Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Travaasa Hotel and Spa

The weekend that Patrick took off between jobs was spent at beautiful Travaasa Hotel and Spa in the Austin Hill Country. I found it on a whim, really. We had originally thought about spending a weekend in Wimberly or somwhere else to float a river. All we new for sure was that there needed to be water in close proximity to help with the Texas heat. Anyways, we started looking too late and everything was booked. So, for the same price as a B&B in Wimberly with no pool, I stumbled upon this place! It was PERFECT for our little babymoon weekend.
The accomodations were "luxeriously rustic". The resort has 5 Haciendas that each have 8 invidual rooms complete with decks looking over the Hill Country. They also have Casitas to rent out for larger groups. Everything on the resort is off of little trails that you walk to. So, you walk to dinner, to the pool, to the gym, etc. on foot. Here is our little hacienda:

The pool was awesome with views overlooking Lake Travis. Next to the pool is a yoga studio where they have yoga and pilates classes throughout the day. The yoga class was awesome that I took! They also have a spa next to the pool where I had the most amazing prenatal massage.
The price included complimentary breakfast/brunch. All of the food at Travaasa is organic, from local farms or grown on the property, and a lot of it is vegetarian. Patrick and I took a "Juicing Course" from a holistic nutritionist. She made us a fruit smoothie, a veggie smoothie (with apple and dates to sweeten), and a tofu smoothie (tasted similar to a protein shake). The course was very educational about the benifits of juicing and the vitamins you recieve from doing it. We also took a Cooking Class where we learned to make vegan "tacos" whiich were portabella mushroom salad wraps with a raw veggie slaw. Sounds weird, but they were pretty delicious. The brunch was great as well. One day I had Polenta French Toast, which was super good and the least amount of calories on the menu (yes, they list the fat grams in each course). We had dinner there one night, too. They offer a 3 course meal each night that you can pick a salad or soup (I had cold Watermelon and Basil soup), then a main course of meat, fish, or vegan, and then dessert. Super yummy food, if not a little expensive. The first night we were there they also had a "Meet and Greet Wine Happy Hour" with vegan appetizers.


Patrick did a 2 hour Ropes Course which looked like lots of fun and challenging. We also took hikes everyday through hiking trails on the property. In the middle of these trails is a meditation center were they also have yoga. Other things they have that we didn't take advantage of: Equestrian courses, Journaling, Drawing and Work-Out classes in the gym.




On Saturday night we decided to go "off-campus" and eat at "The Oasis" on Lake Travis. We actually ended up eating next door because the line was crazy for Mexican food, but the view was just as beautiful and the food maybe even better!

Thanks to my parents for coming and staying with Charlie for the weekend!! This might have been the first time ever where my parents have just been around Charlie (sans triplets) and I am truly glad they got to get in some quality time with him. And thanks to Patrick parents for keeping Hank... he always has fun there! It was so nice to be able to get away just Patrick and I... we thought back and figured out we haven't done an "alone" trip since our 1st anniversary, which was 4.5 years ago... pretty crazy, huh?

Back to school!



Charlie started a new Mother's Day Out program this week. He is now at Bethany Lutheran CDC for 3 days per week. New school, new teachers, new friends... lots of "newness" for that little man. His teacher's are super sweet and have tons of experience working with kids, which is comforting. But, there have been moments where Charlie has said that he wants to go to his "old" school. I know, little man, I miss it too! But, with mom at home these days the price difference is too huge and the need of a full-time daycare just isn't there. I'm hoping that he makes friends quickly and starts to really enjoy himself!!

What have we been up to?

I know, I know... it's been too long since my last post. I've gotten a number of people telling me it is time to update the blog, so here ya go. The last couple of months have had lots of changes. One of the biggest is that Patrick made the switch from Bank of the Ozarks to Deutsche Bank, which has been an awesome change for the whole family. It's most definitely a better "fit" for him. The other news, in the job world, is that I am now a stay-at-home-mom. I am taking this year off to have this baby and to spend more time with Charlie. The plan is to still see private clients as much as possible, though. As for Charlie, we decided to discontinue his daycare program since I will now be at home, so he has been at home with me for the month of August. He has been keeing me unbelievably busy, so that is my main excuse for not blogging. But, Charlie started Mother's Day Out this week, which has been another change in itself! Updates to come on the trips we have taken and other activities we have been up to!