Austin, let’s be friends.

Spring break 2022, you were long overdue for so many reasons; and despite that, Austin still lived up to the hype!

We chose Austin as our destination for warmer weather (at least we had hoped), and to reunite with dear friends.

Here’s our trip in an absurd amount of photos. :)

We caught a [gulp] 6 a.m. flight out of PIT for our first leg. These kiddos were amazing travelers – I think we all unlocked a new level of confidence!
Getting the spring break party started at Guero’s Taco Bar on South Congress Street.
The cutest AirBnB.
Can you spot the Queen Bee? Hint: she has a unique marking.
Digging for dino bones.
Austin’s trees = dreamy.
Found a yummy lunch spot on S. Lamar Street.
Kids were big fans of the fried tofu!
Alliance Children’s Garden park got a 10/10 from both kids and adults.
Went to the Texas State Capitol building for a self-guided tour. Q also wanted to make sure we got a photo to send to his 2nd grade teacher. How can you say no to that? You don’t.
Our second full day was a cold one, so we spent the morning at 50,000-square ft Austin Bouldering Project, supposedly one of the largest bouldering facilities in the world?!
Top right: Jay can still carry both kids at the same time, but he had to get creative…
Short hike on Mt. Bonnell for the views…
Spotted: New future dream home along the water.
Our friends were amazing tour guides and told us about this sweet park where you can walk amongst peafowl. Kids were surprisingly lukewarm about this idea until we got there, and then suddenly we were all 150 percent into these birds, it was the most fun! 10/10.

P.S. Here, I googled it for you: “Peafowl” is the general name for the family of birds. A peacock is a male peafowl. A peahen is a female peafowl. The young of a peacock and a peahen are called peachicks. #themoreyouknow
This one connected with me on a spiritual level.
There were so many amazing parks and this one rose to the top of our favorites list quickly. This structure is called the “Treehouse” and is supposed to mimic a seed pod on the forest floor. The entire second level is a see-through canopy!
Top left — This was a marriage between a cinnamon roll and croissant at the local bakery, and yes, we went back for seconds.
We spent a sunny morning at The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, and the kids got to exercise their map skills to help find all 25 art sculptures on the grounds.
Thai food truck food – two thumbs up!
My friend’s Great Pyr Evie. She is half polar bear, half dog, and I love her.
These four have known each other since preschool, and it was such a treat to reunite them.
Picnic at Congress Bridge for the evening bat watching phenom.
On our last full day, went to McKinney Falls State Park just a short 25 minutes away.
Love her. Also, please note her outfit (i.e. Austin local) vs. mine (East coast tourist).
Vanilla lattes from Epoch were the adult treat in caffeine form that Jay and I needed throughout the trip.