Austin to HOME! - November 27, 2009

When the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I didn't want to even get up. Boy am I tired! Vacations can be exhausting if you are on the move all the time even though there is some down time. Boosting up my computer and making the badly needed coffee were the first things on the list. After all packing was completed, including my new sweater and Twilight book, we were on the road to the airport around 8:15 a.m. Renee is kind enough to ship my new bathrobe and old boots back to Maine for me! Oh, I must mention that Renee also gave me a cute bracelet that I had actually worn the other night with the new sweater and boots out to dinner. Renee is just so thoughtful! You just got to love her!

As I am sitting at the airport waiting to board, I find myself thinking about all the places we went and the things that we accomplished. It seemed to be all about the food experience! Renee and I had a blast. I really need to come back to Austin again as there are many other things to do and see, such as see the Capitol building and the LBJ Library. Of course, there are many other restaurants. Renee will be doing research on that subject. She has only been in Austin for about a month so there is more to figure out. I also think that her GPS (Mandy) was a lifesaver for not getting us lost but did take us on some weird routes. It was great exploring. Every place we went to was within a few miles of her house except for going to Erin and Rob's house on Thanksgiving.

While sitting at the United gate area, Linda, who is our ticket agent, admired my red cowboy boots and wondered where I got them. She reminesced about her pair of red cowboy boots that were sold without her knowledge. She had bought them to her usual repair shop. However, the owner had died and the new owner sold all the boots and shoes. This is a huge lesson to learn. If you have shoes or boots getting repaired, I would make sure to pick them up as soon as they are done!

Our flight is on schedule and leaves around 9:45 a.m. to Chicago! Oh happy day! Here we go again! I still can say that I love to travel no matter how tired I get! It is exciting to people watch and chat with new acquaintances! I am excited to have Boingo working so that I can get on line to keep busy and not wonder what people are doing today on Black Friday!

I only had an hour layover in Chicago, but I did not have to book it to another terminal. We landed in Terminal C and I left in Terminal C! I was even prepared with my new boots to walk a long time but am so happy not to do so! Since I had not eaten before I left Austin, I grabbed a small pizza and cinnabon roll to eat prior to boarding. I was so hungry so I had to eat something substantial.

The flight from Chicago to Boston was uneventful as the two men beside me were not talkers so I put in my I-Pod and napped for part of the way. Our flight actually landed early so I was able to take the Concord Trailways bus out of Logan at 4:30 p.m. Having Facebook access on my cell phone kept me busy for the whole trip back to Portland. It was a good way to pass the time!

As many of you know, the weather in Maine is extremely rainy so I ended up driving 60 mph all the way into Hallowell. I called a number of people on the way back, including my mom and dad. My last call was to Carol who talked me into stopping at Hallowell and Wine. To my surprise, Carol, Andrea, Tiffany and Eric were hanging out at the bar listening to Katie Webber. Carol had just bought some little bottles of champagne so I did partake in that refreshing beverage. I must say that they loved my new red boots! After I left Hallowell & Wine, I stopped by to give Bruce a big hug! I missed his smiling face!

I finally arrived at home around 9:00 p.m. and booted up my computer to finish the blog for the end of one of my most amazing trips! Thanks definitely goes out to Renee for her excellent hospitality and to Erin and Rob for their hospitality for Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone else had a great week!