Austin Bound

If you've been around The Verbosery long enough (goddess help you), you might remember the never-got-anywhere Gypsy Caravan Tour. For various reasons, planning for the GCT was shelved. The main reason for the whole Tour, of course, was to visit the Missouri Dish. We've toyed with various formats of the Gypsy Caravan Tour since then, but nothing has really stuck.

A couple of months back, Missouri Dish moved. To Austin. One day, out of idle curiosity, I pulled up Orbitz and ran some searches. Turns out, round trip airfare to Austin isn't exactly unreasonable, even for a Broke Ass State Worker.

I don't think I ever mentioned this, but last October, after her brother had surgery, I put SweetPea on a plane to Annapolis so she could stay with him for ten days while he acted like a tour guide recuperated. For ten days, I handled everything on the home front. I slept alone. OK, so I grew up as an only child, solitude is not exactly a bad thing for me. But, as I told her when I booked the flight, she owed me. And, ok, so I wasn't really serious when I said that, and I didn't really have any idea what she would be "owing" me, it turns out that what I'm getting is a trip to Austin.

Here's some sad but true background for you:

I've never been farther out of state than Reno & southern Oregon.

I have never flown farther than Los Angeles.

I have never had to change planes for a flight.

I've only flown once since high school.

I've never been this far away from my responsibilities for this long. Ever.

Here are some further trip details:

I'm not getting a hotel room.

I'm not renting a car.

The only plans currently on my schedule is a party that's been planned for the Saturday of my visit.

I'll probably be checking out a local yoga studio.

I've been told I should definitely go for a trail run (I agree! How do I figure that out?).

I'll probably be doing a "girl's day" with some of the local femmes.

I'll be spending some time with one of my other good friends, Codejnki, and, hopefully, with Missus Codejnki and the freshly minted Baby Codejnki.

We'll be going on a Photographer's Mischief Field Trip to Parts Unknown.

Basically, my plan is to have fun. Explore. Vegetate. Marinate. I'm going to be spending a few days with the Missouri Dish. I'm going to do my best to fall in love with Austin. And I'm going to hug a shit-ton of people I've known online for years but have never had the chance to meet.

I am so excited!

So, internets... What shouldn't I miss while I'm in Austin (early May, if that helps)?