Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum

This weekend K and I were back in Dallas for a weekend of "Forced Family Fun" with the Waldreps.  Don't worry, that's not how we felt about the weekend; it's just the family's tongue in check way of describing scheduled family time.  I'd say the weekend was a success -- there was lots of family time and lots of fun and it didn't feel forced at all : )

One of the highlights of the weekend was our trip to the Dallas Arboretum to see the installation of Chihuly glass sculptures.  The arboretum is one of my favorite places in Dallas.  It is impeccably maintained and sits on a beautiful hilly tract of land overlooking White Rock Lake.  Add a collection of beautiful glass sculptures and you get perfection!  It was such a neat thing to experience.

Aren't the sculptures amazing!?!  My iPhone pictures do not do them justice.  Thanks to the Waldreps for a WWW of FFF (or for those of you that did not receive a copy of the weekend itinerary - a Winsome Waldrep Weekend of Forced Family Fun).

Big Weekend in the Big D

We had a great trip to Dallas last weekend to celebrate Kyle's high school graduation.  Congratulations, Kyle!  It was such a fun weekend and K and I are so proud of Kyle - his accomplishments at ESD, his acceptance to SMU, and most of all the godly man he has become.  If there was ever a high schooler that deserved to be celebrated, it is Kyle.  And celebrate we did!

Saturday night Kathryn and David hosted a fabulous graduation party for Kyle.  The menu featured all of Kyle's favorites - tenderloin and turkey sliders, spinach and artichoke dip, five cheese macaroni and cheese, grilled vegetables, and a "pizza bar."  Kathryn made all of the food herself (with the help of the family) and for dessert we had an assortment of homemade cookies prepared by family and friends and my personal favorite Pacuigo!  Here are a few shots of Kyle's party.

In the front of the house,  the balloon arch, pennants and sign were meant to celebrate Kyle's history at ESD.

Aren't these pennants a fun idea?  

The balloons had LED lights inside, so the driveway was lined with lights once the sun set.

The rest of the house was decorated to celebrate Kyle's future at SMU.  Go ponies!

And because we love Kyle (and can't say no to Kathryn), Kristen and I baked and iced about 150 graduation cap sugar cookies.  Thanks for your help Ashley!

Congrats, Kyle!  We are so very proud of you!

Family Fiesta

It's Fiesta time in San Antonio and we kicked Fiesta off this year with a visit from the K's sister and her family. It was such a treat to spend the weekend with them. On Friday, K went with Kristen, Joel and the kids to Sea World. The kids had a blast and Cameron even rode her first roller coaster. Other highlights from the weekend? A trip to the Witte Museum Science Treehouse and a ride around Brackenridge Park on the train.

Playing on the pulley exhibit.

Learning about air pressure. I love the look on Cooper's face in this picture.

Cooper really loved the water works exhibit.

Making music on the outdoor drums.

It was a fabulous weekend and we were sad to see the Dow family go. Can't wait for our next visit!

Anniversary Surprises

K and I celebrated our first anniversary earlier this week by doing what we do best - eating out. We planned to visit the new San Antonio location of one of our Dallas favorites, Perry's Steakhouse. It has been at least two years since I've been to Perry's and I was pretty excited about enjoying a big juicy steak and all of the yummy sides. Dinner was wonderful, as expected, but the highlight of the night ended up being the surprise scavenger hunt K planned for me.

As we approached our first anniversary, K and I decided to limit our gift giving to traditional anniversary gifts. For the first year, this means paper. For my part, I surprised K by framing the scripture verses read at our wedding with one of our wedding invitations.

I was really curious to see what K would come up with. He's terrible at keeping secrets and was at one time dubbed "the world's worst liar." I mention this not to complain (these are not bad personality traits), but to give a little background on K's secret-keeping abilities. In the weeks leading up to our anniversary, K was silent about our anniversary, gifts, or related plans. Then, as the day drew near, K started grinning whenever I mentioned our anniversary. One night he actually started spontaneously giggling in response to something I said only to explain that it would make sense soon. The suspense of what he had planned was killing me.

When I arrived home on Monday night, I played it cool and feigned disinterest in his gift. Inside I was dying to say "Let's exchange gifts RIGHT NOW!!!" Before I had the chance to say anything, K presented me with a simple white card with a handwritten note . . . It said, among other things that my gift could be found at the end of a scavenger hunt! How fun is that?

The scavenger hunt took me around our house and was filled with fun personal messages and inside jokes. There was a card in the dishwasher where K does some of his best housework despite the effects of the "forcefield;" a card on our newly hung porch swing (hung 18 months after it was purchased); a card where we keep Lucy's leash (our walks with Lucy double as our time spent solving the world's problems); and cards in a few other locations around the house.

At the end of the paper trail? A garment bag filled with new outfits hanging in the closet! My heart leapt when I saw the Neiman Marcus bag. K went shopping for me in the dress section of my favorite store! I have not had a new dress or top or other fun clothes in ages (and I truly love new clothes), so this was such a treat!

K's gift was thoughtful, creative and fun and made for a very memorable first anniversary. K did a great job keeping the secret and pulled off an amazing anniversary surprise. I can't wait to celebrate 60 or so more anniversaries just as special as this first one!

Vegetable Soup - Mama's Way

If you are lucky enough to have grown up near your grandparents, your childhood is probably peppered with countless memories about them. Things that they said. Their mannerisms. Memories of the time you spent with them. The way their house smells. Certain recipes that belong, uniquely, to them.

I have been fortunate in that my grandparents have not only lived nearby, but that they have also been an active part of my life. My earliest memories include Mama and Joe. And some of my happiest childhood memories are moments spent at Mama's kitchen table. Watching her cook, talking to Joe and eventually enjoying whatever delicious meal she was preparing.

This week I attempted to duplicate Mama's vegetable soup. I didn't ask Mama for her recipe. Instead, I tried to make it from memory. From years of watching her make it and from years of eating it. It isn't fancy and the recipe is simple, but it is comfort food. Eating it reminds me of being in Mama's kitchen and that is a wonderful place to be.

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
1 head cauliflower, broken up into small pieces
2-3 handfuls of green beans, trimmed and cut in half
herbes de Provence

2 cans Garbanzo beans
1, 32 oz container V8 vegetable juice (plus more depending on how brothy you like your soup)

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the carrots and onion and saute until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Once softened season with one heaping tablespoon of herbes de Provence. Add V8, and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Garnish with parmesan and serve with a roll.

Simple and delicious. Hope you enjoy!

The Salty Dog

We spent a fabulous long weekend with my family in Sarasota. It was a weekend jam packed with delicious meals, golf, and late night games of Risk. The highlight? In honor of Man vs. Food we visited a quintessential Sarasota pub The Old Salty Dog. K ordered none other than THE salty dog - a fried hot dog smothered in cheese, onions, and well you get the picture. K ate the whole thing. Here are a few action shots...

Yum! Look at my giant Salty Dog!

I sure am starting to feel full.

I wish I hadn't eaten the whole thing!

What did you do for the long weekend?

Birthday Weekend

This weekend we travelled to Dallas to celebrate some very special family birthdays. Our niece, Cameron, turned 5 and Grandmommy turned 92. Family gathered from near and far to celebrate the two birthday girls.

The celebrations kicked off Saturday with Cameron's rainbow themed party. This party was sooooo cute and sooooo Cameron. Kristen thought of every detail and did everything herself - from the decor, to the craft, to the food, even the rainbow layer cake. It was all so lovingly thought out and fun. I wish that I had taken pictures, but here are a few that Kristen shared on Pinterest . . .

Can you believe Kristen made this shirt!? So cute!

Isn't the spread colorful and cute? Each layer of the cake was a different color of the rainbow.

Cameron's birthday party was followed by dinner at a Waldrep Family Favorite - Mi Cocina - YUM! Then Sunday we celebrated Grandmommy's birthday with a comfort food family brunch. On the menu? Grandmommy's favorites - pot roast, brussel sprouts, fruit salad and carrot cake. My favorite part of the meal (aside from dessert of course!)? The appetizers - smoked salmon dip and bacon wrapped dates with manchego and sweet pepper stuffing. I can't wait to get Kathryn's recipes for these scrumptious bites!