I've been waiting for months and months for this past weekend to arrive.
I got to fly to Texas to suprise my cousin for her 30th birthday. This isn't just any cousin. This is my BEST cousin. More like a sister than a cousin. And this wasn't just any trip. This is the very first real trip I have ever taken anywhere by myself (without any kids or husband) since Ashlyn was born. Ok, so don't feel bad for me or anything. I've done plenty of fun things since my kids have been born. But just not a trip like this.
I got in late on Thursday night after a very peaceful 3 1/2 hour flight. My Aunt and Uncle picked me up at the airport and we went back to their house. We sat and talked and ate Blue Bell ice cream (the very best ice cream there is) until after 1 in the morning. The next day we got up, went to breakfast with my Grandma and then headed to an expo where Marcin, Brittany's husband, had a booth set up for his podiatry office. Brittany was there with her kids and was expecting her mom and Grandma to show up. She didn't know I would be there though. So after hiding for a while, and Brenda distracting her, I walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder and asked her "If she knew of a good podiatrist she could recommend to me". She looked at me, did a double take and then started screaming and asking me what I was doing there! I told her I came for her 30th Birthday and she freaked out even more. IT WAS SO FUN to surprise her! Makes me teary eyed all over again just thinking about it. After everyone calmed down and the crowds of people stopped looking at us and dispersed, we headed back to her house so she could pack. We were heading up to Dallas for the night to spend time with my other cousin Sydney.
Brittany and Marcin. A big shout out is owed to him for letting me steal his wife for the night, even though he was running his first ever marathon the next morning. He did awesome by the way. Even with having to be up in the night with a suddenly sick kid. Super grateful to him for being willing to take on so much so I could spend time with Brittany!
Ok, this is the most random thing you will ever see standing on the side of the road. It's a HUGE statue of Sam Houston. The 1st and 3rd President of the Republic of Texas and a huge icon for the state. It stands about 70 feet tall, not including the 10 foot podium it's on. I don't know how I never saw it when I lived there, but I definitely noticed it this time.
Once we got to Dallas and picked up Sydney, she took us to this amazing restaurant in downtown. The food was SO SO good, but it was apparent from the moment we walked in that this was a gay restaurant. They even had a unisex bathroom. Not gonna lie, it was quite weird walking out of a stall, having a guy walk past me. But whatever. The food was so good, none of us cared.
Sydney and Brenda. I have some beautiful family members that's for sure.
After dinner, we decided we needed to hit a different restaurant for dessert. Sydney was very excited to take us there. It was called "Rise" and they are known for their amazing souffles. And once again, the food was so good. We stuffed ourselves sillly.
We finally finished eating and headed to the hotel. Brenda wanted to surprise Brittany once again and booked us a night at the Ritz Carlton. I wasn't too sad to be a part of the fun!
The hotel was beautiful. We stayed up until 3 am that night. Talking and laughing until we literally fell asleep during a story.
Brittany had to try out everything. From the bathtub, to the robes and everything in between. She was hilarious to watch. Even did a nice little song and dance for us about how excited she was to be at the Ritz Carlton. I just love this girl!
On the way to Dallas, we stopped at Bucee's truck stop. Apparently it is THE place to stop on road trips. It was PACKED. Probably because it is known for how clean and well mantained the place is. They literally had sanitizing wipes for the toilet seats. And I must say the food there was pretty darn good too (yes we ate our way through the weekend). We decided we all needed matching pj's for the evening. It added to the fun for sure!
We walked around the hotel for a bit on our way out the next morning and we walked past a grand piano in a hallway. I talked Brittany into playing a song for us. It wasn't hard. She's an amazing pianist!
And a group shot before heading out to shop for the day!
After shopping and yes, more eating, we went back to Sydney's apartment to meet her sweet baby Blythe. She's super adorable, but wasn't too fond of me. She's a mommy lover. Reminded me of Ashlyn as a baby!
Sunday was church and family dinner together. And then that night I went back to Brittany's to spend the night with her. I got her to play some more piano for me. I just love listening to her play. It's mezmerizing.
We even got Marcin to pull out his guitar and they sang and played a song together. Love talented people like that for me to enjoy!
Oh and this was my adopted baby for the weekend. I mean seriously, look at those eyes. This is Brittany's littlest one, Holland. She's 6 months old and she loved me. Probably because I was excited to feed her and hold her and even change her diaper.
Visiting Grandma GG and her dog Mecca. And this is Brittany's other daughter Emmy. Sweet and spicy and keeps you on your toes. She'll be 2 in a couple of months.
And yes, this is a terrible picture but we had just come from the gym and I didn't want to not get a picture with my Grandma before I left!
It was so fun to get to see her. It's been years!
And on the way out of town, we made one last pit stop for my favorite BBQ place. Valley Ranch. Brent and Brenda have been friends with the owner since before the place was opened and I have great memories of coming here with them when I lived in Texas many years ago.
Brenda and Emmy.
And this is me and Noble. Brittany's oldest child. And he is just about the sweetest boy around. He kept asking me why I didn't bring my "sons" with me so he could play with them. But then he finally decided if they weren't going to come with me, than Noble was going to let me be his new mom and would come back to CA with me. Guess the boy wants some brothers BAD!!!
Best Aunt and Uncle around! I just love and adore these two wonderful people. And I'm so incredibly blessed to have them as my family!
And one last shot with my cute cousin. We kept saying the entire weekend how much fun we were having and how happy we were to finally be able to get together.
A HUGE HUGE thank you to my amazing husband for holding down the fort while I was gone and for my Aunt for making this whole trip possible. It was such a great weekend full of wonderful memories I will cherish forever!
