Coast to Coast

Y'all. What a week! I hit a different coast this time (San Francisco!), spoke at two conferences 18 hours and 1,800 miles apart, and took a red eye flight, that, as a person who has never fallen asleep on a plane, I am simply way too old to handle. On Wednesday I was up at 6 am, attended a breakfast in our San Francisco office at 7:30 am, worked all morning in a guest office, spoke on a panel at 4 pm, attended a few cocktail parties and rounded up some fabulous guests for a dinner, got to the airport at 10 pm, and took off at 12 midnight PST, and landed 5:30 am CT the next morning.

I arrived at conference #2 after being awake for 40? 42? hours and it is a miracle I was coherent (though I'm assured I was!).

But first let's jump back a bit. When I last posted we had just moved, I had gone to DC, and the kids were at my parents' house in Houston. We met them and my parents in San Antonio at my grandparents' retirement community.

It was our first time visiting my sweet Grandma in memory care, but she knew who I was and admired the pearl earrings (formerly hers) that I was wearing. My Grandpa is so lonely in the apartment by himself, but he was absolutely delighted to see us- his whole being just lit up with joy when we walked in the door.

Reminds me of this moment when the two of them met 8 years ago. Just pure joy.

It was a good day for Grandma; she was calm and happy and loving with us and her Glenn. She encouraged me to retire as soon as possible (“don’t wait too long!”) and thought the kids were just “too beautiful” and James was “so handsome and strong.” We visited my Grandpa Jim’s room as well and he was tickled as always to see us and especially the kids.

I know I am so lucky to still have three grandparents in my life and for my own kids to know and love them, but it’s also a hard phase. Hard to see the changes, hard to see my Grandpa Jim alone and missing my Grandma Jo, hard to see my Grandpa alone in many ways even though my Grandma is still here. It’s hard for my mom and uncle, to make tough decisions you never think of making for your parents and to be their daily support in a confusing time. But it’s also wonderful. Wonderful to see their love and care flowing through four generations. We’re so blessed by the memories we have with all four of them, and even more so by the ability to keep on making them.

My mom took this picture of them looking through the pictures of the visit that I sent them, again and again, sitting together in the Memory Care common area, happily together, whatever their cirumcstances.

Once we said our goodbyes we drove over to Austin (the traffic from Dallas to San Antonio to Austin was SO bad and I'm still salty about it, omg what a weekend) to hit up our old favorite BBQ place with the kids.

Cora had never been, but loves a good rib.

Landon ordered a 5 meat platter and everyone ate a LOT of food.

After dinner, totally exhausted from a week at Papa and Gigi's, my travels, James's coaching and commute to Fort Worth, and the many hours in the car, we forgoed any plans to see Austin at night and just crashed in our hotel room on 6th. We waved to the street where James and I met in 2001, and where we went after we got engaged in 2005, and pretty much just passed out.

In the morning we enjoyed a lovely hotel breakfast (literally the kids' favorite thing) and hit up Barton Springs for the first time in 12ish years.

Just about everything about Austin seems to have changed, but Barton Springs is still natural and beautiful and freezing cold.

I do not do cold water, but I had a lot of fun watching the kids (and James!).

Kerbey Lane followed (Cowboy Queso and Eggs Francisco Forever), with a walk around campus that everyone was cranky about and forced me to cut short due to the mildly uncomfortable 107 degrees temps.

And then, it was time to drop Landon at Longhorn Swim Camp! The very camp I attended in 1994!

Landon was very excited about the dorm and VERY excited to be sharing a suite with some of his best friends.

He had an AMAZING time. I texted him once a day to ask how it was going and he'd always immediately FaceTime me and ask about the cats.

We drove home with just the girls to the rental house we'd barely slept in, and definitely hadn't fully unpacked, to do laundry and get Claire packed for NYC and me packed for San Francisco! The Lag Liv family was spreading out coast to coast!

Claire had an AMAZING time on her theater trip. They saw four Broadway shows, did a behind the theater workshop with the Hamilton choreographer to learn the dance to The Schuyler Sisters, saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, museums, Central Park, and a million other things.

I don't think she slept, but she had a blast and James and I just barely survived the 4 a.m. airport drop off and 10 p.m. airport pickup.

On my own travels I got to enjoy 58 degree weather, walk miles in a city, meet a law school classmate and dear friend for coffee in Palo Alto, and then have dinner with a dear childhood friend (who went to my 6th birthday party! among many others) back in San Francisco.

We ate at Californios, a FABULOUS Michelin-starred 14-course tasting menu that just blew my mind.

I really enjoyed speaking on my panel: "Managing the Interplay Between ESG and FCPA" with my wonderful fellow panelists who I am glad to have finally met and can call friends. The cocktail hours prior to dinner event prior to midnight flight home was a bit rough, particularly since I had a 30 page draft brief to review, but I made it. And the conference in Dallas on Thursday was on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and was just a really a fantastic event. My panel was on mentorship, "Nurturing the Next Generation of Legal Talent," and is a topic I'm really passionate about and once of the aspects of firm life I'm enjoying most.

This little suitcase is all I've lived out of since our move, and that's not changing anytime soon. We got Claire from the airport late last night and Landon comes home tomorrow, the sale of our Fort Worth house closes Monday, and then we all go to Iceland Tuesday! I have no idea how we'll find all the things we need to pack in the chaos that surrounds me, but I'm sure we'll manage.

For those who have been, let me know if there are any must pack, must do, must see items! We're driving all the way around the island and I am so excited! If nothing else, it'll finally get all of us in the same place!