Thursday, March 29, 2007

Austin Weekend

This weekend Trey and I went to Austin to compete in some races and to see some friends and family. Things started out rough as my parents decided they no longer want to watch our dogs for us when we go out of town. They decided to let me in on this Thursday afternoon.

Layla

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Finnigan

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We figured we would bring Finn to Austin because he is easier to take care of than crazy Layla. Plus, Annalee and Evan have a dog and Layla can be a real B when it comes to other dogs. Now to find a place for Layla. Ian was having 3 people stay with him this weekend, so he was not a possibility. Gavin offered to keep Layla, as did Alana, but we finally decided to board her at a vet. We then found out her shots were way overdue, so a $30 stay turned into $170. Also, Trey and I were going to have to drive seperate so he could drop Layla off Saturday morning. Oh well, what can you do?

So I drove up Friday and got ridiculously lost and it took me 5 hours to make a 3 1/2 hour trip. On Saturday morning I got up and talked with Annalee and Evan and then had to rush to make it to my Saturday afternoon race on time.
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So, when I saw the blip about Urban Dare in a magazine, I thought it sounded fun, but I was completely unprepared for how intense and serious some of these people were! Here's the website of the team that won. Wow.

Anyhow, Urban Dare is kind of like a scavenger hunt for locations. A little like Amazing Race, but not as difficult and in one city. I raced with my old high school friend, Jessica. As she is in great shape and a spinning instructor, she kicked my butt. The race has a five hour time limit and while planning for it, Jess and I had scoffed at anyone needing ALL that time. Well, in our face because we barely made it in time. Basically, we ran or speed walked for 5 hours. It was worth it though as I was able to go all over Austin and see places such as:
Daniel Johnston's Graffitti

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Stevie Ray Vaughan statue

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Barton Springs Pool

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So, Jess and I had a great time and we're definitely racing next year, but I will be better prepared so I don't become a human anchor. We'll also ride the bus more than just at the very end.

After the race, I wanted to pass out and never wake up. I had the Austin Statesman 10K the next day, but there was no way i was ever going to be able to do that. I had planned on meeting an old roommate from Oxford, Christiana, for coffee or a drink, but I was not even sure I could pull that off. I decided I had to see her so we met at Freddie's since Trey and I could bring Finn.

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Jared and Kristy met us there and while I originally intended to stay for only about 30 min, we ended up staying out till 3am. We had such a blast that we closed down Freddie's and headed to Spider House, another outdoor bar.
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I had a great time talking and tipsily pontificating with Christiana and Kristy. I am now in love with Austin so Trey and I have decided if we must stay in Texas, our permanent home needs to be Austin.

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