Austin...under the category of "stuff I meant to blog" :)

So my Mom and Bill (Nana and Papa) were coming from Oregon to celebrate my birthday. The kids had been sitting in the living room like anxious birds in a window sill. When they finally drove up, the house erupted with happiness. Only to top itself again when we realized my SISTER was standing there too! Her mother in law (sweet Bebe) had flown her out as a surprise. It felt like magic...as if someone had plucked her out of California and beamed her to my doorstep.

Then moments later, we were around the dinner table, discussing plane rides and wiping macaroni and cheese off the floor. The contrast made me realize again that life is mostly made up of what's ordinary. When you're in vacation mode, there's an inclination to feel like every second must be infused with something amazing. I want to tell you and show you and hear you and see everything about you NOW. Hurry and find the punctuation marks before you have to leave. But mountain tops are a relatively small part of the whole mountain. And when you realize that even vacations are made up of traffic and grocery store runs, you end up having more fun. So that's what I tried to do during their visit...just be present so even the ordinary minutes wouldn't be wasted. 

Like this one of my mom teaching Chance how to make chow fun. Any Hawaiians in the house? :)

Papa is forever pulling pennies out of ears. He's magical that way. And he taught the kids how to do a trick with a dollar that I still can't figure out.

happy birthday to me.  :)

So every night in Austin a million trillion bats fly out of this bridge right at sunset. The tour guide gave us all kinds of interesting info about them. Of course, now all I remember is that they're females. Yep. They kick out all the boy bats. But I don't know why. I wouldn't be a great tour guide.

Here are the peeps waiting...

My little thinker. I think he was looking for turtles. 

My gorgeous (completely flashed out) sister on the boat.

 It really was spectacular. Bet it's fun around halloween time, too.

K. Time to tackle the to-do list. I'm leaving for Winnipeg tomorrow to meet my favorite artist and her cute family for a photo shoot, and wine, and pedicures, and for just general fun. And I know I say this every time and then get too busy. But I'm going to try to blog the whole trip. 

See you in Canada, eh?  :)

Comments

[leah bean]

Maile! It's cool that soon we'll be in the same country. Although, still not the same time zone. (Someday, someday.) I love love love these pictures of your family's visit. And, I definitely hear you on the whole thing about wanting vacations to be perfect and full, when in reality they are just as much reality as the rest of real life. (For reals.)

I heart you.

[donna good]

aw...I had a nana and papa....touched my heart....

[misti]

Austin is one city I've always wanted to explore more. You'd think that a good Texan would've, but someday I'd like to see the bats and check out the area. Of course I'd wear maroon instead of burnt orange.

Enjoy your trip to Canada!

[Ma']

I went over to Kal's site via your link and saw their French Bull Dog! That animal is Billy on all fours. I swear. They are little looky-loos... possessed with the "need to know"... gotta be the first to the window or up the stairs at the least little sound... they think they're twelve times bigger than they really are and have the attitude to back it up... their DNA requires they be the center attraction at all times or they'll go lay under a coffee table and chew on a shoe. Oh, and they have sinus problems. Hell-ewhh!

Your comments about vacations made me think of the plaque I just bought that reads: "Take time to enjoy the ordinary things because one day you'll look back and realize they were the extraordinary ones."

Please take lots of pixs of the Frenchy!

Relish the Journey!
Love you,

[Melissa]

Can't wait for your San Francisco leg of the trip!

Love,
Melis

[Kal Barteski]

I AM SO HAPPY!
TOMORROW IS THE START OF EXTRAORDINARY AWESOME REGULAR GONG SHOW. I am so very grateful that you're coming here. I heart the Universe and I heart your courage and I heart the chance to meet you in person. And the frenchie is so TOTALLY ready to be photographed by the best. ;) (Oh my goodness and so are we!)

Welcome to NORTH OF 49.