Keeping Austin Weird

This weekend the girls and I are roadtripping to Austin, we're doing our part in trying to 'keep Austin weird'. Jeff has a contractor coming in to do some work and he said he wants us out of the way. So we're heading South to Austin. Our favorite home away from home. I would love to go to the Continental Club on Congress and hear some great music, but Miss V is going and I will opt to stay in with her. Perhaps we'll take a swim in the indoor pool, that is a fine substitute for me, especially since my fella won't be there to dance with. One thing I know for sure is we will have some good food. We'll hit Shady Grove for Hippie Sandwiches & Tortilla & Queso Fried Catfish, or maybe Gueros Taco Bar, or maybe BBQ at Ironworks or my fav Salt Lick. I hope the weather is nice on Sunday so before we head out of town we can go to Maria's Taco Xpress for Gospel Brunch and Hippie Church. Taco Xpress has the best Tacos al Pastor and live music and it's a great place to sit back, relax and people watch. Only catch... it's all outside! I hope the next time you're in Austin, you'll try one of these spots, but this is the short list as Austin if full of unexpected and wonderful surprises. Hope to see ya there sometime soon afterall it won't be totally weird if you're not there!

Violette

oh la la!

Obsessions...

I think I might have mentioned before, Jeff and I have a few obsessions.

1. Our 5 girls
2. Antiquing
3. BBQ
4. Tacos
5. Blues Music

When we travel Jeff makes it is his job to find all the best places to eat. He usually consults our favorite travel companions (Rachel & Giada) for their suggestions. It usually includes BBQ. It most definitely includes whatever the local delicacy might be. His newest thing is from Texas Monthly's issue on tacos, The 63 Tacos You Must Eat Before You Die. No pressure there. Well we checked another one off the list today. Taco Taco. Their tagline is it tastes so good we named it twice. It was pretty darn good too. We have already hit all the ones in DFW. We kinda got hung up on the list for a while because we kept going to the same one (Cafe San Miguel) over and over again.

BumBum and Violet at the River Walk.

Yesterday we went spent the day at WonderWorld. It was fun. Violet enjoyed it. I spent the day looking for Justine & Jaley. Never did find them. They didn't come. But old habits are hard to break. I miss them. We went to dinner at La Hacienda. It was featured recently on Showdown with Bobby Flay. They are famous for their puffy tacos. We got this crazy big family style dinner. It was a giant platter with ribs, chicken breasts, beef fajitas, peppers, onions and stuffed bell peppers and the whole thing was topped with ..... tons of curly fried bacon. Bacon! Oh my goodness, bacon. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen.

We spent today at the Alamo and River Walk. We had lunch at Taco Taco, a tiny hole in the wall that was jam packed with people. They are said to be the best taco in the US by Southern Living Magazine, Bon Appetit, and the FoodNetwork. They have also had a visit from Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Let me just say that as far as Jeff is concerned this is a shrine.

Tonight we went out to dinner again... at a little place called Rice. It was delicious. Here's a pic of my dinner. Sesame chicken. Violet ate her weight in LoMein noodles. Tomorrow some more family will be arriving and we are having a cookout. Grandma is having tests run all day, so I'm not sure what the plans will be. The weather has been lovely and we are having lots of fun. I hope you are having a great Spring Break too!

One more thing about that cruise.

You are probably wondering why I'm not taking my 5 favorite girls with me on this cruise. Well, I thought about it. And I decided this. I cannot take every female in my husband's life (his wife, his mother, his 4 daughters, his granddaughter, his only sister, and all his sister-in-laws on both sides) and put them on the same ship and then sail off into the sunset. HE WOULD STARVE!!!

The Getaway Girls

Ok, so a couple of friends got this idea to go on a cruise. They asked me if I wanted to go. I really wasn't sure, so I drug my feet a little. Then they got a little more persistent and I told them that I was kinda particular about who I slept with. I know it sounds bad. Anyhow one of them said then find 3 people to share your cabin. I said ok. Surely I can find 3 people to cruise to Mexico with me, right? Well, I called up my sister-in-law in Virginia and asked if she wanted to go. To my surprise she said yes. That's when it all started..................

My mother-in-law and three of my sister-in-laws are going. No room for me in that cabin. So I started to find 3 more friends so I would have somewhere to sleep. I asked a friend, she said yes, then I asked a couple more thinking that one of them might go. They all said yes. Dang it, there goes my bed in another cabin! Then just when I thought it might work I asked my sister, she said YES! And then asked about her friend Mary. Of course Mary could come, she is my sister's best friend and I have known her most of my life. And it would make the trip extra special for my sister. So, now I have no where to sleep all over again. I am seriously considering booking my own cabin all to myself. Then there will be plenty of space for whoever needs to sleep there. I told my friend DaSha (who started this whole mess) it's a runaway train and I can't make it stop. Oh the fun we will have "The Getaway Girls Cruisin' to Cozumel" !

WooHoo! Aren't friends wonderful! Right now we are at 31 and counting...................

Therapy 101...........

I guess since Matt's dad died I have been a little melancholy and reflective in my moods recently. It got me to thinking about how much we miss Walter aka Peepaw. (Jeff's dad) He has been gone about 7.5 years now. This summer we have alot going on and oh how I wish he could be here to celebrate Jaley's high school graduation and Jill's wedding. He was always so much fun. He loved his kids and grandkids and wouldn't miss a big event for anything. It didn't matter how far he had to drive, he would be here. That got me to thinking about my own dad, who died when Jaley was only a year old. She really never knew him. He adored my girls too. Which makes me think about how Walter, my dad and Karl didn't choose to be away from their grandgirls. My mother did. I guess I am still angry at her. It is more that I am angry about what I missed with her. For the last 5 years of her life she ignored them and me. Then she died and Jordan didn't even get to see her. It breaks my heart. The other girls got to see her in the hospital one last time, tell her they loved her and she them. But then she was suddenly gone. My mother lived right here in this small town with us. Saw me at the grocery store and would turn away from me as if I were a stranger. She would tell people my children didn't exist. Because she was mad at me. She could have been the most adored grandmother on the planet. Mary Nell (Jeff's mom) is adored like that and she lives 8 hours away. When I think about Violet and what I want her to know about me........ I think about how I want her to know that I adore her. That I am her biggest fan. Even if I have 20 more grandgirls, I will adore them all and life will be good!

Alzheimers Sucks!

There's just nothing good to say about it.

Karl Kuhlmann, Violet's paternal grandfather left this world and went to be with his Savior on Sunday, March 1 at only 59 years of age from complications of early onset severe Alzheimer's. My heart breaks for this loss. We were all so excited to share in the upcoming nuptials with Matt's parents. And the happiness we felt that Violet would grow up with 2 sets of loving grandparents. But our (and more importantly Karl's) hope and faith is not in the things of this world, but in God.

Please pray for the Kuhlmanns.

julie