With the Beloved Vespa

With the Beloved Vespa, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

One day, this will be ours! I want a sparkley purple one!

At the Alamo

At the Alamo, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

To Josh, this is even better than visiting the "real" Alamo!

Breakfast with Jody

Breakfast with Jody, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Siteseeing in Austin.

Amanda's Wedding

, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Beautiful Day for a Wedding, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

With the Bride, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Yep. That's Amanda, originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Here are some pictures from Amanda's wedding and the reception. Sadly, I have none of Alex, the groom...
Yes, those are jeans that Josh is wearing. Since the reception was in the same hotel that we were staying in, he took the first opportunity to change into something more comfortable. I at least waited until after we ate. It was before they cut the cake, but it WAS after we ate!

I'm Back!

I had soooo much fun on our little vacation to Austin. Seeing Amanda again (has it been 2 years?) was wonderful. The wedding was beautiful, and I enjoyed getting to know some of her friends. I forgot what it is like to socialize. I kinda liked it! Amanda still kicks ass at cards-any game, but it was fun trying to beat her.
On Sunday, we met up with one of my Aussie friends who has been staying in Dallas, TX for a few months with work. It was very fun. We only had time to go out for breakfast before leaving for home, but it was better than nothing!
We stopped in Dallas too. We visited the grassy knoll and saw where JFK was shot. Now I want to watch JFK again. The first time I saw it, I was a teenager, and I got bored. I've matured (a little too much) now, so I think I could appreciate it better.
Tidbits from the way home:
We figured out the two states we missed! We got all 50 this time, without even cheating and looking back on the list from the trip down. We had missed Minnesota and Utah, both of which surprise me because we were thinking of movies/tv shows and where they were filmed or supposed to have as the setting. How could we miss both FARGO and BIG LOVE? That makes no sense!
I started watching "Assault on Precinct 13" on the way home, but the laptop battery died. We need a car charger for the laptop, not that we will be needing it again for a long time. It has been 3 years since our last trip, so we've got another 3 before we'll need the charger...
I slept most of the way home, so that's all I have to say about that.

The dog and cats were alive when we got home (we hadn't heard from our house-sitter), and they were very excited to see us. Hopefully the kids will be just as thrilled. Josh went to get them last night. They'll be back tomorrow afternoon-YAY! I can't wait.
I think I left my cell phone in the vehicle that Josh took. That sucks since we don't have a home phone...

That's all for right now. I'll post some pictures tonight.

Live from Austin

We are having a great time! Traveling was fun. It feels so good to be out and about. I didn't drive a bit. Josh gets a bit...mean when I drive. He's not a good "backseat driver" at all.
During the drive, this is what I learned from car games:
*There aren't very many Q's in our language-Josh beat me at the alphabet game (looking for letters on billboards) because of our lack of Q's.
*We are dumb Americans. We are missing 3 states. I'm dumber than Josh. He came up with more than I did.

After arriving in Austin, this is what I've learned:
*Nashville is a small city. Austin is a big city.
*The interstate here scares me, and it is impossible to spot something from the interstate then actually find it by getting off the interstate. They have signs that say "U-Turns Only" other than the normal "No U-Turns" signs that we are used to.

I miss my children terribly. I keep thinking about how they would enjoy this or that here.

We have some site seeing to do, so I'll write more later!

I'm Finally Travelling!

I'm going to be in a wedding this next weekend (no, I'm not Katie's bridesmaid, even though she asked. I already had plans...). For the first time since moving back here to Nashville, I'm going on a road trip. My bones are aching to travel! We leave for Austin, Texas on Wednesday night. We are driving the 13hours, and I know that I am crazy, but I am looking forward to it!
Josh left last night to take the kids up to stay with his parents in Goshen, Indiana. Night was super excited. That was an 8 hour drive, and I can't say that I was jealous of that drive! He took them late at night so they would sleep...
Josh said that during the drive, Keira woke up in the middle of the night (like usual), and he found out what she would do if we didn't go into the bedroom when she wails. She kept hitting her brother. She threw her pacifier at him and pulled his hand out from under him (he was leaning on his hand while he slept). She wanted someone to play with! He's a pretty sound sleeper, so she didn't get her wish.
As for me, I stayed behind so I could earn my paycheck. For the first time in...well, for the first time, I was COMPLETELY ALONE in the house ALL NIGHT. What a strange feeling. One thing that I noticed was that if I chose to pick up a toy (no promises), that toy will STAY PUT AWAY! I can't even fathom the concept of a clean house that stays clean!!
I went all over the house and turned off all the lights except for the ones in the room that I was in. I'm saving money! Then, I sat down and ate a bowl of ice cream. No sharing. Well, Scully (the dog) tried to get her share, but I was steadfast.
Josh will be back tomorrow. I'm going to try to enjoy the quiet.