Don’t Mess with Texas!

In November, I flew to Dallas/Ft. Worth to visit my parents. They are living in Texas temporarily for my Dad’s job, and it was really nice to see them. This wasn’t my first visit to the area. I went to Ft. Worth last year with my husband, brother and sister-in-law for a visit and was overall impressed with the Ft. Worth area. My parents live in a nice apartment and there are a lot of things to do there. This time, my husband and I went just us two and we really had an eventful long weekend with my Mom and Dad.

The first thing we did when we arrived was to go to the Gas Monkey Garage. You might be familiar with the show Fast and Loud about car restorations. They are located in Dallas, and although we couldn’t see anything because they were filming, it was still cool to be there. We visited the gift shop (which was quite expensive, in my opinion) and my husband bought some merchandise. Then, we headed over to the Gas Monkey Bar and Grill for lunch. Yes, they have a restaurant too. It’s only about a five minute drive from the garage itself and the food was really good. We decided to spend the whole day in Dallas since we were already there and then went on to our next activity.

If you ever get the chance to go to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, you should. We went there next and it was very interesting. When we arrived, we bought tickets and walked into the exhibit. As we were handing in our tickets, we saw Laura Bush herself, and she said hi to us! At first, I didn’t really realize it was her and then my parents told me. I think it’s great that she comes there regularly. I know former President George W. Bush was just there a few days before that for Veteran’s Day. The library was very cool and modern. It talked about everything from his life growing up in Texas, to his campaign, to his presidency, etc. There were a lot of short videos, and plenty of things to read on the walls and tables. They have a tribute to 9/11 and it was very moving. It actually made me cry and think back on that dreadful day in history. I composed myself and moved on to the next display. As part of the library, they have an exact replica of the oval office and it looked just as it did when Bush was in office. You could even sit at the desk and have your picture taken if you wanted. It was cool to see their outfits to state dinners and the gifts the Bush family was given during his term. Every gift a US president is given belongs to the American people. So, many of the gifts were on display in the library and outside in the lobby. I will have to visit more Presidential libraries in the future. Since this was the newest one, it must be the most modern and the nicest. What a great way to spend an afternoon in Dallas.

After the library, we met up with my cousin who I have not seen for 9 years! My parents have seen him quite often since they moved to Texas, but it had been a very long time since I had seen him. We went out for Mexican food and got a chance to catch up with him.

Dinner with my cousin

The next day, we enjoyed brunch at my parents and went for a walk on the trail by a river. That afternoon, we went to a store that specializes in cowboy boots called Cavender’s. I actually found a pair of cute cowboy boots that were comfortable and affordable. I am now the proud owner of some great cowboy boots!

Me and my Cowboy boots!

Close up of my boots

In the evening, we went to a Greek Festival put on by a local Greek Orthodox Church in Ft. Worth. The gyros, Greek fries and spanakopita were very tasty. After we ate dinner, we enjoyed some traditional Greek dancing. Everyone was in costume and they put on a good show. Later on, we went to the Ft. Worth Stockyards for a rodeo. This was my first rodeo experience, and it was quite a sight. The show itself was a little long — 2 ½ hours, but it was really exciting. I didn’t know there were that many types of events in a rodeo. It was cool to see the guys ride the bulls and horses. I kind of felt bad for the calves when they had to lasso, tie, and rope them. It was all harmless though. There were also events for women in the rodeo as well.

At the Greek Festival

During our time in Texas, we met some friends of my parents, went to the movies, a cool grocery store called Central Market, and ate some really good food. In Ft. Worth, they have some of my favorite restaurants that they don’t have in Georgia. We made sure to take advantage of visiting some of them. We had sandwiches at Potbelly and burgers, fries and a milkshake at In-N-Out Burger. Before we knew it, it was time to come home. Our long weekend trip with my parents was over. I will see my parents this month though when they come for the holiday break. We may go back to Texas sometime next year, but soon enough, my parents will move back to Atlanta and we will be moved out of their house and into a home of our own.