Phoenix, Family, & Friends

I'm currently sitting in the Phoenix airport waiting for my flight back to Houston.  I was supposed to leave about two hours ago, but my flight was overbooked, and I volunteered to give up my seat.  Don't feel bad for me, I was actually really excited.  Every time one of my flights is overbooked, and they're offering flight vouchers in return for giving up your seat, it always seems to be at a time when I can't be flexible with getting to my destination at a later time/day.  But this time, it was my time! AND the deal was totally impossible to pass up!  I ended up with a $650 Southwest flight voucher that is good for a year, AND I will still be getting in on the same day... just five hours later.  Totally worth it to me!  The good thing about being stuck in the Phoenix airport is that there is free WiFi.  So since I'm stuck here for a few hours, I figured I'd do something unheard of and start my Phoenix blog recap before I have even left Phoenix.  I know, I'm shocked, too.  But first, I just have to say what everyone already knows- airports have the best people watching.  For example, right now I am totally enthralled with these fully-habited nuns that are chowing down on airport fast food.  I'm making up a great story about what adventures they are on. 

I spent about a week in Phoenix visiting my family and friends, and I had such a nice time.  The last time I was here, it was over Christmas and we had just moved back from Australia, so we were super jet-lagged and everything was just really hectic.  David didn't get to come with me this time, but I'm still glad I got to come. 

When I touched down in Phoenix and turned on my cell phone, this text message from my brother popped up:

 Best greeting ever!  Best breakfast ever.  Oh, and best brother ever, too!  I arrived before 8AM that day, so even though I was tired, it was nice to have the whole day to hang out.  And I actually got a lot done that day- errands with my brother, visiting my grandma, visiting my aunt, and lunch with some family friends that I used to babysit for. 

The next day was my brother's birthday, so we went out for dinner with my parents and then he had some friends over to the house for cake and some drinks.  I can't remember the last time I got to celebrate my brother's birthday with him.  Happy birthday, Mark!

On Friday, I had lunch with one of my best friends at one of my favorite Mexican food places ever- "Reyes De La Torta."  By the way, I have to say that I have lived in three of the cities probably most well-known for their Mexican food- Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Houston.  And I can say that Phoenix definitely has the best Mexican food of any of the other cities.  Like by far!  Sorry, Los Angeles and (especially) Texas, your Mexican food just doesn't do it for me.  Later that night I went out with two of my friends for dinner and some drinks at a cute little spot in Cave Creek out in the desert outside of Phoenix.  We got to see the most beautiful sunset over the prettiest desert scenery (minus the parking lot), but sadly I didn't get any photos of US.  Oops.

Over the weekend, I managed to meet up with several other friends and had a great time catching up with everyone.  My mom and I also managed to fit in a  serious shopping spree.  I also finally got to meet my friend's twins that were born on my birthday!  All the best people are born on March 15!  They're adorable and totally gave me baby fever. 

I got twins for my birthday.  What did you get?

I also got to spend some quality time with my parents' mini dachshunds, Lola and Roxy, and my most favorite pet in the world- Tank.  Have I ever mentioned that I basically had a pet dinosaur growing up?  Well, that's basically what Tank reminds me of.  He's a desert tortoise, and he's probably one of the coolest pets ever- plus, he is seriously GIANT.  I really think he must weigh like 30 pounds.  Doesn't he just looks so prehistoric? I'm telling you- basically dinosaur status! 

Left: Roxy trying to shack up with me one night - Right: Me with both dogs... Lola freaking out, as per usual

Tank enjoying a salad.  Also, I am not stepping on him, I promise- just trying to get a photo with something to reference his size

SO HEAVY!

All in all, it was a great visit home.  I pretty much checked everything and everyone off my list, and now I'm anxious to get back to Houston and my hubby! 

Austin Weekend

Aside from running ten miles last weekend, I also managed to have some fun while in Austin for the weekend.  David and I drove over on Friday afternoon.  This is usually a great time of year to go for a drive outside of Houston and Austin, because it's bluebonnet season (Texas' state flower).  The bluebonnets didn't disappoint- they (and more Indian Paintbrush than I remember seeing in previous years) were everywhere! But unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop for the mandatory photo in bluebonnet fields. 

A photo from the car was the best I got this year

Since I didn't get a bluebonnet photo this year, here's one from a few years ago. 

That evening we met up with one of David's college friends and his wife for dinner in downtown Austin.  Then we had some drinks at a few bars while we killed time waiting to pick up David's sister at the airport at 1AM.  We stumbled upon a cute outdoor/patio bar that had a really great live band. 

After picking up our race packets on Saturday afternoon, we rented water bikes on Lake Austin.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the lake.  And although I was a little skeptical, the water bikes were really fun- and super easy to maneuver.  They even guarantee they won't tip over- which sold me, since I was definitely not in appropriate clothes for being on the water. 

After water biking, I insisted that we get ice cream at Lick Ice Cream- I had heard about it from an Austin blogger, and I'd been dying to try their crazy ice cream flavors.  Lick didn't disappoint- if you are ever in Austin, you must try it!  It's a really cute little shop with very friendly staff and locally farmed ingredients.  The best part is their flavor choices- they're like nothing you'd ever expect to have in ice cream, but they are DELICIOUS. 

 

These are only about half of the flavors

 

 


My choices: Goat Cheese,Thyme, and Honey & Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt - AMAZING!!

 

This place is incredible... and I'm really not even that big of an ice cream person.  The next day during the race, at about mile 7, I decided that we would definitely be stopping by here again for more ice cream on our way out of town.  You know, to undo all the calorie burning I had just spent two hours doing.  WORTH IT!  This time I got a scoop of Cilantro Lime and a scoop of Coconut Avocado Curd.  I was skeptical of these flavors, but I liked them both- especially the cilantro lime!  Oh, and for any of you out there who live in Texas, they are now selling some of their flavors in pints at Central Market.  And I think cilantro lime is one of the ones being sold there now.  GET YOURSELF SOME.  You can thank me later. 

 

So that was about it for our short Austin weekend.  We drove back in rain, so we didn't get another opportunity for bluebonnet photos.  Oh well, there's always next year!  



Currently

Still here.  Still trying to build up some blogging momentum and motivation.  I have SO much to catch up on, that I kind of just don't know where to even start.  So then I don't. And the cycle continues.  So, since I have to start somewhere, and since the idea of digging into all the events of the past few months is a little much for me now, I'm going to start with things that are going on right now.  So on that note, here's a little "currently" post...

Currently...

...Sitting... on my grandma's back porch in Wilson, North Carolina.  I'm here  visiting family and having a nice, relaxing time. 

...Eating... left over homemade fried chicken.  Friday would've been my grandpa's birthday (Georgie).  So in honor of his birthday, my mom, aunt, and grandma (Mimi) made one of his favorite meals: fried chicken, gravy, rice, and peas.  It was SO GOOD!  I know Georgie would have loved it.

...Running... well, trying to anyways.  My sister-in-law is trying to convince me to do the 10 by 20 race with her in Austin next month to celebrate our 30th birthdays.  I'm a pretty awful runner, and it's never truly been something I enjoy all that much, but I told her I'd think about it. The furthest I've ever run was for an 8K I did in Gladstone back in August.  And I have hardly done any running at all since then.. so 10 miles seems pretty ambitious, but I think being newly 30 is making me have a one-third life crisis want to try and give it a shot.  I ran five miles this morning, so I'm somewhat optimistic that it might be possible...

...Watching... on the reality TV rotation this time of year are some of my favorites: The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol.  I'm not usually huge on DWTS, but I can sometimes actually get my husband to watch that one with me now since he has a super crush on Erin Andrews.  I'm also keeping up with March Madness... well, whenever Gonzaga is playing anyway.  Go Zags!  (Update: Zags lost to U of A... oh well, try again next year.)

...Reading... gossip mags.  When traveling, I always look forward to buying a gossip magazine, a soda, and hot tamales at the airport before my flight.  It's my little travel ritual.  I've also just started Mindy Khaling's Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? and just as suspected, it's pretty hilarious. 

...Obsessing over... my aunt's dog, Moritz.  He's a St. Bernard/Poodle mix... a St. Berdoodle, and he's adorable.  I can't get over how cute (and huge) he is!  And like most big dogs, he thinks he's a lap dog and will try to climb on your lap if you let him.  Their other dog is a mini dachshund, so the two are a pretty funny pair.   

...Working... at a new part time gig.  Since we moved back mid school year, it's pretty unlikely that I will be able to find a full time teaching job until next school year.  If that's what I even decide to continue to do, that is (but that's a different story...).  So for now, I'm working at a property management company.  It's nothing too exciting, really, but it's nice to have something to keep me busy.  It is kind of interesting, too, because most of their clients are expats who are renting their homes out while they are living/working abroad.  But the best bonus of all is that it will give me an insider look at what's available on the market for rent, since that's what it's looking like we will do after the lease is up on our current apartment. 

...Smelling... like Beyoncé.  No, really.  One of the perks of staying at my aunt's house while visiting family is that I share a bathroom with my fifteen year old twin cousins, and I get to play with all the fun products they have.  Today I opted for the Beyoncé "Heat" body wash.  Pretty hilarious, but also pretty amazing.  I did indeed feel like Beyoncé (and a little drunk in love) the whole day in case you were wondering. ;-) 

In Paradise...

 

For the next five days, David and I will be living up our last week in Australia (and celebrating our third Anniversary) in the Whitsunday Islands.  If we have to leave Australia, then we will go out with a bang!  Great Barrier Reef, sailing, Whitehaven Beach.... HERE WE COME! 

A Birthday Weekend Getaway

I was a bad blogger/wife and didn't post on my lovely husband's birthday a few weeks ago- November 18, to be exact.  Fail.  So now I will attempt to redeem myself with a recap of the birthday weekend festivities. 

Even before we knew we were moving, I had planned to take David to a little beach town called 1770 for his birthday (about an hour and a half drive from here).  I had been there previously (you can read about that trip HERE) when my parents were here visiting, but David didn't get to come with us that time, and he had mentioned several times that he wanted to go at some point. 

I was a little bit worried about the weather, since it was looking like there was a good chance it might rain all weekend.  But we lucked out and the weather was nearly perfect! 

 




When we arrived, we had lunch and some birthday beers at a cute little restaurant right next to where we were staying called "The Tree."  This is basically the best restaurant "near" us.  And yes, again, this is an hour and a half drive from where we live.  The food here is one of the few things I will not miss about Gladstone. 

 

 

After lunch, we went on a little hike and checked out some gorgeous views over the water.  Unfortunately, it got a little bit overcast during our hike, so the water didn't look as bright blue/green as it does when it's a clear, sunny day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had booked a sunset canoe tour for that evening.  We got to the meet up place, had a mini kayaking lesson, got suited up, and paddled about 10 minutes out before our guide broke the news that we would have to turn back since it was just too windy. 

 

 

Clearly I was contributing a lot to this kayaking effort

Pelicans!





We were a bit disappointed, but we quickly made our own alternate sunset watching plans.  We grabbed a bottle of wine and some cheese (in the form of cheese crackers) and headed down to a bench at the water's edge to watch the sunset.  It was gorgeous, and so nice to just talk, relax, and enjoy the view.  This will probably be one of my favorite memories from our Australian travels.  There was an amazing sunset when I visited with my parents as well- which you can see photos of HERE. 

 

Wine and "cheese" at sunset

 

Going... going...



...going... GONE!






The next day we headed to the nearby beach at Agnes Water for... SURF LESSONS!  Truthfully, neither of us have ever really been all that interested in surfing, but it just felt like such a huge Australia bucket list item/must-do since Australia is known for some of the best surfing in the world. The class that day was HUGE, so I was a little worried that the lessons wouldn't be all that great.  But we were pleasantly surprised.  The instructors did a great job managing such a large group, and I felt like I got plenty of one on one instruction throughout the day.

 

 

  

 

 

Surfing is seriously hard, but a lot of fun!  The water was the perfect temperature that day, so it was nice to be in the ocean for several hours.  We both managed to stand up and catch a few waves on our boards... nothing too impressive though.  I felt like a pretty hard core surfer because I even had a surfing accident.  I fell off my board and when I came up out of the water, a wave pushed the board right into my nose.  There was blood everywhere, so of course I booked it out of the water to escape the shark that I was sure would immediately come after me and my bloody nose.  Once I settled down and stopped crying after the random German tourist passing by suggested that my nose might be broken (it wasn't), I got back out there for a few more waves.  I was pretty proud of myself after that! 
 

 

 

Catching "sun waves"

 

 

 

No idea what is possessing me to post a picture of me in a bathing suit.... PROOF that I stood up, I guess...

 

Surf School Graduates!

 

It was a quick little weekend trip away, but we had a really good time. David never really likes to have a party or anything big for his birthday, so I think this was the perfect way to celebrate.