Thanksgiving Revisited!

I know, I know, I've been noticeably absent from blogland for the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, things have been a little c-r-a-z-y here at the Lo house! The sad part is that I've had much to blog about, but, no pictures to post with my updates! My camera power cord is still in our room back at the house we were staying at during the transition time, and I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet. My camera battery is completely dead. SO, more pictures of the settling in process will be forthcoming, but I thought it was time to at least give a brief rundown of our recent activity!

We had a good Thanksgiving with the Lo family! This was my second Thanksgiving with Truman's family, but my first Thanksgiving officially being a "Lo"! With all of the busyness going on with both us and Truman's sister and brother in law, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in Austin this year. Truman's parents graciously braved the boxes and came from Houston to stay with us for a couple of days. While it wasn't exactly a leisurely visit (we promptly put them to work), we did feed them well on Thanksgiving! My brother in law, Dennis, deep fried our turkey. It was the first time I'd had fried turkey and it was delicious! I can understand why families' try it once and never go back to the roasting method. We had much to be thankful for this year!


The real insanity began on Black Friday. My wonderful and very patient husband humored me and joined in the shopping extravaganza. I was so thankful to have company and some muscle to help! Since we had just moved into our house, we had some basic items that we really needed to purchase. With our move falling so close to the biggest shopping day of the year, we felt the need to take full advantage of all of those discounts! We were up at 3:15 and in the Kohl's parking lot by 4:00. By 11:00 am we had put in a full 7 hour day of shopping and grabbed some *great* bargains at two stores!!! While Truman vows this was his first and last Black Friday excursion, it was well worth it for the significant savings on some necessity items this year!!

My hubby actually had surgery this morning on his collarbone. He broke his collarbone a year and a half ago in an "extreme sledding" accident in Colorado. I know, don't even ask! His collarbone hasn't healed properly, so they went in to shave some of the bone off and look for any other issues. I'm happy to report that the doctor said the surgery was successful. Though Tru is rather nauseous and in some pain, he is fairing as well as can be expected!

In light of his surgery and knowing he won't be able to use his arm to do any lifting or strenuous work for awhile, we had a very full week this last week trying to get things in order around the house. In the process, I seem to have pushed a *little* too hard and woke up with extreme pain in my right shoulder & arm on Thursday night. I basically haven't been able to use my arm for the last two days! But, after some pain meds, heat & a lot of rest, it seems to be improving. With Truman's left arm out of order following his surgery, we make quite a pair right now!

I'm itching to get back to the process of making our house a home. It's still a wasteland of boxes despite significant progress. Does anyone else ever feel like settling in takes a LOT longer than one might expect? I had finally cleared out a significant portion of our living room when Tru picked up a load of belongings from the guest room where we'd been staying...and now, you can hardly walk through the living room again. We do have some fun projects in progress, including refinishing a great piece of furniture I snagged off of Craigslist, that I look forward to posting about soon! I promise more house pictures will be added soon!!!

Moving Day!

The days have flown by since Tuesday when we closed on the house! We have been insanely busy cleaning, grouting & painting and my body is feeling every one of those squats, swipes & strokes!!! A lot of progress has been made (I'll share more details in a later post!), but there is still much to be done!

Friends from our a-w-e-s-o-m-e community group from Austin Stone moved all of our boxes & furniture from the storage unit into the house yesterday morning!!!! Using their patented assembly line method, they completed the move in about 2 1/2 hours!! And let me tell you, they moved a LOT of stuff. Such a blessing. Since all of my belongings have been in storage since the beginning of March, I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to see them coming into the house. I can't wait to dig into the boxes of fun things that have been packed away!

A friend of Truman's gave us tickets to the UT basketball game tonight. We decided it was a great chance to take a break from the back-breaking house work and enjoy a little down time! I sported my very first burnt orange UT apparel, and I can't even tell you how excited my hubby was to see me in his beloved burnt orange. I'm still not convinced it's my best color, but Tru seems to like it!

Well, just looking at all of the boxes stacked around me makes me tired! Back to work....

It's Official!

The papers are signed and it's official....the house is ours!!!!

Lucky # 13

The number thirteen is often thought to be unlucky, a bad omen, a number that most people frown upon. Hotels skip the 13th floor. Airplanes don't have a 13th row.

For us though, 13 has become a number for good things. Truman's birthday is December 13th. Amber's birthday is April 13th. Our wedding anniversary is May 13th.

And we found out a few days ago that we will be closing on our new home, our first home together, on November 13th. (Also our 6 month wedding anniversary!) Our closing was originally set for November 15th. Then we received a call requesting to change it to the 13th. How very appropriate!

And so, the 13th it is, and our love affair with the number 13, our lucky number it seems, continues....

Tour of Fredericksburg

Thanks to a very sweet gift we received, Truman & I were able to get away for a few days to a charming B&B in Fredericksburg, a small historic German town about an hour and a half outside Austin. We stayed at the charming Queen Anne B&B and I would highly recommend it, or any of the other Absolute Charm B&B properties in town. I took full advantage of the huge tub in our cozy room, The Aspen, and we loved the delicious full breakfasts served by the Queen Anne chef each morning!

We had fun exploring the shops along Main Street, relaxing (we both finished a book during our 3 days away!), and enjoying some of the local restaurants.

One of my favorite spots on Main Street was the Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe, tucked into a quaint courtyard just down a flagstone path from the main street.

We stopped by for lunch (the homemade soups & sandwiches are delicious!) and though I had read a review about their amazing desserts, we had no idea what a treat we were in for! The desserts are beyond fabulous. We had the Mexican Chocolate Cake & Dollie Bar our first visit.

We loved it so much that we decided to stop by on our way out of town and pick up a couple of muffins & desserts to go. The Peanut Butter Bar & muffins didn't disappoint. It wasn't until our second stop when we noticed all of the magazine articles framed on the walls around the dessert case. We learned that the owner, Rebecca Rather a.k.a. The Pastry Queen, is quite famous and has been featured in a variety of magazines from People to O(prah) and Southern Living. She also has two cookbooks full of her favorite recipes. If you are ever in Fredericksburg, be sure not to miss this hidden gem just past the white picket fence, along the stone path, off Main Street! Quite honestly, it might be worth the drive just to enjoy some of Rebecca's delectable treats. I'm planning a return visit to try the two-layer chocolate cake topped high with fluffy frosting that I had to pass over this trip!

One of other Fredericksburg Favorites was The Nest, an equally fabulous restaurant where we indulged in one of the best dinners we've ever had. It's fine cuisine at its best, and worth the splurge, especially if you're celebrating a special occasion. It's a few minutes from the main drag, and don't let the cute but simple exterior fool you. I had the filet and it was by far the best piece of steak I've had...and I really enjoy a good steak. It was so tender that it melted in your mouth, a texture more silky than is expected from any steak. My hubby had the lamb and it was also delicious. The presentation was beautiful, but it was far outdone by the taste!

While I enjoyed all of the cute little shops full of cottage character and unique gifts, Truman's favorite was Rustlin' Robs. For those of you that know Tru's other moniker, The Sauce Man, it comes as no surprise that he was a fan of this shop that offers literally hundreds of sauces and dips. What's the best part you ask? They let you sample them all! Even my hubby, lover of all things food & sauce, was a bit overwhelmed by the choices. From salsa and hot sauce to jellies, pretzel or vegetable dips, they have it all. If you ever get the hankering to try a new sauce or have searched high and low for that one dip that you can't find anywhere, you're in luck because Rustlin' Robs even has an online store for those who just can't make it to Fredericksburg. Just don't expect samples!

Just before we hit the road to head home, we stopped by another charming local eaterie for lunch, The Peach Tree. Both a gift shop and a restaurant, what The Peach Tree lacks in value it makes up for in character. I recommend their daily variety of quiche!

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! After two months of living in the guest room of Tru's cousin's house, it was a needed escape for some time with the just the two of us. I am quite fond of Fredericksburg and know that I'll make a return trip sooner than later! If you're ever passing through Texas or live nearby, I would highly recommend Fredericksburg as the perfect place for leisurely wandering and simple relaxing....the perfect spot for a little getaway, be it for an afternoon or a few day stop.