On Friday we woke up, packed, and headed for Austin. At the last minute, James talked Gaga And Grampa into coming with us for the weekend. Friday night we ate at Freddie's, petting the dogs and playing washers. Afterward we wen
t to Amy's ice cream.
We spent Saturday at Barton Springs. There were a ton of people there, but it didn't feel at all crowded. There was plenty of shade, the water kept us cool, and everyone was just relaxed and happy. I could have stayed all day, but we decided we should go to the hotel to rest before our late night of fireworks at auditorium shores.
We were so glad that we had such a convenient hotel for the fireworks show. Again, there were a ton of people, but we just walked right over, easily found a spot to lay out our blankets, and listened to the symphony music and people watched while we waited for the show. We were sitting right by the port-a-potty line, so we got a great parade of people to watch.
The kids even got to see our favorite Austin "character". There'
s not really a name for him, but anyone who has spent much time in Austin knows who he is. I just call him James' boyfriend. On this particular evening, his ensemble included a leopard bikini bottom that revealed plenty of crack, a denim vest, and a cowboy hat. Of course he was carrying his rolling luggage with him, so when it was his turn for the bathroom, he left the door open so he could keep an eye on his luggage. It was fun to watch the kids' faces, as well as several others in line who were obviously experiencing their first such sighting.
The fireworks were great. I was surprised by how cool it was to see their reflection in the new glass buildings on the shores. It made it look like the f
ireworks were exploding inside the buildings. Afterward, we easily walked right back to the hotel, thankful we didn't have to fight the traffic.
Sunday we ate our Embassy Suites breakfast and went to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. It was a great mix of family/spa/waterpark/luxury resort. We enjoyed the lazy river and the water volleyball.
Kayla and I decided to get out hair braided. It was SO tight! Kayla only lasted for a few hours before taking hers out. I lasted a little over 24 hours. It was nice to not have to think about or wash or brash my hair for a day. Is that what it's like to be a boy?
The kids decided to make Monday a lazy day. We spent a few hours at the pools, but most of the day we layed in bed watching movies and ordering room service. It was nice to just hole up in a little room with just the four of us.
Tuesday was Sea World. We spent most of the day in line. It was extremely hot. But the rides were fun and we saw some good shows. The waterskiing show was good and there was also a dolphin show. That's all I've got to say about that.
After Sea World we drove downtown and stayed on the Riverwalk. The Alamo was right outside our hotel window. We ate at a Mexican restaurant on the river that was yummy.
Wednesday was Schlitterbahn. This was a great day. Long lines, but plenty of shade and not too crowded. Everyone was happy. It's just a different vibe in the hill country. If you're in a crowd, it's okay because everyone is chilled and happy and it's a good energy. If you're in a crowd in Dallas, it's a resentful, hurried, "get-outta-my-way-I'm-way-more-important-than-you" energy. Anyway, we liked the rapids ride in the original park, and we liked the Master Blaster and the wave river on the new side.
When we left we found a new yummy restaurant in Clear Springs. Calvin ate at least 20 ounces of steak, and we all completely stuffed ourselves. I have vowed to NEVER stuff myself again - I was so miserable. I guess that what happens when none of us eat all day.
On Thursday, we just couldn't decide what to do. We had planned to go tubing on the Guadalupe, but it was so low we could tell it would actually be drudging down what used to be the Guadalupe before it dried up. So we decided to go ziplining. I was being chicken for some reason. I think it was the heat I was afraid of. Every day was getting up to 106, and it had been okay since we were in water, but I didn't know what to expect here. So we went to go see how it looked.
It looked awesome, and it was half price day, and they had a spot for us in the evening if we came back at 6. That was perfect because we realized on the way there that Krause Springs was right down the road. So we went swimming at Texas' #1 best swimming hole.
Now we know why it was voted #1! You're surrounded by trees and rocks and waterfalls. It's cool,fresh spring water. There's a rope swing. And Cal went straight to the cliff diving without hesitation. I wish I could be that carefree. I watched him over and over climb up the cliff and fly off. I was so envious! It looked so fun! I watched people jump for about half an hour, getting my courage up. And finally I steeled myself to do it. I knew it would be fun - I'm just such a chicken.
So Cal taught me how to climb up using the tree branches, pointed out the hornet's nest and how to avoid it, showed me where to step to get to the edge without slipping, and the overhead branches to hang onto as I made myself jump. The scariest part was making sure you jump out far enough so you won't hit the cliff on your way down. It felt so great!
Then we went to eat at an awesome barbeque restaurant called Opie's. When you walk in the door they open up this huge smoker and ask you what you want. Pretty cool. It was really good, but we were all careful not to eat too much after Clear Springs.
Ziplining was even more fun than any of us expected. It's not nearly as scary as it seems. In fact, it's not scary at all-just fun! The only kind of scary part was the bridges you cross to get from tree to tree. We're looking forward to going back to do the Challenge course next time. We all agree that the unplanned day turned out to be the funnest day by far. Isn't that usually how it happens?
Friday was our last day. Everyone was pretty ready to go home. I did my town lake running in the morning. Then we ate breakfast at Kirby Lane and went back to Barton Springs for the day. I guess it was pretty hot again because I lost count of the people carted off by ambulances throughout the day. But we didn't notice. We just swam and basked in the sun and soaked up all of Austin we could before heading back the next day.
Friday night we met Kellie and her family at Baby A's. It had actually been 10 whole years since we had all seen each other together. Unbelievable. It was fun to be all together and hang out for a night.
Saturday we just got up and went. No breakfast, no nothing, just went. We were pretty ready to get home.
