Low Key Mostly Austin 35th Anniversary Weekend

 Hubby and I had all kinds of plans for this year, as did everyone else on Earth, I know.  It was supposed to be a Big Year for anniversary, vacation, birthday, etc.  And most of that has taken a backseat to a bunch of other crap that all of us could have probably done without.  But instead of crying about how we aren't getting what we want, I decided to make a plan for a weekend of just us, celebrating us.

Anniversary Wining and Dining

Friday

Possibly G is getting off early! (4:30 p.m.)

If so, head to Liberty Hill Beer Market for a bite to eat, followed by campfire at Highlands. (Maybe they will have live music!)

(If I don't get off early, I will package up dinner to travel, you can get the growler filled at The Growler Room and we just head to Highlands)

Saturday

Breakfast? We can make it at Highlands.

Lunch at Young's BBQ in Lampasas (open 11 a.m. - get extra BBQ for dinner?)

Maybe go to that store on the main drag

Wine at TNL, live music 2 – 5 p.m. (Wake Eastman)

Hang out at Highlands

Home to Rustown, toast with champagne and eat L.O. BBQ or catch a food trailer at one of the breweries

Sunday

Church at St Luke's 9 a.m.* (we need to be there at 8:30)

Brunch at Estancia at noon (Arboretum) grilled salmon? candied bacon? Creme Brulee? Charcuterie? Yes to all.

Hang out at Rustown, Napping and digesting

Movie at Lakeline Alamo Drafthouse (Save Yourselves) at 6 p.m. 

Monday

Stroll through Zilker Gardens ($12) and take pics

Go to the Capitol and take a pic on the star ($0)

Happy Hour at Polvos (Nueces location) 4-7 p.m. (margaritassss....yesss) I don't think we need reservations, but I can call

Pick up something for dinner at Central Market (scallops?, Caesar salad? a great dessert) that we cook at home OR find a place to eat dinner

I told Hubby he could add to this list and he said, no, it sounded great!

Whats the worst thing you've ever done?

Oh, man.  This will be hard to write.  Sometimes late at night my brain pokes me with a sharp stick, inviting me to re-live the things I've done.  Once its done, a softer voice inside says "you learned from it and won't do it again so why torture yourself?"    Things I am not proud of:

Yep, that's me.  A cactus.

*I once told a couple of men dressed as clowns that I had just found out I had cancer.  Why?  Because they were taunting me to "smile" at work as I was coming back to the department from doing something stressful.

*As a teenager I wrote all over my mother's wood paneled walls with chalk in huge loopy letters that my step-mother was a better mother than she.  Why?  Because I was having a very hard time and she didn't seem to care.

*I scared the living daylights out of Grayson by screaming at him over him stealing a Walkman out of someone's backpack at school and getting caught on a security camera.  Why?  Because I was shocked and disappointed and scared.

*I yelled at Dylan, scaring him (at age 4!) when I was at my wit's end trying to potty train him.  Why? Because I was very low on patience and probably exhausted.

*I pinched Chloe's butt so hard it made her shriek and run from the room on Christmas Eve in '95.  Why?  She was over-excited, tired, and misbehaving.

*We agreed to spanking Spencer for misbehaving in school, and Mark did it one day, leaving bruises on the child's rear and that was a mistake that we never repeated again.  Why did we do it?  We were inexperienced parents.

*I got into serious trouble in high school with my boyfriend.  I made poor grades in college and drank too much.  I push people away, including siblings.  I was a bad employee at several jobs in the past.

 even cacti bloom

I am not a perfect person, but I love my family, so it causes me pain to make so many mistakes.   Poke, poke, poke.  Most of these things are one-offs that I haven't repeated, so I did learn.  Still, on my deathbed, I have a lot to apologize for, even if I said sorry already.  Why is it so hard to give yourself a little grace and hear that soft voice more often?

My first job.

My first job, at age 15, was at a Baskin-Robbins in Galveston, Texas. Digging around in my photos, I realized I didn't have any pictures of this, but here's what I looked like at that age:

My hair was always long, no matter how hot it got in the summer!

Galveston in the 70's was a fun place - lots for teenagers to get in trouble with.  The beach was where we mostly hung out - riding bikes along the seawall, eating at Jack In The Box or Whataburger or Taco Bell, and working on our tans.  But having a job meant my summer free time was fairly well occupied.  In addition, I had some financial responsibility (and freedom) as my dollar or two weekly allowance was fairly small.  My hourly pay was something like $1.50 an hour, and most of it went to things like clothes, albums, and my cafeteria lunch card at school. I met other teenagers, got my first boyfriend, and ate all the ice cream I could.  To this day I remember the feel of the hot metal ice cream scoop in my hands and the smell of the deep freeze.  My favorite flavors were Jamoca Almond Fudge and Pralines and Cream.  I'm not sure I learned any valuable life lessons there, but it was fun.  And I guess it kept me out of trouble for a time.

Crazy times

Seems like old news now to talk about the crazy scenes in grocery stores. I have never seen so many men in a grocery store line.

It took me by surprise.  Because I was focused on what we were gearing up for health-wise.  How would that affect our volumes in the hospital?  How would staffing be affected?  What about co-workers with ill and aging parents?  Or school aged children?  As I pondered how I was going to need to gear up for work, it didn't occur to me that I couldn't continue on with my after work hours life. Duh.

Whether or not I would be able to get toilet paper or basic groceries was not a huge concern for me.  I knew the grocery stores would be busy last Friday, but I did not expect this.  I kept thinking: something bad must be happening.

I had a reasonable list but that was definitely not the norm.  I walked through the store gingerly dodging the HEB Curbside folks filling giant rolling carts, employees desperately trying to off-load pallets, and so. many. people.  Many of whom had this "deer in the headlights" expression.

 I just don't get it.  You aren't being quarantined right now unless you are sick, just follow the current guidelines.  You don't need enough groceries or dinner napkins for the zombie apocalypse.  The grocery stores right now are short on employees and time.  They have plenty of food in warehouses, it just needs to get here faster than they sell it.  They have to close the stores earlier to get it stocked.  And their employees probably could use giant raises.  And a break.

After all, they have families, too.

I think we should all unplug from the news outlets on the internet, turn off the TV after the first 5 minutes of a newscast, and try to stay calm.  For your own sake, limit time on social media. Spend time outdoors, taking a walk with your dog or simply unwinding with a glass of wine on the patio.  We are whipping ourselves into a frenzy of fear that will have much longer-lasting and wide-ranging effects than a few weeks of social distancing. Is this the Millenial's  new 911?  Is it everyone's?

What is your personal credo?

Lately my credo has been this:  do not harm but take no shit.

Stand up for yourself.  Speak your mind.  Own your opinions.  Take no shit.

Even from people you love.

How do you normally spend your weekends?

*I'm using writing prompts from Rustico and although I won't blog a post everyday, I will try to do it at least once a week!

Since we both still work full-time, Mark and I have only two full days each week to "go and do" together and we try to fill those days with as much exploring and relaxing as we can.  Sometimes that means we drive a bit - visiting new wineries, a brewery, or distillery and enjoy the beauty of Central Texas.  There's no one at home waiting for us and no one to tag along.  Sometimes we will meet my sister and BIL somewhere, but just as often its just us two.

Mark at Vista Brewing

When our kids were little, we had no money for such things, and weekends were a chance to catch up for the week on laundry, groceries, etc.  So we were mostly hanging out at home, though we also went to parks, the pool, and such.  When our family grew to six of us, I went on the weekend shift at work.  There was no way we could have afforded daycare for four kids in the summer.  Mark was the one shuttling them to scouting or swim team or bowling or karate or birthday parties on weekends. It  baffles me that people take kids to breweries and wineries.  With both parents drinking.  Not to be judgey, but even if we'd had the money to do that, we wouldn't have.

Highlands

Sometimes weekends are a time for hanging out at Highlands, listening to all of the "quiet" from our lounge chairs, enjoying a quiet firepit at night.  We might eat breakfast out at a favorite Mexican restaurant, or or work on some projects up there like the current barn build-out.  But mostly we recharge.  On Sunday afternoons we walk down to the swing at the far end of our drive for a view of the lake and just sit and talk about future plans.  Its very bittersweet to walk back up the hill, pack up the truck, and head back to Austin.  But we know that we have a cozy home to come home to, usually with a nice dinner.  

And since most weekends are over in a flash - we spend them like shiny new pennies!

Me, prompted

One of my favorite blogs to follow is writing her second blog, somewhat like MY second blog, in which she gets to share a little bit more about her personally.

And I thought, YES, PROMPTS.  That's exactly what I want to do with It's Just Me, Gina.  Because I sometimes think that life is too messy to blog about because I run out of ideas and worry that dwelling on my negative thoughts will plow me under.  I want to journal in a way that might inform or amuse my kids someday.  And it feels creative and interesting.

So.

I'm going to find a source for those prompts and if I can't, I might just travel along with the other blogger and get some ideas for them.  Or maybe I will come up with a list of my own, entirely.