Homecoming x 2

After four days with my family, it was time for me to go to work. I drove to Austin and left Stormy and Rocko with my mom and dad. I checked into my hotel, then picked up Liz at the airport. She arrived as radiant and fresh as only a mother of twins who has just had her first real break in three years can. I almost didn't recognize her. The last three years has been amazing; but it has been hard for us both- especially Liz, since her life changed so drastically. She went from being a respected, talented, well compensated creative professional with a free-lance schedule to full time mother of the aptly-named Stormy and Rocko twins in the blink of an eye.


It was nice to see her smile like that- I need to make sure this happens more often. We had a nice dinner, walked around Sixth Street and in the morning I went to my conference and she went to the airport to meet her children and fly home.

On the way home, R and S even got to meet the Captain and Co-Pilot in the cockpit. 

Texas Time

I had some travel to Austin the same week my sister Kerrie was celebrating her daughter Anna's first birthday. I hadn't been out since her baby shower the year before. After much coercion from my parents to bringing the kids, (as well as a monetary bribe strangely equal to the price of airfare) and an equal amount of coercion from Liz to leave her at home for a few days, Stormy, Rocko and I boarded a flight to Austin one rainy Saturday morning. 


We had a pretty great flight, with the kids so excited about looking out the window, eating snacks and talking non-stop, that they barely got bored enough to watch the Box Set of Classic Bugs Bunny cartoons I bought just for the flight. 

We spent four days at Grandpa and Nana's house. It was a jam-packed visit: Anna's Birthday party, where they met their cousin for the first time, as well as several great Aunts, cousins and extended family, including Great Mammaw. They went to Breckenridge park and rode the train, went to the zoo and saw crocodiles, took the a tour on the riverboat through San Antonio, ate at La Gloria with the chef- (Johnny Hernandez, my Culinary School room-mate who I'd not seen in years) had authentic Chinese prepared by their uncle Len's wife Li Wah and authentic Texas BBQ at a roadhouse outside of New Braunfels, where I used to go tubing. 

Strong Beer Experience in the Haight

I am staying in San Francisco tonight since we are opening a new Whole Foods Market at Haight and Stanyan tomorrow. Magnolia brew pub is having an event called the "Strong Beer Experience" so I stopped by and sampled this exceptional Barleywine (11.2% abv) called "Old Thunderpussy"