Austin Visit

I'm definitely a homebody and shy, but I've been trying to make more of an effort to see friends lately. Yesterday I drove out north to go to one friend's house in the morning for her party, and then I drove out west to visit another friend at her going away party. I have to make an effort to be social, but I never regret it.

One thing that comes more easily for me is hanging out with family. My cousin Rachael and her husband Jason arrived in Austin yesterday. Jason is there on business, so Rachael is leaving tomorrow and he is staying until Thursday. I drove up there with Natalie this morning to spend a little time with them. Eric had a full schedule this weekend, with a soccer game, two birthday parties, and church school. Patrick of course had to stay to drive him around. Alex spent the night at a friend's house on Saturday and I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon. Natalie actually had a clear schedule for once.

There were a lot of cars out on the road today, but it was an easy drive. We picked them up at their hotel and went to lunch. We didn't anticipate such a tough time finding a place to eat. We went to a few places and the wait was well over an hour for each of them. Luckily there were a lot of restaurants within walking distance of each other. We finally found one without a wait.

Interestingly, Natalie didn't say anything to me in the car on the way up there or on the way back. Boy, did she make up for it during lunch. She was talking non-stop. I interrupted her a few times just so I could talk to Rachael and Jason and catch up a little. I haven't seen them since they got married three years ago. I lived with Rachael's family for a year during my first year in med school oh so many years ago, before they moved away. Now they were talking about moving next year and that Austin was on their list of possible places to move to. That would be so cool!

Natalie took this picture of us in front of the Austin City Hall. We look especially amused because she took a picture and then didn't say anything. We were left wondering when she was going to take a picture. That's when she took this one. Silly girl.

It was such a short visit, but we had a great time. They probably found out more about Natalie than they wanted to. She's definitely a talker like her father. :) We missed seeing their adorable daughter Charlotte, but maybe if we get lucky, they'll move close by and we'll be able to see her all the time. (Crossing my fingers.)