Vienna and My New Best Friend

I know you've all been dying to hear about my trip, I just thought it would be fun to keep you in suspense for awhile. Well actually, T&C and family were Stateside until Friday so I've been spending lots of my time with them rather than writing about them. But now they have departed... and now I will spend time reminiscing about how much fun we had!

The overnight flight to Vienna was uneventful and relaxing. I don't know when the last time is that I've been surrounded by quiet for that long. (Or maybe I should say "surrounded by noise not caused by my own dependents...") I finished an entire book and slept for a few hours... and no one was seated next to me. Score! I arrived in Vienna mid-morning and a driver brought me to the house where Cath and the boys were waiting for me. Alexander and I hit it off right away; he asked me to build towers with him and told me all about his dino claws (He's a dinosaur, you know).


And I got to meet little angel baby Isaac. Oh what a dear! He let me hold him and gave me all kinds of smiles and coos. But he was also content to just lay on the floor, kicking his legs and examining the ceiling. Seriously perfect baby.


Between playing with dinos and cuddling a baby, I still had plenty of time to chat with Catherine and catch up on life. Honestly, one of the very best things about this trip was sitting around chatting with my sister-in-law when both of us had nowhere to be and nothing to do... I've never gotten to spend that much time with her before, and now I feel like we finally really know each other.

Tony got home in the late afternoon, and we ordered Chinese for dinner and had a lazy evening in. We went to bed pretty early, and I slept like a rock. I awoke in the morning to a little voice calling "Taaaaayn! Taaaayn!" and my brother quietly saying, "Shhh, Auntie Taryn is sleeping", but I couldn't stay in bed. Zander wanted to play!


It was Saturday, so the whole family went to the mall for party supplies. Did I mention that I got to be there for Zander's Dino Birthday Party? What a treat, what a treat. So Saturday we got groceries and a few odds and ends, and of course stopped at Starbucks. Tony and Catherine are a living Starbucks commercial- they met working together at a Starbucks, and their son already has brand loyalty. It's quite adorable. Then Tony and I ventured into the city for some errands and decided to grab a beer at the organic market in one of the town squares. Oh Austria, I agree with you- no farmer's market should exist without a beer stand!


That night we took the bus to a restaurant with a beautiful outdoor patio. Alexander got to explore while we ate and took turns chasing him! Dinner was authentic Austrian and super tasty.

The next day was the Big Dino Party! Alexander helped his Daddy assemble and cut out an enormous green dinosaur to tape on the window for decoration, and he also got to decorate the cake with little plastic dinos. He was in dino heaven! While the family prepared for the party, I braved public transportation in order to attend Mass at Stephansdom in downtown. I get nervous any time I travel somewhere by myself for the first time, and even though there was only one bus ride followed by a few blocks to walk, this was no exception. However, I got there and back without a hitch and the Mass was beautiful!! One thing I love about the Catholic Church: you can attend a Mass in any language and still know exactly what's going on.

That afternoon, I got to meet many of Tony and Catherine's friends at the party. It's been awhile since I've been in a social setting full of new people and I didn't have my own kids to hide behind... Max tends to make socializing pretty easy. But everyone was so nice and I got along with them well. Presents were opened, cake was eaten, champagne was consumed, and everyone had a ball.


Monday was the actual date of Catherine and Alexander's birthdays, so Tony got up and made crepes for breakfast. Oh yummm. Alexander got to open presents from his parents, including an adorable carry-on suitcase for the flight to the states. He packed and repacked it several times with all of his very favorite toys, and he practiced rolling it around the house until he was a pro!


That night T&C went out on a date while I stayed in with the kids. It gave me a chance to call home and do some reading... but I definitely ended up doing more reading than calling. Max would have nothing to do with me on the phone, he was far too busy with Grandma and Uncle Liam to waste time talking to his Mother. I could hear Maureen on the other end of the line, "Say hi to your mom, Max! Max... say hi! Just say hi." and then finally I got a "Hi, hihihihihihihi. I wanna watch Ponyo!" and off he went again. Oh well, better that they didn't miss me at all... (Sob...)

Tuesday night was my turn to go out with Tony (thanks Cath!) and he took me to a vineyard for a glass of wine. Apparently every little restaurant in Vienna has their own vineyard, and after we drank we were able to walk through the rows of grapevines on the hill right behind the restaurant! The view was incredible. I attempted a couple of pictures, but it was dark by the time we were walking, so all I have is my memory.

Catherine and I took the boys into town Wednesday for a little bit of last-minute souvenir shopping (and a Starbucks stop, of course), and when the boys got tired I continued on to meet Tony for lunch at his office. Yes, you heard me, I once again braved public transportation ALONE. Three cheers for courageous ME! Tony's office is in the tallest building in the area, so his view is unbelievable.



The rest of Wednesday was spent packing and preparing for the trip, and we left Thursday morning. Aside from being randomly chosen for a security check involving bomb dogs and being herded like cattle through DC customs, the trip was pretty flawless. The kids were wonderful!


So in all, the trip was everything I dreamed it would be. Alexander and I are best buds now, and I think this time he's old enough that he'll remember me next time I see him. Grandma and Liam were a Godsend, and the kiddos did great for the week without me, even if part of me wishes they would have missed me more.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making this trip a reality, and Thanks, T&C, for opening your home to me! You have a beautiful family, and now I can picture you in your beautiful home and your beautiful city! I miss you already.