A couple weeks ago I woke up early, Mom drove me to the airport, and a few hours later I stepped off a plane in sunny and hot Austin, Texas!
Our first stop was this cute little brunch place in an old house. The owner was a client at Kaitlin's vet clinic so our waffles, eggs florentine, and mimosas were on the house!
After that we went back to Kaitlin's apartment to hang out with her dog, Hailey, and take a little nap before the evening's festivities. We started off the night by going to a dance studio for a stiletto dance class with some people from Kaitlin's work. The instructor was really sassy and fun and we learned a minute of choreography to a Beyoncé song. I'm not a great dancer but it was really fun, and I even kept my heels on the whole time.
Next on the agenda was another work event: a birthday party! One of her work buddies was turning 40 so she made a massive playlist with hits from each decade she's been alive. Pretty cool idea for a party. Kaitlin's work friends were all very welcoming and fun.
The rest of the trip wasn't as heavily scheduled, so the next morning we slept in before putting on our hiking shoes and heading to Turkey Creek, a hiking trail a little outside of town. I had heard that Austin was a little like Nashville, but while driving around I realized how alike they are. I mean, Nashville doesn't have any palm trees, like Austin does, but the look and the overall vibe was eerily similar.
We brought Hailey along for the hiking fun. She loved walking by other dogs we passed, and splashing through the water to cool down. I have to say I was a bit nervous that she would be a little out of control, but she was very well-behaved the whole time I was there; not even a single bark or jump-up to put her paws on you.
That night we went to this cool, sour beer brewery and played Banana Grams, the mini Scrabble-like word game! It was a neat building, and the bartenders were very knowledgeable and helpful, but I wasn't a huge fan of the sour beer flavors. After a late meal at a burger place, we went back to her apartment and stayed up late talking, just like old times back at Drury.
The next day Kaitlin made waffles for breakfast before we drove downtown to peruse the area called Congress Street. It had a bit of a Delmar Loop-like feel, lined with little shops and restaurants. Everything was kindof pricey, but we did get a slice of pizza at Kaitlin's favorite food truck before leaving. That night we decided to go out for Mexican food at this place close to the University. With all the college kids around we started reminiscing about Drury and how much fun we had. We talked about our tiny freshman dorm room with it's sixties built-in furniture, how sometimes fun and sometimes weird it was being in Zeta, all the people we used to party with and what they're up to now, and of course how much fun being roommates was. The whole trip it was like we had just been apart for the summer, not for over five years.
We decided that while talking on the phone every few weeks is great, we cannot let another five years go by before another epic reunion trip. Luckily, Kaitlin's Dad and her sister are both moving to Springfield in the next couple months. She's planning on driving up there for a few days around the holidays and I'll drive down for an overnight while she's there. And then sometime in the next couple years, it's her turn to come visit me here in St. Louis. I had such a great time hanging out with an old friend and exploring a new city. It's sad that she lives so far away but it just means we have to work a little harder to stay in touch - I don't think we'll ever have a problem with that, though!
(photos by e.hunt, and k.horner)
