Austin, Nice to Meet You: weeks 3-6

Keeping up with this week's promised miscellany, a list of our past few weeks here in Austin:

1.  Have I mentioned Chuy's yet?  So, I might have been a teensy bit biased coming into Austin because of the consistent rave reviews from this guy.  Still and all, it's just plain good Tex-Mex, served up by super friendly wait staff in a fun and funky building. Plus, even if none of that were true, Chuy's would still have their creamy jalepeno (which is kind of like crack for tortilla chips; the perfect blend of creamy and spicy flavours).

A couple of Mondays ago, on Brian's day off, we went to Chuy's for lunch and I remembered to bring my camera.  Also, you'll notice I'm keeping up my tradition of frozen margaritas for lunch.  I think it'll help me become more Texan.

there's salsa, fresh guac and then there's creamy jalepeno!

this was our visit to Chuy's our first weekend in Austin;  my little friend Annie is demonstrating her technique  for getting the most out of creamy jalepeno

Brian + Tamara = fun Mondays 2.  I promise I do more things here than eat, but I just want to tell you about the mod coffeehouse where my new friend Micha and I met up about two weeks ago.  Flightpath Coffeehouse, in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood, claims to be Austin's oldest coffeehouse.  The coffee was good, the pumpkin bread perfect, the wireless free and the neighborhood lovely for walking so Micha's baby boy could nap.  I'm hoping to go back here occasionally to write or read.

I forgot my camera so I'm hoping they don't mind me  borrowing these from their website?

3.  Speaking of Micha, have I mentioned how we met?  It really is just a fun story so let me tell it one more time on this nifty little timeline:

• 5 years ago:  I began stalking reading this guy's blog.  Somewhere along the way, I heard him mention this worship leader/songwriter intending to write and record a song for all 150 of the Psalms.  I was intrigued and...
• 2 years ago:  I invited him to be a featured artist at Union Center's art show (incidentally, that's also how I met this guy).  Then the piano playing psalm-loving poet cyber-introduced me to this lovely and amazing woman and...
• about 1 1/2 years ago we became blogging friends (partly inspired by the fact that she and I had similar jobs in our respective churches).  Last December she commissioned a poet from San Francisco for their church's Advent celebration.  I read the poems and tucked the poet's name in my memory.
• 2 months ago, when I posted the news about our move to Austin, Haley cyber-introduced Micha and me because both of our families were moving to the SAME city during the SAME month from opposite sides of the country (mine from NY, hers from San Francisco).
•  It gets even weirder.  Micha's family preceded us into town and one of their first Sundays here decided to visit a little Anglican church they'd found online: Christ Church Austin.  Yep, you guessed it.  The one and the same church who had called us to Texas in the first place.  

Crazy, right?  Since Micha and I have met in person we realized we had other blogging connections through this lovely woman in PA.  It's a small world out there, folks.

4.  In other fun turns of events, I was able to attend the HopeArts Festival Kick-Off event on September 10.  For those of you keeping score at home, Hope Chapel of Austin is the place where, in 2006,  I first stumbled on a church community trying to do faith and art well. 

Jason Harrod & Brian Moss at Art Show on Main 2009

Without ever meeting me, they  mentored our whole troupe of hopeful artists in upstate NY.  And, now, I live here.  And I get to participate with them in their next festival in July 2012.  How unbelievably, grace-full is that?  Not only did I attend, but the arts pastor, Brie Walker Tshoepe, asked me to write some reflections for their blog.  The very same blog I used to scour like a groupie, hoping something would rub off on me.  Jesus loves me, this I know...

You can read my reflections at HopeArts blog, click here.

5.  Speaking of grace-full, some kind-hearted new friends blessed my kids with free passes to Austin City Limits festival two weekends ago.  Not only were the passes free, but they were to the two shows my kids most wanted to see:  Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire @ ACL 2011

Crazy grace, right? 

I wanted Andrew to write about how he earned his free ticket, taking a job shuttling clients for a marketing firm's junket.  Yes, I said "driving clients".  That would be through a brand new city in a 15-passenger van, without a GPS. Oh, the price we'll pay for good music. 

 Maybe he'll do us the honor of writing it sometime, but the kid has the nerve to have a life so he's not here right now.  In the meantime, here's a video for you.  

I'll be back tomorrow with more odds 'n ends and assorted miscellany.
Until then, enjoy!