We had the opportunity to spend some time in Dallas on Saturday - and snagged it!
Our original plan for the day was to visit the Dallas Heritage Village and then do a little fabric shopping (for our sewing extravangza coming up) but it didn't quite work out. Upon arriving at the Heritage Village, we found that even though it opened more than an hour beforehand, there were only two other cars in the parking lot. As we looked around, we saw several buildings but not a single other person. I think we expected something along the lines of Colonial Williamsburg or Conner Prairie with people dressed up in period costume tending to their daily chores. This wasn't the case at all...there was no one around. It looked like an abandoned ghost town instead.
We decided to check out the local Farmers Market just down the street instead followed by fabric shopping for Niki and then finally take the kids to "Plan B" - as we were calling it because it would be endless begging if we revealed our plans immediately.
And here at the Kurry King...I was unable to contain my excitment at the myriad of spices available. The two, sweet ladies in the shop were knowledgable and friendly - and they knew they had me within seconds of my feet stepping foot into their shop. They popped the lids off of small, sample containers of their spices for us to smell while offering recipe and cooking possibilities. They instantly recognized my desire to go home and use any one of these spices to make a meal for my family and did they ever go to work showing me their store. I can't deny it, I was in my own little wonderland. It didn't help that I handed off the bags of spices I intended to purchase for Les to hold while I intently listened to the next possibility. I think that got them even more excited. But you know what - I have zero regrets for how much I bought. I would have LOVED to watch the older lady cook in her kitchen at home because she struck me as a grandma who had been cooking for decades and everyone in her family craved a meal at her table.
It was almost painful to go back to the hotel that night and not have pots and pans to whip out and create at least one of the suggestions from the kind lady earlier in the day.
After the Farmers Market, we decided to head over to the Stockyards in hopes of a boutique with handmade jewelry or clothing. We found some great shops filled with everything imaginable for a cowboy or cowgirl. Niki and I do not generally consider cowboy boots as a needed item in our wardrobe but we fell in love with a pair in the window.
We went inside to get a closer look and found that there were several pairs we would happily add to our closet. Interested, I tilted the boot backwards to get a glimpse of the price - $595. Crushed. We refused to let the blow be instanteous and we consoled each other back and forth with our attempt to justify why we might be able to buy the boots even if we both knew the unspoken truth of the true reason, "Too bad we don't wear the same size shoe otherwise we could share them and they'd be half that price." But alas, we settled with a picture from the display window and mourned the loss of a beautiful pair of cowboy boots.
Little bellies were starting to rumble. We walked past a small bistro with a sign in the window.
That was it - we were hooked on a location for lunch. Niki has loved watching Food Network from the time she was very young - even in place of cartoons. This was a real treat for her (along with mom & dad) to eat lunch at the Lonesome Dove Bisto.
Our adventure did not stop here. After sitting down at the table and looking over the menu, we decided we wanted to be adventureous with our food choices as well.
We ordered...
Duck Spring Rolls
and
Rabbit & Rattlesnake Sausage
There's a certain hesitation and uneasiness with any new food but this turned out to be quite delicious and enjoyable!
After lunch, we walked across the street for dessert at a cupcake bakery. The kids each picked out their own cupcake and we devoured them while sitting on a brick bench overlooking the Stockyards.
Before piling back into the van to find "Plan B", the boys had their picture taken with a longhorn.
At this point, we finally told the boys where were going - Legoland Discovery Center. It wasn't long after arriving there that we discovered admission tickets could be sold out (and were!) long before Legoland closed for the day. It was such a blow to have our "Plan B" crumble before us as well, especially since our boys are such huge Lego fans.
Thankfully, our boys handled it fairly well and were already suggesting ideas for a "Plan C". They decided they simply wanted to go back to the hotel and swim with mom, dad, and their sister. It goes to show you that maybe putting lots of effort into a flamboyant family outing isn't really as necessary or desirable as one might think. The boys were just as excited to simply spend time goofing around in the pool with their sister and parents.
We ended our day in Dallas with a dinner that was truly mouth-watering at Blue Mesa Grill. I highly recommend the Tableside Guacamole, Churrascarita Sampler, and any of their tacos.
