I ditched the family again.....

This time I took Rob. Well, Rob took me. I had to cancel a trip to Atlanta last February to see friends, and I still had the airline credit, so when Rob asked if I wanted to accompany him to Austin for a conference I said "yes please." At the time, 2 trips, 2 weeks in a row seemed like a good idea. And, in the end it was. But it was all kinds of stressful getting ready for both!!! And seeing as to how, if I don't work, I don't get paid, we're kinda poor, but oh well. Poor and happy. And rested. We're totally rested.

This time, the kids went to stay with my mom and dad. They only asked if it was time to go to Grammy's house about 37,003 times in the week prior. To say they were excited would be the biggest understatement of the year. I met my parents at a park halfway between my house and theirs. You know, so the kids could run and play before having to get back in the car. Aaaannnnnnnddd my kids basically told me to leave so they could hightail it to Grammy and Papa's house. I am pretty sure I remember Max saying "go get on your airplane mama."

We had a great time. I don't have a ton of pics, because A.)I suck and B.) Rob's convention supplied us with so many free drinks that I couldn't operate a camera most the time. I love Austin though. I don't want to drive in Austin as its full of interstates and roundabouts and such, but being picked up at the airport by a friend from high school (shout out: Corey!) and driven, first to the Hula Hut (fish tacos and skinny margarity: YUM) and then to our hotel and then picked back up (another shoutout COREY!!!!) and driven to Salt Lick rocked my face off. . Everything else we did we could either get on a bus or walk to. And, besides the "skinny" margaritas, everything else I shoved in my piehole (crepes, 2 days in a row) needed to be walked off! There is such good food and atmosphere, very friendly people and the most HUGE Whole Foods in the whole world

 

Airport at 5am. Would have been awesome if we were on the same flight (more on that later) and the coffee didn't taste like a$$.

This is the kind of good friend I am. This is Rob and I's friend, Corey. He's been my friend since we were in Catholic Youth together in the 9th grade. He and his wife met at Rob and I's wedding. He is holding his brand spanking new baby. Do I get an actual shot of my friend, baby, their other child or his wife, who I met at UCA when she roomed with one of my best friends? No, I take a picture of Corey's GIGANTIC ribeye and by chance get Corey and his newborn's arm. 

This is Salt Lick's fire pit. I had never heard of this place until that day, apparently Rob had as he called it a "Bucket List Item." It was really fun, while you wait, they have live music and you can bring your own beer and sit outside and chill. 

See? I'm the worst friend and vacationer ever!!! This is our other friend Cory. Cory's family and my family both migrated to Arkansas from Kansas at the same time. Our dads worked for a company that shipped us all south. I've been friend with this cat since we were busted sipping off our parents keg at a party when we were 5. Band, soccer, church, school. We did that all together. I realized, after meeting him and his girlfriend at Whole Foods that I had failed to get a picture, so I did the dumbest thing and took a pic of him driving us back to our hotel. And then I put it on our blog, Cause I'm classy.

How about some more food pictures? Because nothing says vacation like pictures of what you ate.

Nutella and Banana crepe. Rob and I basically inhale dairy when we are alone together because we can't with our kids around.

This was heaven in the form of ice cream rolled in coconut and pecans and coconut and smother in caramel sauce. Ever go to a restaurant and the waiter/waitress acts proud of you for ordering something?

 This did the trick.

Texas has magical things called Skinny Margaritas. Obviously from the last two pics I was needing to save calories whenever possible. I've had a Skinny Margarita or two, but they didn't hold a candle to this one, or the four others I drank while in Austin.

Kind of funny that I was reading a book about getting rid of excess while eating and drinking a little bit excessively. This wasn't exactly typical "vacation" read, but I heard this lady speak at my MOPS convention and bought her book the minute I got home. I am going to the library to see if they have any of her others because this book was awesome. Really eye opening. After I finished it, I got busy being a regular vacationer and read The Hunger Games. I like to do everything about a year behind everyone else.

After a couple of days of being touristy and seeing friends, it was time for Rob to go to his convention. 

Where he returned with this sort of swag. He had been talking to several people on the company that sponsors this convention's forum for years, so it was exciting for Rob to meet "friends" and be amongst his brethren. He says it was a good conference and he's already registered to go next year which is guy code for "it was awesome!!!" 

I'll leave you with this. Rob's people know how to throw a party and the last night I was there (I came home a day early to deal with Halloween) they had a huge shindig at a haunted pub. There was a live band and about 4 open bars, a magician, poker tables, cigar rollers, and......a caricature artist. The guy studied us intently to get it perfect. And then drew Angelina Jolie and Jesse The Body Ventura. I just can't stop laughing at this. I can't. Its impossible.