Long Hollow

As a college drop-out, I had no personal experience with sororities – just my fraternity of chemical plant technicians … a fraternity of hardhats and steel-toed boots, you could say.

So I confess to a case of the jitters this past Friday night as I headed downtown for a Wine and Cheese Social. I would be meeting other moms with daughters in TG's sorority. I had worried over what to wear… jeans or dress slacks? What does "modern casual" mean, anyway? I opted for nice jeans and heels, with a dressy blouse and more jewelry than I normally wear. But I just knew I'd stick out, that my social deficiencies would be obvious.

With relief, I noticed I hit the halfway mark between the most dressy and the most casual. And I believe I blended in with the rest of them quite well. I met some of TG's friends and their moms, then she and I drifted out by the pool and had a good chat, all by ourselves. That was the best part.

She's a doll. A smart one.

I'm a lucky mom.

That was Friday night, just the beginning of a Mom/Daughter Weekend…

The next morning, after coffee and danishes in the sorority house, and a fun non-buying shopping excursion at the Domain, we nabbed Daniel from his apartment and headed to downtown Austin. In a Living Social-newbie frenzy back at Christmas, I had bought three half-price meals at Mongolian Grille ("$20 worth of food for $10"!), and they were about to expire.  We couldn't let that happen…

We ate our money's worth for sure, but I think we walked it off afterwards. First we headed in the direction of an Art Festival we'd heard about, but made a U-turn at the $8 per person entry price. Instead, we meandered through downtown, finding plenty of free art and interesting things to see everywhere we looked.

Santa, for instance…

Wall art…

Our feet (reflected)…

(Note to self: even out your britches before snapping next time.)

A herd of segway tourists…

And Bacon…

I'm so glad TG spotted her! I walked right on past, oblivious. But at the mention of a baby pig, I hurried back, introduced myself to Matthew (Bacon's daddy), snapped a zillion photos, asked a half-zillion questions (she's one month old; she'll only get a few inches bigger; when she needs to go potty, she lets him know by pulling on a rope attached to a bell with her mouth … and she's only a month old!)

…and then begged to hold that sweet baby pig. Matthew's friend offered to take some photos…

Isn't she precious?

Tempting. Very tempting.

I reluctantly handed Bacon back to Matthew and we finished up our walk and dropped Daniel back home. The Mom/Daughter weekend finished up at a boutique, where we munched on quesadillas and taquitos from a nearby restaurant while ogling clothes we couldn't afford, which was actually fun because few of the others bought anything, either. And we got goody bags. Goody bags make everything fun, but then, it was fun just hanging out with TG a little longer.

I made it home in time to watch a movie with Tom – Stone of Destiny, which apparently got a Rotten Tomato award, but I liked it. It's based on a true story, I think more than most "based on a true story" movies are.

Sunday was a 'try to catch up' day, but we managed to squeeze in a game of ping-pong. I let Tom beat me this time – just so he won't get tired of playing, of course.

(Not really. Now I feel guilty. He beat me fair and square. I'll get him next time…)

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!

P.S. Please continue to keep my sister Brenda in your prayers as she recovers from her hip surgery, as well as my parents who are caring for her. She's already had to battle a stomach virus and now she's back in the hospital with a bladder infection. Thank you in advance!