Lake Pflugerville Picnic

Oh, winter Texas weather. How I love thee.

This weekend the weather was absolutely wonderful. Mom and I got to enjoy it on Sunday. After coming home from Mass, I gave her two options: Have coffee in the backyard, or bring a picnic and have coffee at the lake. Of course, we both choose the latter, especially because some cold weather was coming into town next week.

Lake Pflugerville is about 20 min away from where I live. It's a man-made lake on the outskirts of a neighbourhood, with a 3 mile trail around it. I was there once with some friends, and knew I wanted to come back.

We placed our folding chairs and cooler on a grassy area near water. I brought coffee in a thermos bottle, milk and chocolate milk, agave syrup, fruit, juice, cookies and beer, for just in case. :)

We first went for a nice walk around the lake. The temperatures were in the 60s, but at times we were a bit cold when the breeze came, and at time even warm when the sun got really bright. We were in shorts and t-shirts.

Then we got back to relax and have our coffee by the water. It was one of those special moments to savor.

Miracle Report

I got my purse back!

With EVERYTHING inside!!!

I'd call that a miracle. :)

They called from the restaurant on Friday before I got back home from work. Mom told she thought it was someone from La Madeline, and she thought they said they have some papers for me. I called them back with a cautious optimism, and the lady confirmed that they have the purse! She said on the phone that she noticed it several days ago, but just didn't get the time to actually look inside and find the number. I think she got my name from the check-book, and then called 411 to find my number, which is listed. I asked if there are things inside, thinking that maybe they found a torn purse with just few things in it, but she said that she didn't look but it looks like there are things inside.

We drove to the restaurant right away, me still not sure what to think about it. The lady I talked to on the phone, which was not the same one who worked there last weekend, brought me the purse - in mint condition! :) When I asked her how and when they found it, she wasn't sure. She noticed it few days before, and probably the person cleaning up the tables outside brought it in. I assume that he didn't place it in the usual lost&found location, and the lady who looked for it when I lost it last Saturday didn't look at that location. Duh! She should have looked for it more diligently.

I quickly looked through the content, and when I saw that all the cash, around $160, was still there, I knew all other the things must be there. Now that I have canceled all the cards, transferred all direct deposits and payments, re-keyed all the locks, ordered the drivers license, glasses....now I have it all back. I still wasn't very jubilant about it, as I had mixed emotions about the whole thing.

But in the end, I am very glad I have it all back. It is a miracle, really, that everything is there. In a week or so I'll have all those accounts sorted out, insurance paid for re-keying, and I was able to deal with all of that without too much stress. And I have all those little things that could not be replaced back.

Yes, it is a great thing what happened!

Step-by-Step

- police report filed: check
- camera and cell phone serial #'s sent to police: check
- insurance claim filed: check
- debit/credit cards canceled and new ordered: check
- checking account flagged, new opened, and checks ordered: check
- new direct deposit established: check
- credit fraud alert placed: check
- new drivers license ordered: check
- new health insurance card ordered: check
- prescription glasses ordered: check
- car keys duplicated: check
- house locks re-keyed: tonight
- life back in order: getting there

Violated

Yesterday early afternoon my purse was stolen in front of La Madeline restaurant in North Austin. It was my fault, of course, for leaving it unattended. We set outside for a few minutes, and then realized it was too windy. When I placed all our glasses and cups on a tray to move us inside, I forgot the purse on the chair next to me. I only remembered it when we got up to leave the restaurant, but the purse was no longer on the chair.

I had so many things in that purse. Some big, some small, and many that I didn't even remember until the day after: car and house keys, cell phone, digital camera, cash, drivers license, credit and debit cards, check book, medical insurance card, many business cards, address book, rosary, mini calculator, mini mirror, mini scissors, chap-stick, lip gloss... I felt violated.

After looking for it for a few minutes around the corners and in the trash cans around, I went inside to use their telephone. I couldn't remember any numbers. Darn phone memory addiction. My brother had my spare car and house keys, but I couldn't remember his cell phone number to call him and find out where he is. He doesn't have a car, so I was thinking I would take a taxi to where he is, and then he would pay, because I didn't have any money with me. But without me knowing that he is at home, I wasn't going to just take a taxi there, and then wouldn't be able to pay for the ride.

The restaurant didn't have the white pages book either for me to look up land line numbers of some other friends. I tried to find one number using 411, but the number was no listed. One lady, hearing me trying to find the phone numbers, offered to let me use her iPad. Really nice of her. I couldn't find my brother's cell phone number in any of my emails, and he unfortunately was not on line at the time. I called couple of friends whose numbers I remembered, but they didn't pick up. Couldn't find unlisted numbers of few other friends. For a few moments I didn't know what to do next.

Then I started calling credit and debit card numbers to cancel those. Called 911, and they referred me to 311, Austin non-emergency Info Center. Through them I filled a police report, gave them descriptions and values of the purse content. They asked me if the restaurant had any surveillance camera, but they didn't. There was nothing else I could do from the restaurant. I needed to get to my work, where I had my brother's and few other phone numbers. I needed to get those spare keys, so I can get inside the house. I also stared to worry that whoever took the purse could now get to my house, because the address was on the checks and driver's license.

I returned the iPad, and explained to the lady where things are. She offered to take me to National Instruments. Great! It's really just 5 minutes away from the restaurant. She cleared her car a bit for us to sit, but it was still full of stuff. The minute we set in there, it started to be weird. Her car reminded me of images of those hoarders on TV. I told her to just get on Mopac, and go to Duval. She drove kind of nervously, didn't even put her seat-belt on, and constantly kept looking at us in the rear-view mirror. There was Christian music on the radio, so I kept assuring myself that she is a good person. But, she didn't go toward Mopac, and continued north-bound on 183 access road. I told her then to just go straight to 3rd light, which will be Duval, and then turn right. But she turned right on first light, Braker Ln. Hm, ok, I told her then to go all the way to Mopac, and then turn left. She kept in the right lane, still constantly looking back at us. It was really weird. When I reminded her to move to left lane, almost at the Mopac light, she moved all the way left, and pulled into the gas station. She said she had to stop there for a minute, had to use the bathroom. When she came back, she asked us if we could walk the rest of the way, because she doesn't really know us and doesn't feel comfortable driving us any more! Um, what?! A mile on a highway?! Because of the train rails under the overpass, we would have had to walk on the highway itself. Why didn't she tell us that at the restaurant? It was bright day, and mom and I empty handed certainly didn't look dangerous. I told her it's close, just one more exit, and she would be right there on Mopac, but she just said "I don't want to". And we got out of that car, baffled and stunned at what just happened.

Inside the gas station I told the clerk what just happened, and asked if there was someone else there who could drive us. since he was alone, he asked one customer, a young man to give us a ride. He was normal, works for Potbelly restaurant, and agreed to drive us. Thankfully, the main gate was open, so he dropped us right in front of the building. Someone just walked out, so I asked him to scan the badge for us to get in. I was finally at my desk.

My brother didn't pick up when I first called him. Urgh! Left him a message about what happened and that I needed him to come get us. I called a friend from the neighborhood, and told her I might need her to give me a ride. Called my brother again, and the first thing he says is: "I can't come get you because I was hit by a car!? What?!!! Mom started crying. She has lower tolerance to shocks. He explained that he was on his bicycle, on parking lot in front of Fiesta supermarket, when the car coming toward him decided to make a turn right in front of him. He hit the car in the corner, leaped over the bike, and landed on his head. Ambulance, firetruck, and police all came to the scene. The paramedics examined his head, neck, nose, checked vital signs, talked with him for a while, had him sign that he refused to go to the ER, and sent him home. But he was not in a condition to drive, of course. He had head and knee injuries, and his bike was all twisted.

That friend from the neighbourhood then called, and offered to come get us. Great. We finally have a way to get to those spare keys. In the mean time, I found a number of my neighbour across the street, who also works for NI, and asked for them to keep an eye on the house, still fearing the thief might come. I also called the Travis County Sheriff's Department asking them to send someone to patrol the street until I come back. I am not sure if they ever came.

My brother had a large bruise on his head at the hairline, and a huge bump on his forehead, and a pretty nasty wound on his nose. There were also scrapes and bumps on his knee and ankle, and his calf muscle was hurting. But his was walking and talking, and said the pain was not too bad.

At home, which we entered with caution, everything was fine. We locked both locks even though both keys were in the purse, but it would take longer to unlock. We left one room lit up entire night. I also tried calling my cell phone, but no one picked up.

I didn't sleep all too well, especially after I remembered I had $160 cash in that purse that I forgot about, and the address book with numbers from all over the world. And my special rosary with medals from different sentimental places.

It will take some time to let go of all those items. And to replace them. The Mass gospel reading today was about "leaving all things behind and following Christ" Quite fitting for me. Plus, I set next to a friend who just lost his sister. It puts things in perspective. I didn't loose anything that cannot be replaced (except some sentiments), even the photos I already all downloaded, and my brother was going to be OK.

Today I left the house with the smallest purse, with only a chap-stick and two keys in it. I am starting anew.

Mayan Land: Day 4

Why did the best weather come last day?
So that we have to come back!

It was raining the first thing in the morning, so we decided to get dressed and have coffee at the café and not carry it in the rain. But, when we walked outside, the rain stopped and the clouds completely cleared up around 9 already. Yay! Beach time! The water was calm for the first time we were there. Too bad it was our last day. I even thought that if the weather was bad today we could go to the aviary we saw on the way back from downtown last night. But, we wouldn’t miss the time at the beach today.

The check out time was noon, but they let us stay until 1PM. Since we didn’t have to leave for the airport until 2.30, we stored our bags in the car (good thing about having our own vehicle) and went back to the beach for another hour. Had our coffee there and some pina-colada! We’ve had so many different drinks on this trip. : ) But they probably water down some of those drinks, because we didn’t see any alcohol effects.

After quick lunch, we were on the road. Stopped at one store downtown on the way, and found our way onto the main highway. The driving here is…a bit different. People don’t give turn signals, shift several lanes without any signaling, and drive some 20 km/h above the speed limit. Just before the exit ramp for the airport, it seems that the speed changed from 80 to 40 km/h, and the police lights came on behind me. I didn’t get a chance to stop before the circular ramp, and I didn’t think it was safe to stop on the ramp, so I tried to signal them I’ll stop at the top. But they then turned on the siren and started saying something on the megaphone. In Spanish. I stopped half way up. A friendly fella came to me, shook my hand, and ask for the license. I had no idea why I was stopped until he informed me. 88 on the radar. Oops! I said I was just following the flow of traffic, which I was. He said he’ll have to take my license to the police station 5 minutes away, and the ticket will be $150! Um, He said he’ll have to take my license to the police station 5 minutes away, and the ticket will be $150! Um, yaiks! I started pleading to let me go, we have a plane to catch…and I thought of just asking how much to just let me go. I heard of people doing it in some country, including Bosnia, but I didn’t do the research to find out if that’s common in Mexico. Well, he then just asked me: “I’ll be a nice guy, so how much would you give me to let you go?” Um, I don’t know, I was never asked that before, I said a bit confused. I offered $20, he scoffed, pointed to his buddy in the car, and wanted 20 each. I said, come on, you could have had a full car of your friends in the there. So, I just gave him a 20, he rolled it in his hand, and let us go. Ok, so now I know: If you do get caught speeding, test the waters first, and then offer some money. Better than paying 7 times more.

Finding the rent-a-car place took us several times circling around. They checked the car, and almost wanted to make me responsible for a little pebble chip on the windshield. But they didn’t. Checked-out, took the shuttle, got the boarding passes, and onto the gate just in time for boarding. No time to spare; well I guess we did spare a little with that cop.

Bye-bye the Caribbean’s . We’ve had a great time, relaxing and restful. You could have gave us more sunny days, but then again, I had enough sunburn. I think I could should do this every winter!

Mayan Land: Day 3

Rain.

That’s how the day started. We couldn’t even have coffee on the balcony. It was all wet. After breakfast we started planning activities other than beach that we could do. A long walk down the beach sounded good.

It was actually really busy at the beach. All the people it seemed had the same idea about that stroll. It was a bit chilly, and long sleeves felt good. It took us about 20-30 minutes to get to the end of Playcar, see Playa del Carmen in the distance, and then we turned back. It started to drizzle, and the rest of the day didn’t sound too good.

But, just as we got to our hotel beach around noon, the sun came out. The lounge chairs filled up in no time, and people were in the water. It turned out to be a great day! The water was warm enough, and after passing the area where the waves crash, one could swim without being tossed around. The sun was very strong. Because we didn’t want to check in any bags, I couldn’t bring my 75 SPF sun lotion spray and face cream with SPF because the bottles do not fit in the little ziplock bag. I only had SPF 30, which I thought was enough. But, I got sunburned. Pretty bad. Now I really look like a silly tourist. : )

We had brunch and the inevitable coffee right there on the beach. And some cocktails. I enjoyed the nice weather so much, that I didn’t even want to go to the lunch. It was our last full day, and with the best weather, so I didn’t want to waste any of it. We stayed until 4.30, when the clouds rolled in again, and then got ready to go downtown.

Since our dinner reservation wasn’t until 9.30, we thought we had enough time to just walk to the town, which is some 30 min away by foot. But, after 5 minutes of walking, a mini bus stopped in front of another hotel, it was going to the downtown, so we got on. It wasn’t until I started talking with some passengers that we found out it was only for the guests of Riu hotels. Oops! We always have to cause trouble. : ) The bus was going every 15-30 minutes. Well, we got off at the next station, close to downtown, but then quickly got back on thinking there could be an even closer stop. But the bus then went back the other way, to the other Riu hotel. So we did the full circle. : )

We finally got to Playa del Carmen around 6 and started walking. And walking. And some more walking. We didn’t get all the way to the end of the main street, but since we both had tired, blistery feed, we decided to turn back. I had a feeling mom was no longer enjoying any of the sites and shopping because she was so tired. I guess all that sun got to us. We were hoping that Riu bus would still be working where we got there at 8.30, because we really didn’t want to walk another half an hour. But it wasn’t. I didn’t want mom to walk any more. I didn’t want to walk any more. So, I stopped the first taxi, which got us to the hotel in couple of minutes.

We still had 45 minutes until our dinner, but we knew if we got to our room it would be hard to make us go out again. Plus, there was no need to dress up because there was no way we would willingly put on the heels. Knowing how little food was served at the Italian restaurant the night before, we first got something to eat at the buffet, and then got us some desert and drinks at the courtyard. By the time we got to dinner, we were no longer hungry, or really interested in the atmosphere. And there wasn’t much of it there. I felt bad that we were leaving so much food uneaten, but it really wasn’t that great. We had good laughs anyway.

As we walked to our room, we made a short stop at the pool, just to cool our feet and soak in a bit more of that night scene that they have going here. We dragged our tired feet to bed, realizing we felt so tired as if we were working out the whole day, but it was all from the sun, sea, and walking.

Mayan Land: Day 2

Another adventurous day!

Mom woke up earlier and brought us some coffee to enjoy on the balcony. We put on first of the six outfits of the day, and made it to breakfast a full hour before the restaurant closes. Migas and mimosas were some of the yummy stuff on our table. The sun cleared most of the clouds, and we changed again for the beach. It. Was. Packed. Everyone wanted to soak in some of that sun after days of rain. It was actually warm to lay in the swimsuit. But, it didn’t last too long, and by 1 the clouds took over. We got us some margaritas and went for a stroll down the beach. (I think I’d like to go back to that sentence throughout the year and remember the moment)

Then it was time for lunch, and yet another change. It was obvious the beach was not the best idea for the afternoon, so we took our time with coffee and martinis in the courtyard, people watching. There are many groups here, and I am surprised to see relatively few Americans; many seem to be from the French speaking parts of Canada, many Italians, south America of course, and quite a few eastern Europeans.

Into our fourth outfit we went, and drove to the town. It’s about 30 min walk to there, so an hour both ways, but then plus all the walk there, so I think the car drive was a better option for us. Plus, it started raining after an hour and we had some liquor bottles with us to carry. I choose to pay for monitored parking than to park on the street. That rental place guy scared me enough about being responsible for all the damages. It was 20 pesos per hour.

I got all confused about money and exchange rates. The average rate we’ve seen was 12.5 pesos for $1, and when I withdrew 500 pesos from the ATM machine it listed $20 at the bottom. That $ sign threw me off. For some reason I thought that is how much US$ was my transaction. It didn’t sound right, it meant I got 25 pesos for 1$, but I thought maybe that’s what they mean by you get the best rate when using the debit card to get the local currency. But, really, what was I thinking! Twice as much as the regular rate. My brain was on vacation too, it seems. : ) I couldn’t get my math correct after that, so I then thought the swim suit we bought was half as many US$ then it was. The rain cut our walk short, and we started looking to get some gas. Another thing I forgot to research was that gas stations are not self service. I felt so stupid-foreigner-like when I pulled in and couldn’t figure out where the latch to open the gas tank was, couldn’t figure out how many litter I need to get ½ of tank, and how many $’s I need to exchange to pay for that. I waved in a no-thank you to several service-man swarming my car, set there for a few minutes trying to start my brain again and then drove off. After exchanging more money I got back to that same station only to realize I couldn’t find last 50 pesos I thought I still had and was 9 pesos short for that gas. Urgh! He let me walk off without paying.

We made one other stop to get some alcohol, maneuvering the one-way streets, and got to our room just with just enough time left to change for dinner. We had the reservation at the Italian restaurant in the sister-hotel, so we put on our best dress, pearls, and heals, and again drove over there. The food was quite different than the buffets we’ve had so far, plates much bigger and portions much smaller. They’ve put a lot of effort in the presentation, and since there were only dozen of tables occupied the service was good, too. We had four-course dinner with wine and desert. It was a good night to eat inside, with all the drizzle outside. Glad we had the car.

Back to our place for the last dress change of the day and the Las Vegas show!

A. Good. Day.

Mayan Land: Day 1

Oh what a change! Today is Jan 14th, and I was playing in the Caribbean Sea! Oh, yeah!

Our flight arrived in Cancun last night just after 9, but then getting the rental car took way longer than what I would have anticipated. By the time we were on the road, it was close to 11.

Mom and I were still not over the recent experience with her luggage, so we packed just our carry-ons, not wanting to have to check any bags. Well, when we boarded in Austin, after nicely following their directions to board with our own section, by the time we got on the plane there was no more space in the overhead compartments for our two bags. We had to leave them at the front, where they tagged them and checked them to the final destination. We just then realized how much we were still uncomfortable with that fact about the flying, and we did not have faith in the airline to transport our bags on time. I kept telling myself I need to stop worrying because there is nothing I can do about it, and for reals, did I truly want to allow this to affect me so much. The bags would get here on time, or not, regardless of me worrying about it. They arrived with us.

When planning for this trip, renting the car made all the sense. It was about the same cost as the shuttle from the airport to the hotel for the two us. It would give us an opportunity to explore the area, especially if the weather is too cold for the beach. It seemed like the right choice. But, first, waiting that long to get the car, then being scared about not purchasing their insurance, and then actually trying to figure out the road signs - I started to have doubts about this decision. For example, I wasn't clear if crossed E meant do-not-enter or no parking. It didn't even cross my mind to check some facts about driving in Mexico before departing on this trip. At one point on the road I had almost a freak-out realization that on this trip I am the only leader and coordinator, and I didn’t quite feel prepared for it.

It took me couple of tries before we figured out the way out of the airport. After that, it was pretty much straight for about 45 minutes. The main road has many speed bumps, and few of them caught me by surprise. And they were very bumpy. The last couple of kilometers were tricky to figure out in the dark, but we finally made it to hotel just after midnight. We got our bracelets, just dropped off the bags in our ocean view room, and came down for dinner. Even this was in the middle of the night, and it's all inclusive, it still surprises me how many drunken people there are at these resorts.

After some six hours of sleep, I woke up at my usual work-day hour, but today I was in Playa! I was actually cold all night, because I put the fan on high and cracked up the temp setting thinking it will eventually heat up. Turns out, there is no heater, only AC, so it was blowing almost cold air the entire night. I brought my summer PJs, and there was only one thin blanked on the bed. We got extra blankets later. The good news was that the lukewarm shower water from last night was hot this morning, so I warmed up quickly.

This all-you-can-eat-and-drink deal is very demanding. : ) We went barely a couple of hours without eating or drinking something. And because we HAD to use all of our three-outfits-a-day, we had to leave the beach in the middle of the day and change for lunch. The sky completely cleared up after that, and I even got sunburned after just one hour of late afternoon sun. I know, it can be though. : )

And we had to cause some trouble. Mom almost got the lifeguard to jump in the water, because one big wave knocked her down as she was walking out to the beach. She scratched her hip, and had a little wardrobe trouble, but was ok. For breakfast and lunch we came just 5 minutes before closing, so we were grabbing the food right in front of the staff who were clearing the buffet. Mom wanted to take a picture by this root-like old tree trunk, and set on it thinking it’s an actual tree. But it was just a tree trunk the placed as a decoration. It then tilted and fell on its side, almost bringing mom down with it. We went for a walk just before dinner, and in the spare of the moment decided to try out eating at the sister-hotel Viva Wyndham Aztec. They told us as the reception that we cannot eat at the buffet at the other hotel, only in the themed restaurant for which we need to sing up in advance. But we went to the buffet restaurant there anyway. Nobody was checking the bracelets. We just wanted to try it out. : ) We stopped at another resort and joined in on some of their entertainment activities. The night ended with a 70s themed entertainment show.

When the beach cleared up just after 4 PM, I thought how these winter beach vacation days are ending too quickly. But the afternoon and evening were so eventful, that my opinion completely changed. It’s almost hard to believe we’ve been here less than 24 hours.

1-11-11

Ok, ok.. I promise I won't do these any more.

Until November. :)

This quintuple-ones-day will also be remembered as the freaking coldest day of the season. Low 20s this morning! I definitely picked the wrong morning to fill up gas and check and top-off the oil. Freeeeeezing!

So looking forward to the beach trip this weekend to Playa del Carmen for few days. It's upper 70s there, and water temp around 77!

Paradiso!

1-1-11

Happy New Year!!!

Ok, I admit, I am bit of a dork; I like numbers. And today is 01/01/11. :) Doesn't happen very often.

I worked on the 31st, and since my mom is also in town, I delayed making the plans for that evening until that very day. In the past, the three of us would go for the First Night Austin festivities downtown, and either ring in the New Year there with the fireworks or come back home. But, due to lack of funds, the City canceled it for this year. Instead, there was a much scaled down version with the ANY, Austin’s New Year. I was also invited to a swing dance NYE party at Go Dance, and had the ticket placed on hold, because I wasn't sure if I'll be able to make it over there.

So, after dinner, mom and I headed over to my brother's, to take over some food and wish them a happy new year. We thought it would be a quick visit, but we didn't get out of there until around 9. The plan was then to just drive around the Auditorium Shores and see what that event is all about, from the car. But, the streets were blocked off, and since I spotted a good parking spot real close, we decided to walk through. It was really scaled down. There was a little stage with music, few fire performers around, some solo acts, few bike floats for people to drive for couple of minutes, some visual and sound art exhibits, and several food vendors. And the crowd was tin, too. It was about quarter till 10 when we headed to the car. I realized that by the time I drop mom off and get to the dance studio it will be at least 10.30. And I was kinda hoping to maybe get home at midnight, as I felt bad leaving mom alone, to ring it the new year with her. So, since it would mean I'd be at that party for just maybe an hour, and we were so close to the start of the fireworks downtown, I decided to spend that time with mom.

We walked around a bit more, then climbed up on the little hill by the pond, along with couple of dozen other folks, and waited for the fireworks at 10.15. The air was so clear, and the view of downtown really pretty with new buildings lit up in different colors. It was very cold that evening, in the low 40s, but we have bundled up. The fireworks were spectacular! The view was great from that elevated location, and the downtown skyline gave it a nice backdrop. It was probably the longest fireworks I have ever seen; almost 25 minutes! It was again one of those moments I wanted to savor - my arm around mom's shoulder as we enjoyed and got excited with every new light display! Loved it. Don't regret a bit not going to that party. (although, I am sure I would have enjoyed that, too)

We got home a bit after 11, and commented how only one other house on our street had the Christmas lights still on. As we pulled into the driveway, another surprise - our front door was WIDE open!!! What! Again?! Two years ago I had almost the same thing happen to us, but a police officer came home before us to lock everything. This time, we had lights in two rooms in the house, lights on the house, and on the bushes outside, so the inside of the house was very visible from the street. I walked in to a cold house, the heater blowing like crazy, and slowly went through all the rooms. Once I realized that my laptop was still sitting on the coffee table I knew that nobody was inside. Whew!

It was time to prepare for the big start of the new year. We were still cold, so instead of champagne we had hot chocolate milk to toast with! :) We sat out some finger food, snacks, cheese, meat, and I decided to quickly make the Russian Salad, a new year's tradition of ours. We talked with Zoran and Emilia just before midnight; they stayed at home, too. We then set and watched the program from Time Square for couple of more hours, and called it a night.

The New Year's day was slow, as it should be. :) We drove by the Main Street in Round Rock, hoping to have coffee there, but the the Friar Tuck’s Pantry was closed, and then to the outlet mall, which, surprisingly was open. We ended the evening with the Vienna New Year's concert on PBS, which we used to watch at noon every new year's day growing up. Loved that time of renewed memories!