Honky Tonk Women

I am so very lucky to have a great group of girlfriends. Every year we pick a long weekend along with a new destination and we roam the town...girls trip style! This year we agreed to head south to a crazy lil city smack dab in the middle of Texas - Austin! We had all heard stories of the city but never had experienced it for ourselves. The single point of contact (SPOC) was Karly this year. I shall note each year we draw a new SPOC who becomes responsible for planning and coordinating. Karlos planned an action-packed weekend sprinkled with relaxation and most importantly quality time with the gals.

The stars were aligned as they usually do and we were upgraded from a hotel room at the Omni to a 2 bedroom suite with plenty o room! We all met in Austin on Friday where we ventured out for our first taste of 6th Street. This area is referred to as the entertainment district and it is easy to find on any given night. School was not in session at UT but the street was still blocked off for the thousands of bar goers and music seekers. We later learned 6th street has 2 personalities...dirty 6th and west 6th.

The girls and I enjoyed exploring the streets but Karly knew we had to get outta town and see what else there was to do. Lake Travis is a beautiful body of water about 30 miles outside of the city. Karly also knows we love to be on the water so we did it right and rented a boat for the day! We scoped out the lake before idling on over to what one could call the floating 6th street - Devils Cove. I might be out of touch with my party coves but this was like nothing I had ever seen before. Chains of boats throwing anchor together, floating dance parties, water sports, slides, yachts, beverages a plenty, speakers half the size of the boat, scantily clad people of all ages...the list goes on but it truly was "Austinacious!" The boat came with a tube so yes indeed we went tubing along the lake. On the way home we caught a beautiful sunset from this mega-bar/restuarant called Oasis. For dinner that evening? Sushi of course!








The outdoor adventures didn't stop there. The next day we got up and headed for our "surprise activity" planned by our SPOC. We rented bikes to cruise the greenspace of the city! Lunch was at Shade Grove which was the cutest outdoor venue that felt like a picnic in the park. We pedaled on over to Barton Springs which again is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is the nation's largest natural swimming pool in an urban area. One catch - it is a consistent 68 degrees! We carried on to see some of the natural trails and the city lake (which we call a river). After a dunk in the rooftop pool, we headed out for some tapas and a relaxing night. We caught a little live Blues band at Momo's on West 6th to cap off the evening. I think it has to do with my parents but there is something about live Blues music that makes me happy...relaxing yet tells a story and can still get a little funky! Which just so happens to explain this years gals trip to Austin, TX!







OH...and the official girls trip pose!



XO,
EAT

Milestones

What a week we have had here!!

It started off on Tuesday June 8th with celebrating Dad Dan's 60th birthday at one of his favorite restaurants - Vince's. It was a surprise so his face walking in was absolutely priceless! He had friends and family there to greet him and wish him a Happy Birthday. The surprise was fun but one of the best parts were the stories and memories that were shared. Each of his 6 kids got up to tell their favorite "dad" story and thank him for the love and support he has provided each one. His sisters Terry, Carol and Shirley were there to tell some of the stories from their brother Dan as well. It really was pretty special to be a part of. Happy Birthday we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating with you! (I can't make the pic rotate, turn head to the right)




I by no means claim to be a Chicago Blackhawks fan but you couldn't help to root the team on during their most recent Stanley Cup run. The city and surrounding areas went into an absolute Blackhawk frenzy when on Wednesday June 9th the team captured their first Stanley Cup in 49 years! It was pretty cool to witness the team coming home from their OT win against the Flyers to a city that otherwise has it's bouts of PSD (pro-sport depression...not a technical term). The victory parade kicked off Friday just 2 blocks from my office so we wandered down to get a glimpse of the excitement...and the coveted Cup!

Another major milestone was the completion of my first Sprint Triathlon on June 13th! I have always been intrigued by triathlons because there is such variety in the training and well...it just sounded like fun. It was much more than just fun! Michele did one last year so she was on board to do the US Womens Triathlon Series with me. We swam .46 miles, biked 14.2 miles and ran 3.1 miles through Naperville, IL. I enjoyed the training and knowledge I gained along the way. I realized I actually enjoy spinning classes at 5:30am and jumping in the indoor pool before the sun comes up on a chilly March morning. It was an awesome feeling crossing the finish line and I can't wait for the opportunity to do another one! Thank you to Michele for the tips, encouragement and agreeing to participate with me! Thank you to Rick for the support and an occasional nudge to get out of bed and get to the gym!

Here are a couple pics from the race -

XO,

EAT

MOH!

We had a girls night out on Friday and caught the latest installation of an old favorite - Sex and The City 2! We went to the Showplace Icon theatre which has a VIP lounge and you can even bring some vino into the theatre to enjoy while you watch. The movie was great but the company was better. The highlight of the evening was Christy asking me to be her Matron of Honor!!!! I am so excited to continue the planning process with her and most importantly stand up beside her the day she marries Todd. Cheers to that!!

XO,

EAT