Rookie Recap: SXSW Interactive 2015

If you live in Austin, South by Southwest (SXSW) is a big deal, which can mean anything from you hate it to you love it to you can’t live without it. I’ve always been a bit indifferent. Yes, it brings THOUSANDS of people to Austin, all the hotels are booked and you can’t seem to go anywhere downtown without waiting in line, but it brings in hundreds (thousands) of amazing artists each year, and the free events around town - which often include free music, food and booze - are endless. And if you really aren’t in the mood for it, it’s not really that hard to avoid.

This year I got to attend as a badge holder for the very first time.

What does that mean? It means I’ve participated in some free events around town (minimally) in the past but have never attended the festival as an official registrant. Let me also clarify, SXSW is not just music. It consists of 3 main parts: Interactive, Film and Music. I only attended Interactive.

30 Reasons Why I Love Austin

I don't have to say much for you to know how much I love Austin. And as I creep up on my 1 year returniversary (next week), here's 30 starter reasons as to why I'm forever grateful to be back.

Birthday Beers and One Big Bicycle

Turning 30. That's kind of a big deal - maybe one of those birthdays you want to celebrate in a unique way, like with a... PUBCRAWLER.

Oh yes, we're talking "a pedal-powered beer bike pub crawl" in downtown Austin for our friend's 30th birthday. All I need to tell you is that it's a big bicycle that seats a bunch of your friends, you can drink while pedaling, and you get to go to several bars. (I'll let you visit the PubCrawler of Austin website to "learn more.")

Labor Day Weekend at Inks Lake

We spent Labor Day weekend with my husband's family at Inks Lake State Park outside of Austin.

Both Jeff's parents and now his brother have RVs, so camping is definitely something close to heart with the Germenis family. I think this trip in particular, of all of them, has been my favorite... and it was right in Austin's backyard.

Greetings from Austin Part 3 - Adventures Thus Far

My life since February 12th, my life back in Austin, has been drastically different. I feel so free and renewed and... young again! I feel like I've done more things and seen more friends in the past few months than I did in all of 2013. Seriously, it's amazing. A few of the 2014 goals I set for myself included living a more active lifestyle, exploring Austin and enjoying life in general. Well hello 2014, jump aboard the happiness train!

Eats and drinks. I can't. stop. eating. I've cooked a little less for myself and have let others take over the pots and pans. Not only has it been amazing, it has been delicious. We've hit up many of our favorite places, indulged in happy hours and brunches, tried some new spots, taken full advantage of grab-n-go and have spoiled ourselves with some Ben E. Keith Austin food and bev perks. Here are a few shots that I took (imagine Jeff shunning me while snapping these photos):

Grand Cayman Getaway

Jeff and I spent our recent beach vacation on Grand Cayman Island, my first time to the island. We were lucky enough to be invited by close friends and their family, and we were quick to take them up on the 7-day paradise offer.

The Ennis National Polka Festival

Pivo, polka, party. 3 words that describe Ennis, Texas each year on Memorial Day Weekend. Why exactly? The Ennis National Polka Festival.

Canton First Monday Trade Days

I grew up less than an hour away from Canton, Texas and had NEVER been to First Monday Trade Days until last month.

Beach Vacation Packing List

I’m officially back from the beach, and that means back to blogging!

Burgers and Beer at Kuma's Corner

In my final Chicago foodie praise, I'm moving from dogs to burgers with this as-seen-on tv spot, Kuma's Corner.

Hot Dogs at Hot Doug's

I absolutely LOVE Chicago dogs, so on our Chicago trip last March, I was on a mission to find the best of the best, and I think I did it. Hot dogs at Hot Doug's!

Perfect Pancakes at the Bongo Room

Holy pancake batman, welcome to the Bongo Room. If you missed yesterday's post, I'm now reliving my Chicago St. Patty's Day 2012 restaurant stops, and I cannot forget to share this mouthwatering pancake experience.

Deep Dish Pizza at Gino's East

In spirit of upcoming St. Patty's Day, my trip to Chicago last year, all the delicious restaurants we ate at, and the fact that I said I would post about them but never did, I'm giving you my version of Chicago restaurant week, hoping I can help at least one traveler looking for some Chicago foodie hot spots (that was me last year). Being a deep dish mecca city, I'm starting with Gino's East.

West Texas Adventures: Scenic Tour

Ah, the conclusion of our West Texas trip. I've featured Fort Davis, Alpine and Marfa, and all I have left is the scenic view.

By the last day of our trip, we had exhausted most of our to-do, to-see resources, especially since many of the local businesses were closed on Sunday. Taking a tip from an Eskimo Hut local, we chose to take a scenic drive through the mountains, around the outskirts of Big Bend, through Lajitas and along the border of Mexico. The approximately five hour trip definitely had some nice views.

 

 

West Texas Adventures: Marfa

If you haven't heard of Marfa, it's an eclectic, artsy town that is planted in the middle of what-seems to be nowhere.
 

West Texas Adventures: Alpine

Welcome to Alpine!

West Texas Adventures: Fort Davis

For our one year anniversary (which was Monday), we indubitably had to plan a trip. Contending places included Savannah, Mexico, the Hill Country, San Francisco and Marfa, amongst others. For a plethora of reasons, we chose Marfa, which entailed an eight hour low-key, relaxing road trip to some interesting West Texas towns. Jeff did a college advertising campaign on Marfa, and I did one on the nearby UT McDonald Observatory; so needless to say, a trip that direction had been on our radar for quite some time. Throughout the weekend we visited Marfa, Alpine and Fort Davis, and then drove our way through the outskirts of Big Bend and along the border of Mexico.
 

The Infamous Czech Stop

Hail to the kolache," says everyone on I-35 who passes exit 353 in West, Texas, home to the infamous Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery.

 

iPic Theater Review

Jeff and I received an iPic gift card for Christmas, and last week we finally went and used it at the Fairview, TX location. I had been hoarding it for a little while because I really wanted to wait and see Snow White and The Huntsman. In addition, I figured we could really use the break in the middle of our remodel.

Chicago Day 4: Farewell to the City

Finally, I've made it to day 4, our final day of the Chicago trip. Since we booked a late flight home that night, it enabled us an entire extra day to sight see.

After checking out of the hotel, we took a stroll down the Magnificent Mile en route to Navy Pier.