Fort Worth and Beyond

We couldn't be in Texas this long and not visit all the Texans we love and miss while we're in California, so this past week we headed down to Fort Worth. We were graciously allowed to stay with our dear friends Tim and Emily Bates and their new plus two. Having a low-key weekend with them to reconnect and meet Matthew and Caleb, the new additions to their family, was unbeatable. I kept telling Emily that I was so glad that they were blessed with twins so that I didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for monopolizing at least one of the little guys practically the entire time! Oh, I loved every minute of it!

We also got to meet Brian and Jeanette Davis's newest little guy, Dustin, who was an adorable ball full of smiles and drool. We were all laughing because all our friend's kid populations have doubled since George and I left for California a year ago. There must be something in the Fort Worth water! :) Here is a picture of the gang after a successful dinner out - left to right is Tim, Emily, Jeanette, George, me, Brian, and little Jack. Then in front, Matthew, Caleb and Dustin. 4 kiddos and 6 adults - you gotta love those odds!

After visiting TCU and seeing all the new buildings and changes on campus and going to our beloved church Fort Worth PCA, we once again said goodbye to Fort Worth. George rented a car and headed back up to Canadian while I headed down south to visit Grant and Ellie Livesay, friends from Stanford, in Austin. Surprisingly, despite the 6 years I lived in Fort Worth, this was the first time I have ever been to Austin and I was very pleasantly shocked! Who knew that there was so much personality and beauty here!? Ellie was a fantastic tour guide and selflessly showed me all the things she knew I'd love, complete with a yummy vegetarian lunch at Mother's Garden! Although you can barely tell from her tiny figure in the picture below, Ellie is 5 months pregnant with a sweet little girl!

Next stop on the journey took me back north to Dallas were I stayed with my freshmen year potluck roommate and now best friend, Mackenzie. We both share a passion for healthful eating and food politics and probably talked about it almost nonstop, exchanging information that we've read recently and brainstorming ideas on how to influence those around us and help the world. It was such a treat to catchup on her life, reminisce, and just laugh! Here we are doing just that...

Then, missing my George, I headed back up to Canadian. It was a great trip!