Yesterday you heard all about the first half of my trip to Austin. I think you guys will really get a kick out of the second half. Why? Because it involves a whole lot of these two goofballs:

That’s right, Sir Chick and The Dude. Saturday morning Aleksandra from Love and a Six-Foot Leash picked Mark and I up for two full days of true Austin adventuring. After spending two days as a “tourist”, it was refreshing and exciting to see the city with true locals. Aleks and Ben have been in Austin for years, interrupted by a brief stint in the DC area (which I am so thankful for because it allowed me to meet the two), so they knew all the best spots for swimming, shopping, site seeing, eating, and drinking. They also happen to have the two cutest celebri-bulls around.

After being picked up on Saturday, we headed out to do some Stand Up Paddle Boarding (aka SUP if we’re getting technical). Unfortunately we left the cameras (and the pups) at home for this extra wet activity, but I totally loved it! It’s this weird combination of being really relaxing but also being good exercise – not to mention you get a perfect tan while doing it. New favorite hobby? Check.

After cooling off in the lake we got down to the real important business: margaritas and hanging out with the dogs. I’ve met Chick once before, but being introduced to Doodle – who I have read so much about – was a total treat. These two pups are nothing less than the perfect pair of snuggling face lickers that they seem like on the blog.

That afternoon went a little bit like this: the humans enjoyed margaritas in the backyard while the dogs enjoyed their evening frozen kongs. It was perfect.

We headed out to dinner and enjoyed some delicious Mexican dishes including a surprisingly yummy avocado margarita. We ended the evening with two-stepping at a bona fide Texas honky tonk called the Broken Spoke. Absolute highlight of my trip (if you’re getting the vibe that I’m a misplaced cowgirl, you’re right).

Sunday, our last full day there, was spent at Lake Travis doing what Austinians do best: staying wet and cool. After three days of being surrounded by Memorial Day crowds, we finally found a quiet spot to soak up the sun and enjoy each other’s company.

The weekend of bliss seemed to come to a very quick end as I packed up my bags Monday morning and headed back to MD. It was a total whirlwind of a trip, and I loved every second of it. I cannot thank our hosts enough for everything they did! They sure know how to sell the city, and also set themselves up for another visit from Peace, Love, and Fostering very soon.

3/4 of our favorite Austin family. . . Ben always seemed to slip out of pictures!

Already counting down the days till I can get back there. It seems to me that the boys miss me too much to let me be gone for long!