Austin, Texas will never be the same

We recently visited Austin, Texas for a business conference. I had no business being there, but we had a lot of fun.

We stayed at two places: Barton Creek and Courtyard at the Marriott in the heart of downtown Austin. Barton Creek was absolutely gorgeous and here are the pictures to prove it.



Golf at Barton Creek





I was treated to a manicure, a custom massage, and a hot stone massage. It was every bit as good as it sounds. Here is a picture of the hot tub at Barton Creek.




Our room at Barton Creek was fabulous.






I love a good snack bar.



On Friday night, we took a horse guided tour of downtown Austin. The next day we took a picture of Bob, our horse guide.



I also visited Book People, the largest book store in Texas. I was in heaven with three floors of books and excellent staff selections. I walked out with six books varying from historical fiction to how to tap into my creativity. So far Founding Brothers and The Other Boleyn Girl are fantastic.




I expected Austin to be flat and dirty, but it was hilly and picturesque!









We moved to a downtown Austin hotel for Friday and Saturday night.

Here is a picture of our hotel.



Me, before our exhausting walk.



This is a picture of Pete and I in the lobby of our downtown hotel.



Me before eating Texas's version of BBQ (not like NC BBQ at all)



Pete waiting for a cab.



Saturday we spent most of the day walking. Since it was a nice day, we decided to walk...and walk....and walk. In the morning, we took a cab to Lamar street and ate breakfast at a great place. Then we went in search of the "cool" places to shop. Apparently cool means expensive. I saw many cute tops, but I wasn't spending $210 for a black knit top. It was crazy. So we walked back to the hotel, which was a good ten blocks.

After a brief rest and picking up the camera, we decided to walk to see UT's campus. Hmmm. It was oh, 23 blocks from our hotel, but to our credit, we did it!

This is a picture of me with the Freedom Mare at UT.



After walking around UT, we were a bit delirious and I decided to break the speed limit. Pete was kind enough to capture the moment.

Mid-stride



Proof I am a speed demon.



We also saw UT's Bell Tower, the site of Charles Whitman's shootings in 1966, one of the first school shootings in the U.S. (an autopsy showed he had a brain tumor).

Pete's business client was actually present during the shootings in 1966 and was on the cover of Time magazine.



Prior to our UT visit, we toured the Capital building, the biggest Capital building in the country, even bigger than D.C.'s.

View from the steps of the Capital building.



Pete and I in the Capital building, which was quite ornate.





Ceiling view...quite impressive!



Me opening the door to the Capital building.



This is a view of Capital Street from the steps of the Capital. It's a neat picture because you can see so much from the site.



The front of the Capital buiding...



The top...



Here is the gate to the Capital, originally built to keep livestock from wandering on the premises.



Two more views...





We ended the day by walking 24 blocks back to our hotel. Our feet are swollen and I can't wait to sleep!

Boys at sleep

Several nights ago, all three of my boys were simply exhausted on the sofa!

Verdell and Henry have no problems relaxing...



Daddy has no idea I am documenting this.



Henry knows, he just doesn't care.



Pete's square foot.



Another of Pete.



Verdell enjoys his pillows and remote control.

Spider Henry

He's a Spider! Henry shows off his very first Halloween costume as Spider Man!

I'm not sure what is more alarming: the fact that we got him in this costume or the fact that his legs fill out a 4-6 year old Spider Man costume. And he's not even a year old yet!

Notice that the costume has built in muscles too.

Click on any picture to see a larger version.

Spider Henry rests in his Bat Cave.



The mask of Spider Henry





Just Hanging Around


Throw me the ball and look at my muscles!



A Spider Smile!



Taking a bite out of crime.



Taking care of personal business



Cute view from the front.



In full costume!





I will eat your tennis balls and computer too!

Introducing...Verd-Elmo!!!

With Halloween being around just around the corner, it is time to show off Verdell's 2007 costume.

Cutest Elmo I've ever seen...

Model Falls Through Hole on Runway

Okay, this is funny. Watch the "hole" thing, especially at the end when it is in slow motion.

Henry is in Rally Obedience!

Henry is taking his first Rally obedience course at Teamworks. Rally is a fun version of obedience training. Essentially you follow a course and its signs. So you could be asked to take a Left Turn, Sit, Down, Take a Right Turn, Speed Up, Slow Down, About Turn. It's a lot of heeling, but it is a more creative way to train.

Here is a clip of someone else completing a Rally course:



When we are further along I will post our own video!

Henry: All Grown Up (almost!)

I haven't posted any new pictures of Henry and since he is part giraffe, I thought we better take new picture before he is too big to see in the camera.

Baby Henry:




Giraffe or Henry?



Henry at almost 1 year!





Henry in Trouble

Verdell's 2006 Halloween Costume

Verdell was a big, bad dragon in 2006. My mom and I got his costume at Harris Teeter. In case you were wondering, Verdell wears a 2T in human clothes/costumes.

"Aw Mom, do I really have to?"



Relaxing...



Where is Verdell?



Stretching Dragon



Sleeping Dragon



Several side views:

Verdell's 2005 Halloween Costume

We recently purchased halloween costumes for each of our dogs.

Until the unveiling, I thought I would share Verdell's previous costumes.

In 2005, he was a Bumblebee, and a very cute one at that!

I tried to provide many different angles. Notice the stinger on the back of his costume and the antennas on the front. Verdell took a nap in this one, so we think he likes it okay!

Why Wachovia Stinks

Wachovia is the worst.

After having had an account at Wachovia for 10 years, I recently switched over to State Employee's Credit Union because they offer much higher interest rates and are not out to drain you with excessive fees.

So I forgot to change over my Rivals subscription and I overdrew by $9. They charged me $90 in overdraft fees! I'm sure they needed $90 to cover the $9.

So in all of this, they started sending letters to my mother, who initially had co-signed to the account. They threatened her credit and of course, additional fees. I never got a letter, though I have been getting statements for 10 years and my mother has never received one.

So I go in to close the account and they say they can't do it until the payment posts and I will have to come back in when it does. They also said I could use their crappy automated system to do it. Well, it's impossible. You can't get much more than your balance on it. She said the secret is to punch in zeros. Why is there a secret to an automated system? Isn't is supposed to be for our convenience? Why have a "secret"?

If you can join a credit union, do it! They have higher interest rates and lower fees and better customer service.