Monday, October 29, 2007

Go Red Sox!

When we left for Austin on Thursday afternoon, it was cool and raining--and now we're back and it's clear and cold. I'm wearing boots! And I wore a coat on my commute this morning! It was amazing. Although not quite as amazing as the weather in Austin--sunny and around 70 degrees during the day, and in the 50s at night. We did not see one single cloud the whole time we were there.

The trip was fun--it definitely started off well, because the first thing that happened was that we were given a free upgrade from our crappy compact car rental to a PT Cruiser convertible. Torsten LOVES convertibles with a fiery burning passion, so he almost peed himself with excitement when the rental car guy told us we could pick any car we wanted off the lot. There was only one convertible, and believe me, there was not even a discussion about which car we would pick--it was just understood.

Austin was fun, although I have to say that it was not as interesting as I had expected it to be. I guess that's because I had really high expectations, but after three days there, we pretty much felt as though we had done everything we wanted to do. This included some time spent at the outlet mall (where I got four sweaters and a dress for under $100--it was great, because it was the real kind of outlets where things are actually cheaper than in the mainstream store, and that doesn't always seem to be the case with outlets anymore). It also included a day spent driving around some of the farm roads in the convertible, and now my nose is sunburned. But it was worth it. And it included time spent downtown, which was very pretty and atmospheric.

And of course, there was the wedding. It was definitely different from how we want our wedding to be. For one thing, the ceremony was very religious and did not feel incredibly emotional, although still sweet. And also, they had about twice the number of guests that we plan to have. It definitely helped both of us get a clearer idea of things we do and don't want from our own wedding. And the bride looked gorgeous and both of them seemed very happy, and it was great to see them get married, knowing how much they really love each other.

Then on our way home yesterday, our flight out of Austin was overbooked and we had a two hour layover in Dallas anyway, so we offered to take the next flight to Dallas and were given $600 in American Airlines vouchers as a reward. And we still made our connecting flight no problem, so it was basically free money, which we are very excited about. We may use the vouchers for something practical like our honeymoon, or we might use them to go somewhere fun on a quick trip we wouldn't otherwise have taken. We are still undecided. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I have never been good at the Practical vs. Fun debate when unexpected, good things happen to me, so advice would be appreciated. And if you fall on the Fun side of the debate, suggestions of where specifically to go would be appreciated.

I took lots of photos during the weekend, but we didn't get home until about three o'clock this morning, so I haven't uploaded them yet. I'll try to post them this evening. In the meantime, my Google Reader is displaying the unprecedented number of 182 new posts for me to read, so I think I had better get on that. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

16 comments:

  1. Your weekend sounds great! Can't wait for some pictures!

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  2. Glad you're back! Can't wait to see the pics.

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  3. Practical versus fun? There's always time for practical. Save it for some fun :)

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  4. Sounds like you had a great weekend! I definitely fall on the practical side of the debate, but if you've already budgeted for honeymoon plane tickets, then use it for a spontaneous weekend getaway. I'm sure you could get some good last minute deals to somewhere fun!

    Also, $100 for all those clothes!? I LOOOOVE a good bargain!

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  5. Sounds like a lovely trip.

    Practical vs. fun...That's a tough one. Have you already budgeted for your honeymoon? If so, take a quick trip. Hmm...Go to Vegas!

    Are your parents paying for your honeymoon, too? If so, putting that "free money" into the honeymoon pot, so to speak, would be a lovely gift for them for all the things they are doing for your wedding.

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  6. I was out of town last week for just Monday and Tuesday and I returned home to something like 190 new Google Reader posts! Lordy!

    Also, I love Austin, but I've never been for more than three days and I can imagine feeling as though you've seen quite a lot in that time. Especially since so much of Austin's charm is in the surrounding cities. Next time I'd suggest visiting New Braunfels/Gruene (about 45 minutes south). Charming city.

    Oh, how awesome that you got vouchers! If you already have a budget for your honeymoon, take a random fun trip. But if you need the help with the honeymoon, TAKE THE HONEYMOON. It's my ONE suggestion to engaged couples (I'm a newlywed). I won't advise on anything else except TAKE A HONEYMOON.

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  7. I don't think there is any better way to get an idea of what you want for your own wedding than to attend other people's. Awesome research.

    I sometimes do practical, sometimes fun. Um, duh. But what I mean is that I don't say either, "Be sensible!" OR "GO FOR THE FUN, BABY!" I say, Do what seems best. Is the cost of the honeymoon stressing you out? Then you have $600 less stress. Are you totally calm about the honeymoon expenses, and very excited about the idea of a bonus trip? Then you have a bonus trip.

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  8. Stephanie--Stuff in Texas is cheap. For real. At least compared to DC prices. Even if you're not at the outlets. It's amazing.

    3Carnations--No, we're paying for our own honeymoon. If my parents were paying for it, I would definitely be putting the vouchers toward the honeymoon. I'm a lot more inclined to be frivolous with my own money than with other people's.

    She Likes Purple--Don't worry, we will definitely take a honeymoon. We don't know where, but we will. Thanks for the advice.

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  9. Welcome back!

    And practical? What's the definition of that, again?

    Like you said - free money. Use it as such. ;)

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  10. i'm unhelpfully with everyone else here... if you're pretty comfortable with your honeymoon budget already, blow the cash on a fun trip! i vote... hmm... napa valley :-)

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  11. Sounds like a fun weekend; I can't wait to see the pictures.

    Go Rockies! (Congrats on your win...)

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  12. DEFINITELY go for the fun! there is so much time to be practical. be spontaneous and have a long weekend trip somewhere, those are the BEST! and during wedding planning, very necessary!

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  13. Those vouchers freaking rock! How exciting...

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  14. The weather in Texas was beatiful this past weekend! And that's totally awesome about the vouchers!

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  15. Other peoples weddings are perfect for figuring out what works for you and what doesn't.
    This is exactly why I love weddings - they are so personal and such a true reflection of the couple that no two weddings are the same.

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  16. After you mentioned Google Reader, I set one up for myself and oh my goodness, what a godsend! Now I don't have to click links twenty times a day! Yay, thanks for the idea!

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