Big fans of this blog, of which there are an unconfirmed amount (ahem), will remember that in 2009 I met a Ryan, an American while traveling in Scotland. Here is the original post from that day. Here is a post about the sunset and the castle we saw. It was so cool to meet him and hang out during my first trip abroad. He and I have stayed in touch over the years but have not seen each other since that day in 2009.
Well, all of that changed in June of 2022. I had purchased some Amos Lee tickets a few months back for a show he was to play in Austin, TX. I reached out to Ryan and let him know I would be in town. Being the incredibly gracious guy that he is, he offered for me to stay at his house over the weekend.
What a great weekend it was. I was able to hang out with his wife, friends and pups all weekend (I'm not sharing their names here just to protect everyone's anonymity....not that any of them have anything to hide, I just don't trust this internet thing sometimes).
But it was an incredibly rich weekend full of connection, laughs, new people and new experiences. Barton Springs, real Austin BBQ, the Texas Capital, great Mexican food, AMOS LEE, more Mexican food (this time for breakfast) and great conversation with Ryan and his wife were all the highlights of the weekend.
For me, it was so neat to be able to drop into the lives of these wonderful people for a few days, live like they live and connect with someone that I haven't seen for 13 years. It was kind of funny to us: Yes, we've stayed in touch but there are a TON of things we don't know about each other but then again there are things that we do. We both laughed about how weird and awkward it was to spend time together in 2022.
Life has happened for both of us. I know for me 2009 was a time in my life where I stood on the precipice of the rest of my life. Maybe so for him too.
Thanks Ryan and crew for an incredible weekend that I needed at this precipice of my life.