Hi everyone- I accidentally had this post scheduled for release yesterday, and as soon as I realized it was published I took it down. Yesterday was set aside for remembrance of 9/11, and I did not want to post in reverence of the day.
Continuing on through the end of July- the week of July 18th was mostly figuring out my road trip from TX to OH, including a stop in Nashville to see my friend Kels from college. I ran to the mall to get a couple new outfits for the trip/make exchanges & returns.
July 27th was my last day of clinical…forever! My emotions were as mixed as could be: sadness leaving my colleagues and patients from the office, excitement about starting a new chapter, sadness leaving Austin, elation about seeing DJ soon and being back in OH, relief in finishing the specialty, apprehension with no clear job lined– you get the picture.
I brought in bagels from Nervous Charlie’s and Starbucks for the office. Nervous Charlie’s bagels are really good- I did some looking around for the best bagels in Austin and these are near the top of the list for a reason!
July 28th, Sara (close friend from CA who you may remember would bring around the spunkiest dog named Foxy Lady!) flew in to visit. This year, she was diagnosed with and survived breast cancer. I have been in awe by her strength, grace, and outlook every step of the way. When planning her trip, it would be a month after she was entirely done with chemo. She has a friend in Houston too, so when she suggested coming to visit us both in a trip it was a no-brainer! More than anything I just couldn’t wait to give her a hug. It was excruciatingly hard being far from her during all her chemo treatments and the whole journey. I thank God for protecting her through it all and for this time together!
When she got in the car at the airport pickup we couldn’t talk fast enough –we were very excited to be actually catching up in person! We were so wrapped up in conversation that I took a few wrong turns and it took us an extra 30 mins to get back- whoooops.
For dinner we had some phenomenal Mexican food!! Matt’s El Rancho boasts they are the “best Mexican Food in the World”, and a la Elf‘s “World’s Best Cup of Coffee”… is this the best Mexican Food in the World? Welllll who knows- but I’d say it’s hands-down the best in Austin! But was I still tempted to congratulate them on having the World’s Best Mexican Food? Sure was.
For food- Sara ordered their fish tacos – I had a bite and seriously the best fish tacos I’ve ever tried. They literally melt in your mouth! I had their shrimp fajitas which were everything and more I could ask for in fajitas, but the fish tacos are where it’s at!
We savored our meals and time seemed to pass so quickly as we were engrossed in conversation. When we finally left, we realized the place was nearly cleared out- a stark contrast to the lack of an empty seats when we arrived.
We came back to the apartment, jammed to some throw back songs and then watched an episode of Are You the One on Netflix. Can’t get enough of that show!
On July 29th, it was time for some brunch! We went to 24-diner after the breakfast rush. Sara had been here once before when she visited Austin years ago. She raved about it, and naturally we had to go!
First- I loved the interior!
I ordered a magical cappuccino and egg white omelette with goat cheese & biscuits. Those biscuits… !
In the afternoon, we went to get our nails done at Enjoy Nails & Spa. It was a great nail salon and much needed R & R for us both!
We drove around Austin for a little bit looking for the Graffiti Park not realizing it was closed (but it does sound like something else is going to replace it soon). We then went back to the apartment to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was at Sway, another Austin favorite! The tables are communal, but it does seem most people just talk with the people in their own party (so if you don’t prefer to socialize, don’t let the communal tables scare you away!). 
We shared their som tam salad to start which was the most refreshing, light, delicious start to the meal!
Sara ordered their thai basil eggplant, and sadly, didn’t love it. I tried some too and agreed with her it was a little too sweet. I think it all depends what you want- if you want a sweeter dish, this would be really tasty. But if you want something more savory- definitely try something else!
I ordered their green curry at the spiciest level, and it was one of my favorite thai dishes I’ve ever had! 
Once again, we shut down the place!
We spent the rest of the evening binge-watching Are You The One with some popcorn and ice cream. It was so nice & relaxing!
On July 30th, Silk Sonic released their new song Skate. We were immediately obsessed and played it every time we got into the car or when we were getting ready.
First adventure of the day, we went to brunch at a favorite of mine, South Congress Cafe.
We got mimosas and veryy tasty meals! I was craving another goat cheese omelette after the one the day before and Sara had some of their migas, which she said were amazing. Also if you go here, and you like potato pancakes, you must make sure to try these ones. YUM! 
After brunch, we walked around South Congress and shopped for a couple hours! We adored the sign at the Tiny Grocer grocery store. Naturally, the rest of the weekend we would break out in song at random songs singing the tune of Tiny Dancer with our new found lyrics.
When we got home, we relaxed for a bit, squeezed in another episode of Are You the One and then ordered pizza from Via 313. I decided to try their vegan pizza this time- it was good vegan pizza, for sure— but nothing beats their classic four cheese!
After pizza, we decided to hit up Rainey and went to Unbarlievable, a place made for millenials. They play the best music, and it’s overall a more tame crowd than on 6th. Oh, another fun little nugget about Unbarlievable- they have a slide inside. The whole vibe is really fun.
Then we walked over to 6th street (lovingly known as Dirty Sixth) to get some Voodoo Donuts. I have never been on 6th at night like that- it was … something to say the least, lol!
I had never had Voodoo donuts before (I know, a crime considering it was right down the road). I think I thought they wouldn’t be very good for some reason?… Maybe because I know them as having such extreme toppings and just saw it as a gimmick shop. Well, I was flat out wrong. These were incredible. I’m so bummed DJ never tried them, because he would have LOVED.
I had their maple cream, and mmmmm, so good.
Sara had their Oreo one!! 
We did one more episode of AYTO, and then it was off to sleep. The next day, we met her friend from Houston halfway. It was a hard goodbye, but we packed amazing memories into those few days! <3