A Couple of Hours in Austin

A trip to the Texas hill country was one of the best gifts given to the girls and me after Brandon’s passing. For four days and three nights, we leave the world behind as we knew it and focus on ourselves. This was a very girly-focused weekend, so if you, too, are planning a similar trip, here are a few things we recommend.

Day 1: Austin, Tx.

We started the trip by driving down to Austin. I had two big goals in mind: one, get the girls a swimsuit, and two, get journaling supplies. We did have some extra fun along the way as well. Then, off to Boerne. 

Stop One: Round Rock Outlets

We didn’t stay here long as this outlet mall is truly that—it’s designed to sell the stuff that didn’t last season. The discounts are good for many clothing items, but none of the good stores had swimsuits when we went. 

The Starbucks was also more expensive than the others; however, I recommend stopping at Summer Moon if you need your daily pick-me-up.

Stop 2: Springdale General & Uroko

My whole purpose for driving to Springdale General Art and Shopping Complex was to visit The Paper Craft + Pantry. I was a goober and didn’t research well enough to notice they were closed on Mondays. Disappointing. However, we were hungry, so we hopped across the street and entered their food hall. 

The food hall has several restaurants to choose from (go figure, it’s a food hall), but we opted for Uroko because Vaeh loves Asian food, it looks healthy, and I’ve never had temaki before. 

• Nevaeh got the flower and veg with edible flowers and lemon miso. Right up her alley. 
• Breanna got the ebi tempura with tempura shrimp and a sweet soy sauce (it was very good)
• I got the Philly with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and avocado. Mmmm

It was very good—light and refreshing, leaving us enough room for a surprise ice cream trip later in the day. 

Tip: If you’re in Austin for a few days and looking for something fun to do, they have sushi-making lessons every Thursday night!

Stop 3: Paper Source/ Lush/ Amy’s Ice Cream

Since The Paper Craft + Pantry didn’t work out, I took the girls to Paper Source, which is a store I had been in way back when the Parks Mall in Dallas had one (that was across from the beautiful Pirch store… which has been converted to Eatly).

We did buy a few things, but there was a wider variety than focusing solely on scrapbooking/paper crafts. If you are in Austin and this is your thing- find a traditional craft store like Michaels or wait until Paper Craft is open.

One benefit of going over there, though, is that I really, really, REALLY wanted a lush bath bomb, and let me tell you, this store definitely outperformed. The employee that day was absolutely fabulous! I did not tell her why we were on the trip, just that we were having a girls’ week. She gave Breanna and I the royal treatment on our hands and explained everything about each of our bath bombs- like you are supposed to crumble the bubble bar and only use half of it, or mine was supposed to stay in its little baggie so the stuff didn’t get all over the bathtub bottom. These are things no other Lush employee has told us in the past. Cannot recommend enough!

Because we had such a light lunch, we went next door to Amy’s Ice Cream, laminating on the last time we had gone there. We went to Barton Springs one evening, then picked Brandon up from his chop class, which he was doing, and went to a different Amy’s location afterward. 

Amy’s has won over twenty-two awards throughout its time in the Austin area. Their employees go through training that teaches them about the ice cream and how to serve it, including tricks to make the customers feel that wow factor. In addition, they encourage their employees to become entrepreneurs. 

Nevaeh got the strawberry on a cone, Bre a campfire/s’mores, and I opted for the coffee since I knew the ice cream meant I wasn’t going to want any more coffee that day. The coffee is exactly what you’d expect from a small batch, artisan company: nice and rich, full mouth feel.  

The ambiance of this store also showed its Austin roots. Stop by if you want to cool down on a hot summer’s day– you might even get treated with a show.

Tip: Amy’s production location offers free tours Monday-Friday at 10 AM. Just be sure to make reservations!

Wrapping up our time in Austin

After our stop at Amy’s, we went to a traditional craft store and then headed to New Braunfels for a hike in the park.