Saturday: Arrive Waco
Sunday: Depart Waco for Austin
Monday: Depart Austin for Waco, by way of Salado, dinner at Ninfa's with the Eastlands
Tuesday: Dr. Pepper Museum, shopping with Courtney
Wednesday: Tour unexplored areas of Waco (for husband)
Thursday: Uncle Dans for lunch, Ninfa's for dinner
Friday: Hardest workout ever, courtesy of JRM, cook like a fiend, Christmas Eve Dinner
Saturday: Christmas Breakfast, Depart Waco for Paris!
Highlights: Austin was great as usual, and Chris and Caroline are amazing hosts. After a devastating Giants loss to the Eagles, the gals headed to the Domain, this awesome outdoor mall in Austin (it was like 80 degrees that day) and the boys played some pool. We had dinner at Peche, a french restaurant downtown with pre-prohibition style cocktails (think no vodka, and absinthe). They were heavy on the gin, so yours truly was happy. The boys decided they decidedly did NOT like absinthe. Perhaps they didn't believe the girls when we said it "tastes like black licorice" as when they took their first sips, they each exclaimed "gross, it tastes like black licorice." It also looks like a margarita that's been left out overnight. Not really my cup of tea. Blood sausage and sweetbreads on the other hand? I'm your gal. Needless to say, we had a great night.
I was born and raised in Waco, Texas, am 27 years old, and until December 2010, I had never stepped foot in the Dr. Pepper Museum. It was interesting enough, especially from the perspective of the history of the bottling industry. Husband loved learning that the bottle deposit used to be 2 cents (on a 5 cent bottle), whereas now, it's like 5 cents on a $1.99 bottle - people had a much greater motivation to return them then! Below is a picture of "Dr. Schnee", the version of Dr. Pepper sold in St. Louis that husband drank growing up!
Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. We had a dinner of beef tenderloin, cheddar mashed potatoes, black beans and rice, jalepeno-cheddar cornbread, southwestern corn, roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and dessert of brownies, flan, cookies and pie. We were all stuffed, especially since I ate half of the cheese before putting into the potatoes AND we had to go out for one last lunch of Chik fil A before leaving Texas. Seriously Chik Fil A, open in the East. You'll make a killing. Off husband and I alone. I slaved away joyously in the kitchen most of the day (oh Texas and your big houses with two ovens and tons of counter space!). Husband hand-mashed the potatoes into the most silky smooth perfection you've ever seen. It was truly a work of art. We then enaged in my mother's fascist gift-exchange program, which lasts at least 6 hours, regardless of the number of people in attendance and number of gifts. Each person is given one gift at a time and we all have to watch that person open his/her gift and ooo and ahhh over it before anyone can dare touch another present. I'm not bitter. The finale was an etching we all bought my mother by an artist of some notoriety up East. Copyrigh laws, alas, prevent me from posting it here. You can view it here though, http:www.helenfrank.com/#179898/A-Glass-of-Guinness. The fella on the left is a spitting image of her father, my late grandfather.
Christmas Day we had brunch at my aunt and uncle's house and then headed to the Waco airport (2 hours ahead of flight, oh dear husband). We got through security and waited the 1 hr, 45 minutes until our flight to Houston. There were 6 people on our plane. Incidentally, ALL of our bags were searched. I mean ALL 6 of us. They didn't find anything. I think security at the Waco airport is just bored. Wouldn't you be? Also, news to me! You know board planes in Waco via a Jetway! Really moving up in the world :)
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