It is All About the Cupcakes!

One day I was talking with a colleague about who knows what, and of course, cupcakes entered the conversation. (That's actually pretty normal in my office.) My response (couldn't tell you what the comment was) - "It is all about the cupcakes!" And so I had a great title for my blog. Will this blog have anything to do with cupcakes? Who knows? But, I think it will be slightly entertaining and hopefully, sometimes as sweet as a cupcake. Happy reading!!!

Monday, January 16, 2023

G is for Granbury

My second ABC adventure is to Granbury, Texas. Granbury is a rural town of about 10,000, 40ish miles southwest of Fort Worth. It can easily be a day trip, but when you do your research, you discover there's so much to do and there's the cutest boutique hotel ever, you really have to make it a weekend trip. Thanks to my friend Hannah for suggesting it as an adventure and going along for the ride.

Hotel Lucy is across the street from the Granbury City Beach and it is so precious. The owners have paid great attention to every detail, down to the bath salts they leave in your room for a relaxing soak in a gorgeous clawfoot tub. In addition to the unique & beautiful decor, the staff is incredibly attentive. I received a couple of texts leading up to our reservation, checking in to see if there was anything needed before our arrival or during our stay. I really cannot say enough about this hotel. More expensive than my typical hotel stay, the experience was worth every penny.

Hannah and I signed up for the Granbury Wine Tour. We visited three wineries that all had something unique about them. The tour took us to Bluff Dale Vineyards (Bluff Dale), Bar Ditch Winery (Stephenville), and Barking Rocks Winery (Granbury). It's hard to pick a favorite after hearing all of the stories, but they are all worth visiting.

Bar Ditch Winery

Barking Rocks Winery

Bluff Dale Vineyards

In addition to the wineries, we spent a lot of time on the Granbury Square. So many boutiques and fun restaurants. Who would have thought that Granbury had such an amazing food scene?!? (I forgot to take pics at Paradise Bistro & Coffee Co., but their pancakes were fabulous!)

French Toast at Square Cafe

Shrimp & Grits at Christina's

Not on the square, but definitely worth going to is Stumpy's Lakeside Grill. Do yourself a favor and get the catfish and shrimp basket. A great price for a ton of delicious food. And if you need something sweet afterwards, you can pop into their sweet shop.

A visit to Granbury isn't complete without a stop at the Silver Saddle Saloon, the local ice cream hang out. These may or may not be adult shakes.

There's a reason Granbury wins a lot of awards, including best historic small town in America. The town has so many fun things to offer, whether you're looking for a girls' weekend or a family vacation. I hope you'll add it to your list of places to visit.

Until next time . . .

New Adventures

When I finished up my #50by50 challenge, people would ask, what's next? I've got a few things I want to accomplish over the next few years and one that I was able to start lickety split was the ABCs of Texas. One of my goals is to visit at least one new town or city in Texas for each letter of the alphabet. I definitely had a few places already on my list, but I was stuck on a few letters, so naturally I turned to social media for some suggestions. This will take a few years and it's possible my list will change, but here's the first draft. Still looking for X & Z.

A - Amarillo, Archer City

B - Bonham, Balmorhea

C - Canyon, Castroville

D - Dublin

E - Electra, Eastland, Ennis

F - Floresville, Ft. Stockton

G - Greenville, Granbury

H - Happy

I - Inez

J - Jefferson

K - Kilgore

L - La Grange, Lindale, Luling

M - Mineral Wells, Mineola

N - Nacogdoches

O - Odessa, Ozona

P - Paris

Q - Quanah

R - Rainbow, Rockport

S - Shiner, Smiley, Sunset, Stephenville, Sulphur Springs

T - Tom Bean

U - Uncertain, Utopia

V - Victoria

W - Waxahachie

X -

Y - Yoakum

People have asked, will you go in ABC order? The answer to that is no, Texas is too big and spread out. My plan is to do it by region so I can do a few at a time. Luckily, a lot of the possibilities are perfect day trips from Fort Worth, so I won't necessarily have to wait for time off.

Monday, October 31, 2022

#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.

Sunday, September 11, 2022

#48 Learning How to Crochet

When I think of the women in my family who came before me, I get all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings. They all fit that image of the grandma who could do all the things. Between them all, they cross-stitched, baked, knitted, crocheted, quilted, canned and more. Some of my favorite memories and most treasured possessions are their works of art. I did try cross-stitch years ago; while I did finish my project, I didn't feel the need to frame it. But as I thought about my 50 by 50, I kept thinking about those other talents of grandmas and great grandmas. I did a little bit of research on knitting and crocheting and out of the two, crocheting seemed a little less daunting. I found a place in Fort Worth, West 7th Wool, where I could sign up to take a class. So that is exactly how I spent a September Saturday morning. It was probably the longest and shortest hour of my life. I was definitely challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone. As a I struggled, when I had the urge to cuss, instead I thought to myself, "Have a growth mindset, Audra. This is the struggle we want our students to experience so they can grow. It's only right you experience a little challenge, too." Even though there were times I wanted to walk out, I'm going to stick with it. Like my Spanish, it's something I think I will continue to practice and work on. For now, I'm working on the chain stitch for 10 or 15 minutes a night. Once I feel good about that, I'll move on to the next step. Who knows one day I may make a scarf or a blanket, but for now, I'm just practicing a new skill and working on my synapses firing.

The day started with crochet, but I also visited a fabulous independently owned bookstore next to West 7th Wool. Please check out Monkey & Dog for your book needs. Super cute and friendly staff with a great selection of books to choose from. For lunch I headed over to Roy Pope Grocery & Deli. Although it's been updated and modernized, Roy Pope has been a Fort Worth institution since 1943. On may way home, I just had to swing by my favorite new bakery, Blue Bonnet for some butter cookies and a petite four.

Only two more adventures to go!

#47

I try not to live a life of regrets, but one thing I wish I had done differently is take more Spanish in high school and college. I took the minimum 2 years in high school and the required semester in college. I remember going to take the placement test at UT and thinking I needed to make sure I did poorly on this test because I had heard stories of people ending up in classes that were too advanced for them. Well, let's just say I did not have to try and fail that test . . . I did that quite naturally. 😂

Hindsight being 20/20, I wish I had taken all 4 years in high school and continued into college. But I didn't so instead, I've downloaded Duolingo and I'm practicing every night. I don't know that I will become fluent, but my goal is to be able to read some Spanish and have small conversations. I think the Spanish language and Latin culture is beautiful and I love learning all I can.

I don't know that this adventure will be ever be completed, but I look forward to working on it over the years.

If you are on Duolingo, be sure to find me so we can support each other.

Sunday, July 24, 2022

#46 A New State - Wisconsin!

One of my goals is to visit all 50 states and I'm over halfway through. Lucky for me, my parents believed in the road trip so I did a lot as a kid. But I still have quite a few to visit. This summer though, I was able to knock one more off my list . . . Wisconsin! My family reunion was originally scheduled for Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, but we ended up in the Illinois River Valley instead. The good news is, it's only a couple of hours away from Milwaukee, so I decided to head there first. I was able to pack a ton of things into my two days.

I won't tell you about every single adventure, but I will tell you nothing disappointed. Milwaukee is a small town city with so much to do! It is super walkable and the weather was amazing . . . a great respite from Texas in July. I stayed at the historic Knickerbocker Hotel on Lake Michigan. Built in 1929, it has retained its charm and is a great place to stay.

If you know me, then when you look at the things I did, there's probably one thing that might surprise you - the Harley-Davidson Museum. I'm not a motorcycle kind of girl, so this place wasn't even on my radar. But I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that every single person I talked to said that it was a must see and since #50by50 is all about new experiences, then I quickly added it to my list of places to visit. And I'm so glad I did. I had no idea Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903 right there in Milwaukee. When you read about the two friends who started the company and how influential Harley-Davidson has been, it really is an interesting story. Looking at the evolution of the motorcycle, design included, was just as fascinating.