I'm back...

& I'm staying in Texas. Not the best news I received but as usual I will make the most of it. It actually works out because B turned down NYC to be with me and just got accepted to go to UT Arlington in the new year.

Our lives are very different now, I'm very different. I am excited for the new year to see what new and exciting things 2013 has in store. 

Here we go again.

This week marks the two year anniversary of us moving to Texas, funny how this whole week I will be packing up all of our belongings, ready for when B moves in August.


I leave next week for Oklahoma, followed a week later by B who finally got his orders today to go for training near Boston (I'm jealous Boston is way cooler than Oklahoma).


Anyway I am trying to make the apartment nice for our pet/apartment sitter who will stay here for the three months that B is away. Mean while trying to pack a huge chunk of our things away, so B doesn't have to (you should see the way he packs :s)


He has been getting much more affectionate lately, I think it's finally hit him that we will be away from each other for the next 6 months, maybe more. Some time's I think I must be crazy to chose a path that leads me away from him for a period of time, but then I tell my self that crazy would be waking up at 50 and realising I never did anything for myself.

Anyway many a crazy, hectic thoughts are going through my mind right now. It doesn't help that I am rushing around trying to get everything done before the weekend.

I need to sleep now, my packing logic is absent at this time of the night so I am doing no good!

What a fortnight!

So the parents left today, after two hectic, fun filled weeks. Here is a little bit of what we did.

We roamed SoCo & ate at Homeslice!

We watched the Counting Crows play at Auditorium shores, they were in town for SXSW.

We went to the Austin Rodeo. It was like nothing I have ever seen before!

We took in the beauty of Downtown Austin!

We enjoyed some Texas BBQ and frozen sangria at The Salt Lick...

We went to Mt Bonnell, If you live in Austin and haven't been you need to, I can't believe it took us 2 years.

We went Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake..My new favourite thing to do. My mum also got pooped on by birds! FUNNIEST thing I have seen in a long time.

We had our first experience with food trailers in Austin boy was it good.  If you are local you have to try Ms P's electric cock (SoCo) & Gourdoughs (South First).  Best friend chicken I've ever had, hands down.

Climbed Enchanted Rock.

We visited Fredericksburg, ate some German food, drank some German beer and ofcourse we went shopping.

Overall it was a fantastic two weeks, and I loved being a tourist in my own city, people should do it more often.

Little things that made my weekend!

Friday was my last day at work! I haven't worked there that long and don't know my co-workers very well, but they planned me a surprise breakfast, with coffee and donuts... and got me some beautiful flowers. I am so glad to have some free time before I leave, but I will miss them all.

Yesterday I got to catch up with a good friend of mine Lindsey. She's also about to embark on an adventure back to Haiti. Since we went last April, she has been back twice and this time she'll go for a month, basically to decide if that's were she will stay for the next year. How exciting. She is a dental hygienist by trade, so her idea is to set up a permanent dental clinic on the mission. I am so inspired by her enthusiasm and bravery.

It was good to just catch up one last time before she leaves, we went a did a little yoga, went and ate lunch at whole food- which is my new favourite thing to do and caught up on some errands together.

Good luck Lindsey, I will miss you!

Yesterday also marked the two year anniversary of the day B asked me to marry him. Time has gone so fast!

All in all I had a good weekend, despite the awful weather we have in Austin, thunderstorms and rain for four days straight, but I am so excited to see my parents next week.

So overwhelmed!

I am elbows deep right now in all of our stuff trying to pack before my parents get here (next week..eeeek). I have to methodically divide things up between things that are going with B, things that are going with me if I live on barracks and things that will go with me if I live in family housing. My genius husband suggested colour coding the boxes, so that's what I've been doing.

I love how the one in the middle looks like the English flag :). Anyway even with the colour co-ordinating it is not an easy task. I am feeling so overwhelmed with everything right now!

I have two more days at work, thank goodness. I am so ready to have a break before I leave, maybe I will finally get my taxes and other boring stuff like that done!

B got a new job, which is great, other than the fact he works nights so the last month we have together we don't get to spend too much time actually together but I am starting to see that it's a blessing in disguise and is helping to wean me off him! Seriously.

I got new running shoes. Several visits to different running stores and over $100 later I bought Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12, the guy noticed I over pronate when I run, it's not noticeable when I walk so that's probably why it took so long to figure out, also the shoes I had before were actually meant for the opposite, so they were making it twice as bad. Anyway I have new shoes and i also invested in some Shin/Calf compression sleeves, they are meant to help with recovering. We will see.

I am running for the first time in my new shoes and with my sleeves tomorrow morning, fingers crossed I am not in agony!

PS.. I got measured yesterday to see my progress over the 6 weeks training and I lost around 10 inches(and gained about half an inch on each bicep:)) I really did not expect that at all.

 Is in awe at how fast time flies... I have 5 weeks until I leave for training and my parents are here for two of them. I am starting to freak out just a little bit.

I have been training like crazy and have really bad shin splints right now, I was told to get new running shoes but have no idea which ones to get, sounds a bit of a pathetic dilemma, but when you are running miles everyday and your shins hurt so bad you may just cry... it makes it that much more important to find the right shoes. ARRRGH

I have one more week left at work, I am so relieved to be able to have some time off before I leave to get things in order.

Mum and Dad come for a visit on March 13th I am so excited. We have lots planned, including the Austin Rodeo, I am so excited we haven't been since we have lived here and I just bought some new boots....

Aren't they beautiful... I am in love! I was tempted to get red ones (Footloose anyone?? ) but decided the bright colours on these are more me!

Valentines day

We planned to celebrate Valentine's day at the weekend, because I worked til 5 and after work... I really don't feel like doing a thing. After my training at 6 am I came home and decided to make chocolate covered strawberries, dipped in nuts and coconut.

 ....but B suprised me with dinner.. YES!! he made dinner, he rarely ever makes dinner so it was really great of him. He made steak, baby potatoes and asparagus. It was SUPER!

We then watched a movie... it was an average movie but watching it whilst cuddling up on the sofa with my favourite person made up for it.

Then before we went to bed we decided to make a list of every place we wanted to travel to.. we narrowed it down to 15, we didn't want to get too ahead of ourselves. We then made a "plan" to take a trip within the states atleast once a year, and then one further afield every 3 years..

Overall it was a great night.. who knows where we will be next Valentine's Day!