Austin….Another one bites the dust!!!

That is, another bucket list item….Last weekend I spent an incredible 4 days exploring Austin Texas with my forever friends—we have known each other and have been hanging out  and partying for forty years already.  Well, that just makes me feel a wee bit older—but to know these strong, beautiful women and go through marriages, children and now grandchildren is just amazing.

We have shared many things and sadly cancer and the struggle through treatments, health crisis and family dealings with this all consuming battle has reached my friends….not only am I dealing with mesothelioma, but my friend Cheri has been dealing with Stage 4 melanoma since February of last year…..just 6 months prior to my diagnosis.  Like I have said—I really do not want to be part of this club…to have myself and Cheri deal with this together is both shocking and grateful—shocking that 2 members of the Fabulous Five are battling cancer, but grateful because I know when I start to go down the rabbit hole of despair….I have someone to talk to and sadly the cancer club begins.

But, Alas…..Austin was wonderful…Dottie, Karen, Mary, Cheri and I meet at the airport and travel to our rented house 15 minutes out of town…..we are 5 of the most inept, directionally challenged women on the face of the earth….I believe we did 5 turn-arounds…I mean 5!!!  We arrive, finally, have great dinner at “The Grove” and head to HEB for late night grocery shopping….hilarious….do we have enough wine?? Are you sure??

We hit the ground running Friday morning for a tour of the “Austin City Limits” complex, where music and Willie Nelson and others have been a staple for years with live broadcasts.  We also head to Barton Springs and search for the ever elusive Stevie Ray Vaughn statue (Karen found it!).  After a full day we head home for wine, pizza and Game of Things!

We have a great brunch at the house and head off to the Capitol for a tour….El Mercado for margaritas of course and let me not forget “The Working Women’s Museum”  and SoCo…South Congress for shopping, drinking and music.  We find all at South Congress and head to the Continental Club—a dive bar with live music and cold beers…you cannot ask for anything more!!

Dinner that night is at Threadgill’s where Janis Joplin was known to sing a tune or two…head to our house for music, games, police calls and more….I will just leave you all guessing on that one.  Sunday has arrived way too quickly, we are on 6^th street downtown, early morning shopping, hanging at the Driskills Hotel, patio lunch dining and searching for the best Austin BBQ sauce…we were able to barely scratch the surface of  fun things to experience in Austin and I couldn’t have picked a better group to do it with.