Wednesday, August 7

We Went To Austin: Pt 2

The boy I went to 3 proms with accompanied me to the TxSC prom.  It was pretty special that he could/would be there.  I'm getting ahead of myself here, though.  Before the event, we had the pleasure of meeting some extremely sweet internet pals for dinner.  It was so great meeting Savannah, Elizabeth, the Brickyard Buffalo gals, and Jenny.  Tieka was there, too, and I was thrilled to get to spend some more time with her!  (and Elsie and Emma and our friend Candice, of course!)

(group photo nabbed from Savannah, but I think my husband may have taken it-- good job, Johnny!)
(I seriously love Jen.)
It was so fun to watch the girls really get down and dance.  The photobooths were hopping, girls were mingling, but as the night went on, I was anxious to get back to the house where we were staying so I could go over my notes.  I was speaking in the morning!

(And Amy.  So many great people at this conference.)
Of course I was scared to death when my turn came for speaking, but I got through it and felt pretty good about it after all was said and done.  I opened the floor for a little Q&A after I spoke for a while and the ladies in the crowd had so many good, smart questions.  I was so impressed.  I got to meet many women from the audience afterward and it was such a neat feeling to speak with other mothers or mothers-to-be-sometime-in-the-future that I would have never met if it weren't for the Internet.  It still blows my mind a little.
(As I may have mentioned here before, this has been my year of really trying to push myself.  Normally I would say a fast "no" to public speaking, but I'm taking advantage of opportunity to grow.  It's so good to stretch yourself and do things you think you "can't".)

I finished up the day attending sessions and (finally) grabbing some food.  After that we spent the evening having dinner and hanging out with our awesome friends from BonLook.  Seriously, they are some of the most fun people!

Johnny and I had to pack up and leave in the morning, but not before grabbing some last minute breakfast tacos from El Chilito.  AND RIDING IN SWAN BOATS.  Because that's the most magical thing of all time.

And then a REAL swan came over to us and proposed.  "Marry me, swan... marry me, swan... I'll be so good to you..." Any St. Vincent fans out there?  No?  Oh, never mind...

We were eager to get home and back with the girls, but we still hadn't chosen the perfect souvenir for them.  Then it dawned on us.  We found a nearby grocery store and bought dry ice and a cooler and packed up a bunch of Rita's to take home.  I can't even tell you how excited Hope and Poesy were when we FINALLY got home.  We missed those kids so much, and they missed us equally.  The hugs and squeals may have been the very best part of the weekend.


**Special thanks to Lulu's for sponsoring my trip to Austin!  My blue dress in the top photo and black shorts are both from Lulu's!

41 comments:

  1. It was really wonderful meeting you this weekend!
    I also really enjoyed your session. I am in the group of mothers-to-be-sometime-in-the-future, so it was great hearing your experiences and learning what boundaries to set before we begin a family.
    Thanks for putting yourself out there, Katie!
    -Mandi

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    1. It was great meeting you, Mandi! Thank you so much for coming!! <3

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  2. you are the cutest, Katie! enjoyed meeting you this weekend:)

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  3. oh my goodness. SWAN BOATS! magical fairy tale! how incredibly fantastic. Sounds like you had a blast!

    that first picture of you and the hubs.. seriously too much. adorable.

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  4. Such wonderful photos, Katie! And I love what you said about stretching yourself, and trying new things. It can be so scary but I feel like you're so right- we've got to do scary things to grow. Love that perspective...and you!

    xoxo
    D.

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  5. Looks like an awesome time! It's always good to push oneself a little past the limits of normality. I need to do more of that myself.

    Christen
    http://christenlouise.blogspot.com

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  6. These pictures of you and Johnny or SO cute! How cool are those swan boats?

    -Becca
    Ladyface Blog

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  7. Sounds like an awesome trip.

    I thought you were a musician? You should be fine onstage, no? :)

    Valentina
    Valentina Duracinsky Blog
    -- Facebook Page

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    1. Haha- speaking is SO much different for me than playing!

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  8. Sounds like you had a great trip! I love that first photo and it is so nice you two were high school sweethearts!
    Carlee
    Little Sloth

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  9. Haha the lyrics say "marry me John" but I like swan. Stop looking at me swan!

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  10. the first paragraph made me melt, you + johnny are unbelievably adorable!

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  11. I was lucky enough to hear you speak on Sunday, you did a wonderful job! I caught myself both tearing up and giggling throughout your session. I was too shy to introduce myself then, but wanted to give you kudos. :)

    -Sarah

    http://www.sarrrahgirl.com

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    1. Thank you so much for the feedback. Really, it was nerve-wracking to be speaking on such a personal thing. Plus, you know... public speaking-- Aaahhh!

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  12. Such great photos! And that swan boat! How fun! So glad it was a great time! Love hearing about it!


    http://sometimesgracefully.com

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  13. i'm a st. vincent fan! love it. ;) i'm so glad your trip went so well! the pictures are beautiful!

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  14. Cute pics! It looks like you girls had so much fun!

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  15. You were great at TxSC! I'm so glad you faced your fears, because your talk was really genuine and helpful, and it meant a lot to all of us. I love that St. Vincent song, by the way.

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    1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate you coming! <3

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  16. Looks like so much fun! Wish I could have gone and met all you girls!

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  17. Aww, you're so blessed to have people to come home to that are SO excited to see you. Fantastic idea for a souvenir!!! Sounds like something my mom would have done.
    That picture of all you girls... ummm hello! You're all so stunning!

    erinbulger.blogspot.ca

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  18. Ohhhh my gosh. These pictures are too cute for words! Especially the swan boat pics! Looks like you had a blast!

    http://cuddlyasacactus.wordpress.com/

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  19. that first photo is so cute. Also, I love those polka dot shorts. I remember my prom but I only went to one.

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/CurvyTiffy?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count

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  20. Awww fun!

    That swan boat is the coolest thing ever! I'm so impressed you did public speaking-I hate it also! But I'm sure you nailed it, you are super captivating. I love all the dresses! So many cute ones.

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  21. That 1st photo of you and your husband is really great! So glad that Austin was great for you!

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  22. Love the group shot of all you gorgeous ladies!

    Xo, Hannah

    sweetsweetnoir.net

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  23. I love that song. Glad you guys had a great time! One year I will have to make it so I can meet you, eat rita's and ride on swans. Magical.

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  24. Looks like such a fun time. Every blogger I read regularly who attended has sounded so inspired from their time there! Happy you all could get together for such a neat event. Hoping you came back refreshed and inspired as well.

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  25. Love your recap of the conference! It was so great meeting you and hearing you speak! You have such a sweet and genuine spirit. :)

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  26. I really love your blue dress. I love a dress that has an open back and you can def. show off your tattoo with it!

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  27. I cannot tell a lie - I'm super sad I missed out on this weekend! But I'm so glad you all had such a great time. I love your pics. :)

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  28. I'm a St. Vincent fan! Love that woman... she stayed with my boyfriend's bandmates several years ago in our hometown when she was first starting out :)

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  29. Great recap. I loved hearing you speak, your workshop was definitely one of my favorites and you are just as lovely in person.
    xx Abby | a geek tragedy

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  30. I'm a HUGE St. Vincent fan! I saw them in st.louis in 2011 when they were here. Super small venue-maybe 150 people there!

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  31. Looks like you had a fab time, and no doubt your talk was fabulous :)
    Rosie x

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  32. I've watched the videos on A beautiful mess and it looks like you really ad such an amazing time! You all look so lovely (especially seeing you with your husband made me melt a little, you're one of the most cute couples I've seen :)).
    That blue dress looks so good on you!

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  33. Hahaha I totally got that St Vincent reference!

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  34. It was so wonderful to hang out for a bit and chat, Katie!!! You were the person I was most looking forward to meeting and seeing! I'm glad you had a good time, and I loved your chat too. You did a great job! xo

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