#50 Fun Times in Cincinnati

Well, here we are, my final #50by50 adventure and I can't think of anyone better to do it with Anita & Mitzi.  

The original adventure was a quick weekend trip to Cincinnati to see The Chicks.  Not ever having been to Ohio, I was excited to check another state off of my list.  But getting to see one of our favorite groups in a new venue was even more exciting.  And why take an Uber to the concert when you can take a riverboat cruise?  What a fun night!

Beyond the concert, we also spent an afternoon at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.  As you can imagine, it's a somber place to visit, but I highly recommend it.  They do an amazing job of educating visitors on this part of American history, but connecting it with the kinds of slavery that unfortunately still exist around the world today.  

 

You know it's not really a trip unless you've experienced the food that makes a city special.  We were able to have a couple of Cincinnati staples, like Graeter's ice cream and Frito Pie with Skyline Chili.  Brunch at a Taste of Belgium was my favorite though.  I don't know that I've ever had Belgian waffles before; if I have, it was nothing compared to this tasty goodness.

 

Despite all this awesomeness, I think the greatest memory we made this weekend was our day at Midway Airport.  Yep, you read that right.  Our flight out of Love Field was delayed which means we missed our connecting flight in Chicago.  The next flight out was just a mere 8 hours later.  Midway is not the biggest airport and they are still bouncing back from the pandemic, so a lot of places were closed or offered limited menus.  Even our college football options were limited.  I'll be the first to tell you that 8 hours at Midway Airport is not fun.  But life is full of challenges and obstacles and things not going your way. What makes the difference is the people you have in your life and the attitude you choose.  Did the delay mess with our plans?  Yep!  Did we have one less day to do things in Cincinnati?  You bet!  But I can promise you that I won't ever forget the day we had, the laughs we shared and the stories we told.  If you don't have friends you can be stuck with at the airport, you're not doing life right.

After 7+ hours at Midway Airport.

#49 A Longhorn in Aggieland

If you know me, you know that I am a Longhorn.  I graduated from UT Austin in 1994 and I love the city of Austin.  For the past few years, my college roommates and I have made an annual trip to Austin to attend a game.  While I wouldn't trade my time in Austin for anything, becoming a Longhorn was a last minute decision.  I had visited both Baylor and A&M and had decided on becoming an Aggie.  After all, it was where my best friends were headed.  But in November of my Senior year,  I flipped and applied to UT, sight unseen.  I was accepted and just like that, became a Longhorn, although it did take me awhile to warm up to the color burnt orange.  Despite my love of the Longhorns and the intense rivalry of UT and A&M, I have often referred to myself as a closet Aggie, even giving myself an extended Spring Break one year and spending a few days in College Station.  And as a college football fan, attending a game at Kyle Field has always been on my bucket list.  Not that a game at DKR Memorial is anything to sneeze at, but growing up in Texas you know that a game at Kyle Field is something to behold.  Who better to attend an Aggie game with than one of my oldest and dearest friends, Lauren (who at one point was headed to UT).

 We tailgated for a bit and then enjoyed a victory over the University of Miami.  All the rumors are true . . . a game at Kyle Field is an experience.  The waving towels and whoops are intense; I did decide to grab a drink when it was time to saw Varsity's horns off. :(  The precision of the band was impressive and the excitement was pervasive.  

    

If you are a college football fan, I do recommend going to at least one game as it is an amazing experience.  Luckily, my annual college roomie trip was scheduled after my Kyle Field experience so I've had a chance to reset.

#35 A Day in Denton

Even though I'm a UNT alum (MS in History), I didn't really participate in UNT life like I did in Austin.  I didn't experience a football game or even local eateries.  Most nights I was lucky if I had time to go through a drive-thru before class.  Thanks to Caitlin and Russell Andrews for letting me tag along to the UNT/UTEP Homecoming game this past weekend.  

We had lunch at The RG Burgers & Grill.  Even though they have all sorts of fun gourmet burgers, the cheeseburger came highly recommended so I ordered that.  I opted out of the lettuce because it's shredded and shredded lettuce has no place on a burger.  Other than that, the burger was great!  The bun reminded me of Hawaiian rolls, a touch of sweetness and beautifully grilled for just a bit of golden crispiness.  They use cheddar cheese instead of American and it was perfectly melted over the top of the think meat patty.  This burger was delicious!  It's always a good sign when you have to cut your burger in half in order to manage it.  The burger comes with bottomless steak fries which were good, but nothing to write home about.

After lunch, we headed over to Voertman's to get some UNT gear and Insomnia to satisfy our sweet tooth.  I sampled the S'mores and Snickerdoodle, both of which were super yummy!

The game had a slow start, but ended with a bang.  Unfortunately we missed the most exciting part of the game as the temperature was dropping and we were getting a bit chilled, so we left at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.  The Mean Green won, 20-17, even though UTEP has the better record.  Being Homecoming, there were quite a few festivities, including an amazing performance by the marching band, which has over 400 members.  They took up the whole football field and were fantastic!  Such a joy to watch them and listen to them . . . so much talent!  

The Perfect Weekend...

No, I didn't jet off to a sunny beach for the weekend and I didn't win the lottery. But I did have a fun-filled, action-packed weekend, overflowing with fabulous things and people. Here's a quick glance at some of the things that make me happy: My brother and his family (this includes the world's cutest nephew) came to town so we could all go to the Rangers-Rays play-off game. It was a bit toasty, but we had an awesome time at The Ballpark, despite a 6-3 loss. Baseball is something all four of us love and it's a great way to spend time together. It was also the monthly meeting of the Burger Babes. What's more fabulous than spending time with some totally spectacular women while enjoying a great burger? This month we ended up at Club Schmitz, an out-of-the way joint that's been around for over 60 years. There's nothing fancy about Club Schmitz, but when you need a good, solid burger, it's the place to go. And the company? Man, I know some pretty amazing women - there is never a lull in our conversations and laughter is never lacking! The big event of this perfect weekend was my 20th high school reunion. I'm sure additional reflecting on this event will solicit future blogs, but right now all I can say is that it was a blast. It is so much fun to hang out with people who influenced you (in both good and and not so good ways) as adults. And whatever differences we had in high school have disappeared. At this point in our lives, we are all just trying to make a good life for ourselves and our families. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I ended up at a pumpkin patch with one of my most favorite families and definitely my most favorite toddler, Lily Pie. My heart got that warm fuzzy feeling when she saw me and came running toward me yelling, "Tia, tia!" Now that's how to enjoy life!