October Holiday Part 1: AUSTIN

In early October, Kent and I made yet another trip across the Atlantic...this time all play and no work! What better reason to take a vacation than the weddings of good friends. Indeed, I said weddings. We were lucky enough that our friends in Austin, Sonia & Steve, and our friends from Venezuela (who live here in London), Grazzia & Marc, happened to plan their weddings one week apart. Here's a quick recap of the Austin portion of the trip.....


We arrived on a Thursday, and had the pleasure of spending a night out in Lago Vista with Kent's parents. Exactly the relaxing we needed after the long flight! We even got to see Winston. (No photos of him here though, since we bought a new point&shoot camera the next day)


So Friday, ran tons of errands including the new camera, and we were all set to meet up with friends for our long-awaited Tex-Mex fix at Trudy's. Pretty late night for my jet-lagged self, but great to see everyone! Here's one of Kent and the guys:

Saturday, we headed out for brunch at Austin Diner with Forrest, Arrian and baby Maps. Again, got our fill of Tex-Mex breakfast and even some sunshine out on the patio (eating outside....unheard of in England in October!). Then on to the place-next-to-Hula-Hut, which changes name every time we visit, for a few cold drinks and more sunshine. Yep, my pale self got sunburned in a mere 2 hours of October sun.

On to Sonia & Steve's wonderful wedding celebration! The beautiful ceremony was held at the University Catholic Center (makes for great pics with the UT Tower)...... And the reception was a little outside of town at Kali-Kate. What a gorgeous venue! Perfect weather for the semi-outdoor space - and what a fantastic job they (Sonia) did with the decorations, entertainment and so many little details. I have never been so "entertained" at a wedding!
First there was a mariachi band when we arrived (playing while I picked up the flip-flops that Sonia provided us ladies with - my feet thank you!!). Then there were belly dancers entertaining us while we enjoyed the welcome cocktail and canape session. A yummy dinner was in there somewhere, and then the dancing began. Next, there were a pair of professional salsa dancers who gave a performance, then a group lesson. Another great idea - and it sure came in handy in Venezuela the following week. Neeexxxt, an 80s cover band came on stage and the neon Ray-Bans came out. Some great photos with the shades -- here's us and Rachel & Forrest. Then there was a DJ! Oh, and I can't forget about the photo booth with all the fun costumes and hats - they used these for the guest book. So much fun Kent & I went in there twice with 6 different costumes. :-) What a fantastic and fun night of dancing - perfect way to celebrate with Sonia & Steve.

The next morning came early....but we had a good reason to get up...brunch at Chez Zee with Mandy and baby Devin! I haven't seen Mandy in a long time, and have never met Devin, so when we found out we would be in Austin the same weekend for (separate) weddings, we had to meet up. Sunday morning worked out and we had a fantastic brunch and catch-up. Devin is such a cutie and a walking fool!!

Sunday afternoon we headed back out to Lago Vista for one more night...repack the suitcases and get ready for a trip to South America.....