Converting to Texanism

My lovely friends,

I'm back in action in the blogging world, I promise. There have been a ton of changes in the last month or so that have kept me from posting, but I'M BACK!

I'm a graduated girl now! Graduation weekend was the best weekend ever. If you're interested, read all about it on my sister Page's blog, PageonPaper. If you haven't had a chance to check out her crafty little blog, please do. She's a wonderfully talented little lady with an eye for design & all things crafty. She's always posting cool finds around the internet. I'll be sure to do a feature on her and her adorable blog soon!

Since graduation, I've moved back home to save money, plan a trip to europe with my hilarious friend, Kristin, and get ready to move to Austin, Texas with my handsome boyfriend, Robert.

That's right, I'm going to be a Texan.

Before diving into the responsibilities of being a Texan (which I'm assuming are wearing cowboy boots and loving America- two things I pretty much already do), I took a trip to Austin to check it all out.

I met Robbie there (he was already in the city training for his job) and we spent the week exploring the weird and wonderful city of Austin.

Texas is hot. Riverside is hot, but Texas is Texas-hot. The secret to keeping cool? Swim whenever possible.

Robbie took me to a sweet pool that his new Austin friends had taken him to: Barton Springs. Let me tell you, this place is a Godsend.

The water is refreshingly cold. There's great people-watching. AND, if you're lucky, since Austin is one of the few cities in America where going topless is legal, you may see a pair of you-know-whats hanging around.

The pool itself is huge. It looks like a normal pool, but the bottom is totally natural. There are rocks and seaweed and fish swimming around in the water.

Sam (Robbie's friend from school) and Robbie jumped off the diving board.

Sam's flip was fantastic.

Robbie's jump... a little less graceful. Equally fantastic, though.

The city of Austin is gorgeous. Even the graffiti was pretty. I think the graffiti on the train bridge in this picture said something along the lines of, "peace and love," or something to that effect. Adorable.

The bars and clubs in Austin were awesome. Sam's uncle owns The Continental, so we were treated like VIPs when we went there. They had some excellent bands playing there, including the Mother Truckers and The Happen-Ins. Loved both bands.

On 6th Street, which reminded me a lot of the French Quarter in New Orleans, we went to the Blind Pig and the boys played this punching game. (I wasn't a fan.)

Robbie practically broke his hand.

And Sam broke something else...

His pants.

One thing to note about Texas: they don't care if you drink in public as long as your container is covered.

So noted the dry-erase board when we entered Hamilton Pool: "No public display of alcohol consumption." As long as your beer is in a beer koozie, you're set.

This was taken right before we saw the pool. Before we saw...

THIS! This picture can't show you just how massive this rock is. Hamilton Pool is absolutely gorgeous.

The handsome boyfriend.

My not-so-fantastic photo-taking skills.

There were mini waterfalls everywhere. The pool was absolutely stunning.

My first impression of Texas was definitely a good one. I'm looking forward to going back and spending some more time with the McCarthy family/my second cousins.

Texas, I think I can handle you.

xoxoxoxoxooxoxox