While I was away in Tokyo, Austin constructed the boardwalk trail at Lady Bird Lake. I followed the progress pictures and looked forward to the day that I'd get to check it out in person. This was when moving back to Austin was still very far from a reality, but I was holding out hope.
Hitting the hike and bike trail was something I did my very first weekend in Austin, but I didn't make it out to the boardwalk until the first weekend in January. It was a beautiful, but very cold day and I remember it clearly because that Friday night I had gone on a first date that had left me smitten. I picked up the message asking for a second date while I was shuffling along the boardwalk (you'll hear more about that story line in a future post).
Then I took this picture and stood there and soaked up the moment. The cold crisp air, the sun, the waterbirds fighting over bread crumbs, the sounds of the (English!) conversations of people passing by and water. It was one of those I made it to Austin, I made it happen (!) kind of moments. Even on the not so good days I find myself stopping to think of how grateful I am for this change in my life and how very lucky I am to be here.
And the boardwalk lived up to expectations.