :)

Yummy Thai food

Strolling down South Congress

Hey Cupcake!

An unusual way to park | Mom enjoys our strawberry cupcake

Smile!

We spent the rest of Sunday finishing up our different projects and managed to get everything done. I'm planning to write another post about everything we did around the apartment soon.

MLK Statue

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Back when I was a student at UT, I loved walking past the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue on the East Mall. It provided just a little bit of inspiration as I headed off to my morning classes. Yesterday I took this picture as we were walking to the game, and I think it's one of my current favorites.

August Weekends in Review

Note: I started this post earlier this week but never got around to finishing it until this afternoon. I've tried to update some things to make more sense. Apologies for not wanting to write after writing all day at work. :(

Last weekend I quite literally crashed. As in, came home from work a little after 12 on Friday, ate lunch, read for a little while, and then took the most glorious two-hour nap. I felt so refreshed after I woke up (the sign of a good nap). The rest of the weekend was spent catching up — reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, working on Project Life, and cleaning my kitchen AND master bathroom.

I needed last weekend. And I savored it.

However, the two previous weekends were wonderful and quite a bit more exciting. Three weekends ago (the first weekend in August) Paul and Esther came down to Austin to stay with me, and two weekends ago I met my mom in Dallas for some girl time.

The weekend with Paul and Esther was great. On Saturday, we did some of the things around Austin we always want to do but never have time for. Our biggest adventure was hitting up the food carts along South Congress. We each tried something different, and I got very brave and tried fried mac & cheese. It was surprisingly good (I don't know why I was surprised; everything fried is good). After sampling the carts, we looked around a few of the shops along Congress and then grabbed cupcakes from Hey Cupcake!

Later on Saturday we ate dinner at Matt's El Rancho and went to Zilker Park to see a production of The Sound of Music at the Zilker Hillside Theatre. We weren't expecting the theatre to be so crowded, but apparently it was a popular place to be on Saturday night. Once we finally found a place to sit, we had trouble seeing the stage at all. However, it was nice to meet up with two of my co-workers, Sarah and Michelle, and talk with them a little bit during intermission. We all ended up leaving at intermission because it was getting rather late.

On Sunday, the three of us went to church, had lunch at Fire Bowl, and then drove out to IKEA. Paul and Esther drove back to Tyler after that, and I came home.

Two weekends ago my mom and I met up in Dallas like we used to do all the time. On Friday we both arrived at the hotel a little after 12, so we ate lunch at the In-N-Out Burger nearby and then went shopping. That afternoon we went to Half-Price Books, NorthPark Center and Christmas Tree Shops (a little taste of New England) and ate dinner at Mi Cocina. We also tried to make a movie that night but couldn't make it to the theater in time. Even though it felt strange to turn in early, we came back to the hotel and watched the Olympics for a little while before going to bed.

The next day we felt revived so we decided to explore a few thrift shops and an antique mall in the morning. We ate lunch at a great burger place called Liberty Burger (we split the burger and shared onion rings) and then headed out to the Allen Outlets for some more shopping. The outlet parking lot was crowded, but we managed to find a place and find a few new pieces each. Later we went to a movie theater nearby to see Hope Springs. The movie wasn't quite what we were expecting, but that didn't prevent us from dissolving into giggles several times. After the movie ended, we stopped at Homegoods and Target, ate at Paradise Bakery, and drove back to the hotel.

On Sunday we went to the Dallas Arboretum to see the Chihuly exhibit. It was really amazing to see all the glass sculptures displayed throughout the arboretum; sometimes it was difficult to tell what was alive and what was glass from far away. We enjoyed wandering around the grounds for about two hours until it got too hot to stay outside. Once we left, we grabbed lunch at Humperdinks, drove back to the hotel to get my car, and went our separate ways.

As I mentioned earlier, the last two weekends haven't been nearly as exciting, but with Texas Longhorn football starting in less than a week (!), my weekends are about to be crazy once again.

Wildflowers in Bloom

Last Saturday I made my annual spring pilgrimage out to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I brought my camera along, of course, and was able to take several nice pictures of the wildflowers on display. There weren't as many flowers blooming in the garden area as I remembered from last year, but I realized later that I was visiting a week earlier this year. Luckily I discovered the fields of bluebonnets beyond the garden and braved the blinding sun to get a few pictures (I forgot to buy sunscreen — eek!). Some of my pictures are below.

30 Things to Be Thankful For - Day 2

Today I'm giving thanks for living in Austin. I love this city, and I'm so glad that I live here after being away for six years. It's wonderful to be close to so many unique shops, fun cultural attractions, and of course, the University of Texas. And it doesn't hurt that my family comes to visit several times during the fall football season.

Labor Day Weekend

Mom, Dad and Paul came down to Austin last weekend for the first UT football game. It was a wonderful long weekend filled with cheering on the Horns, celebrating Mom's birthday, and spending time together in San Antonio.

On Saturday, we had the entire morning and afternoon to do things around Austin since the game didn't start until 7. We ate at Kerbey Lane for breakfast, and then Mom and I went to the Citywide Garage Sale and a few other thrift stores while Dad and Paul picked up my car from the dealership (it needed a new compressor — eek!). That afternoon, we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Maggiano's and enjoyed Mom's wonderful birthday cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. The game that night went well, and Texas started off the season with a victory. It was much cooler than we thought it would be at the stadium, even though it was still very hot.

The next day, we got off to a late start because of the late night before. We drove down to San Antonio that afternoon, stopping at San Marcos along the way to do a little shopping at the outlets. Once we made it to San Antonio, we checked into the hotel and then went down to the Riverwalk. Later we ate at Casa Rio and went to see the Alamo. It's been over five years since I've been to San Antonio so it was nice to be able to experience it again — I just love that city!

On Monday, we went to the Market before heading back to Austin. The parents and Paul headed back to East Texas after that.

Throughout our time in San Antonio, we kept hearing about how bad the fires were around Austin (and East Texas), and we could see the smoke on the drive back. It seems so unreal to have wildfires in Texas, but everything is just so dry. Hopefully rain will come soon.

I've included a few of my Instagram photos from the weekend below.

Tower Ghost?

Tonight I was looking through some of my pictures from last fall and deciding which ones to print. I came across this picture in one of the football game folders:

Does anyone else see the Tower's shadow on the right? (It seems to be upside down too.) Why did it do that?

Just a little something to keep you amused on the first day of May. :)

A bug's life

He hopped on at the light and jumped off at 7-Eleven.

Growing wild

Last weekend I drove out to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to look at the wildflowers. It had been almost 10 years since I had last visited, so I was excited to see what it would be like now. The bluebonnets along the side of the road haven't been as impressive this year, but the bluebonnets at the center did not disappoint. It was wonderful to see them and the other wildflowers in bloom. After I left the center, I stopped at Chuy's for a late lunch/early dinner and then drove home.