perfect little thursday

Last week I flew into Austin for our annual Girls Trip, this year to Lake Conroe outside of Houston. We ended up delaying our drive until Friday, which left me with one glorious free day in the city. I had a few plans and Megan's car, but I had no expectations for the day turning out as awesome as it did. And it was so simple.

Step 1: Taco Deli breakfast taco at Cafe Medici. Two of my favorite things wrapped into one.

Step 2: I realized I had some free time, so I zipped (because everything in Austin seems so ridiculously close now that I live in this gigantoid city) over to Remembrance Gardens, where my dad and grandparents are buried. For those of you who haven't been there, it's a beautiful, lush garden with plaques interlaced among the foliage, so it doesn't feel like you're in a cemetery persay, just in a beautiful serene little oasis in the middle of the city. I really enjoy going there, and it was great to have a little unexepected quiet time.

Step 3: Having coffee with Amanda at Mozart's, right on the lake. Now we're getting three things I love all wrapped into one.

Step 4: Going downtown to see my old bosses' new office and then enjoying Mexican food for lunch. I make it a point to catch up with these guys everytime I'm in town, because they were such a huge part of my life for three years. Hanging out with them is always so refreshing!

Step 5: Meeting up with Emily at Town Lake for stand-up paddleboarding. God bless a teacher's schedule! It felt ridiculously hot by that point (107, not including heat index) and getting in the water was ah-ma-zing.

Step 6: TCBY. They don't have this in Chicago. I can't talk about it.

Step 7: Dinner at Vivo - two quesos in one day!

Step 8: Hitting up Red River with Mego and Jenilee. Loved ending the day with two of my best friends and a bunch of hipsters.

Step 9: Knowing that I'd wake up to a trip with 9 of my favorite people. Sleep tight indeed.

The whole day, while packed with greatness, was super laidback, and I truly felt joy from encountering so many of my favorite things about Austin in one impromptu day. Fortunately, my day of awesomeness actually didn't make me sad to return to Chicago. Instead it underscored that these cities are two very different animals, and while everything I loved about my perfect little day in Austin couldn't be re-created in Chi, the exact vice versa would be true as well. And getting the best of both worlds isn't a bad gig at all...