Kewpie Girl Visit

Last weekend I was so lucky to have one of the Kewpie Girls come down to Austin for a visit! I originally met Kelly through our friend Maggie back in elementary school. Kelly did not go to our school but came to every one of Maggie’s birthday parties. In 7th grade we all attended the same Jr. High school, then moved on to high school, and then college at the University of Missouri. Kelly and I were the only ones out of our Kewpie Girl group to go to Mizzou. Maggie moved up to northern Missouri to go to Truman University; Susan on to Waco to attend Baylor; and Kate to Northwestern in Evanston, IL. Kelly and I lived in different dorms and had different college friends, but it was always a comfort knowing Kelly was there. We have some sweet “party pics” somewhere to prove it.

Kelly arrived from our hometown, Columbia, MO Friday night. We had dinner at Mars, an Asian-fusion restaurant that had previously been in a cute house near the UT campus, but moved to a new location on South Congress. It’s very pretty inside with dark wood and red walls. We both chose shrimp dishes but mine was curry and Kelly had stir fry. We then headed downtown to one of my favorite bars, Club Deville to meet my friends Mitzi and Veronica and see a band from LA called Dengue Fever. I had never heard of them until a few weeks prior on a Fresh Air interview on NPR and was intrigued. They play music influenced by 60’s and 70’s Cambodian pop. The singer is Cambodian and super cute. I thought they put on a good show. We called it a night after the concert because we were both tired. Poor Kelly slept on the air mattress in the “guest bedroom” otherwise known as my living room floor.

The next morning we(I) took our time getting ready before going shopping. We started at the little shopping center by Central Market on Lamar. We went to Francesca’s and my favorite, despite not being able to afford it, Blue Elephant. Next, a little further south on Lamar to Anthropologie. They have the cutest things! Again, somewhat out of my price range but still fun to look. We then moved on to South Congress and ate lunch outside on the patio of Doc’s before walking around and shopping some more. I showed off Parts & Labour, the store where I sell my cards. Kelly bought a very cute purse made by an Austin artist who I met before Christmas. She makes some great bags. We finished off the afternoon by going to a cute little dessert and wine place called Dolce Vita. I’ve eaten at its neighbor, Hyde Park Grill, on several occasions, but had never been to Dolce Vita. We each enjoyed sorbets outside celebrating the fact that the sun finally decided to come out. Kelly bought us a little bottle of Moscato wine to share and stretch out our outdoor time. We headed home and rested by watching Trading Spouses before it was time to go to the Alamo Drafthouse. We went to a Master Pancake Theater showing of E.T. Master Pancake is basically like Mystery Science Theater 3000, but live. We watched E.T. while three comedians made fun of it. Last month they did Back to the Future and I’ve been to countless other of their events, but E.T. was one of the funniest. Kelly and I were laughing out loud…a lot…longer than most of the people around us. Oh, and to make it even better we ate salad and pizza while we watched. I had a great time!

Sadly Kelly had to leave the very next morning…in the rain. Although we didn’t have pretty sunny skies while Kelly was here we were lucky that it didn’t rain too much until Sunday. I had a wonderful weekend and hopefully Kelly did too! All Kewpie Girls are welcome any time…just be prepared for the air mattress! Sorry Kelly!