Austin, Texas is a cool place to spend a couple of weeks with one of your best friends in the world. Boat party on Lake Travis, full moon yoga in the park, all the puppy kisses- it’s an easy place to enjoy! Allie and I have done some fun traveling together (look for those stories in future blog posts!) but this was different. Three consecutive weeks was the longest time we’ve spent together since we met 7 years ago in Ecuador. While three weeks isn’t a terribly long time, I have a theory that if you work and receive mail in a city that you should be able to say that you lived there….let me have this…. as I both delivered flowers there in town for Mother’s Day and had my forgotten toothbrush sent to me from Charlestown- I was enjoying being an Austonian! Independent, green and funky, Austin is the definition of a cool college town. Allie and I took Miller (her one year old Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier) to Bull Creek last week and hiked around, played in the water and watched a super sweet family use the naturally smooth rock as a slide into a perfect little swimming hole. Rad parks with boulders, creeks, forests, and elevation changes that make a hike that much more interesting is how this urban city keeps the green feeling alive. 

Allie and I have discussed many times how much of a miracle it is that we’ve stayed friends. This isn’t because we don’t adore one another, because I think it’s safe to say that we do, but we both value our alone time and routines and are also the absolute worst at calling and texting back. Seriously. Don’t even leave me a voicemail, because I will not listen to it, delete it and just call you back. For real. We’re both incorporating new routine’s into our day so it’s nice to have someone who is comfortable doing their own thing so you can too, without feeling guilty. We can sit in silence journaling, reading or whatever without that awkward silence; which should maybe be the determining factor in using the word friend haha

We visited Kellie’s Baking Co. for something called a stuffed cookie that is essentially a cookie in the shape of a muffin stuffed with various deliciousness. We chose Carmel and Snickers and I’m not in the least bit ashamed to say I headed back for my second! Bravo Kellie! These thriving, independent businesses (note the plural) are something that I greatly value about any city, but Austin does it exceptionally well. Allie and Miller (who may or may not have been named after Miller Lite) introduced me to Yard Bar. It is a genius idea that combines a dog park and a bar, complete with bark guards for when the pups get feisty and a plentiful craft beer list! So the dogs play, socialize and get a ton of every guy out while we drink and hang out with our human and animal friends. Twopher! I’ve never been to another one of these, but this person should franchise! TexMex is always on the menu in Austin, and we had amazing tacos at Tacodeli. Similarly how because of Al I’m team Lou Malnati‘s instead of Giordano’s in the Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza contest; I’m now team Tacodeli over Torchy’s in the Best Austin Tacos contest also because of her! Very controversial… I know, but what can we say?! Any place that can make vegan tacos taste equally as good as pork shoulder one’s is a step above the competition. Another thing we both really love is exploring and getting lost in independent book stores and Book People didn’t disappoint with multiple floors of every genre of books and those cute, funny gifts that you can’t find just anywhere. Allie and are both huge readers and have been trading books for years, more so now that we’re both in the throws of minimizing our things. 

If you ask anyone, Allie’s favorite food is sandwiches. Not the bread or cheese or mustard, but the layered combination haha We celebrated her Master’s degree at Bouldin Creek, an “eco-friendly, bohemian cafe offering hearty meatless meals” that has bomb sandwiches! While I love my hometown, the words eco-friendly, bohemian and meatless are not often used to describe the restaurants there. It’s incredibly easier to at least attempt vegetarianism in a larger city where many people value meat- alternative options. It’s beautiful to be in a city and not always stand out as the weirdo, because there is such an eclectic crowd around all the time. Everyone is dressing crazy, discussing interesting topics and and pushing the boundaries of socially acceptable. It’s wonderful. Almost as wonderful as having a friendship like ours. A friendship where you feel comfortable enough to discuss your life’s greatest struggles, and then truly comfortable enough to share the love but also the honesty as needed. Our friendship has an energy about it such that when we are together outrageous, unbelievable and never-forgettable moments simply become our lives.