Getting settled and girlfriends...

This week I've been busy with a bunch of settling in activities. I got my car registered, have done some more unpacking and organizing, have continued to apply for jobs, and attended an orientation at the university for spouses and significant others of students in the MBA program. I met a few really cool women there (all wives of students), and today we had lunch at a cute little central Austin cafe. It's great to meet some people who are also new to town, know no one, and are trying to get this whole business school spouse thing figured out. I also had the pleasure of meeting Amelia in person and getting to know her over a glass of wine poolside at the Hotel San Jose. She was so gracious and welcoming, and just as energetic and fun as she seems on her blog. It was about a million degrees outside, and I think we both sweat through our shirts (or at least I did... classy... and just the kind of first impression every girl hopes to make), but I had a great time hearing all about Austin from a local. I've only been blogging for a couple months, but it's amazing to know that there is this whole community of cool women out there, and even more amazing when you realize they're all real people that you could potentially meet and befriend in real life.

This weekend, I'm heading out to LA to visit one of my best friends, Laurie, and meet her baby daughter, Camille, for the first time. Laurie and I met at our very first job right out of college when we both moved to San Francisco, and were assigned to work on the same team. We only worked together for about a year and a half, but have stayed in close contact all these years through numerous life adventures-- moving to Paris (me), law school (her), both of our weddings where we each served as bridesmaids, and now parenthood (her... and hopefully eventually me.) Our close friend, Kristin (who also worked at our first job with us), is also making the trip down to LA from San Francisco, so I'm looking forward to a bona fide girls weekend. With J gone most nights this week due to orientation activities, it will be so nice to be around people all weekend-- especially girlfriends that I've known for years and can't wait to catch up with.