While his flights were a little delayed, Matt finally joined me in Austin today for the weekend. :o) There's a funky vintage car rally this weekend along SoCo so we decided to have dinner at Magnolia, cruise the drag, and of course I popped back in for a late-night cupcake (this time, the 24 Carrot).
*Exhale* ... Spent the entire day in peaceful bliss at Lake Austin Spa & Resort. For me, a life well lived includes (but not limited to) frequent spa treatments, hydrotherapy, nature and naps in hammocks that sway softly over lakes.
Today I headed southbound on 35 to play in my beloved city. :o) After a brief shopping detour in Round Rock, I met up with Soumya for dinner at Hyde Park Grill, Amy's Ice Cream and some great girlie chat time.
We finally stopped and asked! Almost every Sunday that we've been out at White Rock Lake, we've noticed a small group of people sitting on the west side of the lake next to the sign, "Free Advice". And each time we pedal by I wonder what in the world it's all about. Well, it's a better story than I could have imagined!
Two gentlemen thought it would be an interesting social experiment to offer free advice sessions on one Sunday afternoon ... over 12 years ago! Roderick MacElwain and Neal Caldwellare the self-appointed "free advice guys" of White Rock Lake and nearly every Sunday for the past 12 years, the men have manned their help station near Jackson Point (offering advice on every imaginable topic). Today, we stopped and asked Roderick his advice on this evening's weather. His clever, eccentric response included the forcast and advised us not to ride around the lake with lightening forcasted around midnight. We'll certainly stop for their advice on deeper subjects next time we cross paths. ;o) Click here for their full story.
Just as we finished our ride around the lake, we looked up to see one of my favorite sights ... "glory rays". Those divine beams of light that seem to burst through the clouds, encouraging us refine our focus (even for only a moment) to give us a glimpse of our own heaven on earth.
A day of naps, chats, and a touching movie about the bond of a family and their love of music. (You know what music is? Harmonic connection between all living beings! - The Wizard)
Two Clips of Awesomeness!
Tonight we went out to support Kendall and her superfun band, Mount Righteous, at Granada! Get this ... they play anywhere and everywhere - sans electricity! This gang is just short of a full-on circus of instruments and has tremendous playful energy. Can't wait for their album!
Each spring I am mesmerized by the intense lavender blooms of Redbud Trees, the pure white bursts from the Ornamental Pear Trees and the sights and scents of weepy Wisteria. *taking it all in* :o)
Anyone not using Jott missing out! If you're like me, you may have 50 things running through your mind at any given time (to-do's, ideas, reminders) - and more times than not, I'm not around pen, paper, or keyboard to capture it all. With Jott, you can turn any cell phone into your personal scribe! This free service not only forwards recorded messages to you (and anyone in your contact list) via e-mail, it also transcribes them into text instantly.
Let's all attract and create as much joy as possible in life ... stay cautious of conforming areas that can weigh you down.
We started the day by celebrating Easter at Sunday Mass with my Nana and continued the afternoon with our close-knit family and incredible food. I wish we would have taken more pics of the gang, my Nana's beautiful garden patio and full-blooming Azaleas. Guess we got caught up catching up, enjoying the culinary cornucopia, and some fully-bellied souls (Matt and Casey) snagging some afternoon zzzzz's before our drive back to Dallas.
My parents treated us to a sunset sailing charter out of Galveston Bay today! Mom, Dad, my cutie brother Casey and his girlfriend, Meagan, Matt and I sailed out for an incredible cruise with beautiful sunset and bright orange full moon. Captain Jim earned his money's worth with Matt's sailing questions as he eventually took over the helm for our cruise :o).
Clear and sunny skies for our drive to spend Easter weekend with my family today! This 67-ft tall (plus 10-ft base) statue of Sam Houston greets us along I-45 as he watches over the city of Huntsville. I love that the statue is named "A Tribute to Courage".
I wanna take dance lessons. Think I'll go look up classes and try to convince some lucky soul to join me ;o)
Soums, Matt, and I joined our FC Change Group today to help out at the Genesis Benefit Thrift Store in support of the shelter. It certainly took teamwork and some meticulous organizational minds to get the entire baby/toddler clothes area in order. The guys did a great job with pure man power in receiving donations. After some nap time, we met up with Berger and Kristen for dinner at Medina and a brief stop through Lotus Lounge.
Soums is in town to play this weekend! Tonight we celebrated the evolving seasons of our lives over Blue Fish take-out, an incredible vino gift from Berger (signed by the vinyard's owner), creativity, and chatting.
Last night my wallet was stolen. :o( While a couple friends and I were at Cru in the West Village a guy came in, ordered a glass of water as he sat for ~5 minutes behind us, and left. What we didn't notice (and surveillance cameras captured) was that he leaned down to my purse (that was at my feet), lifted my wallet and was on his merry way to a free-for-all at gas stations in the area. While I feel vulnerable having personal documents and money stolen, I have learned some good lessons. Hope you need this information, but if you do click here for what to do as soon as you notice your wallet is missing.
... and I did. :o)
