Cristin comes to visit!

This weekend, we had the pleasure of Cristin coming to visit. "Aunt Cris" as we now call her for Maddie's sake, showed a whole lot of love for our little girl and I know that Maddie-girl enjoyed the attention. We had a fantastic weekend! Friday night Matt J. joined us as we discovered a new restaurant called Vivo's. The food was delicious and the $9 margaritas were POTENT! Afterwards, we checked out Sixth street. This time we actually gained access to one of the Real World bars...The Dizzy Rooster. This place is your typical bar...no luxuries, no added amenities. The Dizzy is all about the beer...and the occassional girl dancing on the bar. Saturday, the girls went shopping while I worked. Saturday night, we went to the annual Halloween Party at Kally and Colm's. As usual, this party was a tremendous success. The Karaoke was a hit...so much so that Cara and Cristin belted out a Madonna classic...Material Girl. Thanks Kally and Colm.
Finally, Sunday, we took Maddie for a walk around Town Lake and we went to the Alamo drafthouse to catch a flic. We saw Elizabethtown which turned out to be a very satisfying movie. For the first time in a long time, I left the theater feeling like the movie was worth the cost.
Now, it's back to work...Cheers!

Elizabethtown...can't wait for the soundtrack. 

Lance and Sheryl!!! I think we nailed it..what do you think? 

Cara and Cristin doing some Material Girl. 

You tell me... 

Hurricane Glenn! 

So, last weekend was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I volunteered to help with the Austin Film Festival. My job was to chauffeur the movie writers/directors/actors from the airport to their hotels and to work the door at the after parties. I thought that this would be a unique opportunity to see the inner workings of the AFF and to have unprecedented access to some of the nicest places in Austin such as the Stephen F. Austin hotel, the Driskell hotel, etc. And, I was able to watch some of the newest movies before they were released. Some of the people who were in attendence and who I met were Mike Judge, the creator of Beavis and Butthead, Office Space and King of the Hill, Harold Ramis, creator and actor of the Ghostbusters, Caddyshack and many others, Ernie Hudson, the cast of Shopgirl (Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman), Josh Alexander, Buck Henry, and many more. Cara and I also attended a viewing of "The Sisters" featuring Mary Stewart Masterson, who was also in attendance. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I plan to volunteer again next year.  

Shaun and Christin's Visit

Shaun and Christin arrived on Friday afternoon. I was excited because it was the first time that they had come to Austin since I moved here. This was also the first opportunity for all of us to spend time together since Cara and I got engaged. Despite the rain on Friday afternoon, I had planned for us to see Willie Nelson Friday night. The rain passed and we had a great night at the Stubb's for the Willie concert. On Saturday, we watched the Texas/OU football game at Chad and Mireya's place with several of our friends. Saturday night, we went to Esther's Follies and did Sixth Street. We tried to visit some of the clubs that have been featured in "The Real World-Austin," but they have become so popular that the lines were too long. In Austin, there's no reason why anyone should pay a cover or wait in a line to enter a club. Saturday, we visited Mount Bonnell. The weather was fantastic. Sunny, blue skies...typical Austin weather. Maddie did a little exploring while we were there. And to top off the weekend, we feasted on the greatest BBQ in Texas at the uncomparable Salt Lick. Great weekend! I was really sad to see them depart on Monday. We can't wait to return to the east coast! We have some many reasons to go back home. Of course, we'll continue to enjoy Austin to its fullest while we're here.

To see more pics of Shaun and Christin's visit, click the pic. 

We also took the obligatory trip out to the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. When you come to Austin, you absolutely must go to the Salt Lick for Texas BBQ.  

Shaun and Christin - Bro and Sis. 

Sunday, we took a trip up to Mount Bonnell with Maddie. 

Cara and I get a rare picture together on Sixth Street. 

Saturday night, we went to Esther's Follies and hung out on Sixth Street.  

Saturday, we went to Chad and Mireya's to watch the Texas/OU game. Texas won!!! Now, we're on our way to a National Championship...watch out, USC and Virginia Tech! We'll see one of you at the Rose Bowl. Christin, Shaun's wife, and Cara are sitting on the couch and Beth, Glenn, Tony and Kathy were also watching the game with us. 

Friday night, we went to see Willie Nelson at Stubb's BBQ downtown. If I had a list of things that I would like to do before I die, one of them would have been to see Willie live. Now, I can say that I've been to a Willie show and he lived up to my expections! Whiskey River, take my mind... 

Friday was a rainy, dreary day in Austin when Shaun and Christin arrived. 

Matt and Lorie Arrive after driving in from NC.

Wednesday - Matt and Lorie arrive from NC. Matt, a college buddy of mine, recently accepted a position at a company, here, in Austin.