Good food and family in Austin TX

Saturday, October 21, 2023

W heads off for coffee with friends before we leave Seattle to spend the week with our daughter in Austin, Texas. Driving out of our neighborhood feels like we're in the backwoods of the world, compared to the traffic in Bandung.

We meet Jessa and Lucian for lunch on the way. The restaurant is a Filipino favorite with fried chicken. The food is okay. The company is warm and loving.

This mural at the airport gate is by Maurice Sendak. It reminds me of his illustrations for "Where the Wild Things Are," a book we read to our children.

An airport vending machine dispenses sim cards, charging cables, and other gear. Of course. Seattle is a techie haven, so I don't expect chocolate bars or soda, do I?

Sunday

We arrive at 1:30 a.m. K takes us to a late-morning gathering at Red Rocks church. It is vibrant, full of young adults, and keeps our attention with solid preaching. If your life is full of challenges and chaos, listen in here. I'll be clicking that link again myself.

Kirsten is the queen of food trucks. She researches ratings, locations, and tastes to create our food adventures each time we visit. Lunch is North Carolina-style barbecue. The brisket, sausage, and ribs are vinegary and tender. By the time I think of taking a picture, I've consumed most of what's on my plate.

Typically for a poodle, Mika adores his mistress.

Monday

W gets a start on his Dad-list of DIYs. He plants trees, checks the irrigation, and cleans the air filters. He adjusts a creaking door and talks tech with K. I cut her hair. She has perfect waves.

We head out to Home Depot. They drop me at HEB, the best grocer I've been in. Prices are competitive, manufacturer's coupons are hung near the products, and there's an overwhelming selection. We eat lunch at a ramen place - oh I love my noodles!

And W enjoys his bento box.

Kirsten is gifted in combining flavors and textures.

Her supper tacos are outstanding, made with raw tortilla shells she's sourced from a Mexican supplier.

The triple-chocolate ice cream doesn't disappoint. We swoon as requested on the package.

Tuesday

W's in Springfield, MO, working with a theology commission. Kirsten takes me to a few shops for household goods and skincare products. She knows the best deals in town. She poses with the perfect "work-from-home" trousers. If you filled the +20 pockets with supplies and snacks or thumb drives and cables, you'd never have to get out of your chair in your home office. (Or more realistically, you'd never have to move off the sofa. hehe)

Kirsten finds frames for her many photos.

We talk to my mom, her Grandma. I'm blessed to be born between two generations of outstanding and smart women. They love God and love others, as Jesus defined the commandments of God.

K's house has polished concrete floors, perfect for a robot vacuum. The Bagotte sweeps the house many times before we exchange the sweeper for the wet mopping attachment. Then it does washes the concrete with five or ten passes through all the rooms. The floors glow.

Kirsten makes a supper of General Tso's cauliflower, ginger beans, and basmati rice. So good!

We relax and I make it an early night at 9:30 p.m.

Read more:

*You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us; none can compare with you. Psalm 40:5

*In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

Moravian Prayer: Author of creation, we marvel at the infinite manifestations of your grace, which surround us and fill our lives to overflowing. We thank you, especially, for the gift of your holy word. May we read and study the Bible more each day as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.