Weekend

We had lots of fun this weekend. It started Friday afternoon with Ruth attending a neighbor friend's birthday party and Jeff and Weston taking advantage of the lift on the burn ban by burning a huge pile of dead cedars. As evening approached, we all got ready to go out. Jeff and I dropped the big kids off at Ruth's martial arts school, where they were having a parent's night out. Jeff and I (along with Clay) took this opportunity to have a date night. We made our way over to Johnson City, where we had dinner at the Silver K Cafe. The food was good, not great, and the service was so-so at best. However, we had a great time anyway. This was a much-needed night out for us, and one of the things we talked about was how we could make that happen more often. After dinner, we headed back to Marble Falls to pick up the kids. They had been hoping to stay until midnight, but at 10:00, we were out of activities and frankly, rather tired, so we went ahead and called it a night.

On Saturday, everyone slept in until at least 9:00, which may be the first time in about 10 years! We brunched on Texas-shaped waffles and then took care of some household chores, before heading over to Llano to pick up the kids' deer meat. From there, we made our way back over to Johnson City. We shopped, looked around in an art gallery and tasted some wines. The amazing thing was, I tasted a wine that didn't make me want to gag. In fact, I actually liked it. So, Jeff bought a bottle on the spot. He has been waiting for me to grow up for a long time, so that we can enjoy the occasional glass of wine together. It was truly a red-letter day. We had an early dinner at Pecan Street Brewing, which we all enjoyed very much. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. I suspect that will not be our last trip there. Jeff and I had planned the trip back to Johnson City after our date night, when we saw the impressive light displays and the carriage rides being offered. It just seemed like something the kids would enjoy, and that was certainly the case. We were finishing up our dinner when the carriages began their routes, and the kids just about exploded with excitement, as they watched through the window. The line was long, but the wait was pleasant. The weather was perfect and there was plenty of grass to run around in. After our carriage ride, we headed home for hot chocolate and a movie.

This morning, we got up and went to church. Then, we had lunch at Long John Silver. It was the kids' first time there, and it may now be Weston's new favorite place. After lunch, we made a stop at Lowe's and a stop at Wal-mart, before heading home to work on some projects around the house. It was a really fun and relaxed weekend.

Bonfire

All bundled up

Carriage ride

Millions of white lights