Our Trip to Austin & San Marcos Texas

On October 3rd we went to Austin, TX for Eddie's cousin Ricky's wedding. We were supposed to leave at 8 a.m. but somehow missed the alarm clock and didn't wake up til then, Ooops! We ended up leaving at 9 a.m. We made pretty good time and got to our hotel in Austin around 4:30. We stayed at the Embassy Suites-Austin Central. It was okay looking on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. It had 10 floors and a huge atrium area in the middle with fountains and large rocks. Our room was a 2 room suite with a sitting room and 1 bedroom.

The wedding was at 7 so I went ahead and started getting ready. At 6 we went down looking for his brothers but instead ran into his cousin Jeremy and his wife and kids. We hadn't seen him in over 3 years. It was really good to see him. He is like a comedian, keeps us laughing all the time! He lived with us for a few months like 13 yrs. ago and that was fun times! He and his family were leaving on the hotel shuttle to the wedding and asked if we were leaving yet. We told him we were looking for his brother's and would catch the next shuttle. But a few minutes later he came back to tell us there were 5 spots left on the shuttle so we should go now. We did and got to the wedding early, but that was okay because before the wedding they were having a cocktail hour. So when we got there not many people were there and we got to eat the yummy foods they had situated throughout the mansion!
It was definitely a different wedding. Beautiful, just different then we've ever been to. The theme was 1920's. It was held in an old mansion. They did a cocktail hour before and everyone ate, drank and mingled. Then the wedding was held on the stairs, which was pretty but very hard for everyone to see since it was in the foyer area. After the wedding we were led to the Ballroom for dinner and dancing. At the end all of the guests lined the front walk of the mansion and lit sparklers to hold up as they exited to the limo. It was pretty neat.
We missed the first shuttle back so instead rode with Eddie's brother, wife and parents. Everyone in the wedding party including the bride and groom were going out after so Eddie and his brother went. Of course I couldn't go b/c I had to stay back with the kids. Now I know why Eddie's parents rushed back to their room and quickly shut the door barely saying goodnight! I guess they thought I might ask them to watch the kids...yeah right, like I'd start now. No thanks!
Instead the kids and I went down to my sister in law Chantelle's room and hung with her til about 1 a.m. Eddie didn't get back until sometime around 3 a.m. We didn't get much sleep because we had to meet everyone for breakfast in the atrium at 9. We got there about 9:30, it was an awesome breakfast. Probably the best I've had at any hotel throughout the Country! Omelets made to order, pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, pastries, juices...anything you can imagine, for free! The best kind, LOL!
We ate and then talked with family members and then hit the road by 11. We drove to San Marcos about 45 minutes west of Austin. Cute little college town. We went to Wonder World Cave. It's a dry cave unlike the ones I've been to in Colorado, it was actually formed by an earthquake and is called the Balcones Fault Line. To read more about the park and cave tour click the link: http://www.wonderworldpark.com/html/index.html
It was pretty cool and the kids liked it. After the cave tour they take you back up in an elevator 190 feet up to an observation tower so that you can look down on the fault line. After that they take you to the anti-gravity house. That was pretty neat! I can't really explain it so read about it in the link above. After that we took a train ride across the street and through a waterfall into a petting zoo. We got to pet and feed deer. The kids like that too.
After we were done there we headed back on the country roads to I-10, but along the way saw something falling from the sky. After driving a little further we realized it was a parachute and a person! We had come up to the San Marcos Skydive base. My Dad had told me about it, but I wasn't sure where it was. He had jumped here when he was in the Army 40 yrs. ago. The airborne guys had teased he and a few other Army guys so much that my Dad and some other guys went and jumped just to prove they could do it! So we stopped and took pictures of the kids. While taking their pictures 2 girls were driving out and stopped to take pics. I asked if they'd like me to take their pic together, so I did and found out that they were the ones who had just jumped! I told them they were brave but crazy!
After that we headed home and made it back to Baton Rouge a little after 10.
Here are some pics from our trip-