A toast to our long-distance, lifelong friends

I worked diligently into the night a few weeks back...uploading, downloading, and fitting photos into tiny boxes on an electric calendar template for Taylor. It's one of my annual gifts, a tradition I started back when we were dating, I think. And every Christmas morning, we enjoy looking back on the year when he opens that silly calendar. 

My electronic life is a mess. With an archaic home computer, a work computer, a digital camera, and my phone photos, nothing is organized, synchronized, or seamless. It's a clunky process, and figuring out all of this technology is one of my resolutions. That's another story. But for the purposes of this calendar, I searched through several folders, neatly organized electronic photo albums from friends, and relied on photos sent from family to compile this year's edition. 

I stumbled upon some great photos I need to share, along with the stories of the accompanying memories. 

I know I mentioned a trip out to Austin last May, as well as welcoming our Austin friends to Oregon, but I don't believe I shared the {never before seen!} photos below. We love any and all time we get with Blake and Andrea, and this last year was extra special, with more than a whole week of time together if you add up our trip and theirs. Between wineries, breweries, bicycling, barbecue-ing, sightseeing, kayaking, and just chatting about life, in general, we packed a lot of memories into our time together. 

The next visit will be a little less footloose and fancy-free, as the McFarlings will be welcoming a sweet baby girl to their family in a mere matter of weeks. We could not be any happier for this couple. Andrea has been a friend for six or seven (is that right?!) years now, and I feel so blessed and thankful we've kept up our friendship. It's part of the magic of Austin I've always told Taylor about, which he experiences each time he visits, too. 

I started writing this post because I wanted to thank Andrea for being a great photographer...she always captures the moments during our time together, and a lot of my calendar footage came from her. 

We love watching our great friends become parents, and we know Blake and Andrea will be up there with the best of 'em because of their humility, kindness, care, and concern, among a million other amazing qualities they possess. 

They call it the Hill Country, I [still try to] call it home

Love those RRB lyrics.

Austin will always be a part of me, no matter how many years it's been since I lived there, and no matter how much it changes.

And luckily, I have a husband who loves it almost as much as I do (if it weren't for the blazing heat and lack of fly-fishing, he says).

We spent an always-amazing time in our second city mid-May, this time staying with the wonderful hosting duo of Blake and Andrea...and can't forget to give their pup, Cora, a shout-out.

I will expand upon this trip and add more photos soon, but for now, I get my hall pass by slapping this post up before my self-imposed June 30 deadline. Yes, this trip happened *last* month.

We will see Blake and Andrea in just a few weeks as they travel out to the Pacific Northwest so we can adventure together...and Taylor and I can attempt to be as outstanding of hosts as they were to us.

Here are just a few of our favorite Austin memories. More to come.

Foodie celeb fix! Tyler Florence and I shared the same plane from San Fran to Austin and from Austin to San Fran. No. Big. Deal. People. 

I left my heart in Texas...once again

I know I've written about this before, but when I met Taylor I was dead-set on moving back to Austin. I still miss it almost every single day. 

Fortunately, Taylor has fallen just a little bit in love with my our Austin friends and the capital of Texas, too. Although we didn't get back there last spring, we took a nice long weekend trip to soak up Central Texas, and to celebrate with Andrea and Blake as they tied the knot.

Jenny and Mike were, once again, amazing hosts, as were Kevyn and Josh. Although it seems like we did one million things, I felt like we really got to relax and enjoy our friends without rushing from one thing to another.

Taylor's an excellent travel agent, and he's scheduled us on red-eye flights the last two times we've traveled to Austin. We now have a little routine down, including heading straight to TacoDeli for breakfast tacos with Karina, then to Mellow Johnny's bike shop for a new T-shirt for Taylor, and finally on to Whole Foods for a special treat and some people watching for me. We take a little nap at Chez Davidson before a weekend full of fun activities begins. 

This time, our trip included the following: pedicures with the girls at Embellish (where they serve vino, a must)...drinks, dinner, and newlywed therapy at Contigo with Jenny and Mike (fun card anyone? chore list?)...TMG run group with Ricky and the old gang...more breakfast tacos...lunch with the bride and our fearless hosts...TOP GOLF!...Eastside Pie with John and Fer...Amy's Ice Creams...a long run for Taylor with the group and a trot through Tarrytown pour moi...breakfast with the Doyles at Magnolia Cafe...prepping for the wedding and breaking a shower head (that's for another post, though)...the wedding of Andrea and Blake...out on the town with the bride, groom, and fun friends from across Texas...CASH CAB...pumpkin spice lattes and a decadent Sunday morning brunch (love that this has become tradition)...a mid-afternoon snack and porch sitting with Karina and Jason at Red's...a house-warming (well, for us!) cooking challenge with Kevyn and Josh...more run group...more breakfast tacos...and an unplanned trip to a Hill Country winery with Karina...topped off with Rudy's barbecue...and one last trip to Amy's Ice Creams in the airport.

Whoosh. 

Now. Let me rewind and write a bit about the wedding. 

Andrea and Blake celebrated their marriage at a gorgeous chapel and rang in their reception at the County Line, a barbecue restaurant on Lake Austin. The setting was absolutely perfect. But, what's more perfect is their story. These two met back in elementary school, but they didn't reconnect until just about a year-and-a-half ago. Both are native Austinites, something that's becoming quite rare in the transplant-infested city, and they lived and worked so close to each other...but never crossed paths. After Blake's cycling buddies convinced him to get on Facebook, the site suggested he become friends with Andrea. After a few clicks and a couple messages, the two met up for lunch on South Congress near their offices. The rest is pretty much history. 

As an aside, I'd just like to gloat a bit about what an absolutely amazing person Andrea is and shout from the rooftops how happy I am she's found her forever with Blake. Andrea and I become friends about a year after I moved to Austin, and I think our friendship continues to grow and strengthen with every passing year. She's genuine, thoughtful, and just gorgeous. She's smart, savvy, and oh so caring. I feel so blessed to know Andrea. And, she lives just nine houses from my other dear friend, Jenny. These ladies have been through some serious ups and downs with me, and they've made more than one trek out to Portland to visit. I can never express my thanks enough to them. 

And back to the wedding...Andrea had been in and to a zillion weddings, much like I had before my wedding. She knew exactly what she wanted for her wedding, and it was perfect. From the programs to the music to the flowers and the food...everything was elegant and simple, thoughtfully chosen and lovingly shared with a select group of people, all beaming with pride to witness this marriage.

Thanks for including Taylor and me in your big day, Andrea and Blake. We can't wait to watch your lives unfold together, and we anxiously await our next adventure together. XOXO

(Photos are out of order...trying to get this posted!)

Don't let age fool you. All of these runners could kick your booty.

Insta-beautiful!