We just had our first trip in a long time due to covid and having a baby. We went to Texas to see my sister get married. We were very nervous for this trip with our baby but also excited.

We traveled with my parents and luckily the plane ride to Texas was about 2 hours. Lucas had his first McDonald’s to keep him busy. He enjoyed it a lot. He was pretty hyper during the flight but happy. It was hard to keep him in his seat. We didn’t bring his carseat on the flight, we had the CARES Harness. I think that was ok but it looked so uncomfortable for him. I made the mistake of trying to make him more comfortable when he was almost asleep and it kept him up the whole flight. At least he had lots of toys, snacks, and things to watch. He did end up falling asleep on the descent.

Our first night in Austin I was so tired, especially since I just got the covid booster 2 days before. My neck was all swollen and my arm hurt like crazy! We went to Rainey Street to eat at the food trucks. It was a pretty cool area. I had a Mexican pizza that was pretty good, Lucas had a quesadilla, and Don found some Halal food. Lucas got lucky and got to see some firefighters at work. He watched them help someone and then he was given 2 stickers by one of them! I wish we could have stayed longer but we were both anxious about putting Lucas to bed in the hotel room. The Hilton Garden Inn had provided us with a pack-n-play. We made the room pitch black, turned up the sound machine, and Lucas slept. He slept all night!

The next day we went to a little coffee place called Wright Bros. Brew and Brew for a small breakfast. It was really cute and a place I could spend some time in. We did a lot of walking but this area of Austin was not so great. Then met with Kelsey and some of the wedding party for lunch at Stella San Jac. It was pretty good. I had the burger and Don had the chicken and waffles. Lucas loved the fries.

Friday afternoon we went to Blissful Hill, the wedding venue. It was outside of Austin. It was nice for Lucas because he could run around outside, but it was super hot! The set up of our cabin that we shared with my parents was a bit weird. Two beds and a futon in the main room and a bed in the kitchen. From the pictures it makes it look like these are all in separate rooms, not great for sleeping with a toddler. Luckily my sister was able to borrow a pack-n-play for Lucas. So there we were—all in one room playing don’t wake baby haha.

The rehearsal went well. The only hiccup was Kelsey forgot her dress at the hotel back in Austin so she was late and unsure if she would get the dress back. Lucas played with his cars in the dirt and got so dirty it was crazy. But he was happy. We later put him to bed and I came back out for a drink. It was nice to hang out.

Finally, the wedding day was here. We were up pretty early. Don and dad got Einstein bagels for everyone. Lucas loved the egg from one of the sandwiches. Around 9:30 I went to go get ready with all the other bridesmaids. The day went fast and slow at the same time. I couldn’t believe my sister was getting married. She looked beautiful. The wedding was great. The steak tacos and elote were amazing, really one of the better wedding dinners I have had. Don took Lucas back to the room around 8 and I stayed. I danced a lot! It was fun to let loose.

On Sunday we returned home. We had more time in the airport which was good and bad. We were not so rushed but near the end Lucas was breaking down. He slept so good for the whole flight though. This time I did not try to make him more comfortable in his seat. I just let it go.

Just because….here’s my speech I gave at Kelsey’s wedding.

As Kelsey’s big sister, I’ve been telling her what to do her whole life—Kelsey, don’t do that, Kelsey don’t tell mom and dad, Kelsey don’t jump out of that swing! If you didn’t know, Kelsey visited the Hospital ER so much they gave my parents a parking spot. Well, my dad was also prone to injury.

I’ve been someone Kelsey comes to for advice. I tried to give her my best advice on dating throughout the years. One bit of advice I’m glad she took was, “Kelsey, you should date that guy from the pool.”

That guy was, of course, Jared. I met Jared while hanging out with Kelsey at her apartment pool before they were dating. I could see the way they looked at each other. I’m so happy Kelsey and Jared are together. He is the perfect addition to the family. I could stand here and give you thousands of stories about Kelsey, but I want to say, kelsey, I’m proud of you, and we are very happy for you. We are excited to see what your and Jared’s future holds.