So I’ve started to get flack from my adoring fan about being lazy with the blog. But it’s generally a good sign if my life has gotten more interesting then an online photo journal. So much has happened at this point I hardly know where to start.
Work: Work is pretty great. It’s hard work in long term acute, and it wears on you. I’m enjoying myself and I really like my co-workers, but it’s nothing I could do long term. But I have nothing but respect for the people who can. I have recently discovered that my co-workers are also my friends and have started to attend happy hours, BBQ’s and even pole dancing lessons with them (it’s hardcore exercise, not a new career path). I love Austin and will be disappointed to leave, but even more now that I have this good core group of people I have gotten to know. The downside to making friends as a traveler.

tree out front at the hospital
Austin free time: We tend to spend most of our time in Austin, since, why would we go anywhere else when we are in such an awesome place. It’s the perfect time of year to be here, and the highways are exploding with wildflowers.

indian paintbrushes and other wildflowers along the highway
Bluebonnets are a Texas staple so we drove out to a field of them to take in the color (and scent, which you cannot experience from this).



bluebonnets

primrose
There is a lake/river that runs through the middle of Austin (very Portland-esk) and we went out one afternoon on a canoe.

Barton Creek


Jerad was very excited to show off his canoe skills he honed as a child trying to impress all the little girls at his grandparents pond.


Good thing because I was busy taking pictures of turtles.

huge turtles eveywhere
There’s a great running trail along the lake (this is all a 15 minute walk from our apt) that we don’t spend nearly enough time on. We drove up to Mt. Bonnell, a “mountain” at the edge of Austin that offers a great view of some of the richer area of the city along the lake.

lake austin


Austin is festival central. So far we made it to the kite festival and SXSW. The kite festival is pretty self explanatory. SXSW is a music, film and interactive week long festival which brought many of Jerad’s friends and co-workers to town, along with a friend I hadn’t seen since high school. My last roommate in San Francisco also performed.

Justine Bennett at SXSW



view from our apt complex
Jerad has gotten into kickboxing, while I have busied myself with bollywood dance, pole dancing and ever hula hoop making (which I am excellent at if you need a hoop). We have also started Hatha yoga together. To balance out this activity we like to each as much Texas BBQ as possible or catch a film at the nearby movie theater which serves you dinner right in your seat, including fried pickles my new favorite. They certainly fry a lot of food these parts. I am so comfortable here I have gotten very into cooking again, which is about as helpful to the waistline as the pickles.

greatest meringue of all time

yes i take pictures of my food when it's that good
Travel: This last weekend I headed up to Georgetown to check out the Poppy capitol of Texas (I have a thing for wildflowers these days).

poppies




Blue Hole


We also have been down to Gruene and New Braunfels, two german towns just south of Austin.


this picture doesn't do justice to the huge size of the windchimes

Gruene, TX


old dance hall



Canyon Lake

One of our first weekends here we drove out to Longview to visit Jerad’s family (and the cute baby cows).


I have a laundry list of places to see, as we are increasingly running out of time to go to them.
Wedding planning: We have been hard at work (well I have been and Jerad agreeing with whatever I want) planning our September wedding. To date we have the church and reception venue worked out. Jerad is being a good sport and going along with all of the necessary pre-cana preparation with me. I’m having fun but will definitely be glad when it’s all planned out.
My North Carolina License has come through, so hopefully we will get our next destination on the map worked out soon.