Surprise!!!

Looks like 2013 is going to be an exciting year for us!  We couldn't be more thrilled for the adventure ahead!

Thanksgiving Round Two

My parents came into town again this year for Thanksgiving, just a little delayed so it gave us the perfect excuse to celebrate my favorite holiday twice!  It was also my Mom's 70th so we had lots of excuses and opportunities to celebrate. 

Texas Two Step

Family Photo

Austin Wall Murals

Texas Wine Trail

Mom & Dad in Luckenbach

Cowboy Dad

Wink

Shaun surprised me with an amazing birthday dinner at Wink, it's one of the top restaurants in town and now we certainly know why!  We enjoyed the chef's selection with wine pairing and everything complimented each other so nicely.  I feel like a M&M commercial but the food just melted in your mouth!  The meal, the experience, and the company was truly amazing!  This will certainly be a birthday I don't forget ;)

The Big D

The Browns bring the Johnson's to Town!  We got lucky this year as the Brown's were scheduled to play the Cowboys for their out of league game.  As soon as we saw the schedule we started plotting with Steve & Susan for a trip to Dallas.  I'm so glad it worked out as we had a blast exploring a new city and getting to spend some quality time with the family!

We tried to turn them into true Texans by spending the first day in Ft. Worth at the Stockyards.

We even got Susan to ride a Longhorn, or pose with one at least ;)

Practice Round

The Real Deal

Then Sunday was strictly dedicated to the Browns!  We got up really early for a breakfast of champions and then arrived at the Stadium to tailgate with other Brown's Backers.  It was a great experience and boy is the new stadium impressive!

Penny's Baptism

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy we got to enjoy an extended stay in Saratoga Springs.  Unfortunately, the same storm prevented all of the grandparents from making it to Penny's Baptism.  So needless to say we had plenty of cake & cupcakes to feed us in case all power was lost and we really ended up in an emergency situation.  Thankfully that didn't happen and we were able to just spend some great quality time with Sara, Eric, Alli, Penny, & Chloe ;)

Trick or Treat

Who say's we're too old for Halloween ;) 

Ohio

We headed up to Ohio to celebrate the October birthday's and while we were there added another one to the list.  Eric & Tenzin welcomed Claire to world the day before we left, congrats guys! 

Speaking of new additions, Cleveland put in a Casino downtown so of course that was on our must do list.  The place was so crowded but it was fun to watch all the table games and take it all in.  None of us came away big winners but we all had a blast! 

We had a great weekend and just enjoyed a lot of quality time with the fam, including a pumpkin carving content ;)  Guess who the winner was?!?!

ACL

Another year of music & mayhem at the Austin City Limits festival!  Meredith came into town with a group of girls and we had a blast hanging out on the first day.  The second day was just as much fun but quite a bit muddier.  A downpour hit midday and turned the place into a mudpit but that didn't keep us away, we just made the most of it.  By day three we were pretty exhausted but managed to rally and meet up with some of Shaun's coworkers.  This festival never lets us down, it's filled with great energy and acts!

London

All Work and No Play, We Can't Have That!  Shaun tagged along on my work trip to Lakenheath and we spent a week in London taking in all the sights.  We even survived driving on the wrong side of the car/road, which was quite an adventure!!!

We had to get straight down to business once we arrived, Find the Royals!  We took a tour of Buckingham Palace but I must say the Mews (Stables) were my favorite part as they held all the stagecoaches that have been used for previous events like the Royal Wedding.  We also were able to catch the Changing of the Guard while we were there which is quite impressive itself!

The Queen wasn't at Buckingham Palace, you can tell by the flag displayed on top, so we also took a road trip out to Windsor to see her country home.  Unfortunately we got there too late in the day for a tour but were still able to enjoy the town and views.

While I was obsessed with my Royal search, Shaun was obsessed with the Beatles search.  So in addition to stalking the Queen, we managed to find Paul McCartney's home and Abbey Road.  Unfortunately, there was so much traffic we had trouble getting the iconic photo we wanted.

I did have to work several days while we were there so Shaun went off and did his own sight seeing and then we'd meet up in the evening for some more adventures.  One night we took in a showing of Les Miserable, which is my all time favorite musical, and one evening we took in a walking tour that followed the steps & crimes of Jack the Ripper.  That one was cool and creepy at the same time so we headed to he Sherlock Holmes Pub afterwards to drink away our fears, or mine at least ;)

Speaking of fears, I do have a really extreme fear of heights but was persuaded to suck it up and take a spin on the London Eye.  We opted for the "Champagne Experience" which I think helped calm my nerves as we 123 meters up in the air.  I must say it did provide us with some spectacular views of the city so it was very well worth it!

We were brave enough to hop in the car once again and risk life and limb and drive on the wrong side of the road to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Stonehenge.  It was a pretty amazing sight to see and had a great audio walking tour to give you cryptic information on how it all came to be. 

Throughout the week, we took in many sights including the Tower of London, London Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, so much more.  We even went on a Fat Tire Bike Tour towards the end to see some of our favorite spots again and learn some of those random facts you don't pick up otherwise.



I found my new bodyguard after buying Jewels at the Tower of London

Wishing the Olympic Rings were still hanging

Westminster Abbey

What time is it?

We lucked out and there happened to be a soccer match while we were in town.  It was quite a debacle to get tickets but all worked out in the end and we had great seats.  Chelsea was playing a team from Italy and they had riot police everywhere to ensure the fans stayed in line.  It was crazy because they actually had a barricade of mounted police dividing the fans as you enter the stadium.  Then the away teams fan section was outlined with extra security for the entire duration of the game.  They don't mess around here, their serious about their sports & safety! 

 We finished off our London adventure with a fabulous date night to the Palm and a showing of Stomp.  We were both ready to move to London by the end but unfortunately the cost of living here is just a little too steep for us.  Maybe Kate & Wills will take us in one day ;)

British Bday

What better way to ring in 34 than with a British Blowout!  We landed in London the morning of Shaun's birthday and just hit the ground running.  We enjoyed breakfast in a café next to Harrods then hopped on a double decker bus to do some sightseeing.  It was a great overview to prepare us for the week ahead.  We went to Ye-Old Cheshire Cheese for Shaun's BDay dinner to feast on some fish n chips at one of the oldest pubs in England.  From there we created our own English pub tour and enjoyed a fabulous night out on the town! 

Bachelor Pad Finale

It's definitely a small world!  Some good friends of the Richards from Saratoga just happened to be moving to Austin.  So they put us in touch and we had them over for the Bachelor Pad Finale.  Now we're planning a draft for the next season.  It's definitely going to be fun having these two in town!  Welcome to Austin Carrie & Casey!

Browns Opener

Shaun's been counting down the days and it's finally arrived, the Brown's Season Opener!  We headed downtown to what we thought was the Browns Backer bar only to find out they moved.  We'll definitely miss the Ranch but this new place, Recess, has a good vibe and cheap beer so you can't really go wrong. They even have bleacher seats in front of their flat screens.  I think this is gonna be a good year for the Browns, or at least a good year for the Brown's Backers ;)

Mere Visits

Mere has definitely been a frequent flyer to Austin, but now she has yet another excuse to come to town.  One of her childhood friends moved here earlier this year so she decided to drop in for surprise visit for Lynne's Bday.  We all enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebrating, taking in Reckless Kelly at Shady Grove and Wine & Food Tasting at the Dripping Springs Festival.  Now we just need to get Meredith to move here permanently!

Dallas

We decided to take advantage of the holiday weekend and head up to Dallas to see Hank Williams Jr. perform.  There was a huge music festival at Billy Bob's and it sure was eventful!  We met up with Sarah & Lorenzo who showed us around town and kept us entertained the whole night.  Let's just say Shaun & Lorenzo befriended the next Bill Gates and schooled him in a game of pool.  You had to be there to take it all in but it definitely was a night to remember! 

UT Football

For the second year in a row, we made it to the UT home opener.  This is definitely a tradition I look forward to keeping up!

Blue Moon

A random night out at the Westside Ale House let us to a new discovery, I think there is truly a holiday to compliment ever beer ;)

Saxon Pub

Austin is filled with live music and amazing venues to take it all in!  We've been meaning to check out Saxon's Pub for ages and we finally got around to it to enjoy the Texas Tunes of Walt Wilkins.  It was a very fun chill night and we look forward to many more nights here in our future.

Vegas

Shaun never turns down a challenge, so when he discovered that Meredith had never been to Vegas before he made it his mission to get her there.  Like he really needs an excuse to go to Vegas but obviously he used this as his angle.  I'll give him credit though, he certainly made this trip a great introduction to Vegas!  He surprised us with a limo ride from the hotel and then we just enjoyed one glamorous meal & show after the next.  Meredith pull out the stops too surprising us with tickets to see Garth, hands down on of the best shows ever!!!

 

Grape Stomp

The anniversary celebration didn't stop in NYC, to play off the "fruit" theme we signed up for a Grape Stomp at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards.  It was a fun and messy day but we enjoyed the "fruits" of our labor ;)

Saratoga Springs

Track season was calling, we headed up to Saratoga for the weekend to enjoy some time with the Richards and check out their new town in prime season.  We went to the racing museum and spent a day at the track.  Shaun was in all his glory!

The Big Apple

We spent our 4 Year "Fruit" Anniversary in the Big Apple!  It will definitely be a memorable one as we acted like Rock Stars staying at the Waldorf Astoria and dining at Del Posto.  If only we could keep this lifestyle up for longer than a day ;) 

We arrived into town and ventured to a little wine bar recommend by the DeMays before heading out to dinner.  We had a very long and leisurely dinner with probably the best service we've ever received in our lives.  Then we joined Muge for a night cap to end the evening with one of our favs!