Wurst Fest 2009 recap...

We had a whirl wind of events this weekend and I have no pictures to show for it... A verbal recap will have to suffice.

We got up early on Saturday morning (6am) to drive to Austin. Everyone was loaded and we were pulling out of our driveway a little after 7am. This is a success all in itself. ;-) Chris stopped for kolaches about an hour into the drive and everyone was very happy. The kids got a monster cinnamon roll and we didn't hear a peep out of them as it was devoured. Another stop for bathrooms occurred but we made it to the stadium a little before 11am with plenty of time to make it for kickoff. Chris and David were going to be the lucky two to enjoy the game but as we got closer to Austin, Emily asked if she could go too. Texas was playing Central Florida and Chris suspected he could easily get her a ticket on the street. He was right. There were many people selling tickets and he got her one for $40 (a bargain?). So off they went!

Lia and I headed to our old house to see if any neighbors were around and to take a look (sob...) over our beautiful old neighborhood. I miss it in many ways. Bob and Betty were home and we got to visit with them for about an hour. Betty has been busy with all her outdoor projects and has made the cutest patio area ever! It is decorated with the theme of Talivera - I'm sure I spelled it wrong - pottery... all in red, yellow and blue. It is super cozy and inviting and I would love to recreate the theme for our kitchen one day. This notation will be a reminder to research it one day. ;-)

I met Sarah for lunch at WaterLoo on 2222 and 360. There is an outdoor play area and sand pit so Lia was very happy and allowed Sarah and I to visit for over 2 hours! My hubby called to be picked up and I couldn't believe how quickly the time went by. Sarah will welcome her niece into the world today or tomorrow as Bethanne is being induced today! We will be saying little prayers for them all day. Very exciting.

We made it to 5:00 mass at St. Catherine's and Emily was able to participate in their Children's Liturgy of the word. It is much smaller scale than at St. Anthony's. There were only 20 kids and they have it in their chapel. During the prayer intentions she prayed for the soul of her friend Kelly... this made me tear up. She really gets it and I admire my daughter's strong faith. Children embrace the cycle of life so easily! She sings with her whole heart and people comment all the time how amazing it is she can read the hymnal and how beautiful it is that she sings all the songs and prayers. They are always surprised to find out she is only 6.

Runar joined us at The Smiths house for Reubens and pretzels and the kids had a ball playing with their friends. 6 kids is quite a houseful now that they are all into their own things!

We were treated again to a fabulous breakfast! Cynthia made pumpkin cinnamon rolls from scratch and they were divine. She treats us like royalty... we love it! The whole gang was off to Wurstfest by 11am and we spent the whole day there. The weather did not exactly cooperate as it was very rainy... a steady down pour with little break. However, we made the most of it and listened to music all day as the bands switched in and out of the tent we chose to camp out in. German food and beer was consumed... the kids had fun in spurts and were cranky in spurts. Emily had a ball and did quite a bit of dancing and she rode a bunch of rides so I think Wurstfest will be lots of fun for her from here on out. Travis and Mary Alice joined us with their daughter Arielle. It is always good to see them. I enjoyed getting in a visit with them too.

The trip home was long but all the kids were asleep by the time we got home. We simple transferred them to their beds and got to bed as quickly as we could ourselves.

I am always overwhelmed with laundry and stocking the fridge when I get home from a trip. I don't know why I suffer anxiety from this... character flaw? So I really need to put my nose to the grind stone and get some work done.

More to come.