Mini-Vacation!

WE just got back from a fun mini-vacation to Austin. Dave and I have driven through Austin several times but never "visited" so we decided for my birthday this year that we should go. We had (mostly) a great trip! We drove down Thursday night and stayed in a nice hotel in a city just north of Austin called Round Rock. It was not fun to be all together in the hotel room (that would be the "mostly" part of the great trip). Leah wouldn't sleep since she could see us, Ellie couldn't sleep with Leah fussing, Dave and I couldn't sleep because of the two of them, and probably nobody around us could sleep either. Oh well, that's travel with kids. We got up Friday morning and headed over to Round Rock Donuts for some Texas-sized deliciousness!


The donuts were so good- like Krispy Kreme but with more character. Mmmmmmm....donuts...... When we got back to the hotel, we all went for a swim. That hotel had the nicest pool ever! The water was so warm that it was like swimming in a giant bathtub. I hate being cold and wet so I was very happy and of course the kids had a great time playing and splashing around. After the pool, we loaded up and drove down to Town Lake in the heart of Austin. We spent some time wandering on the paths and bridges around Town Lake, and in the spirit of keeping Austin weird, we met a lady taking her pony, Einstein, for a walk. I had to get a picture!

We went and had lunch at Shady Grove, then back to the park for some paddle boating! On the river we saw ducks, turtles, beautiful white herons, etc., but the highlight of that little adventure according to Ellie was when we got stuck. Ellie wanted to trade seats with me so I recommended going close to shore so if we tipped, we would be in shallow water. Unfortunately, we got stuck on a rock and it took all of Super Daddy's efforts to un-snag us and get us back in open water. After the boating I wanted to go to the Zilker Botanical Gardens. At first I wasn't very impressed but then we discovered the oriental garden.



It was a beautiful place, and Ellie loved the many steps, bridges, ponds, waterfalls, hidden passages, and stepping stones. This fun-filled day ended with a drive out to Driftwood to experience the amazing BBQ at the Salt Lick. The ribs and brisket there are something else!

After another sleepless night, we were more or less ready for another day of adventure on Saturday. We were greeted by a thunderstorm dumping rain on us as we left the hotel, but that blew over quickly and left us with a chilly, windy day. We were pretty glad we had done our outdoor stuff on Friday! We started our day with a tour of the Texas State capitol building.




Texas history is fascinating and the capitol building is beautiful. Just FYI, that star in the picture at the top of the dome is 8 feet from point to point. The Capitol building was really interesting for Dave and I but the girls were bored, so we left after the tour and took the girls to the Children's Museum. Ellie loved the exhibits there, and spent hours playing with golf balls, building things, and exploring the many exhibits there. By the afternoon, we were all pretty beat. We were happy to get back home and sleep in our own separate rooms and in our own beds that night! We were glad we went though-Austin was definitely worth visiting and definitely a place I would visit again!