Austin, TX | Spring Break 2017

Thanks to Facebook Memories, Spring Break in Austin is really like 2017, 2015, 2012 and so on. We've relied on this city to provide a great escape to us for quite some time now, it's not to far away and that makes the drive there easy. Some how to us it is just far enough to feel like we are really far away. So many people always ask - Why Austin? Or What's in Austin? 

I'm not 100% sure what the answer is but I have been drawn to this city since my single and broken hearted days and now as a family of four every time we visit we end up talking about moving there. Every. Time. I can probably tell you more easily what we have not been able to do on our trips there; things that everyone always wants to do in Austin. We have not been able to get into Hamilton Pools, I know this is sad but we have never had luck with that one, I can only assume there is a witching hour for getting in and we just are not making it on time. We have never stood in line at  Franklin's BBQ - We went once after 10 am and I am pretty sure it was laughing at us as we drove by. Other than that this we have over time tried all kinds of Austin things to do. 

We have shopped all around and love going to record stores from the college side of town straight to Congress St., resale shops, antiquing and vinyl records are a must. Although H-Town is know to be a mega "Food" city, you can't really go wrong in finding a good place to catch some grub. Food trucks are a must, Torchy's Tacos muy beno! Pizza joints no problem try some Via 313 Pizza and get your pie on. Summer time calls for some serious shaved ice and I promise your taste buds will be happy. 

Although Hamilton Pools is one good place to find a watering hole don't forget Barton Springs is a great watering spot and head over to Lady Bird Lake and go canoeing or paddle boarding. I have to say we are old school and simply enjoy Lake Travis, we rent a Pontoon boat and a jet ski and set out to have lunch and some fun times on the lake. This year we had a change of pace and rented a small Ski Boat and we had a blast. 

Our little family like to go out for an easy hike (especially with the little bear in tow) we enjoy heading over to Perdenales State Park, truly there are so many parks in and around the city you can't go wrong. The city quote "Keep Austin Weird" so if you go wondering about make some "weird" stops like we did this trip and find your self at "Hope Outdoor Gallery". 

So if you want to get away and keep it nice and easy find yourself in the winding roads and steep dips of Austin, TX. Go exploring and be weird! I'm sure you'll enjoy it! 

Galveston Island – Quick Getaway

How has your summer going? So far our summer has been very crazy and busy – busy with work and busy being a parent. For my friends with young kids and you feel like life is busy and stressful, let me tell you what I didn’t believe when my son was just a kid. It does not get easier. I know you think it might get easier because your children seem to be more self-sufficient and they can take care of themselves, but at some point as they become a “young adult” you realize that when it comes to college and growing up it can be very stressful as a parent too.

This summer we did not plan a summer vacation mostly because in the last nine months as a family of four we have been to – Key West, FL – Freeport, Bahamas – Nassau, Bahamas, thanks to a cruise we took in November 2015. Then for Spring Break we took and little adventure and flew to Seattle, WA from there we decided to lose our minds and take a road trip from there to – Portland, OR – Sacramento, CA – San Francisco, CA and we even made a short stop in Lake Tahoe, CA. All of these were little stops along the way but they were major trips for my little family. 

So with the combination of trips taken and tuition we did not plan to go anywhere this summer, but the best got to us and we needed a time out. I needed a moment to breath, I needed a moment where it was just the four of us – minus the drama of life. I can’t lie I love wood working and I’ve found quite some peace in the solitude of drowning out everything with the sounds of a sander or a miter saw running but I miss my little family at the same time. That’s what we need don’t you think? Balance.

We decided to take a little trip to Galveston Island, not far and believe it or no other than taking a day trip to the beach or the strand in all my life I’ve never stayed on the island. So we booked two nights at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort and we planned to just let go and have fun for a few days.

We spent day one at the pool and just relaxed. Nothing special just a few drinks and swimming around like goofy people. Dinner was just pizza and movie watch in our hotel room just hanging out.

Travel Tip – the next day we headed over to Schlitterbahn for some serious fun. Did you know that you can check with your hotel and see what kind of deals they offer for nearby attractions? We scored our tickets to Schlitterbahn for 50% off the normal price!

Our day at Schlitterbahn was well spent, thankfully it was a cloudy raining day, there wasn’t a ton of people and it wasn’t super 100 degrees hot either. We did get rained on a little but it’s a good thing we were already wet and not made of sugar!

On out last day there we took the ferry over to Bolivar and we hit the beach. The rain caught up to us but not before we had a chance to make some sand castles and sand crab! The storms off of the shore looked crazy cool and again we didn’t mind more water too much.

Before we made it back home we stopped at the strand of course, there is no trip to Galveston Island without a stop at the Chocolate Factory and boutique shopping!

In the end out trip was well worth it, but then again isn’t any trip well worth the time? We got to breath as a family and enjoy our own company. We had fun together and laughed a lot, my kiddos are growing up, thankfully when we pull away from life and it’s just the four of us we fall back into place – almost like nothing ever happened.