A visit from the 'rents

(Brooke, Abby, Matt, Sarah, Gary, Mike, Emily, Cindy)

A few weeks ago (wow, it's already been a month!), Mike and Cindy came to visit us. We were so excited to have them here. They arrived on a Wednesday evening. Matt had class, but Mike, Cindy, and I got to catch up over a long, lazy dinner. We were all in bed by the time Matt got home because he had to play around in the Altus C-17 sims for class that night.

The next day Mike and Cindy explored Wichita Falls while Matt and I worked. Later that night we cooked out on the grill (yummy tacos al pastor) and relaxed together. We hadn't seen any family since Christmas, so it was good to catch up again.

On Friday we headed to Austin to visit Gary and the girls. When we got to Austin, we stayed only a minute at the hotel before heading over to Gary's place. He lives on the North side of Austin in Round Rock. The best part of his place -and I think the girls would agree- is an awesome backyard. There is a pool (a Texas necessity), a wonderfully large canopy of trees, and an outdoor fireplace on the patio. We chilled (rather literally, it was "cold" for Texas that weekend) with some New Belgium brews (this made me nostalgic about Fort Collins).



On Saturday, we followed Gary, the girls, and some friends on a meandering path to the Hill Country and into Driftwood, Texas (perhaps the torrential winds of Texas have the same effect on wood that the Great Lakes waters do?) to experience The Salt Lick BBQ (www.saltlickbbq.com/). I loved the casual atmosphere of this bbq joint. We knew ahead of time to expect an hour or so wait for a table, so we brought a couple coolers of beers and hung out at the picnic tables outside. The girls bought and devoured a couple packages of Girl Scout cookies while we were at it (not that us adults didn't also induldge). When they have new flavors, you really must try them, you know?

When we were seated, we ordered family style, and enjoyed plateloads of sausage, brisket, ribs, potatoes, cole slaw, beans, pickles, and onions. Their barbecue sauce was amazing, too! After splitting some blackberry and peach cobblers for dessert, we rolled ourselves out of there and down the road back to Round Rock.



These pictures are all from Salt Lick. We would have had more, but our camera battery died shortly after we got there (note, remember to check the battery before family outings). Perhaps we can get some more from Mike and Cindy. Abby was their official photographer for the day and she got a lot of neat shots. She might even have a future in photography!

Back in Round Rock, we enjoyed the patio again and some peanut butter cake for Matt's birthday. Happy 26 years Matty! Matt and I started to think of how much we would enjoy a yard!

I just have to mention one other awesome restaurant in Austin that you must try if ever you have the chance. It is Chuy's (www.chuys.com/) and their Mexican cuisine is deee-licious!!

At the end of the weekend, Mike and Cindy went on to travel to San Antonio, New Orleans, and even over to Florida before heading back North to Michigan. I can't wait to see those pictures!