Light up the night

For our second free event, we attended the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for its Luminations night. It was a chilly 40 degrees in Austin, but we figured since we're used to Utah winters, we could brave it :) When we arrived, there was a banjo band playing in the courtyard next to a clear spring pool, kids creating crafts and people following the luminaries towards an area with Christmas music. We decided to walk along the paths, where they had quite a few benches to sit and enjoy the evening. This is definitely a place to return to when it's spring and the flowers are blooming. As we left, we stopped at the Hey Cupcake! trailer to get one of their amazing cupcakes, which I intend to blog about in the future. It just so happened we were the last customers, so they gave us 4 for the price of 1!!! I would say that was a perfect way to end the evening.   

A cool walkway covered in vines.

Sitting on a large, wooden bench.

A pool of spring water.

Adrian and I above the walkway.

Luminaries lighting the path.

Getting more for less

Who knew saving money could be so exciting? While I've tried to use coupons and search out deals, it always seemed like a hassle that got in the way of relaxing and having fun. But while searching for a job, I have resolved to be more frugal with my money. Of course, I don't want to miss out on exploring the new city I've moved to. Luckily, through a job club, I found out about this amazing blog (definitely makes me appreciate bloggers even more) that highlights all FREE things to do and deals in Austin!!

Free Fun in Austin is my new go-to site for fun. While the site is specifically geared at families with children, a lot of the activities are for people of all ages. In addition to having a calendar of FREE stuff to do in Austin, they also point out restaurant and online coupons. I am just way excited!! They also filter in discounts from other sites like Groupon.com and Restaurant.com, which makes it a lot easier than checking tons of sites everyday for deals.

As our first activity from the blog, Adrian and I attended Christmas Tidings at the French Legation Museum. The museum is tucked away in a neighborhood just minutes from downtown; in fact, from the grounds there is an amazing view of the city. I learned that the main house is the oldest house in Austin (still extremely sturdy). It's a small museum but one with lots of history and beautiful grounds. Nowadays, the grounds can be rented for events and weddings (jot that down next to possible locations :). With this event a success, I'm already making plans for what free stuff I'll be doing for the rest of the weekend.    

Me enjoying the beautiful grounds.

This is the oldest house in Austin. Now, the veranda is used for weddings.

There is an amazing view of the city. This is just a small glimpse of the capitol.