Weekend in Austin

Last weekend, Dave & I headed to Austin for our last getaway before Baby Rinn is born in October. Our last weekend in Austin was wonderful, and so we were both looking forward to this a lot. We left as soon as Dave got home on Friday afternoon and headed down 35. Of course, our first stop out of town was Dairy Queen. I was so excited that their featured Blizzard was Girl Scout Thin Mint...but my excitement faded when they were all out of the Thin Mints. (Mint cookie dough sufficed, though.)

On Saturday morning, we rented a tandem bike near downtown Austin and spent nearly the rest of the day riding around Austin's beautiful hike & bike trail. The man at the bike shop told Dave to ring the bell "liberally" to warn other walkers/bikers/runners that we were coming...and Dave took this instruction very seriously. We truly had a blast riding around, & I don't remember the last time either of us laughed that hard! We were so impressed with how well the trails were maintained, and the cool breezes off the water felt so good. Not to say that we weren't hot, though....by the time we returned the bike around 3:30 that afternoon, we were both BEAT! We grabbed some food, headed back to the hotel, and crashed!

Dave had made reservations for us that evening at the Oasis on Lake Travis. We had heard rave reviews from many of our friends of how gorgeous the sunsets are at this restaurant...after all, it is the "Sunset Capital of Texas." We didn't get to see quite a picture-perfect sunset since it was partly cloudy, but the sky did still turn a gorgeous color of pink. We had a great time eating & talking on the decks above Lake Travis....we'd be lying if we didn't say that most of our conversation centered around how excited we are for Baby Rinn to be home with us soon!





The highlight of the weekend (for me, at least) occurred on Sunday when I beat Dave in Scrabble. We played on the decks of Mozart's Coffeehouse on Lake Austin....the coffee & and the view were both wonderful. (If you zoom in, you will see that I only won by 1 point...but a win's a win!)



Now we're on a downward slide until October...and we can't wait! Hope you're all enjoying the final days of summer, too!

Trip to Minnesota--June '09

I've been meaning to blog about my trip to Minnesota ever since I got home 2 weeks ago...but somehow life has just been too busy! I did enjoy a wonderful time in Minnesota, though!

I spent the majority of my time with my Grandma Dolores. The two of us had a fun time at the General Store in Minnetonka, where we had lunch and shopped around. Grandma & I also played many games of Scrabble & UpWords together. I think the funniest moment of all was when my grandma played "sexy." She couldn't figure out why my mom & I were laughing so hard! When we explained that it's funny for an 89 year-old to play that word, she said, "I always play 'sex' or 'sexy' whenever I get the 'x.' " Hilarious!! Also...it's amazing how GOOD she is at these games! I was only able to beat her one time during my whole trip! In addition to playing Scrabble & UpWords, Grandma & I also visited my grandpa's grave & looked at a LOT of picture albums. My favorite thing to do with Grandma is to hear about "the olden days." I love the stories that she shares with me!




My cousin Anna & I also spent a fun day together! We "celebrated" our Swedish heritage at the American Swedish Institute in downtown Minneapolis. I was 8 years old the last time I visited this museum, so it was a lot of fun to go there again! We toured around the museum and saw the life-size picture of our great-grandpa which is displayed on the third floor. We also took pictures on the "life-size" Dala horse...where else, but in Minnesota, could you ride one of these?

My sister is working at Covenant Pines, the Bible camp that we both attended when we were growing up and the camp where I also worked for 2 summers. It was such a blast to be back at camp and remember all the fun memories that I made there! Emily is the Activities Director on staff, so I got a first-hand view of what is involved with being the AD...which mostly involved screaming directions into a megaphone, wearing crazy costumes, and managing groups of chaotic campers! Seriously though, she is doing an awesome job, and I am so glad that she's able to be at camp this summer. When I wasn't assisting her in her AD duties, I spent most of my time reading by the edge of the lake...while wearing a sweatshirt! The sunsets were absolutely gorgeous, and it felt SO good to feel the cool Minnesota breeze--something we definitely don't have in Texas right now where our heat index is 110!!


Another big event that I was able to attend in Minnesota was the wedding of my high school friend, Molly! Molly & I played basketball together, and she's definitely one of the craziest people I've ever known. My sweet friend Audra & I were able to go to Molly's wedding together. It was so fun to catch up with friends & teachers from high school that I don't get to see very often!







Lastly...what would a trip to Minnesota be without Caribou Coffee? (or, more specifically...six trips to Caribou?) ;) Besides friends, family, all things Swedish, & the changing of seasons, I think I miss Mint Conditions more than anything from Minnesota! If you've never tried one, you are missing out! So...in a nutshell, this sums up my wonderful week back in my "homeland." I'm so excited that I'll be able to introduce our sweet little boy to all my Minnesota friends & family the next time I'm up there!