Sweet Little Vacation

It's vacation time!!!! I'm a "vacation-addict"! Seriously...When it hits the 3-6 month mark that we haven't been anywhere, I start getting very antsy. My poor husband...he's always having to answer questions like, "When can we book flights to Vegas?", "What are we going to do this summer?", "Can I at least book a hotel somewhere"? Pretty much every day, I ask him something along these lines. I told him the other day that in 2011 I want to go to Vegas, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Connecticut. I'm 95% sure that I'll get to one of those places, but I really do have my hopes up that we'll hit all of them this year. Ha! That doesn't include a wedding we are going to in Dallas in November and maybe a family reunion in September in Abilene, TX. I know, I'm ridiculous! Why can't we work 2 weeks out of the year and vacation the rest of the time...instead of the other way around???? :)

Anyway---At Christmas, we decided that we didn't really want or need anything, but we did want to take a trip to Ft. Worth again. I fell in love with it last year when I went with Michelle for our annual girls trip...and introduced Ken to it this past August. Thankfully, he loved it as much as I did! When his birthday rolled around in February, he said the same thing that was decided at Christmas....he didn't want a present, he just wanted to take the trip. So that's what we did.

He had never been on a passenger train before, and I was excited to go again. Its SO affordable!!! Cheaper than a plane and its even less expensive than a two tanks of gas PLUS paying to park once we get there. It also relieves any of the stress of driving in traffic in I-35 South.

We also decided to ask my parents to go with us. They have been in need of a vacation for too long!!! We thought it would be fun to have them go too! Ken and I drove to my parents so we could leave the dogs with their dog-sitter. We were up EARLY on Friday morning so we could be in OKC by 8am. We made a must-needed stop at Starbucks for coffee and breakfast before we made our way to the train station!Once inside the station, the camera came out (much to the dismay of my husband!). And, the vacation begins!We arrived in Ft. Worth around 1pm and got settled in our rooms at the Omni Ft. Worth. We were starving and the hotel's restaurant, Cast Iron, was still serving lunch. They had an amazing lunch buffet with grilled fish, all kinds of salsa and dips, a great salad bar and sooo much more!!!! It really was incredible!

After lunch, Ken decided he needed a nap...but mom, dad and I were ready to get into town. We walked the 7-10 blocks into Sundance Square and found ourselves at Barnes and Noble. My mom was wanting to find a book for the weekend. My dad and I grabbed a magazine and sat down. It wasn't long before my head started bobbing and I was falling asleep. We walked back to the hotel and napped before our first big night!

Our first night out, we all dressed-up (as dressy as we got for the entire weekend) and went to dinner and a concert. Ken and I took my parents to our FAVORITEST place! The Reata!!!! All of our food was really good, but my dad's was the best! He ordered Chicken Fried Steak and its probably the best I've ever had!After dinner, we made our way to The Scat Jazz Lounge. This was a little out of my parents' element, but they ended up really enjoying it. Ricki Derek and the Vegas Six were playing!!! I had seen them already and knew the others would like him! He plays a lot of Sinatra and Dean Martin! Thankfully, I was right....even though I kept my parents out later than they are used to, they really enjoyed the music!Saturday, we got up and headed out to brunch! We went to a place that none of us had tried and we were not disappointed! The Cowtown Diner is awesome!!!! Their portions are HUGE and the food was fantastic! This time, I have to say my mom's was the best...she ordered Sweet Potato Pancakes! OH, so good!!!! This will definitely be a place we go back to.We spent the day showing my parents around Sundance Square...the shops and the sights.Making our way back to the hotel (in the background below) through the Ft. Worth Water Gardens. It was a beautiful day!!! When Ken and I were there in August, it was so hot that it was pretty unbearable to be outside too long. This time, we were able to enjoy the Gardens much more.That afternoon, we grabbed a cab and went to the Ft. Worth Stock Yards. Little did we know that there was a big St. Patrick's Day celebration going on. When we arrived (just wanting to get there in time for the Cattle Drive), we were quickly finding a spot for the St. Patrick's Day Parade.Thankfully, they didn't cancel the Cattle Drive, even though the parade quickly followed. This is really what we came for.And, the parade??? Well, it was definitely a cow-town parade. I think anyone with a horse was allowed in the parade...and people even painted the hooves green.There were some VERY entertaining people/"floats" in the parade. Mainly it was young people riding horses or old people dressed in crazy costumes.After the parade, we made our rounds at the Stock Yards...visiting the longhorns, shopping and people watching!While we were shopping, I looked out the door of the shop I was in and saw the CRAZIEST thing I've ever seen in my life. I did a double-take! I grabbed my mom and pulled her outside so she could see it too!!!! When we told my dad, he said that we had to be on drugs! haha! But, we saw it again after we left the store!!!!! And, yes!!!! I took pictures! And, YES!!!! We gave the guy a tip!!!! This guy was walking a dog on a leash. The dog had a cat on top...and on top of the cat was a rat! It was HYSTERICAL!!!!! This guy probably makes a lot of money in a weekend!!!!! And, I have to say that we were "solicited" by a few homeless people wanting money. I'm not one for just handing out freebies....but for this guy? Um, YES! He was definitely earning his money! He said any tips go toward food for the animals. I believed him because you could tell they were healthy. So funny! Made my day!For dinner, we made reservations at The Lonesome Dove. I was super excited to eat here b/c the chef appeared on "Iron Chef America" and actually won! I can count on one hand the times I've seen a chef beat the Iron Chef on the show. I was also VERY excited to try the Tomahawk! It was featured on "Best Thing I Ever Ate..." by Guy Fieri. He said its one of the best steaks he's ever had! Its a HUGE steak with the bone in and its served with a LOBSTER!The meal is for two people and this is just my plate! 1/2 of a 28oz (that includes the bone) Ribeye, 1/2 a lobster and amazing mashed potatoes! SOOO GOOD!We also dined on Blue Corn Lobster "Hushpuppies" (which was my absolute favorite!) and Rabbit and Rattlesnake Sausage. Mom got a side salad that we all tasted. And, there was bread too. We were STUFFED!!! However, once back at the hotel, it didn't stop us from listening to some great live music at "Whiskey and Rye"!Sunday was our last day in Ft. Worth. Sunday is always my favorite day to be there b/c I LOVE having brunch at Taverna Pizzeria and Rissoteria! I'm never disappointed! Ken had his favorite of Eggs Benedict with crab meat. Mom and dad split the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. And, I tried the French Vanilla French Toast. Oh, my...was it ever good!!!!! YUM! We also had complimentary foccacia bread! They bake their homemade foccacia in their pizza stone oven. Its wonderful! :)

After brunch, we walked the square one more time and grabbed a coffee at Starbucks.We took our time getting back to the hotel b/c that meant it was time to pack . :( We checked out, but still had some time to kill. We spent a few hours at Whiskey and Rye just visiting and had a late lunch/early dinner of nachos! Yet again, amazing! We didn't have a bad meal the entire trip! It was really fun and glad my parents were able to experience one of our favorite places!

Gobble, Gobble

These beauties graces our back pasture last night.

What you don't see pictures of would be my crazy husband and me taking the pictures. The turkeys were pretty far out when we first started taking pictures, so Ken decided that we would "call" them closer. We both moved from our back door to the garage where I could take pictures from a window. Ken could also stand right outside the garage and "call" them.

I was informed that turkeys have amazing eye-sight and I was not allowed to move. As he started the "caller", they started running toward the house!!! There were four hens and three toms. The hens were the ones running toward the house thinking there was another tom there. The three toms just followed wherever they went. They came up to our back fence, so I moved from the window to laying on my belly (still in my work clothes on the garage floor) and sticking my camera lens out the cat door, so I could get a better shot! I'm sure we looked ridiculous!

They are just so beautiful!!!! I'm so thankful we were able to get them so close to the house and just be in awe of God's magnificent creation!

I love that they spread their big feathers trying to get the "ladies" attention! :)

This is what a male turkey (Tom) looks like when he doesn't have his feathers all spread out. They spread their feathers during mating season to be "more attractive" the hens.

We found out that hunting season for turkeys doesn't start until next month...so these pretties were safe from landing on our Thanksgiving table. I'm not so sure I would want Ken to hunt them anyway just b/c they are so beautiful. I don't want to scare them off...I'd love to see them every year!

Minnesota Part 2: AQuick Trip

Ken and I took a spur-of-the-moment, very fast trip to Minnesota (in October). Sadly, it was for a funeral. We got in late the night before the funeral. We were starving, but couldn't decide what to do...stop and eat or keep going so we could get to his parents' house at a decent time. After talking with Sandie, we decided to stop in a town that was pretty close to where they live. There was a great little pub there. Sandie even came to sit with us while we ate. :)

I've always said that I would never live in Minnesota b/c its too cold and I don't like the snow....however (get ready for it), I LOVED being there while its cold! :) It just makes the place! I can just imagine all the little towns with their Christmas decorations up and people walking, bundled, through the streets. JUST LOVE IT! Thankfully, even though we were there for a very short time, we were able to spend the next morning sight-seeing.We spent the morning in this great little town, Northfield. I fell in love with it last year when we were driving back to OK. Its adorable!!! The downtown is my favorite!!!! And its home to two colleges, St. Olaf and Carlton. I LOVE colleges!!!!! Just visiting them makes me want to go back to school...or enroll THERE! :) We got to do a little shopping and eat lunch, but next time...we are already planning to eat a little pizza joint called "Basil". AND...I want to actually tour the colleges. (OH...and on our way home we drove through Ames, IA. Since Iowa State is in the Big 12, we wanted to see it. However, we were both so ready to be home that we didn't get out of the truck. Next time, I want to tour that University too!).I took this picture for my mom! It was a cute little coffee shop and restaurant...but the name is sentimental to her. :)On our way home, I snapped a few fast shots of the houses that are on the same street as Ken's parents' house. They are all so cute and could be in movies. I just love them! Once we got back to the house, we had to get dressed for the Arlene's funeral. This is what I had been stuffing down the entire time. I knew that if I thought about why we were in MN, I would break down. As soon as I saw Ron, Arlene's husband, I lost it. It just broke my heart. I'm a very visual person. I see everything in my mind. I see him waking up in the morning and remembering that she isn't there. I see him having his morning coffee alone. I see him going through his first day without her, his first weekend without her, his first outing without her, his first holiday without her, his first year without her. It. Breaks. My. Heart. My heart just hurts for him. Having to tell yourself to breathe. Not being able to sleep. But praying you sleep for a long time b/c that's the only time that the pain goes away. I feel it all for him! I loved Arlene. I met her once (well, twice b/c she and Ron came to our wedding...but we really didn't get to spend any time with them) and the two of them changed my life forever. They showed Ken and I a marriage that lasts...putting each other first....and being in love with your best friend. They made me feel at home! They took me in as if I were family. They loved me. I am so thankful for the brief time that I knew her. My life will never be the same. She was a beautiful, amazing woman!

The ceremony was beautiful. She didn't think anyone would come. But, of course, the church was completely packed. I love that there was a dinner afterward for everyone to attend. It gave us a chance to catch up with some of Ken's former co-workers, friends, and Ron. I'm so thankful for those few hours. And, again...I knew the hardest time for Ron was about to come. The days ahead when all the family and friends leave. The days when family and friends move on with their busy lives and forget to check on him. I'm thankful for his daughters and that he won't be going through this completely alone. I was the "crazy" girl that couldn't stop crying....the "crazy" girl that didn't want to leave him. I know that life goes on. I know that he will figure out this new "normal". But, my heart still broke for him. I could feel all the emotion I would have if Ken wasn't in my life everyday....he and I have only been together for almost 3 years. Ron and Arlene? Almost 50 years! I can only HOPE and PRAY that I have Ken everyday for 50 years!

We got back to Ken's parents' house around 10:30. We were happily greeted by his sister, Andrea, and her two boys, Tyler and Ethan. It was good to see them and we were able to spend a little time with them that night and part of the next day.Our final stop before we left was to visit some college friends, The Perdue's! We just love them and are always thankful when we get the opportunity to see them. I am SOOO sad they are moving!!!! I loved that they lived in MN b/c I always had friends to visit while we were there! I know...its very selfish of me. :) However, I've never been to CT, so I'll look forward to visiting them there too. We went to dinner at a wonderful restaurant and then rented "The Book of Eli". We had such a great time! Judith made her famous Chocolate Chip cookies!!! YUM! And, she made this amazing coffee cake!!!!! Oh my gosh...spoiled us to death!!!!! And their girls are just beautiful! I love them so much! I'm so blessed to know this family!We made the long journey home on Sunday...which happened to be Halloween. Not my favorite holiday, so I was happy to forget it. :) Until next year (or this year since I posted this so late)....So long, Minnesota!