Weekend Update

Red Bull Flugtag returned to Austin this past weekend. For those of you who somehow haven't seen the commercials, Flugtag is an event showcasing man-made, self-propelled, flying machines. I'd use the term "flying machines" loosely though. Most of these crafts don't make it but a few feet off the launchpad before they plummet. All in all, the event is fairly entertaining though. With each successive entry, you kind of convince yourself that this one is going to be the one that flies. I unfortunately didn't get a single picture. The event was much more crowded than we expected it to be.

Reading Rocks

We enrolled Brick in the H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Program. In exchange for reading 10 books with Mom & Dad, Brick got a cool t-shirt and this fun temporary tattoo.

Glimmer

Brick(s)

Congratulations, Bryan!

We've been a little hush, hush around here about some pretty big changes going on. Bryan was feeling the stress of working remotely for a small, independent company, so he decided to start looking into new opportunities. Not wanting to jinx his chances, or inadvertently get the news back to his previous employer, we have said something to a very select few people, BUT I'm very pleased to spread the news that Bryan's officially started in his new job with Ricoh.

Ricoh is the market leader in digital imaging. As an Austin Account Executive, Bryan will have the opportunity to sell office automation solutions to businesses throughout the greater Austin area. He's been wanting to make the move into a more corporate opportunity, and Ricoh was a great fit. The company is based out of Japan, so I'm hoping we might someday be able to take a trip back to that amazing country. In the meantime, Ricoh-USA is based out of West Caldwell, NJ, so there's at least a trip to NYC in our near future.

I'm really proud of Bryan for taking the initiative to find a better opportunity for himself and our family.

Balloons!

Our Saturday this weekend started well before sunrise. Normally, I don't jump at the chance to get up before Brick does, but when I heard the Central Texas Ballooning Association would be in town and taking flight over Lake Travis, I couldn't miss the photo opportunity. I absolutely LOVE watching and capturing hot air balloons. I think my obsession began when I first attended Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta a few years back with my parents. Bryan's heard about the trip so frequently, I think he sometimes feels like he went himself.

This event was similar, but on a MUCH smaller scale. There were about 10-15 hot air balloons that launched from Mansfield Park and floated over Lake Travis. We got to watch as the crews set up the balloons and took off into the sunrise. Here's a few of my favorite shots from the event:











This is my personal favorite shot. Don't be surprised if you see a print of it hanging in our home in the near future. I love how it totally encompasses where we live now. We're just a few miles from this lake, and see it often. Plus, it's a Texas themed balloon. Really, how can you beat that?



Take special note of the balloon in this picture:



After the launch, we headed for a delicious breakfast at the Austin-famous Kerbey Lane Cafe. As we were getting in our car, I spotted the balloon. It appeared as though it was descending in a nearby neighborhood. Bryan, Brick and I became a temporary balloon chase team and quickly followed the balloon to this tiny field (fairly close to a major highway and right next to a gas station, nonetheless), where we got to see it land.

Face to Face

Austin Zoo

We took a quick trip to the Austin Zoo this weekend. There's not a whole lot to the zoo; we made it around the entire zoo in a little less than 2 hours, but there are quite a few interesting animals, and it made for a fun little outing for the day.

Bryan did a pretty good job of tricking the goats into thinking he had food for this picture. I only wish I'd snapped the picture of Bryan running scared as soon as the camera clicked.


Brick LOVED the turtles. I think he would have watched them forever if we'd let him. We got to catch this guy getting lunch. Mmmmm.


These were some seriously lazy lions. I can't say I blame them. It was probably close to 100 degrees out. If I'd had a choice, I would have found a nice spot in the shade to take a nap too!