Well, it’s official. We’ve been in Austin two years. We arrived the day before Scarlett’s second birthday and today she turned four. I guess she’s now 50% Texan. I haven’t noticed a Southern drawl but she is developing into a sassy Southern Belle. This summer won’t go down as my favorite but things are improving and we’re still really happy to be here. I’m not looking forward to another month of physical therapy, a pending personal injury lawsuit to collect a few pennies on the dollar for my $200,000 in medical bills, or a criminal case where we’ll find out if our tax dollars will send the guy that hit me on an extended vacation to the big house or deport him so he can sneak back into the U.S. for the third time, but afterwards we can hopefully wrap up this mess and move on.
Exactly five weeks ago, around 11pm, I asked Holly if she’d make me a smoothie in an attempt to gain back some of the fighting weight I’d lost in the hospital. Pulling the blender out of the cupboard (not one of those cheap plastic sorts but the real deal Cuisinart with the heavy steel bottom) the base slipped off and landed smack on her foot. Ouch. Despite being the son of a doctor, a recent veteran of the ER and ICU, plus my assurance it was only a bruise, she got it x-rayed the next day and didn’t hide her surprise (directed at me) that one of the bones in her foot had snapped perfectly into thirds. Not that she’s keeping score but… Holly : 2, Robert : a big goose egg. Holly has been kicking about the past month on crutches and in a boot while trying to cut hair, go to the gym, and take care of kids. Between the two of us we’ve broken eight bones this summer, totaled one car, and one bike.
Anyway, back to our two year anniversary and arrival in Austin. If possible always fly to Austin, never drive to Central Texas. Two years and two cars full to the brim of boxes and suitcases, I still have nightmares of a small town near Lubbock where we stopped at Dairy Queen. It was hot, windy, desolate, disgusting, and everyone in the restaurant except us knew well enough to bring their own fly swatters. Holly and I shared nervous glances, trying not to scare the kids, asking each other, “what in the hell have we done?” “Maybe Utah winters aren’t that bad?” “I’m really starting to miss Sugarhouse.” My favorite, and oft used, quote about Austin is that, “it’s a great city, it’s just too bad it’s so close to Texas.” I couldn’t agree more.
Scarlett is having a big beach-themed birthday bash this weekend. I still feel like we owe her an extra sweet shindig following her second b-day after we arrived in Austin. We wearily collapsed into our crappy rental house without furniture, made a quick trip to Target to buy a few gifts and store-baked cake, and celebrated sitting on the floor with a giant fish balloon that got promptly got stuck in the ceiling fan.
Next week we’re headed to Sun Valley, Idaho (or unfortunately what’s left after the recent fires) to celebrate my folks 50th wedding anniversary. Holly and I hit seven years this past March so I can barely grasp 50. Instead of a seven year itch, I opted for a seven year get run over by a truck. I think the healing process is faster and will leave me with less permanent damage than a few nights with a 20-year-old or an expensive sports car. I haven’t been to Sun Valley in 10 years. After living there for a couple years, the last time I visited was for the funeral of one of my best friends so I’m looking forward to creating some new memories of Idaho. Tom, I miss you buddy and still think about you daily. Ironically my shoulder that got jacked during my accident is also the real estate for the memorial tattoo I have for Tom. The surgeon did a fine job slicing through and then realigning the swallow’s wing when he stitched it back together.
The past month I’ve been doing something vaguely resembling bike racing and reluctantly wearing my motorcycle helmet. Austin is still great, the bike racing community is awesome, there’s never a shortage of beer or coffee, our house, neighborhood, and neighbors are fantastic. The only part I don’t like about living in the suburbs is admitting I like living in the suburbs. College football started last weekend. I love football but in the past it’s been bittersweet knowing football meant winter was on the way. The beauty of Austin is that football means fall and winter which means 70s and 80s instead of 90 and 100 degree temps. Utah has great fans but Longhorn fans are absolutely nuts. Even the homeless people bust out their Longhorn jerseys and t-shirts on game days and eat barbecue.
With the entire $63 dollars I’m anticipating from my accident settlement money, I’m working on a new bike racing website. Stay tuned for an official announcement and a January 2014 launch.
Happy 4th birthday to my favorite kid on the planet and here’s to another 50 years for my folks. And thanks to everyone that has helped me out this summer.
