{"id":910,"date":"2024-08-21T14:09:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T19:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/?p=910"},"modified":"2024-08-21T14:23:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T19:23:59","slug":"week-34-back-from-vacation-and-catching-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/?p=910","title":{"rendered":"Week #34: Back from Vacation and Catching Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello, dear readers!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you\u2019ve all been well. I missed out on sharing Week #33 because I took some much-needed vacation time, but I\u2019m back and excited to fill you in on the past couple of weeks. It was a mix of relaxation, spontaneous adventure, and catching up with old friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vacation Vibes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week #33 was all about unwinding. I embraced a more sedentary lifestyle, spending most of my time just lounging around and enjoying some much-needed downtime. There\u2019s something incredibly satisfying about giving yourself permission to be a couch potato every now and then. I watched some movies and basically let the days drift by. But it wasn\u2019t long before I felt the itch for a bit of excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
ROAD TRIP!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Spontaneous Road Trip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight of my time off came when Lisa and I decided on a whim to drive down to Austin<\/strong>. It was one of those spontaneous decisions that turned out to be absolutely perfect. We packed up the car and set off, choosing to take the scenic back roads between Tulsa and Austin. It was a bit of a detour, but it added a charming, rustic touch to our journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Heat and the Fun<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of our journey, the weather was intensely hot\u2014classic Texas summer! The heat didn\u2019t slow us down, though. Instead, it added a bit of character to our road trip, and we made the best of it by blasting the air conditioning and keeping hydrated. Sometimes the road less traveled has its own rewards, like discovering quirky small towns and enjoying the simplicity of the open road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cars found along the way<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
That’s a new one for me! Aston Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Look! Scooters at the hotel!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
I don’t mind traffic when it’s got cool cars in it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
My old office!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reconnecting with Old Friends<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our main destination was Austin, where we had a blast catching up with my old team from Emerson. We met up for a happy hour, and it felt great to reconnect with familiar faces. It\u2019s amazing how some friendships remain as strong as ever, even if you haven\u2019t seen each other for a while. The evening was filled with laughter, reminiscing about old times, and sharing updates about our lives. It was a reminder of the importance of maintaining those connections, no matter where life takes you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traffic, Cars, and Quality Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin is always a vibrant city with a lot of cool cars and lively streets. Despite the traffic, we enjoyed the atmosphere and the chance to soak in some local culture. The best part of the trip, though, was spending quality time with Lisa. Having her by my side made the entire experience even more special. We shared many laughs, had deep conversations, and created new memories that will stay with us for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
and we drove!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back to Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019re back from our adventure, it\u2019s time to get back into the groove of things. Week #34 is shaping up to be busy, but I\u2019m feeling recharged and ready to tackle whatever comes next. Sometimes a little break, a spontaneous road trip, and reconnecting with old friends is just what you need to come back with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all had a fantastic couple of weeks as well. Until next time, keep making memories and cherishing the little moments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erin – aka PopPop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My wife, Lisa – Happy Wife, Happy Life!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-diary","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=910"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":921,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910\/revisions\/921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.echorequest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}