4th of July

 Just in case you were wondering, we had a perfect little 4th of July here in the northwest. Although my husband had to spend most of the day working at the hospital, we were able to spend a couple of hours together in the evening.

I spent most of the day in Silverdale, WA, with some family friends that I've known for over a decade. It was really lovely catching up with them, and we definitely had some good laughs. They were so thoughtful to pack up some of their cookout fare for me to bring back to Fort Lewis for Michael (whom they have yet to meet!) to enjoy.

Just as Michael and I were about to climb into bed, the base fireworks show began.  We watched the impressive half-hour show from our little hotel window. I can't remember a sweeter July 4th! Happy Birthday America!

County Line Barbecue

Last night we ventured over to Austin. It's just over an hour away from Fort Hood, so we (me, Michael, Jill and David) went for dinner and a little bar-hopping downtown.

At the recommendation of my Aunt Jodi and Uncle Darren, we went to The County Line for dinner. It was on top of a hill just outside of Austin, with a beautiful view of the sunset. We were lucky that the 60 degree weather allowed us to sit out on the back porch and really enjoy the vista.

Jill and I each enjoyed a coronarita... A jumbo margarita with a corona upside down in the glass. They are pretty easy to find in Texas, and absolutely delicious.

The food was equally incredible. Their homemade bread is apparently as famous as their barbecue, so we made sure to start off the meal with some. It was sweet and still warm from the oven. Holy cow... Better than any crock-pot meal, that's for sure!!

Per the suggestion of the waiter, I sampled the beef ribs and some brisket. They were both lean and tender and flavorful and.... SO GOOD! I also had some mashed potatoes and corn on the cob on the side. They were both yummy, but not as special as the barbecue... Although it was a treat to have mashed potatoes that didn't come from a shelf stable package :)

After we finished up at The County Line, we headed to downtown Austin's 6th Street. We went to several bars, and it was really nice to relax and hang out with Michael, Jill and David.  We had a really fun time and are planning to have a Fort Hood Pediatrics reunion when we are all back in Bethesda in April :)