I’m going on a trip, and on that trip I’m taking. .  .

Remember that game?  A= aardvark or apple or airplane, then the second person says the sentence and adds B = banana or boat or bullfrog,  then the third person says the sentence and adds C = chocolate cookie or clarinet or chrysanthemum, and so on.

Well, I’m going on a trip and I’m taking my checkbook and my iPad and my knitting and - well, if I have those, what else do I need?

Yep, it’s time to follow through on my decision to earn Girl Scout badges from Donnell .  Here’s the deal:

In order to earn the badge “On My Way” you’ll need to do the following:

1) Plan a weekend trip describing how you will get there, budget, etc. Make it realistic and reasonably priced.
2) Make a list of the items that you will pack.
3) Make an itinerary of the things you will do along the way and at your destination. Be sure to include sites to see, places to shop, activities and meals.
4) Design and make four travel postcards that reflect the location or activities that you have planned to do on the trip.

The deadline for this badge is September 30th. Since this is the first badge you will receive a shopping bag style tote badge as well as the badge. The bag is going to be forest green and dark brown (I already have the fabric.) The green will look like a sash across the sides of the bag and will be a place for you to attach the badges as you earn them. As soon as I have finished making the bag and receive the badges in the mail, I will post a picture of both.

I hope this trip will count, since Donnell wouldn’t let me use my trip to Hewitt and Vernon and Tipton.

I’m going on a trip next weekend - to Austin TX.

I’ve budgeted $4000 for the trip - which sounds ridiculous, but wait until you see my expenses before you judge me (it doesn’t include shopping for “souvenirs,” aka yarn & books).

Airplane:  $300 round trip on Jet Blue.  Depart Thu, 6 Oct, at about 1430  and arrive around 1630.  Once again, I paid extra to board early and sit near the front - and it’s all about the ability to snag overhead bin space, since I won’t check a bag.

Rental car:  $150 for an economy through Hertz (and I earn Jet Blue TrueBlue points)

Hotel:  I’ll spend about $300 for three nights at the Hotel Allandale, which Chris assures me is not at all bad.  I’d planned to stay at the Austin Motel, but it was more expensive.  I think I’ll spend one night there after I’ve moved to Austin - perhaps my first night in town - just because it’s so darned cool.

Food:  About $200

Parking:  About $40

Here’s my plan:

Hill’s Cafe - for chicken-fried steak.  I plan to go to this Austin tradition on Thursday night.  The Austin Fearless Critic restaurant guide gives it 6.4 for food and a 9.0 for feel - and describes the specialty as “luscious, indulgently crispy.  The gravy is gloopier than most, but it works.  This dish is art: not a hint of greasiness, not one sinewy bite on the plate - just the dreamy texture overlay, creamy upon crispy upon tender, flavor upon flavor, fat upon fat.”

Friday, I’m meeting Michael Ebelin, a realtor with Greenlight Locating, who has been sending me links to possible places to rent.  I’ve narrowed my list down to about ten, a mix of apartments, condos, and houses.  And now you know why I need so much money:  about $3000 of that stash will go for first and last month’s rent, along with application and other fees.  However, I’m getting ahead of myself, because the commitment won’t come until Saturday.  Don’t know if Michael and I will get together in the morning or afternoon (the former being my preference).  We’ll cut the list down to size, perhaps five favorites - which Chris, Donnell, and I will go back to view on Saturday.   Part of the reason I want to get together early on Friday is so I’ll have time to get to Foodheads for lunch on Friday.  “...lamb, which is always seasoned just right and cooked beautifully.  It’s terrific on toasted ciabatta with grilled eggplant, feta, and cucumber mayonnaise.”  Will have to get there early, before it sells out.

If all works out, that will leave me Friday afternoon and evening to:

1. a. Go to Hill Country Weavers - which will almost certainly become my LYS (local yarn shop).  If you click on the link (and why wouldn’t you?), you’ll see it’s Yarn Crawl Weekend!  YAY!  Sadly, I’ll only have time for Knitting Nest and Gauge, in addition to HCW, but will do my best to see those three over the weekend.
   

2. b. Go to Book People - which will suck up whatever time remains in the day.
   

3. c. Go to Whole Foods, the mother ship of which chain is just steps away from Book People, and buy a fabulous sandwich or salad or something else wonderful to take back to my hotel room, where I will probably either be asleep by 9 or too darned excited to sleep.
   

Saturday will be the big day:  Chris and Donnell and I will meet in the (not-too-late) morning to review my final choices and help me make a decision.  I want this taken care of that day so I can stop obsessing and start planning the move (well, okay, the move is already planned, but at this point I’ll be able to make some even better lists than I’ve already started).

The day will include a visit to Antonelli’s cheese shop (it’s American cheese month)(okay, their website sucks, but check them out on Yelp); other yarn shops I couldn’t fit in on Friday; Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop (I want the French Toast cupcake, I think); and dinner with C & D at a place to be named by them later (well, later than today but not later than that Saturday) - possibly South Congress Cafe.  I’m thinking I’ll have the quail, gazpacho, or calamari to start, with the roma tomato and avocado salad, followed by the smoked duck breast.  Or possibly the mesquite smoked pork chop.  The calamari is recommended, as are the margaritas - and I haven’t had a margarita in a couple of years.  Hmmm, perhaps just a couple of margaritas, some calamari, and a warm goat cheese salad, followed by a trip back to Sugar Mama’s.

Sunday morning will include brunch at Flip Happy Crepes and some driving around town - probably back to gaze at my new home and regret not having taken more pictures of the interior.  My return flight leaves at 1510 and gets me back to Orlando at 1840.  I’ll have plenty of time at the Austin airport for some Salt Lick BBQ (if the line is too long at Franklins, which is worth the wait, but I’d probably have to forgo the crepes so I could be in line at Franklins by 1030) and some Amy’s ice cream.

I have an hour’s drive home, so after I pick up my car I will get home around 2030 (8:30 PM for you civilians).  Fortunately, the next day is a holiday, so I can sleep in and wash clothes later.

Speaking of clothes, I knew I forgot something:  what I’ll pack.  I’m going to make this easy, because it will probably still be quite warm in Austin next weekend.  Will travel in a pair of knit pants with a white shirt and slip-on shoes.  Friday will be a pair of jeans and a white knit tank with a purple linen long-sleeved shirt.  Saturday will be a pair of linen pants (I don’t care that it’s after Labor Day - I wear linen until it’s too cold to do so) with a white linen blouse over a white silk tank and a light-weight cardi.  Sunday I’m back in the jeans for the trip home.  Add something to sleep in, a different pair of shoes to wear on Friday and Saturday, and I’m done.  I’ve become fairly low maintenance in the travel department - except for my pills and my electronics (iPad, iPhone, iPod, separate camera, and cordage for all).  I’ll take yarn to work on a pair of socks, and that’s it.  I love that I can take a variety of books and magazines and Angry Birds games just by adding my iPad to my bag.

Postcard #1 - A view looking north on South Congress,

Postcard #2 - The Hey Cupcake airstream trailer - and it’s right next to Hill Country Weavers.

Postcard #3 - The Texas capitol building (photo courtesy of http://austin.about.com/od/austinattractions/a/texas_capitol.htm)

Postcard #4 - The porch at Franklin’s BBQ (and there was an hour’s long line outside the door and another hour’s long line inside - it’s that good!)

Wonder how everyone else is doing on their project?