A quick survey

It turns out that one of the worst bands ever is getting back together. Yes, you can look forward to more Limp Bizkit soon. This news led Rob and I to speculate which band we'd actually consider even lower than this? We both agree that if we HAD to listen to either Metallica or Limp Bizkit for a whole day, we'd then go to Limp Bizkit. What do you think?

Visiting the lake

Yesterday was the kind of gorgeous that actually forces Rob and I to stop being lazy and go outside. We took the dogs to Red Bud, then decided to clean up our act and check another location off our "places we haven't been yet" list. The Oasis tends to get rather meh reviews on their food, but really you're paying for this:

I have to add that every one of the people on Yelp that recommended going here for drinks instead of food was probably right. It was a nice way to spend part of an afternoon, though. My only real complaint came from realizing that this is one of the few places that remind me that people do come to Austin as tourists outside of SXSW. It would have been nice if the guys at the table next to us didn't have "tool" tattooed across each of their foreheads, and hadn't proceeded to attempt to pick up the waitress in very obviously icky ways. For the record, most of the staff at the Oasis are the kids that have grown up in this area. I kept wanting to ask if the guys just wanted to know where all the high school girls hang out. (Name that movie) Thankfully, the view was too nice to get too sucked into nearby moronic behavior. Yes, let's look at that again:

Ahhhh, tranquil pretty.

More zombie news

I was checking out my friend Penni's music blog, and was shocked to realize that I never told y'all about the Thrill the World event that took place here last October. 880+ people met at a park downtown, most in costume, and proceeded to perform the Thriller dance. The plan was to break the world record for most people doing this at once or something. All I know is that it was yet another of the crazy things to show up in Austin that makes me love it here so much. Click here for a video about the event.

Austin is not L.A.

But we're apparently stuck with a Carl's Jr. franchise nonetheless. Sad. I mean, if we're importing franchises, then why can't it be something tasty, like Coffee Bean, instead of something I associate with Paris Hilton.

Five favorite: TexMex

So, I was trying to come up with a list of good places to eat in Austin, and finally realized that I could spend all day telling you about the yummy options here. Instead, I'm breaking it down to my favorite 5 in various categories.

It goes without saying that I love to eat. Like, a lot. I have a tendency to judge places that I visit based on how enjoyable my meals were. When I lived in California I hatched numerous plots involving salsa and FedEx. Sadly, none of them ever quite played out. You see, of the American versions of Mexican food, you have your Southwest, your CaliMex, and then there is TexMex. Now, I'm sure growing up in Texas colors my opinion, but seriously, TexMex is best. There, I've said it. 

When you come visit me in Austin, here is where I'll take you to experience some queso-laden love. To hell with the calorie count.

1. Trudy's - If my last meal on earth is a stuffed avocado with suiza sauce from Trudy's, then I can die happy. Bonus if I paired it with a mexican martini.

2. Taco Deli - I sold breakfast tacos for these guys back in college. Best job I've ever had. Make sure you order potatoes on your breakfast taco. They mash them smooth and add a bit of jalapeno for spice. A little roja or dona sauce, and you are set for a great day. One of my favorite weekend mornings involves breakfast at Taco Deli south, followed by a stroll across the street to the greenbelt access for a hike.

3. Chuy's - Really fabulous queso. The chile relleno is pretty damn good too. 

4. El Chile - Revitalized or gentrified East Austin depending on who you're talking to, I love the Manor Road location. The mole is extremely tasty, and the ambience is great.

5. Z Tejas - They aren't strictly TexMex, but what they do have is very tasty. Try the chile relleno. This is also a great restaurant for the view. Up north, they look out over the hills, downtown is in a hodgepodge of what looks like two old houses with a connecting balcony right on 6th street - the non-drinky part.)

I read the Zombie Survival Guide, did you?

Rob and I took a short trip to Vegas to celebrate our anniversary. The Vegas was fun, as always, but I came back tired and then had stress at work. The end result has been me sitting in bed all day nursing a cold by reading a lot and playing Monopoly on my iPhone. I just saw this on Austinist, though, and felt compelled to warn you in case the virus has spread to me. Remember, you have to destroy the brain. Also, don't trust Thomas. I've already decided on making him my zombie kitteh in command.

8 years

When Rob and I decided to get married, we had a lot of things going against us: We were wayyy too young (I was 21, he was 20), he was still in the Army, and I was getting ready to get out of college to do... something. Nonetheless, we were in love, and our parents just went along for the ride. We planned a wedding for June 9, 2001. I bought a dress, we booked a gorgeous ceremony/reception site in the hills overlooking Austin, and we struggled to figure out how far our meager honeymoon budget would get us. In early January 2001, Robert received orders to deploy to South Korea for a year. He was set to leave in May, one month before our wedding. We tried in vain to find a way to move the wedding, but family restrictions and Rob's hard to predict Army schedule made it seem impossible. We talked a bit about eloping since I was never the little girl that dreams about being a bride. My biggest fear, ironically, was disappointing my mom by not having the wedding. My mom is amazing though, and one day when I was complaining about the rescheduling problems, she asked why we didn't just go to the courthouse. Well, that was all the fuel I needed. I called Rob at work and had this conversation:

Me: So, are you going to be on guard duty this weekend?

Rob: No

Me: Are you absolutely, positively sure?

Rob: Yes, why, what's going on?

Me: Do you want to get married on Saturday?

We went to the courthouse for our marriage license on Friday, and had to stick around to get a judge's permission to waive the normal 48 hour waiting period. I remember Rob being terrified while sitting in the courtroom waiting for our turn. He said he felt as though he'd done something wrong just by being there. Luckily for us, the judge was very nice and immediately approved our waiver and wished us luck. 

I called my mom and my best friend, Angelica, and let them in on the plan. Somehow in all the craziness, I forgot to call Nathan (he will never let me forget this). My mom got the news to him before I did. This led Nathan to the awkward situation of calling his boss to tell him "I need tomorrow off for my sister's wedding, and no, I did not know about this until now". In the end my parents and my brother drove up from Houston to attend the ceremony. Angelica took me shopping that morning and bought me a wedding present of a more courthouse appropriate dress - a simple blue sheath. 

We met at the courthouse. Rob had brought me flowers to carry. The Justice of the Peace that married us took us aside beforehand and asked if there was anything particular we wanted him to say. Rob and I were both focused on being married when it was over and weren't too concerned with how we got there. I guess I had also assumed that a civil ceremony would be almost business-like instead of romantic. Maybe it is sometimes, but we got very lucky in the Justice of the Peace that married us. He said many sweet things about marriage, but the one that always sticks in my mind is: "Now your hand will never be cold because your spouse will be there to hold it". Seriously, I'm tearing up here again just thinking about it. I am a world class sap. 

My parents booked a room for us at the Driskill Hotel, which is still the most beautiful hotel I've stayed in. It was only a one night honeymoon because I had to work the next day. The trouble with last minute plans is convincing other people they're important.

Since that day we made it through a year and a half deployment to South Korea, during which we saw each other only twice. We moved to California and Rob put up with me going to law school (which I actually think was harder than Korea in some ways). We moved back to Texas, and eventually made our way back to Austin. It has been tough on several occasions, and there are definitely times when we barely like each other. We still have a lot of fun, though, so here's hoping I'm still putting up with this crazy fool in another eight years.