This past weekend we decided to take advantage of Orlando’s last few days in the States before the new basketball season and head to Lake Travis for a few days. It’s funny, Orlando travels so much for work that when he’s here we typically like to have as normal and boring of a schedule as possible. Eat, sleep, work, gym, family get togethers on the weekends, and that’s about it. We hardly ever take true vacations unless we’re going to visit family, so this was quite an adventure, even if we were only going a few hours away. It still felt like a trip, and we were able to invite some good friends and family to join us for the tail end of the weekend as well. I should note at this point that the lake house above is not where we actually stayed, but it was down the street from us and very photo-worthy as we sailed by on the boat, so there it is. Can you blame me for snapping a pic of such a beautiful home? Whoever lives there is probably going to be thrilled to have their property exploited like this. 😉
All creepy neighbor behavior aside, we headed up to Austin a bit before the rest of our group on Thursday, and made it to the lake house by late afternoon. By that time we were all feeling a bit hungry, but of course the house had no food in stock, so it was Chinese delivery for us. I have to say it was so wonderful to be sitting on the balcony of such a gorgeous home, with a stunning view, take out containers, and just the three people in my life that matter the most to me.
The next day we woke to a fresh morning breeze on the lake and decided to take Orlando’s Christmas present from last year for a spin. You see, I got him a boat. But before you hand me the “Wife of the Year” award, let me explain. I ordered him a boat from Amazon. Which was delivered in a box about the size of a large dog, even though it promised to seat five people. So, I should probably adjust my statement to, “I bought him a raft.” Needless to say, we had simply never gotten around to using it until this past weekend, so it become quite the hilarity to watch Orlando and our good friend Pedro attempt to blow it up. With a hand pump. Living the life, I tell you. But eventually it worked and then we got to take it out for a spin. Or, rather, the boys took the kids and I for a ten-minute spin and then dumped us back at the dock so they could go fishing. Men. 😉
The next day we had rented the pontoon from the owner of our lake house, so we got to take Orlando’s family out on the lake and explore some of the shoreline. I can remember just a few years ago Lake Travis was completely dry, like not even a drip of water, so it was a lot of fun to see the whole area thriving again. There was even a small park where Cora could play for a bit, and Miss Issa was in someone’s loving arms literally the entire day.
Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I got a new lens for my camera! I finally upgraded to a 50mm so I can take these fancy blurred-out-background shots. And I of course had to test it out on my favorite subjects: my kids, and flowers. Because nothing screams “I’m trying to be artsy” quite like photos of flowers. Don’t judge me, just take a look for yourself and tell me I’m not stepping my photography game up just a bit. 😉
All in all, it was a weekend full of good food, good people, and good times. We played board games, talked into the wee hours of the morning, and went home Sunday happy and refreshed. Of course, the end of the weekend meant it was time for Orlando to start his basketball season in Cancun, but we’re taking heart that we got to soak up our last few days with him. It’s going to be hard to be apart, but every year it goes by faster and faster. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? And at the very least, we’ve got these memories now to lean on when the going gets tough.
Hope your weekend was just as great, let me know what you were up to in the comments!
XO,
A
