My Mini-vacation

July 30, 9:00 a.m.
Woke up way too late this morning. Still need to shower, pack, and drive to Tyler by noon. That's what I get for staying up so late. But I needed to watch So You Think You Can Dance.

12:13 p.m.
Alesha and I are on the road. I wish we were riding together, but it's okay. I've got a lot of music to catch up on. Can't wait to get to Houston! Glad to have a Diet Coke.

7:46 p.m.
Made it to Julie's. I love her new house!! Headed to dinner now with her and Daniel. I forget how nostalgic I get in Houston. I wish I had time to sit outside and watch the planes come in to IAH. It's still one of my favorite things.

July 31, 1:22 a.m.
What a great night! I lost miserably at Scattergories, but it's been so nice catching up.

10:00 a.m.
Getting ready to leave for the Woodlands to see little Rylee Ann Williams. I'm amazed that I can love a little baby so much who I've never met. Can't wait to see Krissie and Ryan, too.

2:27 p.m.
Grabbing some lunch with Julie and Alesha before we part ways. I love Rancheros. Yum! I got to hold Rylee for a long time and even feed her a bottle. She is the softest, most cuddly little thing with her black hair and cute little upturned nose. Love, love, love. I'm going back after lunch. :)

5:45 p.m.
Headed to Austin now. It's funny that I miss Houston as much as I do. I know it's just the people...not the traffic or job. ha The Williams' family has a precious, special place in my heart.

9:11 p.m.
Sitting at the Mellow Mushroom with Tim Ross and Colter. Who would have ever thought Caesar salad-topped pizza would be a good idea? Try it! Thinking about firing up a rowdy game of Uno, but Tim Barton's headed to the house...haven't seen that kid in years.

August 1, 12:59 a.m.
Climbing into bed. It's been a long day, but entirely worth it. Had some great laughs with the guys tonight sitting on the backporch watching YouTube videos. Curling up on my air mattress now. Tubing in the morning!!

8:48 a.m.
Tim made breakfast. Not a huge fan of eggs, but I'm really hungry, so I'm game. The bacon's fantastic. Wasn't too thrilled about wearing a swimsuit today, but thank God (literally) for boot camp! I'll be okay. :) Oh, gotta run...leaving for New Braunsfel.

2:13 p.m.
Sitting at Whataburger. Tubing was incredible! The water was cold, but it was still so relaxing. Tim lost his sunglasses, and I banged my legs pretty good on some concrete, but otherwise, we came away unscathed and totally chill. I really enjoyed our group, too...good people.

5:33 p.m.
Hanging out at Starbucks with Scott Hamilton. I really enjoy having so many friends in this city. It's been quite a few months since I've seen Scott, so it's nice catching up. Anyone else know he works for a linen company sometimes? ;) haha I think we may head to Borders in a second to look for a present for a friend of ours.

8:37 p.m.
Back at Tim's house. Looks like dinner is no where on the horizon. I just realized how much my daily routine revolves around food. Oh dear. Half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich will tide me over. Texting Scott...trying to convince him to come to the Rocketboys' show tonight. It's going to be good. Man, I'm hungry.

August 2, 2:10 a.m.
Just getting home. The Rocketboys put on an incredible show. Scott ended up coming, and it was Colter's first show. I love their new songs. I'd heard most of them, but I still love them. It's funny how much I love that band. I started going to their shows to support my cousin Josh. I love him...we're cousins. But I've continued to go, sometimes to as many as 7 or 8 a year, and my love for them only grows. I love taking people with me, showing The Rocketboys off. And some day, they're going to be huge. You just wait. :) After the show, we went to Katz's on 6th street for a bite (finally). We got invited to hang out with some friends, but we're all beat.

10:43 a.m.
Well, just got a text from Tim...looks like he overslept. Ironic, right? I'm usually the one oversleeping and making people late. It's nice to have the tables turned. I don't even care that he missed his alarm. Reading "Breaking Dawn" in a fold-out chair in their make-shift dining room. I love quiet mornings.

2:41 p.m.
Hitting the road for Dallas. So, so, so very excited to see Shelby. It's been almost 6 weeks since I've seen her. Too long, far too long. Tim and I had a great morning. We went to Thunderbird Coffee for breakfast. Bacon and egg panini with a nice skinny mocha. There's just something about drinking coffee out of a ceramic mug that makes me smile. Tim took me to some of his favorite spots. I'm really sad I didn't have my camera with me...absolutely gorgeous. Great outlook points over the Colorado River, one with a fantastic bridge. There was quite a bit of hiking involved. Again, so very thankful for boot camp. I wouldn't have made it up those trails 6 weeks ago. But today, hardly out of breath. :) I love Austin. Maybe one day I'll live there.

11:52 p.m.
Made it to Dallas. I felt a little silly when tears brimmed in my eyes upon seeing Shelby. Isn't it nice to find such special friends? We've had a great evening of hanging out (and eating...haha). Got to talk to her boyfriend for a bit. I like him. Looks like tomorrow I'll get to hang out with him again. Okay, time for a chick flick. Woohoo :)

August 3, 1:17 p.m.
Great day so far. Stayed in bed until after 11 a.m. just talking. Had a great burger with Shelbs and Josh on Greenville Ave., and was a bit mischievious with Shelby afterwards on our drive back to Waxahachie. hehe Time to go apartment hunting...for Shelby. I promise I'm not moving again.

7:21 p.m.
Time to head home. Apartment hunting was rather unsuccessful. But I did get to see my dear friends, the Cowans, this afternoon. Malachi has got to be the most precious little boy. I had him cracking up! I tickled him and played peek-a-boo. Cute, cute!! It was good to see Nick and Jess, too. Really sad to say goodbye to Shelbs.

10:02 p.m.
Home sweet home. What a great trip! 800 miles and worth every one. Thanks for coming along for the ride. :)