The Fourth

In order to have a great 4th of July, you need to do several things:

1. Get up really early and run a mile in the Ray Barrus Annual 5K Run.  Actually, you make your daughters run in this instead of you. You don't want to be embarrassed when you are beat by a bunch of kids.

2. Eat a nice cold popsicle afterwards to cool off.

3. Discuss the strategy of your run with your good buddy Ian.

4. Give the only willing participant a holiday hair-do. It's supposed to be a star.

5. Go to the 4th of July Parade.

6. Make sure you smile and wave at everyone in the 

parade so they'll throw lots of candy at you.

7. Have a barbeque in the afternoon under the shade of the trees with family.

8. Eat until you can eat no more.

Austin- Not what I expected

I envisioned cowboys in wranglers and big belt buckles, steak houses and barbecue joints on every corner, polite people with strong accents. Instead, as I looked out of our 14th floor hotel window, I was a little scared for our safety. I saw a city that I would be a little hesitant to walk down the street alone after dark, maybe even during broad daylight. Old buildings, dirty streets, seedy bars, and not one cowboy. We ventured out into the city on foot and thought we'd eventually end up on the nicer end of town. Sweat dripped down my back and my flip flops gave me a blister and we never found a cleaner, less scary Austin. We got in the car and drove hoping that if we drove far enough things would get better.  Not so.  It made Salt Lake look bee-u-ti-ful, which it is, but even more so and squeaky clean. We even witnessed a lesbian fight in front of Wendy's that turned our stomachs (nothing against lesbians, just crackhead lesbians that hit each other in the face). 

I know it's hard to believe, but it wasn't a dream of ours to go to Austin. The nationals for tae kwon do were being held there and we thought it would be an interesting place to visit. Although it wasn't the awesome place I thought it would be, it was still fun to spend 3 days with the middle child even though she had a bad day and lost her first fight. We spoiled her with eating out and even dessert afterwards. She drank enough Coca Cola to make up for the years of going without. I think she'll always remember this trip (and probably won't want to go to Austin again).

Traveling with Mike is like having another kid there.

Flying just took it out of her.

Zilker Park - a tourist stop...that smelled like a dead animal.