From a thankful, though inconstant, blogger

This Thanksgiving comes with so much to be thankful for!   Obama won, the Longhorns are having a fabulous football season and the next Harry Potter movie is set to release on my birthday!  As if it couldn't get any better, I am living with Blair and her beautiful family, I see my sister nearly every day (we've started speaking in unison), and I finally have a job that I wanted (not one that just fell in my lap).  I've been thinking what a difference a year makes. Last November, I came to Austin and on the flight back to San Diego I cried - practically bawled. It wasn't just leaving my hometown that did it - the combination of an unsettled life was crashing down on me, and visiting a place I find cathartic only to leave was wrenching.  A year later, as Thanksgiving steamed, bubbled and crisped in the kitchen of my Austin home, I thought how fortunate I am to have my wonderful friends, both near and far, old and new; to have a family who's company I love; to have a job; to have a healthy life I shape on my own; to have a car; to have yoga; to have Fall and oncoming Winter; to have laughter.  The list is practically endless and it fills me with hope and happiness as the new year fast approaches.   Happy Thanksgiving, with all my love!

With our resident Hobbit as Thanksgiving pulls together.  And, Mom gets to take a shower!

A little blurry, but can you feel our excitement and sense of accomplishment?  Susan's marshmallow sweet potatoes puffed up perfectly and my ginger/coconut sweet potato concoction turned out to be a crowd pleaser.

High art - Texas style

The parents came to Austin for a Fall visit, before our beautiful weather begins to get serious. For the first time in years I'll have a real winter! At least temperature-wise, since snow rarely happens in our corner of the US. Dinner with Susan's sorority began the fun, resulting in bellies full of tasty Tex-Mex and our first family photo in ages:



The following couple of days brought football fun (another win for UT!), a wonderful breakfast Sunday morning with Austin friends and family at Mother's (all Natural) Cafe and Garden, then a walk around the surrounding neighborhood of Hyde Park.



Our jaunt led us to a group of bag pipers practicing in a park next to the Elizabet Ney Museum. Bag pipes have such an ancient, poignant sound and I can never hear them without pausing to listen. I suppose I get it from my parents who bee-lined it to the impromptu performance. Once we'd had our fill, we took refuge from the increasingly warm day by ducking into the studio of Ms. Ney. Although I had never been to her museum, I realized immediately I knew her work. She is probably one of our state's most prominent sculptors, having immortalized numerous Texas historical figures, including Stephen F. Austin (with us, below). What's more, she was a world renowned artist in her own day, having received lengthy, intimate commissions with royalty around the world, most notably in Bavaria where she spent time at the Neuschwanstein Castle. Now, there are museums devoted to her all around the world! But, she called Austin home, and her works and studio here were gifted to the University of Texas. All of this was accomplished by a female artist in the mid-1800s! What an exotic life to have led nearly 150 years ago.

Birthdays and Football

On a gorgeous October day, friends and family gathered around for the first birthday of Julien, my youngest roomie. He knew all eyes were on him as he indulged in cake (his first time tasting sugar!) and riding on the Zilker Zephyr, a little train in Zilker Park that I used to ride as a kid. The train starts at Barton Springs, goes through a play ground, then follows Barton Creek down to Lady Bird Lake, where you can see views of nearby downtown Austin, and finally loops back around to the station. Julien powered through all the attention and managed to hold naptime at bay until we reached the car, where he cried a bit then promptly passed out. Such a cute little pumpkin! I made him a beanie as a gift, but so far, he just rips my labor of love off his head whenever we put it on so that he won't be distracted from playing with the box it came in. Figures.



The next day was a big game day for us Longhorns, as we faced off with Missouri. We played at home and ESPN Game Day showed up to cover the insanity. Susan, Yvonne and I got up super early (8:00!) and headed over to campus where we were treated to lots of yelling, homemade signs, the Longhorn band and some fun stories about our home team. Naturally we stopped by my neighborhood bakery (Quack's) where we somehow managed to avoid their cupcakes with towering piles of fluffy, homemade icing, despite the tantalizing artwork on the walls. Maybe next time.