Monday, June 28, 2010

For the Love of the Lake

I feel lucky to have spent much of my childhood on the lake with my grandparents in New Hampshire, and I have never stopped craving time on the lake (preferably with a boat and a tube), but I'll take whatever I can get. I was not expecting much lake time here in Austin, but was pleasantly surprised by the city's beautiful Lake Travis and have been lucky to spend a couple Saturdays on the boat already this summer with Firas and his pals. Riding in the boat is thrilling and relaxing all at the same time. It is just one of my favorite things in the entire world! Actually... riding in a boat, swimming in a lake, and tubing behind a boat are three of my all-time favorite things... I am just a lover of all things lake. I'm certain that my time in New Hampshire has influenced this love of mine as many of my favorite childhood memories are rooted in Meredith, NH on Lake Waukewan. From the time I was an itty bitty up until I was 15 years old, we spent many winters sledding and ice-skating on the lake and countless summers swimming, canoeing, tubing, and attempting to water-ski. I remember jumping off the dock and racing to the raft. I remember being daring enough to dive off the raft because there was no one at the pool judging my not-so-graceful first attempts. I remember skinny-dipping for the first time with my sisters, cousins, and maybe even our Mom's...? I remember waking up early in the morning to pick fresh blueberries for Nana to use in her pancakes. I remember seeing the movie "Arachnophobia" at a friend's house and then noticing the ginormous spiders on the rocks leading up to the lake. I'll never forget my Papa pulling us on the tube behind the boat and putting up with us screaming "FASTER!!!' quickly followed by "SLOW DOWN!!!!" I'll also never forget Nicole losing her bikini bottoms in the lake. Oh, the horror of a pre-teen losing her bottoms with her grandfather driving the boat. I recall family reunions where we would pile a ridiculous amount of people on one side of the raft in order to tip it and bodies would go flying into the water, while trying to dodge the other flailing arms and legs. I remember being in the water and Nana waving to us from the deck. I still walk into other homes or buildings and am hit by the exact smell of the basement of my grandparents' lake-house that they designed and built with their own hands and and with the help of family and friends. I love being brought back to those days in New Hampshire. I wouldn't trade anything for those years, and am thankful to my grandparents for giving us the opportunity to experience the lake, to grow up there, and to learn how to truly value time with our families. Love you Nana, miss and love you Papa.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Soulmates

While the second Sex and the City movie fell short of the first (naturally), it had it's perks and one line in particular stood out to me. Samantha said to the group, "We made a deal ages ago - men, babies, doesn't matter - we're soul mates." Right around the same time I saw the movie, I had a bit of a homesick weekend. There wasn't any reason for it, I truly am happy here and feel that I'm finding my niche... but I just missed home. Without telling anybody that I was feeling a little bit lost in Austin, my four best friends (Eliza Joy, Dana, Tara, and Vail) all called me that same weekend. It made me think of this line from Sex and the City 2. Perhaps it was just coincidence that they called on this particular weekend, or maybe our friends really are a part of our soul. Corny, I know. Couldn't help it. But just to hear them on my voicemail was enough to make me feel a little bit more at home. And like the famous Sex and the City quote says, "Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."


Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Hills Have Eyes... and Music

The Hills Cafe is another Austin gem that I finally got the chance to experience a few weeks ago. The only thing better than live music is seeing live music outdoors. During the summer, the Hills Cafe hosts a Free Texas Music Series, featuring a different band every Wednesday. The venue has a very country/southern rock feel, which is always a good time... especially in Texas. I honestly can't remember the name of the band that played, but they were good! They seemed to be going for the Rascal Flatts pop-country look, but they definitely had us tappin' our toes. The Hills Cafe draws in a great crowd and Kristen and I had a good ole time, especially with our tall boy BL's.... note how excited we are in the picture. The venue reminded me of one of the reasons why I love Austin - the crowd was so diverse. There were college kids, young parents with their children, groups of adults, etc... it definitely covered all ages. The port-a-pottys were the only downside to the venue, but that seems to be a trend in Austin that I'll just have to deal with. I will definitely be returning in the near future... and hopefully for another one of the free Wednesday shows!

I'm Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

In celebration of Father's Day, I planned a cook-out for the residents on Friday. Never again. At least until it cools off, which is probably not until November here in Texas. Unless they give me permission to wear shorts and a tank top to work, I don't think I can host another cook-out in 95 degree weather. Especially when the staff is not being very helpful and I'm running back and forth between the grill and the tables where the residents are eating, back to grab a ketchup packet, back to refill a lemonade, back to grab an extra napkin.... holy HEAT. It was crazy. But overall, it was a good time... for the residents at least. I was sweating from 11 am - 6 pm, long after the cook-out was over. I kept asking staff how they got used to this heat and one lady said, "I've lived in Austin for over 20 years, and I'm still not used to it." Thanks for the encouragement. I was glad to have one lady out there who doesn't attend many events as she is focused on therapy and prefers independent activities in her room. Her vision is severely impaired, so when I brought her a plate I took her hand and had her feel everything on the plate so she knew where it was. Right away, she asked for more potato chips. I told her I'd be right back with them, and when I returned she had her eyes closed. I was worried for a second because it was SO hot outside (to me) and I was afraid that the residents might be at risk and I put my hand on her arm and said "Mrs. Billington, here are your potato chips" (HIPAA alert: not her real name), and she didn't open her eyes. I put my hand on her shoulder and said her name a little bit louder... repeated it three more times... and right when I was about to call for help, she opened her eyes and said "Honey, I was just sayin' grace." Embarrassing. I quickly apologized and she said, "I guess it's safe to assume that you don't see much of that around here, huh?" True. Part of me wanted to let her know that God would not have minded if she had taken a short break from her prayer to let me know that she wasn't dying, but I figured I should just give her the potato chips and be on my way.

On another note, I was able to stay cool this weekend while floating the San Marcos River and my parents stayed cool with 3 other couples while rafting the New River in West Virginia! I did that last summer and it was one of the craziest/most exciting things I've ever done. Hopefully I can do it with my parents one of these days! So to my young and adventurous Dad... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! J-E-T-S! JETS JETS JETS! LOVE YOU!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

EVERYBODY likes you when you're 23

HAPPY, HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE YOUNGER SISTER DEIRDRE, DEE, DEEDLEBURGERS!!!


And here are a few reasons why she is the most lovable 23 year old out there....

  • She thinks its funny to creep up on people in the ocean or pool and yell "SCISSOR!" while trapping their legs in hers.
  • She has had more hospital emergencies than any other kid and most did not involve sporting events (think somersaulting off the couch into the living room table or how about freezing a bottle of water and it exploding in her hand).
  • She knows almost every word to every song written.
  • She can fix anything. I'm serious. Computers, dressers, phones, you name it.
  • She owns 800 movies. Legally? Not sure.
  • She is the best listener, and for 23, gives better advice than most grown adults.
  • She was a really creepy baby. She just stared a lot and made cupie doll faces.
  • She spoke with a New York accent until she was four even though she only lived there for a few months.
  • My Mom thought Deirdre had gone missing one day when she couldn't find her anywhere in the house. After searching our entire home, pulling together friends to search the neighborhood, and on the brink of calling the police... Mom thought to check the bedrooms one more time and found Deirdre tucked underneath a desk... smiling.
  • She doesn't mind looking like a fool on the dance floor, which I love and appreciate.
  • She loves karaoke. She performed "Amish Paradise" at a bar called Beerland with my sister Nicole... who does that? So proud of 'em.
  • She has a huge heart and is always looking out for her friends and family.
  • When my Uncle Jerry was babysitting for us while Mom and Dad were in Hawaii, he took Deirdre to the grocery store (she was about three years old) and when she didn't get something she wanted, began to scream "YOU'RE A MANIAC! MANIAC!!!!!!" Poor Uncle Jerry, the kidnapper.
  • She keeps me hip. Music, lingo, clothing, etc... I need her to survive in 2010.
  • She is one of a kind. All of her friends and family would say the same thing - she is the best friend, daughter, and younger sister out there.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEE! I LOVE YOU!!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Party in the N-OL-A: Day Two


We woke up just in time to run downstairs and take advantage of the free breakfast at Embassy Suites... definitely what the doctor ordered on this particular morning. We re-energized with a good meal, relaxed a bit in the hotel room, and then made our way outside to soak up the Louisiana sun and explore the French Quarter. The architecture in New Orleans is incredible - I couldn't help snapping pictures left and right. It is such a neat city, and the French Quarter was so much fun to leisurely walk around. VL and I came across a magical park that had fountains, shallow water pools, and places to sit and read. It was SO cool. We pranced around a bit (and by prance, I literally mean prance... like ballerinas) while yelling for our friends to join us. They finally realized that we weren't leaving this magical place until they witnessed it. We continued on until we reached Emerill's restaurant NOLA, where we had a reservation for lunch. The food was delicious, but the service was aaaawful. Regardless, we had a good time, enjoyed good food, and drank good cocktails. Following lunch, we did a little shopping and eventually made our way back to the hotel to prepare for the glorious bachelorette night ahead. We locked VL in the bedroom while we decorated the hotel room with pink and black balloons and streamers, and set up for her bachelorette shower. Kristen did an amazing job putting this weekend together - she even made peacock feather headbands for all of the girls and a white feather headband for VL to wear with her hot pink dress. We were finally ready to start the evening off... 6 girls + one hotel room + one shower = slowest getting-ready process ever. We had a fun evening filled with gifts, card games, and a lot of laughs... and soon after, it was time to paint the town red... well, pink really. We made our way to Bourbon Street and had a BLAST. We must have popped into six or seven different bars and venues, danced to a few songs, enjoyed a couple drinks, and continued down the road. SO much going on down there, it's just insane. My favorite part of the night was standing on the balcony with VL swinging our beads at a dangerous speed around our head yelling ridiculous things to those below.. and have no fear Nana, we did not do anything inappropriate to score the beads. Which I've been meaning to ask... how did you and Papa used to bring home boxes of beads from New Orleans for all of the cousins? ...dare I ask? I think people were impressed by our classy bachelorette party theme and were happy to throw us some beads... props to Kristen! Although I'm sure VL wished she had been sporting a "beer belt" and cowboy hat like a few of the other bachelorettes out that night... definitely more her style. I kid, I kid. But VL really was the most classy and beautiful bachelorette on Bourbon Street... she must have gotten her picture taken with two dozen bachelor parties. EJ, you are one lucky guy. We ended the night at "Red Republic", our most favorite bar across the street from our hotel, and danced our tails off. Roger Rabbit, Grocery Cart, Pizza Delivery, and all the right moves. I'd say we hit it off on the dance floor with a group of Norwegians, but by hit it off, I mean I was trying to scream over the music, "I'M PART NORWEGIAN! WE MAKE FATTIGMONDS AT CHRISTMAS!!!" Judging by their looks of confusion, not everyone in Norway makes the same cookie at Christmas. Who knew? Overall, the weekend was AMAZING and I was so happy we all were able to get together and celebrate the soon-to-be bride Kristin von Lunz! Cheers to the most FUN bride out there! Cant wait for your wedding this weekend!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Party in the N-OL-A: Day One

It was my first time in the Big Easy, and it was a weekend to remember. We spent two nights in New Orleans celebrating the soon-to-be bride, Kristin von Lunz! We couldn't have picked a better city for a bachelorette party. Not only is there SO much to do and SO much to eat and drink, there were tons of other bachelor and bachelorette parties in town. We were in very good company. We drove from Houston to New Orleans on Friday... it was a long drive, but I couldn't have picked a better group of girls to ride with. Kristen and VL (bachelorette) held down the front while Monica, Sara, and I got quite cozy in the backseat. We jammed out to the classics - and by classics, I am obviously referring to Jay-Z, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and the Lonely Island's "I'm On a Boat". After seven hours on the road, we arrived in New Orleans, darted to the free happy hour at our Embassy Suites, and got ready to hit the town. We started off at the Acme Oyster House, where we enjoyed a true Nawlins-style dinner. I had the most delicious jambalaya dish in the world. You know it's good when I take a picture of it. We headed out to Bourbon Street and it was bumpin'. I can't even imagine what it would be like during Mardi Gras. Live music, bright lights, tons of people, lots of action. We made our way to a few bars, including Pat O'Briens which had a great outdoor sitting area. We made friends with the bachelor party at the table beside us and soon had them playing "Cheers Governor", which was slightly difficult for a group of boys that had been drinking for 8 hours, but it was entertaining to say the least. VL was quite famous and had her picture taken with many bachelors. We had a good time on Bourbon Street, but since we knew we'd be back the next night we decided we'd head back to the area around our hotel to close out the night. Smartest choice ever considering we stumbled across the most incredible bar right across the street from the Embassy Suites. It was called "Red Republic" and it was packed. The best part of the bar was the HUGE stage, with the DJ in his booth and space for all of us girls to dance. And by dance, I mean take over the entire stage and pull out every dance move in the book. We danced for hours, and finally headed back to the hotel around 3 am. I don't think bars close in New Orleans. I think Monica and I were actually disappointed that the hotel bar wasn't still in action - looking back now, thank goodness it wasn't. But it was a glorious night and I had such a blast with the girls. We fell asleep soon after returning to the room, and were looking forward to a full day in NOLA and our big bachelorette night for VL!