Dallas Debriefing

So. We had an absolutely wonderful time in Dallas! We traveled by car and honestly that was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Just the two of us together without any "distractions" for several hours. We talked, we joked, we snacked, and we took pictures. See?


Here is my self portrait. Not bad, eh?

And here is Rich's self portrait. QUITE the character, he is.

We arrived at our hotel and as we were checking in Rich asked if they would consider giving us an upgrade since we were celebrating our anniversary. And do you know what? They gave us a complimentary (aka FREE) upgrade to a "villa" I know. Ooh la la. Check it out.

Just for the record, we didn't pay for the accommodations. It was covered by Rich's employer as part of the expense of the conference. Don't know why I felt compelled to say that, other than I wouldn't want to mislead you to think this is the norm for us or anything. Moving on. And here is the view from our window. It was on a golf course. FORE!


After we were all checked in, we went foraging for food. And thanks to a tip from my good friend Carissa who told me about Google on the Go, we were able to find one of these fine establishments (see picture below). Yum. I can still say that even after Rich found a screw (yes you read that right) in his rice during our dinner. Apparently this happens about once a year (according to the manager) when one comes loose from the rice cooker. However, since no actual harm befell him we were kind of excited that we received a free (I mean complimentary) meal.
On Friday when Rich was attending his conference, I got to sneak away and meet one of my favorite bloggers of all time! Seriously. She is one sweet and funny girl. We met here. Her kiddos ran around in the play area while we chatted, then we had lunch here, and did a little shopping here. When nap time rolled around we parted ways and I wandered around aimlessly (oh the joy) until it was time to pick Rich up and head to dinner. Isn't this a fun picture? We had such a great time getting to know each other in "real life".

Plus, I got to meet her ADORABLE children. Here is sweet little Goo.

And her cutie big brother, Big H.


(Insert awkward transition here)

Because there is just no good way to segue from that picture to this next one. This is a picture I took of Rich after we spent some time lounging at the pool on Saturday. I'm titling it Sunbathing 101. Can you see the perfect rectangle of a white spot on his chest? That's from a magazine.
You guys have already seen this picture, but do you know where it was taken?


This little pot should give you a clue. It was our first time eating there. And we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.


On Sunday, we checked out of the hotel and went to lunch here. Because Janelle has RAVED and RAVED about their Tomato Basil Soup. And let me tell you. It did not disappoint. I was kicking myself for only getting the cup of soup and not the bowl.

After lunch we headed to downtown Dallas because Rich really wanted to go to the Nasher Sculpture Museum. Really cool place. We took this self-portrait in front of my favorite sculpture there. This picture doesn't do it justice, but trust me, it was very cool. Anyone seen it before?


After the sculpture museum, we headed over for a quick look at the Dallas Museum of Art because there was an arts festival and all of the museums were free that day! After that we went across town to see my sister and stay the night with her. I so wish I had a picture to show you of our visit, but we kind of crashed when we got to her place and didn't take any photos. It was so great to see her, though!

The next morning we made one last stop before heading home. We purchased some lamps for our bedroom. Oh I forgot to tell you that I did find my way to Sam Moon, but didn't end up purchasing anything as the scene there on Saturday mornings was a bit too intense for me. Some people are can be VERY serious about their jewelry and bags ;-) YOWSA. And now on that lackadaisical note, I shall close.