Texas Style Council 2013 Recap, Day 1 (Friday)
We decided in May that we would fly to Austin this summer for the Texas Style Council. We went in 2011 (recaps here and here), and then missed last year because Rooney's due date was the same weekend as the conference. This year we were on the fence about going back. We'd have to line up a babysitter, spend at least three nights away from Roo (which we had never done), book flights and a hotel room, etc. Then Indiana reached out to us and asked if we'd be interested in speaking at the conference! We were so excited about that opportunity and immediately said yes. We had a fabulous time and want to share with you what we did while we were there. So for the next three days we'll be reliving the conference while we recap our time in Austin!
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We started the trip (Aug. 2) by driving 40 minutes to my sister's house to drop off Rooney. We're so lucky that she and her husband were willing to let her hang out with them (and their three daughters) for four days.
Then we were off to the airport, after a quick stop for Dramamine (darn motion sickness).
Our first plane was so small, Eric couldn't even stand up in it!
Our flights were smooth (no puking involved) and we landed in Austin around 4:30 pm.
Right off the bat we were met with kindness, and Cathy offered to pick us up from the airport in her Fiat, saving us cab fare. She also gave us a cute little Texas Longhorns dress for Rooney. I'm constantly amazed at how kind Internet friends can be!
We stopped at the Hyatt Regency to check in to our room and change clothes, and then headed to the Smart Style Swap hosted by Lulu's. I should have taken a photo of my items, but I brought a chambray shirt from Banana Republic (worn here) and a Zac Posen dress (worn here) to swap.
When we got there, we registered for the conference and gave big hugs to Linda (my best Internet friend, who I met briefly two years ago at the same conference).
I could hardly keep my happy squeals inside!
We got there at the perfect time, because Jesse had just shown up, and we (finally) got to meet her. I knew we'd be friends since she emailed me a couple months before the conference! We hadn't eaten dinner, and neither had Jesse, so we walked around the block to The Bonneville for pizza. It was delicious and we had so much fun getting to know her! I love it when people ask questions and are so easy to talk to, since Eric and I are both introverts.
At 7:00, we walked back to the swap. It was CRAZY packed in there. I wasn't too concerned about finding new clothes since our suitcase was packed as it was - I just wanted to hang out and reconnect with our blog friends we met in 2011.
Amanda, Paige, Jessie, me & Jentine (Yen wanted to stand in height order)
me & Tanvi
It was starting to get late, and crowded, so we stepped outside and bumped into the beautiful Kendi. We were able to chat for quite a while about Rooney, parenting, her niece Hadley, her clothing boutique, the Texas heat and our mutual love for fake glasses.
Around 9:00 we headed back to our hotel to get some rest for the next day. I left the swap with two adorable shorts (these and these in pink), both of which were planted in the swap by Lulu's. I only have one pair of shorts (shown above), so they are great additions to my closet!
*Our travel and lodging was sponsored by You Need a Budget, hence Eric's T-shirt :) Huge thanks to the cool people at YNAB for their support!