Date Weekend in Dallas
If you follow us on Facebook you probably saw some pictures I posted from the weekend of October 18th. We had some amazing friends/family/supporters plan a weekend away so Jeff and I could relax and celebrate my birthday. This weekend was a huge blessing to Jeff and I. Our time in Texas was extremely busy, each day we had at least one thing planned, usually more. While I wouldn't change that and I wish we would have had more time to see more people we really needed some "down time".
Friday the 18th we were picked up and taken to the Cheesecake Factory. Cheesecake is probably my favorite dessert, but it almost always has gluten in it and in Kenya cream cheese is hard to find so it had been a while since I was able to eat cheesecake. Before we ate cheesecake we ate lunch which was really good. I ordered a chicken and bacon pasta (gluten free) dish and Jeff got steak and potatoes.
Next we were dropped off at North Park Mall where we were each given $100 to spend on something we wouldn't normally spend money on. After a lot of not knowing what to buy we ended up at James Avery and bought these beautiful silver and leather anchor bracelets. They are definitely something Jeff and I would never spend money on, but such a blessing and visual reminder that we aren't alone. (https://afm.ngo/bysfamilyblog/2019/10/31/4xlztb49vk37l6p1pnmtrz3o4mkz06)
After the mall we were taken to the Biblical Arts Museum. Jeff and I had never been and Jeff loves museums. This museum was small, but very neat. They had an area on Jewish art, the Holocaust and an area of paintings and art pertaining to the Bible. Once done at the museum we were dropped off at the hotel to rest and were told we would be leaving for dinner and a helicopter ride at 7 with You Take Flight (http://www.youtakeflight.com/terms.htm).
Dinner was great! We ordered steak, potatoes and grilled veggies. Then we ate dessert while waiting on our turn to fly. It was a beautiful night and the sky was crystal clear. Once in the air we were taken to downtown Dallas and then over to the fair grounds. Dallas was so beautiful with all the lights lit up. After this beautiful flight we were dropped off at our hotel for the night. If you live in the Dallas area this would be a great date night!
The next day we were picked up and went straight for tacos! Tacos are my most favorite food ever and something that I really miss eating since the only taco place in Kenya is 8 hours from us. After we grabbed tacos we headed to Clyde Warren Park to eat. It was such a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect. As we were about to finish our tacos we noticed that there was a Steel City Pop stand near us so went and grabbed a couple of coffee popsicles before walking around a bit.
Then we were picked up and taken to the Dallas Zoo. Probably sounds kind of funny that we live in Africa, but wanted to go look at wild animals. When we lived in Texas we went to the zoo with our kids a lot and the weather was just beautiful. We went straight to the giraffes and of course I "had" to feed them. We also got to see the new baby gorilla, the chimpanzees being silly and we watched the baby hippo nurse underwater. It was definitely a great day to be at the zoo.
After being picked up at the zoo Tonya told us she had purchased Dallas World Aquarium tickets for us so she would take us there next if we were up to going. Who can turn down the aquarium? The aquarium is beautifully done. We got to see the sloth sleeping in the tree, the giant fish swimming around and all the sharks that swim over you as you walk under them. We also saw the penguins and otters, which are loud little things by the way.
On our way back to the hotel we were told that we would be picked up at 7pm to head to dinner at Bob's Steak and Chop house. I had heard of this place before, but never had eaten there. It was the best meal I have ever eaten. We started with roasted brussel sprouts, then had the most tender steak ever and wrapped up with a gluten free chocolate cupcake and chocolate mousse. It was an amazing meal and a wonderful 2 days full of fun and relaxing.
Mike, Tonya and Heather (most who know her, know her as China) y'all did an amazing job planning some fun down-time for us. We were able to rest, relax, eat some amazing food and create life-long memories. The 3 of you likely will not ever know how much you have blessed our lives, but y'all have and continue to do so. Each detail was carefully thought out and we could feel the love that was put into this amazing weekend. Thank you for the memories that we were able to create, for the love y'all shared with us, for all of the attention to detail, for the forced rest and for the continued rest we get in Kenya due to an amazing mattress topper. Y'all blessed us over and above!
