La vie dansante

Halloween in Missouri

2009-11-04T19:44:00.003-06:00

We're getting back into the swing of things in Austin after our trip to Missouri over the weekend. It was time for a fall visit, something I don't think I've done since I was pregnant with Julian (which meant I couldn't ride the roller coasters at Silver Dollar City. Yes, I was pissed, but I'm over it. :))

Just Julian and I went; Ian needed some time to record his next album, and everyone knows that a break from the norm does everyone wonders. Going to Missouri as a family has been the norm for a number of holidays, which is why we aren't going back for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I don't think I've missed both since I lived in Spain, but we need a break from the traditional fall/holiday schedule.

The trip this time was one of the best. The leaves were crisp and bright yellow and orange. We went to a pumpkin patch and on a hay ride. Stopped by a Marionville orchard to buy apples and hot cider. Ate both cashew chicken and blue corn popcorn. Hung out with one of childhood friend Lindsey's new baby and all the Missouri family members, which now includes Mimi and Woody, my dad's mom and stepdad.

Trick-or-treating was a blast, even though Julian didn't want to wear his costume. My sister took the cake with her Mary Poppins outfit. My mom and I, as usual, raided her closet. The dress I'm wearing she remembers wearing when she was pregnant with Chelsea.

History. Family. Home. All in one neat little package called Aurora.

Missouri Halloween forecast: Cloudy with a 100 percent chance of meatballs

2009-10-29T07:10:00.004-05:00

Our little meatball got to have a practice run on Tuesday at his daycare's Halloween party. We're off to Missouri today to spend the candy-filled weekend with my family, which means I had to unstuff his costume and we'll restuff it there.

Fall, I hope you are as excited to see me as I am to see you.

Living the sweet life

2009-10-21T00:02:00.003-05:00

Ian and I got to go to La Dolce Vita last week, one of the premiere food events in the city. Thankfully, Aaron and Sarah hung out with Jules so we got to play. Annie Ray, a local photographer, does these fun photo booths at events around town. Thanks, Annie, for the great shot!

Sending Shannon on her way

2009-10-19T19:51:00.000-05:00

Austin isn't perfect, but it's a good place to call home. Good enough that when people like Blythe and now Shannon move away, people can't seem to understand why.

And they might not have understood it entirely, but they knew they had to go. So they went. Blythe a few years ago to Colorado, and now Shannon, with her sweet son, to Florida.

Oh, Florida.

Shannon's mom is there, which will help with Z over the next few years. I've always been in awe of her ability to manage life as a single mom. No one plans it to be that way. Sometimes it just happens. Rather than letting it defeat her, or even slow her down, Shannon pushed on. She and Z lived the most fulfilling Austin life, the kind you try to keep living each year after that first magical Year in Austin. Hyde Park was the perfect hood to bike around. She let us come along to play on the greenest of greens at the golf course and in her most magical backyard forest.

Z always had the best toys, and Shannon always made the best tea. "You gotta get a Thermos," she'd tell me as we sipped her homemade chai. Every once in a while, I'd get lucky and she'd give me a mini yoga lesson. I still can't imagine my stiff body as fluid as hers, but it's fun to roll out the mat and try.

We made dinner last week. Broccoli and potatoes roasted with olive oil and garlic, served with grass-fed beef. We sat on the carpet and didn't even spill our wine. Z and Jules watched a movie, and we just hung out, enjoying the last dinner. I know I'll see them again, but it's still the end of a chapter.

Chapters big and small end all the time, and I'm learning to deal with that better. It feels good to send her off with a proper goodbye. Chapters rarely end that way.

There are lots of farewells that didn't happen. For whatever reason. And then time passes.

I tend to take the quiet route, letting leaves rest where they fall. It's easier that way. But thankfully, I got one-on-one time with both Shannon and Blythe before that predetermined time they each picked to move arrives and it's time to go.

There are such things as nice goodbyes.

Ramen noodles, anoles and meatball cars

2009-10-18T20:03:00.004-05:00

For the past week, we've been eating ramen noodles every day for a story that's coming out this Wednesday. Yes, that's right. Seven days of ramen noodles. It's been a challenge, but a fun experiment in creativity. By the end, we were eating meatballs and red sauce with ramen or thai basil pesto ramen topped with a fried egg.

Julian was a trooper; he didn't complain once about the incessant curly noodles. But I think I speak for us all that we'll be happy not to eat ramen noodles for a while.

We've had the most incredible weather in recent days. Mid-70s and lots of sun. We've had so much rain lately that our yard finally turned green again. I wasn't sure it would ever be anything but dirt after this summer. But just a few weeks of good, hearty rain and we're among the rest of the universe that has to mow their lawn (up until this week, we'd only had to mow one time this year).

Julian and Ian set out to make a meatball car, which apparently delivers meatballs. I imagine this is in conjunction with Julian's desire to be a meatball man for Halloween.

We've had the best weekend. Two great days together, enjoying the weather and each other. And more ramen than I've eaten in a long, long time.

Speaking of what used to be our backyard of dirt, I just found this video I think I forgot to post. It's of one of the first rains we got after this crazy dry summer, and you can see what a mess our yard was.

That's one big grub

2009-10-11T16:58:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest grubs I've seen. A soon-to-be rhino beetle, I think. Apparently, it's like the one Bear Grylls ate during an episode of "Man v. Wild." Ian gets the point for this one; he found it while digging his plot of the garden.

Just hanging around

2009-10-10T12:45:00.001-05:00

on a lazy Saturday.

Watching over the game

2009-10-09T10:09:00.003-05:00

Statesman photographer Ralph Barrera took this picture during a football game at House Park, a high school stadium near our billboard on Lamar Boulevard. "High school football game will never look the same to me now," he says.

Getting away from the Austin City Limits

2009-10-06T15:17:00.007-05:00

The massive three-day festival that is the Austin City Limits Music Festival was in town last weekend. Last year, I worked one day of the festival, but this year, I steered clear of volunteering to work the long days amid the big crowds.

There was a strong chance of rain, but we decided to go camping anyway. We went to Colorado Bend State Park, northwest of Austin, and had a fantastic time. When it rained on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, we just stayed in our big brand new tent and played Yahtzee.

I blogged about our Dutch oven adventures over on Relish Austin.

Apologies for the length between posts recently. It's been a busy few weeks. What can I say?

Smile, you're on tv. Again.

2009-10-06T14:47:00.001-05:00

Here's the second part of the Statesman's marketing campaign: a commercial with restaurant critic Mike Sutter and me.

Life in Austin just keeps getting weirder...

On a billboard near you...

2009-09-30T11:02:00.003-05:00

My very first billboard. Who would have ever thought? It kinda freaks me out, but here it is. Me and Mike Sutter, the Statesman's restaurant critic who is hidden behind a coffee urn. Near 12th and Lamar in Austin. I think it'll be up for at least a few weeks. I'll try to get a better picture before my billboard glory is over....

We barbecue; it rains

2009-09-08T23:06:00.003-05:00

The few times we've actually felt warm drops of water falling from the sky this summer are also the nights we happen to try to grill food in our backyard. After three times, it seemed almost a surefire way to get some relief. We cooked in the rain, and it was an experience to marvel in this the driest and hottest summer I've weathered.

Even though the heat has backed off (the highs are only in the 93-97 range) and we're still dry as a cotton ball, I planted a few seeds for our fall garden last weekend. I'll be posting a garden update on Relish Austin soon, but in the meantime, here are some highlights from around the house from the past few weeks.

One of Julian's first real representational drawings. "It's an elephant, Mama."

Hitting the beach while it's still summer

2009-08-30T18:38:00.005-05:00

We've had the best luck today, including finding this cute Port Aransas hotel that fit our budget and we didn't even know it had a kitchenette with a stove and a full-sized fridge.

Good thing we had a pork roast in our cooler and a bag of leftovers from this weekend's feast.

We bought a few supplies at the grocery store nearby: milk -- to go with the Lucky Charms the cleaning lady gave us (I promise it isn't as weird as it sounds.), a deli salad, assorted chocolates, butter (just in case) and plates and utensils.

You can imagine the fun we're having.

We're in the hotel now (which has a kitchenette but no dishes!), after a few hours playing at the beach while a storm came in. Now we get to watch Planet Earth and cook a pork roast in our tiny oven. Ian and I have decided it's the most fun little beach adventure we've been on in Texas.

Julian is on to this gratitude thing. He's playing phone with our (disconnected) hotel phone. Not sure who he's talking to, but the past few calls, he's ended with "Thank you for this trip!"

"West Coast swing" while on the Gulf coast

2009-08-30T14:20:00.003-05:00

Ian, Julian and I are at the Port Aransas Brewing Company on the Gulf Coast, having just spent a wonderful night with our food friends at Loncito's lamb ranch. We're hitting the coast for a night, just for one last family outing this summer.

I'm posting to share the story I wrote about Ian and I's trip to California, "West Coast Swing". It ran in the travel section of the newspaper today. I haven't even seen it in print, but here's the story and here is the photo gallery of 30 or so pictures I took on the trip.

A few random snapshots from the summer

2009-08-26T13:52:00.004-05:00

Cranes, red squirrels and membership drives

2009-08-26T13:49:00.001-05:00

Who needs cable when you have a good PBS station?

Ours, KLRU, is in the middle of another fund drive, but this one there seems to be more at stake. They had to cut “Docubloggers,” one of my favorite shows, but they still support creative documentary shows like POV, which aired an episode called “Shorts” tonight.

What better programming for a Tuesday night at home with a machine- and animal-obsessed toddler. Ian and I were enthralled, the cute little red British squirrels, just trying to make it with the onslaught of those gray American squirrels. And the South China Mall, twice the size of the Mall of America, but nary a soul in sight. Empty storefronts and gaping hallways. Capitalism on steroids gone awry. And, oh, Mommy, look at all the cranes!

A little something for everybody and incredibly entertaining television.

So much talk of “Mad Men” and even a show I love, “Lost,” on the major networks, but so few people really pay attention to what PBS does.

I know I sound like I’m 60, but as a social media and new media geek, they are doing some really interesting and engaging things.

Sorry, KLRU. I wish I could give you more money. I hope this encouragement helps.

Sunday brunch

2009-08-16T13:56:00.003-05:00

When I was in college, my friends and I would get together for Sunday brunch. The best was always at my graduate school fried Emily's house (she's the one who went to Chez Panisse with us). She had the most light-filled apartment, with comfy couches and chairs and hardwood floors. The gas stove was perfect for her percolator, in which we brewed cup after cup of the thickest coffee we could stand. She always splurged on a New York Times ($5 on Sundays, which, combined with the most recent New Yorker on the couchside stack, provided more information than you could digest in a week). We kept the morning vibe going as long as we could, until homework or work or other obligation crept up on us.

We're just finishing Sunday brunch with our friends Tasha and Camille, the perfect kind of Sunday brunch friends. They are gracious hosts, especially when it comes to Julian. They don't care that he eats all their blackberries and wants to paint on their floor. They are happy to spend the time together, not out eating a fancy buffet or at a park or babysitting while Ian and I do something.

Just hanging out.

Virtual birthday wishes

2009-08-09T16:13:00.004-05:00

Ian is so sweet. He's become the master of surprises, including several during my birthday week last month. The biggest was my parents coming two days early so we could spend some time together before he and I left for the coast.

He also connected with some of the most important people in my life and asked them to make me a virtual birthday wish.

Each video made me realize how lucky I am to have such awesome — and in several cases, tone deaf (love you, Chels!*) — people in my life.

(*for the record: my sister has a lovely singing voice and an even better sense of humor.)

And on through the sunny side of California...

2009-08-01T22:14:00.006-05:00

We're back from the land of blue dolphins and blue sky, except that both are decided more gray than blue. The fog and cool air carried us through the Bay Area, which is where I left you.

After Chez Panisse, we were happy to get back on the road, where nature made us feel more comfortable than a busy city. The redwoods spoiled us.

We stayed in Rio del Mar, between Santa Cruz and Monterey. On Sunday, we hit a very crowded Montery Bay Aquarium. The animals were great (I even spotted a sea otter in the bay!), but the photography opportunities were even better, especially with the jellyfish. I have a feeling they designed those tanks to look so gorgeous.

After the aquarium, we drove through the Big Sur area I fell in love with through Jack Kerouac's stories. Cambria was our destination, where we stayed at the Bridge Street Inn, an adorable old home that's now a hostel. We had our own cute little room, and I wish we could have spent a few days there exploring the nearby Paso Robles wine region. After the night at the hostel, we made a pit stop at Trader Joe's (please come to Austin!) before enjoying a wine tasting at Pomar Junction winery. We chatted with brothers who run it and sipped deep, glorious wines that reminded me what's the big deal with California winemaking.

That afternoon, in countryside and weather that reminded us of Texas, we meandered down the road to Santa Barbara, where we stayed at my cousin Nick's cabin tucked in the mountains above the city. It's wildfire country up there, but we had only gorgeous weather and fine company (Nick was out of town, but his friends Peter and Collin made us feel welcome).

36 hours of wine tasting, sunning on the beach, eating fresh mussels, shrimp and scallops, relaxing in a redwood hot tub, doing yoga with the birds, watching the sunset from a rock at the highest point on the property. It was one of our favorite stops on the trip.

Next up was L.A., where we hooked back up with Emily. I got the super special Ian tour of L.A., the highlight, of course, his old apartment off Hollywood Blvd., just around the corner from the Michael Jackson sidewalk star that was horded with people on Wednesday.

After a delicious sidecar cocktail at a place on Melrose called 8 oz., we drove up Melrose to the Against the Stream meditation center, where author Noah Levine leads weekly group meditation on Wednesdays. Ian is a fan of Levine's book, Dharma Punx, and had heard about these sessions that opened my mind about people who live in L.A. Like New York, you must follow an attitude and dress code. The codes are many, but they are what makes Los Angeles unique, which in turn makes me never want to live there. But after this session, where we were meditating on treating each other, including our enemies and ourselves, with loving kindness, I saw through the tattoo sleeves, faux hawks and Zooey Deschanel-lookalikes and found eccentric, delightful and -- most importantly -- kind folks. The same qualities I find in people in Austin. Still don't think I'd want to live in L.A., but I have a different perspective on the city because of Mr. Levine's community.

Directly after post-meditation ice cream, we headed to San Diego. An In-and-Out burger fueled us to Clairmont, where Uncle Chris was waiting, bottles of wine already chilled. We stayed up until 3 a.m. catching up on all that's happened in the five years since I was out there last. It was like we hadn't missed a day.

Chris and Betsy lead us on a tour of the city on Thursday, we cooked a lovely meal that night, and hit the zoo in the morning. Another wonderful 36 hours in a city we both adore.

After discovering a copy of The Artist's Way at Nick's, I've been reinspired to write morning pages. They went by the wayside (as did journaling in general) after Julian was born, but I'm going to try to integrate it into our routine. I'll leave the post-vacation reflection there, but suffice it to say that it was a definitive trip for Ian and me. We needed that time together, and the Pacific Ocean was the perfect setting to rejuvenate our creative souls and power us through the intense -- and therefore enriching -- life we lead.

Pictures, pictures everywhere! I only took my Canon Rebel XT digital SLR on this trip. Ian shot with an iFlip and he'll be putting together a video soon. Here are some of the pictures from the last half of the trip, but the Flickr set contains all the rest.

And one more thing: I'm fascinated with translation. This sign says in Spanish "Don't write names in the nopal [cactus]," a very different message, laden with cultural insights, than the English instruction.

Addie and Ian take on the West Coast

2009-07-25T00:32:00.004-05:00

We're in the middle of a trip down the Pacific coast, from Portland to San Diego in 10 days. We're finishing Day 3 in Fort Bragg, right smack on Highway 1. We started the day in Bandon, Ore., with Erin's family, who live in the wind on a cliff overlooking the wide beaches and seals that hang out on the giant rocks sticking out of the ocean.

Through the Redwood National Forest we meandered, hiking on a trail and stopping every little while to stretch our legs, take some photos, smell the cold air. It's chilly here, only topping 80 degrees every once in a while when we're inland. But when water is near, the wind is brisk and steady. I'm hoping I'll get to wear shorts tomorrow.

I've taken lots of pictures, but here are just a few until I edit them and upload them to Flickr later.

If you haven't wandered over to Relish Austin, here are two posts from the trip: A food bike tour of a Portland neighborhood and Rachel and Russell's refrigerator.

Tomorrow, we meet up with friends Emily and Kyle for lunch at Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

Cocktails, anyone?

2009-07-05T19:53:00.005-05:00

Julian's upgraded to cocktails -- non-alcoholic, of course -- these days. He puts anything, from chocolates and nuts to dirt, twigs and mulch, in two cups (one inverted) and shakes them. He then pours the contents into a cup and pretends to drink his "cocktail."

Not sure where in the world could he have gotten this from. :)

Neighbor Ruby

2009-06-28T21:48:00.005-05:00

We're so thrilled that Aaron, Sarah and Ruby have moved to a home just a few houses from ours! No more driving to see Ruby. Nope, we can walk right over there and see her just about anytime. She's been hanging out here more, too. Today, like yesterday, they played and played in the little backyard pool we set up. They are so sweet to each other. We're so lucky to have her and her family so close!

Family bonding (on a boat, with some bats)

2009-06-21T22:15:00.006-05:00

My mom, sister and grandmother all drove to Austin last week to spend a few days with us. It had been a long five or six months since we'd seen them, a very long time in toddler years.

By the time we were taking this boat ride on Lady Bird Lake on Friday night, I knew their trip was going to be one of the most special times we could have together. Last time they were all down together was for the wedding, and things were just too crazy to really be present and enjoy their company.

But this time was different. They stayed with us (Ian is the most patient husband in the world. Happy Father's Day, amor.), and we spent most of our time shopping for and consuming food, be it at the farmers' market or po'boys we ate on this boat we rented to get an up-close view of the bats flying out from under the Congress Avenue bridge. (Click here to see the rest of the pictures on Flickr. Remember, you have to add me as a contact -- and be logged in -- to see family photos there.)

When we weren't seeking or eating food (and even moreso when we were), we were just enjoying eat other. Reading the newspaper, checking out the garden, playing silly games with Julian.

I'm so glad they made the trek, and it makes me wish we didn't live so far apart (or that teletransportation were invented so it didn't take an exhausting 12 hours to drive). I can't wait to see them again.

Maybe we'll have to rent another boat, this time with my dad. (Happy Father's Day, Dad! We missed you this weekend, but you probably would have gone crazy with all us girls.)

"Are you making bacon and eggs?"

2009-06-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

A glance at what's been going on in our lives, 140 characters (plus a one-line intro) at a time:

Last weekend, Ian and I went to Houston for a taco tour the brought together foodies from Austin and Houston:

Proof of the awesomeness of the Austin Meets Houston Taco Tour now up on Relish Austin: http://tr.im/n9NQ 8:13 AM Jun 2nd

Celebrating two anniversaries:

Celebrating Relish Austin's first birthday with fettuccine alfredo and Canadian nachos: http://tr.im/mzkN 11:23 AM May 27th

Making Canadian nachos with @horriblebeauty to celebrate our 1st anniversary. :)9:54 PM May 25th

Relaxing on the river in New Braunfels with friends:

Spent day on Comal River in New Braunfels. Last time J was on there, he was 5 mos in utereo. He was a bonafide river rat today, minus beer. 5:13 PM May 24th

Reminiscing about one of my very first food story:

All this graduation business has reminded me of my very first food story for @themaneater at Mizzou: http://tr.im/m9sR 6:08 PM May 22nd

Hosting a hot dog taste test party with food blogger friends for a Statesman story:

The results of our hot dog taste test are in! You won't believe who won. Hebrew National fans, brace yourself: http://tr.im/lQ3z 8:40 AM May 20th

Our food blogging community has been having potlucks to share food and stories:

Relish Austin: Food blogger potluck, the sequel: http://tr.im/lGtk 1:37 PM May 18th

Speaking of the food bloggers, Edible Austin magazine published an article that featured me and these foodies:

New @edibleaustin hits stands on Mon. w/ @souppeddler article on Austin's rockin' food blogging community: http://bit.ly/m3rZS

Some tweets about Julian, which I'm posting here so that one day I will hypothetically record them into a book or some other way to remember them and pass them down:

The downside of having gas stoves? Jules hears the ignition go *tick tick tick* and shouts from his room, "Are you making bacon and eggs?" 9:10 PM on Jun 3rd

Dinner of Loncito's Lamb meatballs and gnocchi rocked. Moz salad w/ garden basil, onion, tomato. I told you @horriblebeauty was a good cook. 7:16 PM Jun 2nd

Just more than a week after upgrading laptops, the kid has already destroyed my Gray Lady. Who needs keys anyway: http://tr.im/n9ER 7:57 AM Jun 2nd

Julian won't go to bed anymore w/out reading his favorite cookbook, "Baked," before bed. It must be the marshmallows. Or the chocolate cake. 9:18 PM Jun 1st

Like mother like son

2009-06-01T21:43:00.007-05:00

Cameras have always fascinated Julian. He loves this little plastic one, which he used to replicate a shoot I did on my back porch last week for a story about how families can eat better on the road.

This is the photograph I made:

(As you can see he helped me by picking all the chocolates out of the trail mix.)

This is him recreating it:

I wish I could see what his images look like.