The Last of the Road Trip, but not of Thelma & Louise..

Christy, Her Mom & Me at Lunch in Austin

T-shirts, bumper stickers, and bathroom stalls...all covered with the same three little words: 'Keep Austin Weird'. And it couldn't be more appropriate. What a cool city! We had a lunch a great little place that was quintessential Austin (great margaritas included) and then drove around the UT campus and downtown area. The traffic was pretty bad but the city's cool factor compensated for it. Everyone was getting ready for the home game that weekend so it was really neat to see all the UT tents and the streets covered in that strange burnt orange color.

We survived the traffic and made it to one of the local high schools to watch TJ play football. He lived up to his role as star quarterback, throwing a perfect game (I think) and making the big win look easy. As usual, Christy and I managed to have a few awkward encounters at the game, one with a retainer--I'll spare you--and another with the female mascot for the other team...As we stood innocently by the concession stand, waiting for the game to start we watched as the Indian chieftess (complete with those weird stretchy band bracelets and a breast cancer awareness t-shirt) strode by. We briefly looked at her, just to figure out what was going on with the apparently low-budget costume, but she was already staring at us...and continued to do so for a solid 10 seconds. Awkward. For some reason that we have yet to figure out, this happens a lot to the two of us. And it's never a friendly 'those girls seem nice' stare. It's quite the opposite. Or from guys, an equally un-friendly, more alarming than flattering look that sometimes leads to unwanted conversation. We know you're jealous. :)

Luckily, there isn't much that a good fast food binge can't cure. We stopped by Whataburger and ate like we were the ones that had just burned thousands of calories. It was delicious! We made it back pretty late but Christy reminded me to check in for my flight before we went to bed...good thing. In true Thelma and Louise fashion, I realized that I mixed up the flight times. So no leisurely breakfast with Christy's family in the morning. Just a mad dash for the airport so I could catch my flight to Orlando and then the Cayman Islands to meet up with my mom and aunt. Once again, we had such a wonderful time.

As I've been trying to finish up my road trip posts, in honor of Christy's big move to Cape Girardeau, MO to begin work as a true multi-media TV journalist, it has been a treat to look back at all the fun we've had. I guess you could say it's hard not to have a good time when you're doing the things that we've been lucky enough to do, but there's no doubt that we make a great team. In my experience, it's not where you go but who you're with that really makes the difference. And whether it's chatting with George Lewis over lunch in the NBC cafeteria, or escaping backwoods Texas unscathed, we have had a ball doing it. Thelma and I have covered a lot of states, endured a lot of sleeping arrangements ("Yes, we can share a king size bed...trust us, we've shared a couch."), and survived more than our share of awkward social encounters. For me the most rewarding of it all has been the conversations I've had with Christy. She is as kind as they come and she's one of the most magnetic people I have ever known.

So thanks to you, Christy, for everything! I wouldn't trade the last 6 months for any amount of live shots or spared "Don't worry, it will happen soon" comments. And...I can't wait to see where we go next. :)

Reunited: MU Homecoming!