Day 94 = Gym + Austin Friends

I just have to give props to all my friends. I am so fortunate to have them. I was thinking today that I didn't know anyone who was actually from Austin until I moved here. It's because PEOPLE DON'T LEAVE AUSTIN. There is a reason for this. Austin is fabulous. It rocks. It's weird. And when I think of leaving, it's like, why?

When I moved here a little over 4 years ago, I knew one couple who were transplants to Austin themselves. But they knew a bunch of native Austinites. Let me tell you - it was kind of hard to break into that pack. These are people who've known each other for 20 or even 30 years or longer. But I broke in, and now I feel like a native. So I have my pack of Austinite friends.

Then I have work friends. From every place I've worked here in Austin. From Dell. From AMD. And from a start-up company that is now defunct and not really worth mentioning, but I did come away knowing two wonderful friends from that place.

Then I've gone out and made friends on my own. At wine tastings. At lectures. At parties. My friends have thrown parties for me and surprise parties with scavenger hunts. And surprise karaoke dinners (Sake Bomb!). And they've thrown parties with me - parties with pinatas and fancy shoe contests and door prizes. And dress up/Halloween parties. And they've drank wine and beer and margaritas with me. And listened to me. And laughed with me. And laughed at me. And oh, the girls' trips we've taken. Snow skiing in Lake Tahoe, Vail and Steamboat Springs. Float trips. Boat trips. Trips to some random place just to get away for the weekend. I have two girls' trips planned this year, not counting the "co-ed" coast trip coming up soon, where some of these girls will also be found.

We email, call, text and IM. We talk about all kinds of things. We send each other funny links about videos, photos and stories. Don't even get me started on all the inside jokes and catch-phrases we've accumulated through these last four years. We support each other. Some are single. Some are moms. Some are married. They're all great women. In fact as I'm writing this, a friend just called me to help her answer some questions.

I used to be the social director of my group of friends in Houston, and for a while here I'd rally the troops. But I am so rich in friends, I let my fortunes work for me now. Thank you and God bless my girlfriends. Not a weekend goes by that I don't have something planned with friends, and usually I just have to be patient because eventually a happy hour text or email will come through or an impromptu night of bowling or a movie or pool time or a concert or a comedy show or an invite to hang out on the lake or a request to enter a film-making frenzy contest....

I could gush and go on and on about my friends; it was hard to pick even these handful of photos for this blog entry because Lord knows between us all we have thousands.

By the way, I went to the gym this morning, and it was a good workout.