Austin

Jake and I had the best trip to Austin over the weekend.

We went to watch BYU play UT and were not disappointed with the result. We've been to plenty of road games where the Cougs lost, so it was definitely sweet to have them win, and win big in Texas.



Of course, somehow I managed to miss THE PLAY of the game, you know, the one where Taysom Hill hurdles over the defender to score in the end zone. I had been in line to get us dinner and walked up the ramp and into the stadium just as the Cougar fans erupted in applause. Since they didn't replay that one (I guess it wasn't a Texas moment of glory), I didn't actually get to see the play until later that night. At least Jake got to see it, and I guess it makes for a good story.



The facilities at Texas are impressive. The stadium seats over 100,000 and it a classically constructed building. The campus is very well groomed and the buildings all have a similar look at feel to them. We enjoyed walking around and getting a feel for things the evening before the game.



The UT band is impressive and huge. I've never seen a band with more members. I guess the saying is true that everything is bigger in Texas. The fans were very friendly and genuine in wishing us luck and congratulations after the win. We actually sat on the UT side of the stadium, in the shade, and tried to be good fans too.





We stayed in a lovely hotel near the capitol and enjoyed walking all around downtown Austin the days we were there. It is a very clean, walkable, and interesting downtown and is on the banks of the Colorado river.  I fell in love with the composition of the federal courthouse. Especially at night, the light played on the different textures in such a beautiful way. We visited the flagship Wholefoods marketplace, ate some turf and surf tacos, walked along the river, checked out the capitol, and enjoyed touring around campus. Saturday we waited in line for lunch at La Barbeque, a food truck that has the 2nd best food in town, and to hours later ate some delicious ribs, biscuit, sausage, and pulled pork. It was worth the wait. Afterwards we took a self guided tour around town to see homes from Friday Night Lights. Recognize any of these?

Federal courthouse

 

Jake was a trooper and did this trip while taking his latest round of chemo. It really does wipe him out and cause some other unpleasant side effects, but he was uncomplaining the whole time, even as we waited in the BBQ line. We did take time to rest, sleeping in on both mornings, and resting in the hotel during the afternoons, and had some groceries on hand so that he never had to get too much stomach upset. He is one tough guy and really doesn't complain about his suffering.



We also paid a visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library. Jake has made it a goal to visit all of the presidential libraries, and has been to several already. It was interesting to learn more about LBJ and his rise in politics. He seemed to be a very driven guy and knew how to get people to do what he wanted. And thanks to him government programs are plentiful in the USA.



 

Jake and I were also able to meet up with several of our friends and appreciated them making time to see us. We saw Jake's roommate, and our mutual friend from the semester we were all interns at DC. He is still the same smart and funny guy and it was nice to meet his sweet wife and darling baby boy (I can thank him for the name of the blog -- a story for another day). We got to see two of my friends from growing up who are avid BYU fans too. And at halftime our sweet friends who used to live in AZ (and babysat our girls when we went to the Notre Dame game) came over to say it and visit with us. I loved seeing all of them and getting caught up on their lives.







We had such a great trip and it was just the break, recharge, escape that we needed. There is something about getting out of town that helps us forget our own troubles and see that there is a big big world out there. I also loved catching up with friends and felt like I was able to come back to myself in some degree. I really am a friendly, question asking, interested in other people kind of girl and it was so nice to get out of my head for a bit and think about other people.

I must end thanking the babysitters who made this trip possible for us- my sister Claire and Jake's brother Matt and our sister in law Jessica. Claire came to town with her own two kids and had 6 children in her sole care for 48 hours, and M&J took over on Sunday, taking the kids to church and feeding them dinner. We couldn't have gone without their help and are so grateful for that service.