Thursday, February 26, 2015

Austin Pets Alive 4th Anniversary No-Kill Party

This past Sunday night Hank and I attended the 4th Annual Austin Pets Alive "No-Kill Anniversary Party", held at The Palm Door in downtown Austin. Animal welfare is obviously a cause that is near and dear to our heart, so we're more than happy to support it. And Sweet Elise also donated desserts for the second year in a row, so we almost *had* to go. I thought it would be hard to top last year's party, but somehow they were able to do so.

Food was provided courtesy of Pink Avocado Catering, and the vegetarian buffet were delicious. My favorite might have been the macaroni and cheese cupcakes, but everything was so tasty.

(Pictures were taken by Angela Lozano Photography, who also donated her time and talent for the event.)

The Holland House: APA Food Buffet
Food and dessert buffet



Along with great music entertainment (the legendary Dale Watson played), there was a silent auction, a photo booth, and on-site screen printing for shirts. We bought shirts last year, and this year it was even more special to pick out colors and what we wanted printed on them. Many thanks to Fine Southern Gentleman for providing their services for the evening. We love our shirts!!

The Holland House: Fine Southern Gentleman

Did I mention a photo booth? Did I mention that there were LIVE PUPPIES at the photo booth?! It might have been my favorite part of the evening. It was all I could do not to stuff all the puppies under my sweater so that I could take them home with me. I'm sure they have all been adopted by now, as they were just so freaking cute. 

The Holland House: PuppiesThe Holland House: Photo Booth




We called it an early night, as we both had to work the next day. But I'm hoping that APA was able to raise the funds needed to continue the great work they do to keep Austin a "No Kill" city. It seriously takes a village to make it happen, and I'm so glad this organization plays such a big part in saving so many lives. 

Monday, February 9, 2015

Out & About: Hill Country Golf and Guitar

On Saturday we had our family birthday celebration for Hank and my sister Holly. My mom came up with the brilliant idea to do something a little different. She wanted to do something that the little kids could be a part of, and that the big kids would enjoy too. Luckily, Hill Country Golf & Guitar opened just a few miles from their house just a few months ago. The weather was absolutely amazing too, making it the best day ever for a family outing.

The 18-hole course is spread out on a beautiful piece of land, and I believe they are about to start on a second course. We had to wait about 30 minutes, and I have no doubt that the place will remain packed through most of the spring and summer. Most of the holes were a par-3, but the water feature on hole 10 got the best of a few of us (note the picture of my brother fishing balls out of the pond).

The Holland House: Hill Country Gold & Guitar
The course has a stage built right in the middle of it, and there will be live bands playing on the weekend soon. The park is mostly music-themed, including the guitar pick hole signs.

The Holland House: Family Birthday Celebration



Blair and Georgia had an absolute blast. Blair got a plastic club (thank goodness) and it was all we could do to keep him contained on each hole. This picture of him charging down the green just cracks me up.

The Holland House: Blair


Georgia was a little more serious about her game, and was working hard to score some major style points. It's still hard for me to believe that she is 5 (plus a few months). They grow up way too fast!

The Holland House: Georgia


In true birthday boy fashion, Hank ended up winning the entire round. Here he is practicing his swing.

The Holland House: Hank


I somehow missed a good shot of Blake and Meredith, but here are some fun family pics before we headed inside for an amazing dinner.

The Holland House: Family Pics


Speaking of dinner, the food was really good! Lots of fried stuff and burgers, so not really the healthiest of dinner choices. But all of the ingredients were great quality, and I loved the sweet bun on my hamburger. The french fries with homemade aioli was a little bit of wonderful too!

The Holland House: Hill Country Golf & Guitar
If you are looking for a fun date or family activity, this place can accommodate all. There was even a "treehouse" with arcade games for the kids. My whole family had a blast, and I'm looking forward to going back again soon. I think it will be so fun to listen to a band play while swinging through a round of putt putt golf. Such a clever concept!

 
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