THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD

The view of the city from the no leash dog park called, Auditorium Shores on "Town Lake" ("Lady Bird Lake" as it is more formally known as).  Paisley LOVES LOVES LOVES this park.  There are literally like fifty plus dogs running around and swimming in this part and Paisley runs around screaming "Get it.  Touch.  Nice.  Dog.  Puppy.  Woof Woof."  Oh, and David works in the pointy glassy blue building towards the center of the picture.

So, Austin is the bombdiggity.com.  We love it (minus the heat, meaning both the temperature and the NBA team that just won the championship...)!  It's definitely a quirky little town with lots of things going on.  There is no hiding the fact that David loves this town and believes it literally to be heaven on earth.  He rages on and on about this place and basically looks for any excuse to try and convince everyone he knows to move here.  He loves Austin and wants everyone to come to him so that he never has to leave (sorry to the many of you he has engaged a debate with about why you should live here and no where else: Jeff and Sam, Taylor, and family).  But if he himself didn't win your hearts over (yet) or you think that he may be biased, these pictures will definitely help you to understand his reasoning.  Enjoy!  

This is a cool picture David got of the city from our car's side-view mirror.

THE DREAM!  This is no mirage here people, this is THE Texas Memorial Stadium.  We live just a couple blocks north of here so we can see it from our apartment complex.  David always dreamed of living next to the stadium so he could watch the sun set over it and now he can.  This is what dreams are made of! 

Okey dokey, so what makes this town so awesome beside it's nice city line and football stadium (if that isn't enough)?  Well, let me tell you.  This is TEXAS!  Unfortunately, Austin is a little bit different then the rest of Texas.  It is a little on the hippy and liberal as far as culture is concerned and would remind one of the Oregon/Washington/British Columbia area.  Austin's motto: "Keep Austin Weird."  This is rather hard to explain what makes Austin so weird.  Is it the fact that it is the Live Music Capital of the World?  Popular concerts include the ever famous Austin City Limits which takes the city by control for a weekend and brings in about a hundred bands, big and small, old and new, and turns everywhere into a music stage; South by South West another week of concert after concert; or the free Blues on the Green concerts every Wednesday night in the park.  Is it the fact that it is a very politically liberal town in a sea of conservatism?  This town is very green and it shows by the food, the many many MANY bikers that may or may not get in the way as the ride through the city, or just the fact that they recycle.  Maybe it's the fact that this town has lost it's southern drawl and lovin' for boots, jeans, trucks, and country music like it's neighboring towns.  Luckily for David, it has just enough of those to keep him happy even though he would like a little bit more.

Even though Austin isn't as traditional as David hoped, he still managed to get himself a pair of custom, hand-made boots.  Austin likes to be laid back and on Friday's everyone wears casual clothes to work, including the clients Ernst & Young has. So, in order to not stand out Ernst & Young employees wear jeans and boots on Fridays too.

As per things to do in this town, the lake is always a popular place.  At sunset you can watch thousands of bats fly from under the bridge and into the sky.  There is a lot of huge parks to play in with a running trail that lines the lake and is always full of people just running, walking, talking and socializing.  If you're not in the park, however, you're in the river boating, kayaking, canoeing, etc. 

Tan and Paisley during a picnic on the river with some people in
a canoe in the background. 

The train that goes around the Park.

The Barton Creek Springs Pool right in the park.  This is a swimming pool that
has been preserved as a natural sping.

The water is freezing cold, but it is nice because that day, like most summer days
in Texas was well over 100 degrees.

As you can see it is a fun and popular thing to do with lots of families and friends.

Here she is people.  Lake Austin, the place that is desired to be our retirement spot.  Holy Moly it was beautiful.  The neighboring area is tucked into the hills and has some nice homes, with both mansions and more modest abodes.  It was a breath taking sight to see and a place we would both like to live FOREVER!

Moving on to David's most favorite aspect (besides Texas football), the aspect that is make it or break it for a city in his opinion, FOOD.  David sat down and made a list of all the places we had to eat while we are here.  Well, that list ended up growing and growing to be so big that it won't be possible on our budget and lack of time.  Austin wants to keep Austin local.  They love farmers markets and don't love chains.  There are very few chain restaurants here, but there are TONS of original places to eat that only are located in Austin and use Austin grown ingredients.  From pizza to Tex-Mex, hamburgers to salads, and the ever famous Texas BBQ.  

Hopdoddy's - probably the most recommended burgers in town.  The fries were great.  The drinks are specialty soda's made with real cane sugar.  The shakes were outstanding.  The Greek Lamb burger was delicious as was David's classic burger with an egg on top (the gourmet version of Red Robin's Royal Burger).  "Best burger I've ever eaten" ~Tanis Douma  

So what does $20 get you in Texas:  All-you-can-eat brisket, sausage,
turkey, and pork ribs with potatoes, coleslaw, and beans for sides. 

This is a picture of Paisley to show how good she is learning to use a fork as
she enjoys her Texas BBQ.

One of the two barbecue pits where the meat is cooked using a mustard based Barbecue Sauce.

So what is this heavenly BBQ place we have been speaking about?  The Salt Lick BBQ.  As seen on Man vs. Food David had to try this place out.  Texas is a BBQ state, famous for it's Brisket.  Austin, is one of the best and most famous places to get BBQ and Texas brisket.  This place is an establishment that everyone should experience.  It is about 30 minutes out of town, deep in the hill country and very secluded, however, you know when you have arrived.  The parking lot is as big as Walmart's.  There is a playground for kids to enjoy.  Hammocks to rest in.  Fields and pastures surrounding.  Live music playing with lemonade and popcorn to snack on.  And literally hundreds of people from all over, here for BBQ and a good time.  Inside, the pack the place with picnic tables and everyone sits together family style.  They say BYOB (bring your own beer) and people bring coolers of it with all their friends and family.  If you forget, not a problem, they also have their own winery next door or for those of us who don't drink, water.  This was paradise!

Well, that about does it for now (this was kind of a long blog post).  We sure have been enjoying Austin and Texas in general.  Paisley loves the library and Children's museum and is growing so fast.  We LOVE being in the heart of Texas!

Paisley doing her two favorite things: playing with other kids and reading at the
Austin Children's Museum.

This was a pretty picture David got while at a Texas Rangers game in Dallas

This is a video of Paisley and some of the animal noises she can make.  She is kind of shy with the camera and most of the time we can get her to do all of them:

Cow = MOO

Lion = RAAR

Snake = SSSSS

Dog = Woof Woof

Cat = Meow

Bird = Tweet Tweet

Chicken = Bok Bok Bok

Rooster = Doodle Doo

Monkey = AH AH AH

Frog = Ribbet Ribbet

Pig = Oink Oink

and our Personal Favorite,

Rabbit = nose and mouth moving up and down!

ENJOY!!!

Y'all come back now ya hear!

All About Paisley

Paisley loves pictures.  Mostly, she loves looking at pictures of herself on our camera.  In fact, whenever I get the camera out, she starts reaching for it saying "smile, smile". This makes it difficult to get very many good pictures of her.  Here are some lucky shots I got of her when she was too distracted to care about the camera.  

Swimming in the pool at our apartment complex.  Our apartment is the one right behind, so we have a good view of the pool, and Paisley is always asking to go swimming. 

She's getting pretty good at climbing stairs.  Thanks, Grandma Cindie, for the cute outfit!

Last week while David was out of town, Paisley and I took a train around the park.  It was a blast, but unfortunately we couldn't get a good picture of us, so here's the train.

Dad and Paisley playing around with the camera.  I love these two!

On Wednesday this week we went to the Austin Children's Museum.  It was  tons of fun and they had so many cool things for kids to explore!  This was sort of a giant Lite-Brite toy.  Paisley could have spent the whole evening here.

There was a fun physics section that consisted of rolling balls down different ramps and tracks and things.  Tons of fun.  On this particular one, you drop the ball at the top and it goes round and round till it gets to the end.  Paisley wanted to keep tabs on the ball at all times, so she went round and round chasing after it.

Daddy and Paisley going fishing.  

This morning Paisley took me for quite a walk, running up and down hills and all over the place.  She was really set on chasing a squirrel, one of her favorite things to do lately.  Here's a play-by-play of our adventure.

"Mama, squirrel! Get it!"

Running up the hill, making her best chipmunk face.  Or maybe this is just her face of determination.

Oops, fell down.

Ready to go again.

By the time we caught up, the squirrel was up a tree.  She spent a few minutes trying to figure out how she could get it before giving up.

Trying to call down the squirrel a couple of days ago at the State Capitol grounds.  This reminds me of a scene from Rapunzel or Romeo and Juliet.

Smelling the flowers.

Oh yes, this happened the other day.  Paisley had been quiet while David and I were doing other things, when we looked over to see what she was doing, there she was just sitting on the couch in her p.j.'s reading her books. Priceless.

Back-Tracking to San Antonio

This post is a total back-track post.  The first week we were here was our vacation week.  We got here early and David didn't start work till Friday, so we did some fun things.  Probably the best of these days is the one I haven't written anything about, and David keeps reminding me to blog about it so here it goes.

On Monday there was a San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City NBA championship game in San Antonio.  Tickets weren't too expensive, and we were only an hour and a half away!  Deal!  Except for one thing:  the thought of being stuck in a small seat surrounded by screaming people, while trying to entertain a 16-month-old past her bedtime.  We couldn't find a babysitter, so we went for a walk in the park here in Austin instead.

The other big reason I wanted to go to San Antonio (SA from here on out), was that one of my trainers from my mission, and dear friend Breanne Rochester lives there.  We finally got a hold of each other Monday evening, and made plans for the next day.  So Tuesday comes around, we get all ready to go, I go to text Breanne, and lo and behold, my phone has disappeared.  After walking around for a while at the park retracing our steps, David and I each said a silent prayer.  Then David called the phone for the billionth time that morning.  This time a Hispanic lady with limited English answered. Turns out she had just found it while walking, and was still in the park!  We met up with her, thanked her earnestly, thanked Heavenly Father all the more earnestly, and were on our way.

I'm ashamed to let on how little I know about the history of Texas, and the U.S.A. in general. Our little day trip opened my eyes to my ignorance.  For example, along the way from Austin to SA, there are a bunch of towns with German names, like New Braufels, Fredericksburg, Boerne, and Schulenburg.  I had no idea the Germans had such a big influence here!  Turns out there was a huge German immigration in the mid-to-late 19th century, and they had a huge influence on the culture.  For a long time there was even a "German-Texan dialect".

We got to the River Walk in SA around 1pm, and met up with Breanne.  It was great to see her and catch up a bit.  I only regret that I totally forgot to take any pictures of us together!  We'll have to get together again.  We ate at The Republic of Texas restaurant, right on the river walk.  Good food, weird waiter.  There were ducks everywhere, and Paisley had a blast with that. 

The River Walk

At our table at the restaurant.  Nice view!

Paisley enjoying the wildlife

The river walk was absolutely gorgeous.  David loved the feel of SA because it had a real Texan feel to it.  Like the the real cowboys with accents and Texan flags everywhere type atmosphere.  OK, so it wasn't quite that wild west, but it was more his ideal than the very liberal, hippie-style, live music capital of the world that is Austin.  He fell in love.  

 We took a boat tour down the river, and learned more about the history of SA as we looked at the awesome sights along the river walk.  It was HOT.  Paisley hadn't napped, and she was dying, or at least acting like it.  I've never gotten so many pity looks from kind strangers.  We tried to go to the Alamo, but Paisley wouldn't have it, so we walked back to the car and called it a day. (Don't know what to do about the white highlighting - oh well.) 

Outside the Alamo.  You can see how happy Paisley is to be there.

The San Antonio Temple

We couldn't leave San Antonio without taking a detour and stopping by the LDS Temple though.  It was beautiful, and a nice reminder of who created all these beautiful things we are enjoying and why we are here on this earth. 

So that was San Antonio.  I'm sure we'll be back before the summer is over, to see Breanne again if nothing else!  But we loved what we saw (which was pretty much only the river walk), and would love to go back and see more!

The Week of No David

To blog about these past few days means I have to relive them in my mind and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that.  But it also means they're over and I'm still alive, so here it goes.  I know, one day I will look back at this and think how easy I had it.

The Week of no David

As a preface, David was sent to Dallas for the week (Mon - Fri) for training.  Of course, it had to be at the beginning of the internship, because that is typically when one needs to be trained.  Makes sense.  However, it also happens to be at a time when I've just arrived, still don't know any people, and don't know my way around very well.  On with the story.

Day 1

Let's start Sunday night.  Some people in our apartment complex decided to have a pool party.  This means swimming and barbecue, which means beer, which means very loud talking, which means no sleep for us, who live right beside the pool and have to get up very early.  When we woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready and take David to the airport, a few of them were still out there, talking loudly as ever.  Ugh.  Well, we dropped off David, came back home and went to sleep for a couple of hours.  

After having David to ourselves for the whole week previous, being without him all of a sudden was a shock.  When Paisley woke up she walked around the apartment for a few minutes saying "dada? dada?"  over and over.  She did this several times throughout the day.  As for me, I just felt lonely.  I mean, Paisley is great company and all, but after being stuck in the house all day and trying to keep a one-year-old entertained, it's nice to have some big people conversation.  We did go for a good long walk at the park and a swim in the pool, and that was about the extent of our exiting the apartment for the day.  That night we said a prayer and I cried a little as we thanked Heavenly Father for Daddy and asked Him to help us get through this week.  Paisley, on seeing my tears, was caught between laughing and being concerned, and just finished by giving me a big cuddly hug.

Day 2

Day two was the worst.  Paisley's eye teeth have started coming in, and with teething - for Paisley, anyway - comes bad diapers that burn her bum, along with general pain and fussiness.  So after a sleepless Sunday night, we were both up all night again, this time changing diapers, applying cream, making bottles, singing lullabies and crying.  Well, Paisley was just crying; I was doing all of the above.  I had planned a few activities for the next day to keep us both entertained, but Paisley was just feeling so bad that we stayed inside again, both wanting to go out, neither feeling up to it.  That evening it cooled off, and I decided I had had enough of this apartment.  We went down to the river and took a walk.  I was feeling a bit adventurous, and thought I knew my way around the lake pretty well by now.  Wrong.  I got lost, and after about 6 miles of walking it was starting to get dark and the trail I thought was the right one started getting rocky and narrow.   At that point a couple of nice walkers helped us get back on the right trail and back to our car.  We finished the night off exhausted, and had no troubles sleeping that night.  Whew.

Day 3

Today was day three.  After a good night's rest, Paisley was feeling much better, which means I was feeling much better.  We got up this morning and went to a place called Book People in downtown Austin.  It's a really cool book store with a whole upstairs dedicated to kids' books and toys.  There's even a story corner where twice a week they have authors and performers come in and do special story and singing times with the kids.  It was amazing!  The performer played the guitar, and really involved the kids in all the songs and the story.  Paisley had tons of fun, but I think her favorite part was just being in a new place and seeing KIDS again!  There's also an Anthropologie store right next door, so a little treat for me too.  

Tonight we tried to find Costco.  We did this for several reasons: 1) We are almost out of diapers. 2) My mom sent us a $35.00 Costco voucher, so (almost) free diapers!  Thanks Mom! 3) There's no Zion's Bank here, and I wanted to get extra cash without paying the ridiculous ATM fee so we can go to the Austin Children's Museum tonight where it's pay-by-donation every Wednesday.   

As I do not have a Smartphone, any kind of GPS, or even a printer to print off directions, I copied down every word of the Google Maps directions, complete with the left and right arrows.  Feeling pretty confident that I could get to Costco, get diapers, get extra cash, and make it back in time to take Paisley to the Children's Museum, we set out.  Oh, how naive I was.  First of all, we set out during rush hour.  Also, I have a terrible sense of direction.  Enough said there.  An hour and a half later, we got back to the house, Paisley having wet her pants, I having nearly done the same, more tears shed on both of our parts (mostly mine), and no new diapers.  Did we make it to the museum?  No.  We went swimming outside and ate ice cream instead, with which Paisley was just as thrilled.  In fact, I think her favorite part of the night may have been helping me sweep the floor and put clothes in the laundry basket.  She kept saying "help you".  How cute! We finished off the night with stories and songs and cuddles and a prayer, and Paisley is now sound asleep (fingers crossed). 

Lessons

So.  Lessons learned this week:

• Get the kind of Tylenol for kids that does not say 'Dye free'.  What this really means is 'Tastes nasty and your child will choke and gag on it and maybe even throw up a little'.  
• I'm kind of a wimp - or just very emotional at 5 months pregnant.
• Pee before leaving the house.
• I have a terrible sense of directions and should have a smartphone on me at all time, even when walking in the park.
• Next time I'm stuck in the house trying to entertain a toddler, try simple household chores!  Works like a charm.
• In spite of what I may mutter to myself while I'm cleaning the house or watching my 11th hour of basketball that week, I love my husband dearly and appreciate everything he does.  
• On a similar note - Die before David.  
• And lastly, thank the heavens for family and friends who care.  

How's David??!

If you've made it this far into my woes and ramblings, you may like to know how David is doing!  He has been in meetings all day, but gets out each day with plenty of time to enjoy the city.  He's done a lot of walking, and seen a lot of Dallas.  Tonight he and some other trainees are at a Texas Rangers game! Ernst & Young has provided him with a $25 allowance for breakfast and lunch each day, as well as $50 for dinner (!!!) so he's been eating well.  He misses us and we we each insist that we are the one more excited for the week to be over.  Pictures of his trip to come.

David's First Day cont. & Other Austin Happenings

David's 1st day continued

David's first day of work was great.  He arrived at 7:45 a.m. just to be on the safe side, only to find out that he didn't have to be in till 9:00!  Oops.  So, he had a little while to get to know the waiting room.  But after that, the day went smoothly as can be.  They spent most of the day training him in basic EY stuff.  The real training will take place next week when they fly him to Dallas for the week.  I'm not especially looking forward to that.  Then they took the two interns out for lunch at a famous bbq place called Perry's Steakhouse.  At Perry's they have amazing pork ribs that usually cost $50, but on Fridays they serve a slightly smaller version for only $10!  After lunch he came home early and got to relax with us for a while.

A picture of downtown, with David's building off to the right

David's building.  Probably the coolest one in town!

ROT and other Austin fun

David found out at work that this weekend is a special one in Austin.  The Republic of Texas Rally (aka ROT) takes place.  This is where all hundreds, maybe thousands of motorcyclists come into town from all over the place, and ride around the streets of downtown Austin.  Many of the streets are closed to pedestrians and bikers, and there are some fun events for entertainment, such as a parade and midget wrestling!  We've had fun walking around downtown and seeing all the cool bikes and interesting people.

We also spent some time on Saturday walking around the off-leash park where Paisley had a blast chasing dogs.   She would see a dog she liked, point at it and say "get it!" and then take off running.  And then we stopped at the Austin Farmer's Market where they had some really great stuff. I'll post some pictures, although we didn't get to the midget wrestling, sorry.

Paisley after a full morning of sight-seeing

Our last stop of the day was to dinner at Home Slice Pizza.  This came recommended by Adam from Man vs. Food.  David has made a list of places to eat from first priority to last, based mostly on Adam's recommendations.  Should there be a next time, I would try a different flavor, but it was really good pizza!  We also stopped by the famous Amy's Ice Cream and it did not disappoint.

David excited to eat our spinach, onion, roasted red pepper
and  green olive pizza

David's First Day

Today is David's first day working at Ernst & Young in Austin (Starting work on a Friday?  I know. Weird.)  I am so proud of him, and we are both very excited.  We were so excited last night that we didn't get to sleep till late, even knowing that our vacation days were over and we needed to get up early the next morning.  Oh well, we're still young... right?

Anyway, this morning David gets up at 6 a.m. to give himself extra time to get through traffic.  Well, the bathroom is right beside Paisley's room, so that means Paisley's awake, which means I'm awake.  Okay, fine, I'll get up and be a supportive wife.  I decided to drive in to work with David and go walking down by the river with Paisley while it's not too hot out.  I think we walked about 6 miles!  Don't know if I'll be doing that again soon.

Okay, this is the good part.  Paisley, having woken up so early, fell asleep in the stroller along the way.  When we got home, I tried as gently as I could to put her in her crib so she would keep sleeping and I would get a nap.  Of course she woke up.  I gave her a small bottle and went and had a shower.  When I came out, she was cooing in her bed and saying 'mama'.  I went in, and she said "bottle" as she held up her now empty bottle. Here's the precious dialogue that followed:

Me:  "Do you want to come out?"
Paisley: "No.  Sleep."
Me:  "You want to sleep?  Do you want more milk?"
Paisley: "More." (Handing me her bottle again)

I filled up her bottle again, gave it to her, and she lay down and went to sleep.  Sigh. I love that girl. I'm going to have a nap.

Off to Austin - The Arrival!

A tired Paisley, downing her drink at Whattaburger.

David was disappointed that the previous night all I felt like eating was Jason's Deli when there was a Whataburger right next to our Hotel.  So we redirected our route so that we could drive through Brownwood, TX at lunchtime to eat at Whataburger.  Even after all the hype about Whataburger and their 2000-calorie burgers, David was not disappointed in the least.

That evening around 5:30, we rolled into Austin.  I must admit, after driving through so many cities, I didn't think the freeways of Austin were anything too special.  Then we got off the freeway and drove into the city on Congress Ave. Congress crosses a bridge over the river (aka Lady Bird Lake) and into the city, leading straight through the middle of Austin to the breathtaking Capitol Building.  It is pretty stunning, and it made me super excited to live in Austin.  We'll be living right downtown, a few blocks away from the Longhorns football stadium.  There's lots within walking distance, including the Captiol, UT campus, lots of fun eclectic little shops and restaurants, and even the river, lined with trails and parks.  It really is awesome.

The Capitol building from the North side of Austin

Welcome to Austin - the night view

The field of dreams

Entrance to the stadium.  Pretty impressive, right?

Our arrival to our apartment was equally breathtaking, but not in a good way!  I should have taken before and after pictures, but I was too anxious to clean!!  Our apartment was posted on Craigslist as a sublet, where the renter was leaving for the summer and was looking for someone to take over rent for a couple of months.  We found some great deals, but the best (we thought) was this one.  A two bedroom apartment with both the renters gone, cable, internet, pool, pots, pans, furniture, all included.  Right downtown, and we would only pay the price of one of the bedrooms!  Done.  When we got here, however, we were reminded of what a typical male college student's place can look - and smell - like.  They had put all of their things away, so everything was tidy, they just forgot to really clean - for the past 2 years!!  So our first stop was Walmart, where we bought a broom and other cleaning supplies, and have been sweeping, scrubbing, and bleaching ever since we got here.  I turned the bathtub (where Paisley has her bath every day) from a blackish brown to a sparkling white, and the dusty, grimy counters and hardwood floors now sparkle.  It even smells pretty decent! The pool is great, and the air conditioning works beautifully. I think we'll make it through the next few months pretty comfortably.

So, here we are, living it up in the heat and humidity of beautiful Austin, TX.

Off to Austin - Second stop, Lubbock, TX

Well, Paisley slept like a champ in her pack & play next to our bed at the La Quinta Hotel in Farmington.  We all woke up well rested, and ready for the road.  Today would be the day we would finally cross the Texas border!

We drove through Albuquerque, which was especially exciting for me as my sister Marisa served her mission in New Mexico.  It was fun to get an idea of where she lived for a year and a half of her life, serving the Lord.  We passed Bernalillo and Gallup where she spent a lot of her time.

A few minutes outside of Albuquerque, we stopped at a Chevron, only to find out they had run out of gas!!  A gas station with no gas??  We chatted briefly with a caucasian Albuquerque woman who recommended a gas station nearby, along with some places to eat.  When she couldn't think of the name of one of the restaurants she had in mind, she exclaimed "leapin' lizards!  Can't think o' the name!"  Really?  People say 'leapin' lizards' in real life?  That made my day.

We ended up eating at Sonic (meh) and sat on the grass to let Paisley walk around.  As we were playing in the grass, I noticed a homeless man making a beeline for my purse a few yards away.  I nonchalantly raced him to my purse, and we left Albuquerque.

David was pretty pumped to cross the Texas border.  He was especially excited for the big Dodge Ram he was sure everyone was handed as they crossed the border.  Well, we didn't receive a Dodge Ram, but we were all very happy to cross into Texas.  Having never been to Texas, I was curious to see this land I envisioned as being one giant sandy plain populated with cacti and tumbleweeds.  To my pleasant surprise, it seemed like Texas welcomed us with green farmlands, bales of hay, giant cow farms, miles and miles of windmills, and even roads lined with wildflowers of red, yellow, purple and blue.  Totally not what I expected.

At the Texas state line, wondering where his truck is.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including their
 welcome sign!

That night we got to Lubbock, TX and walked around the hotel and into a bunch of different restaurants, only to find out that all I felt like eating was Jason's Deli, which was the first place we had gone to.  This was much to David's exasperation, but he was a good sport.  Plus he was rewarded with being able to watch the game on the restaurant t.v.  One day down, one to go.