Charles got me to Austin for a weekend to surprise Captain Mike and his girlfriend Elizabeth. Also got to surprise Chris, Alyssa, Andy, Katherine, and Betsy. :) Was much fun! In my spare time, I got to move my life's belongings to my parents house, visit Houston friends, decide to sell all of it since moving it would be unpractical and quite costly, and see Beal while packing. Sad, hectic days, but I managed. I can still look at pics of the stuff... it's on my for sale page!

Nice t-shirt!
My first night back I showed up to dinner with Charles when he was supposed to meet Chris, Alyssa, and Andy. Andy's reaction was great... I got a "hey laura, how you doing?" and then once it set it that I live in Seattle now, it clicked and I got an enthusiastic "What the f*uck?!" Too funny!

The Hedges
Alyssa's reaction was pretty similar to Andy (casual shock), but Chris, as usual, was stone faced. Glad to see me, but impossible to get a reaction out of, even if a surprise. Kinda like his surprise birthday back in Dec...

The Couple of Honor!
Day two meant surprising more college friends... particularly Mike. Captain brought his girlfriend Elizabeth home to meet family and friends and we're glad he did! She totally rocks!! They came down from Minnesota, and though Mike and I both used to live in Austin, neither of us do anymore. Needless to say, his reaction was pretty similar to Andy's. :) Yeah!

Charles, Captain, Elizabeth, and me
Kat's reaction was a bit more delayed. The rest of us were already seated at Hyde Park for lunch, and when she came in, she said hello to all of us, introduced herself to Elizabeth and went on chatting about wedding ring shopping and other news. I don't know how long it took her to realize I didn't fit into the picture anymore. I think Charles pointed out that I flew in and then the eyes got huge as it clicked! Guess it's kinda nice and flattering to know my friends still feel like I'm a natural part of the scenery. It'd suck to just move away and lose association with the group... (Sad to say I don't have a pic of Kat to add here... she and Steve had to leave and finish ring shopping, so I guess it's excusable).

Good ol' Mozarts!
Charles was my fabulous escort for the weekend and I had a great time hanging out! Miss that boy! After we left lunch we headed to Mozarts on Lake Austin! Used to love going there... to hang out, study, whatever. You get to watch the boats go by, drink a yummy smoothie, and enjoy the fabulous Texas weather! That's one thing Seattle will never be able to have... great warm weather like Austin!

Amy's Tradition
Seems tradition to hit all of the favorite eating places when visiting Austin. Ate a Chuy's. Had a shake at Sonic. Yummy lentils from Hyde Park. And got ice cream from Amy's. While at the Arboretum we played on the cows and took a group photo. Kinda dark, but we're all there.

The missing link!
Betsy came down from Waco for the weekend to do a big meeting of the families (Kat's and Steve's). Luckily, she got to excuse herself afterwards and come out to play with us! I hadn't seen her in forever, I worry about her all the time she's off at college, and was so glad to finally hang out after so long! It must have been at least two years since I last saw her!! Crazy! Feels like not long ago she was still a sophomore in high school talking about boys and the school band. Now she's a full grown woman, graduating from college this summer, and looking for a job in Austin theatre! Wow!

The old gang!
After my loving, kind, sweet parents helped me get my stuff packed into a moving truck, I made a quick stop for lunch to see Houston friends. We still chat and email, but it was really great to see everyone in real life! It was even Suzan's birthday... what a fabulous day to visit! John was there, Isabel came down from Austin, Ajit and Crow came after camping, and Suzan was of course present! So fabulous to see everyone!

The Boys...
There used to be so many more boys, but Matt moved up north and Will wasn't around either. But that's okay... because I got to see Scott and John and they were enough to make my whole day bright!

My Beal
Beal stopped by on her way back from a long weekend in Dallas. It was close to midnight and we were both exhausting, but it was great to see her and catch up! I do miss my Bea!

All in all, an exhuasting weekend. But it was worth it to get my stuff packed and sold, and most importantly, I loved the unexpected chance to see everyone! Big hug to Charles for making it all possible!!