Long Time No Blog

I know, I know. It's been WAY too long. But we're back with plenty of tidbits to share from the life of the Whittingtons.

So let's recap a bit. The last time we talked we were about to embark on our July Adventures. So we'll start there.

We had a blast in Austin, visiting with Daniel's family. It started out with Jackson and I making the trip out there while Daniel headed to Orlando for a work conference. Daniel helped us check our baggage in at the San Luis Obispo airport and then we were on our own. Jackson did fairly well on the flights. From SLO to LA he slept the entire way, much to my relief. The flight from LA to Austin was not so pleasant, as Jackson screamed from the time we boarded till the time they turned off the seatbelt sign. I apologized profusely and continued to try to calm him down. He finally calmed down while I was feeding him and fell asleep shortly thereafter. We were welcomed in the Austin airport by Daniel's sister, Sarah. A sight for sore eyes.

Our first days were filled with settling in and getting reacquainted with Me Me (pronounced May May), Fauxpa, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Andy and cousins Jeremiah, Caleb and Taylor. Me Me was well-prepared for us, having bought all the essentials plus some. Jackson had a swing (like the one at home), a bumbo seat, plenty of toys, and his bed set up just the way he likes it (thanks to Sarah). We felt right at home.

Our first week we spent without hubby and Daddy. We visited with cousins, took walks in the neighborhood, went swimming, shopping, experienced fast food joints we don't have here on the Central Coast (namely Sonic), ate great food (for example, Kerby Lane & Austin Java), and made cookies with Fauxpa. Oh, and the most important thing, we taught Me Me how to tube feed Jackson! Yes, you read that right! She's a rockstar.

Daniel arrived late on a Thursday night, due to delayed flights, but we somehow managed to get up early enough to head for a day of adventures at Sea World San Antonio. Daniel and I were kid-less for a day, at least that's what we call it. Me Me, since she learned how to feed Jackson, offered to take care of him while we went to Sea World. The highlight of the day was by far the Shamu show, "Believe." It was nice (and a bit weird) to spend the day without our boy, but it was a breath of fresh air for both of us, as we hadn't spend an entire day together (just us) since before Jackson was born. We went on rollercoasters, watched our nephews feed dolphins, visited with the Budweiser Clydesdales, and tasted the brews of Anheuser-Busch. On a side note, the general consensus is the best beer is free beer. But when it comes down to it, for us anyway, we'd much rather have had a cold Dr. Pepper over the crappy beer we tasted that day.

As for the rest of our trip, we were in for many more adventures. I had my first authentic Texas BBQ at Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q. And let me just say, if you've never had it done right, you've never lived. I'm just sayin'. We also hiked in (with 4 kids!) and swam at Hamilton Pool. Good fun. On top of our many more shopping adventures, we also enjoyed many more eating adventures including fine Indian Cuisine at the ClayPit, "Mexonesian" Cuisine at Hula Hut, and Southwestern Grill at Z'Tejas. To top it off, we (minus Jackson) saw The Dark Knight in Austin's IMAX theatre, located in The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Talk about gnarly.

One of the highlights of our Austin trip was Date Night City Style. We've both always loved the big city life and thanks, once again, to Me Me we were able to spend an evening together in Downtown Austin. We kicked off the night at the Elephant Room on Congress and listened to great jazz while Daniel savored his Chimay on tap and I, my Gin and Tonic. This was my first experience listening to live Jazz, and I loved it! From there we went to Lamberts - Fancy Barbecue. We headed upstairs to the bar to listen to yet more incredible live music, this time Cajun music. That, along with appetizers and cocktails, was just what the doctor ordered, along with some much needed time together.

Jackson was an amazing traveler on the trip back and we arrived home just in time to embark on some more adventures! More to come...