Texas Not Toast

As promised, we tried the waffles at breakfast today.  The options were actually a little bit different and included some spicy scrambled eggs (scrambled with onion and peppers - No thanks).  

Upon opening the Waffle iron, we were surprised by the custom Texas shaped griddle!  

 Plenty of toppings were available - Hubby chose cream cheese, chopped nuts, and strawberries!  Yum!  Wifey ... butter and syrup.  #Boringandproud

Homewood Suites by Hilton

For the remainder of our time in Texas, we're stayed at Homewood Suites by Hilton.  We love this hotel.  One challenge our marriage faces is Wifey is a pretty extreme morning person and Hubby a pretty extreme night owl.  At home, we've worked around this issue, but in hotels ... it can be a challenge.  No one wants to be awake but silent and in the dark so their partner can sleep.  

One challenge our marriage faces is Wifey is a pretty extreme morning person and Hubby a pretty extreme night owl.  At home, we've worked around this issue, but in hotels ... it can be a challenge.  Noone wants to be awake but silent and in the dark so their partner can sleep.  

The room type we selected at Homewood Suites has two separate rooms!  With a door! So early in the morning, Wifey can set up her computer at the kitchen table and blog for you lovely readers ... 

... and late at night Hubby can check out the TV in the living room.  Since we've only been here one night ... and were pretty tired from our travel we haven't tested this theory ... but we're pumped.

The living room opens into the separate bedroom and bath.  

Check out the reading lights on each side of the bed below.  Snazzy! 

The hotel breakfast was excellent as well.  Not by far the *best ever*, but still sufficient to meet our needs.  Tomorrow we'll probably try the make-your-own waffle bar!

Beirut Cafe - Little Rock

Beirut Cafe is about a 20-minute drive from our hotel.  Not an obviously logical choice for a quick meal before the work-week begins.  We actually left the hotel heading back towards Bethany Cafe to check out their food (you may remember last time we went for drinks).  Along the way, we remembered passing Beirut and thinking it might be a good place to tryout.  

We kicked off dinner with drinks of Ayran and Dr. Pepper.  Ayran is a middle eastern yogurt-based drink.  It has a similar flavor profile to buttermilk, and Wifey loves it!

Baba Ganoush - pretty well the only Middle Eastern food Wifey likes.  We are so thankful for our friend, R., who drug us to Kebob House over and over again until I successfully found something I like! 

Appetizer - Fried Kibbee - hubby enjoyed this.  Wifey did not.   Wifey did enjoy the yogurt dip with her pita bread :D   

This is a combination plate that hubby enjoyed.  It included lamb, chicken, and beef  ... all seasoned Lebanese style.  

Sunday in Fort Worth - Gateway and Kincaids

Sunday morning began with a coffee stop at QT gas station .... we discovered their selection of coffee slushies on a previous road trip to Kansas City.

What can be better than slushy coffee? 

Sunday morning we worshiped at a local church, Gateway.  Wifey was a member of Gateway in the early 2000's through about 2008 when she lived in DFW and was excited for the chance to share her church history with Hubby.

We enjoyed great worship and a message from Pastor Morris about the Bible as breath ... ya know how long you can live without breathing?

NOT VERY LONG!  ...

Contextually we figured out this is the third message in a series called "More than Words".  Previously this month, Pastor Morris shared the Bible as Food and the Bible as Water.  Those may warrant watching online at a later date.

When WIfey's parents (separately) heard we were heading to DFW, they both responded with "Oh, lucky, you have to eat at Kincaids!" Never one to pass up a local joint, Hubby agreed and we made it our after church lunch destination.

We sat on the outdoor patio - it was warmer than the inside ... what is with Texans and AC?  

Wifey had a mint chocolate chip shake and cheeseburger.  Hubby a Cowtown Burger. It came with grilled onions and jalapenos.  Notice a theme here? :)  

Quick Hotel for the Night

Our initial plan for Saturday night made months ago was to crash upon the hospitality of a friend of ours who lived in Texas Saturday (hey, and maybe Friday night too).  Once that proved unlikely ... we decided to grab a quick hotel outside of DFW on the cheap and drive into town early Sunday morning.  

Driving across the vast expanse of Texas left Wifey plenty of passenger seat time to google.  She ended up finding a great deal of a Super 8 in North Fort Worth, only 15 minutes from our Sunday morning destination, so we pressed forward into town.

The Super 8 is just north of DFW airport, and in a hotel row with many other hotel chains.  Overall, it was a great solution for us and provided not only a clean, safe bed but also the surprise bonus of free breakfast the following morning. 

The hotel room itself was a paradox.  Staff was excellent, our room was clean and seemingly well kept ... but the door handle had caused a hole in the wall, the desk chair showed significant signs of wear, and the toilet was a bit finicky.  For our needs and willingness to invest in our stay, it was a great fit, however. 

We keep trying to pack light and strategically ... for our one night stay at this hotel .. despite best efforts ... we still ended up with a ton of luggage.  The large suitcase we needed ... for a pair of socks.  Note for the future: pack earlier and more slowly.  

Breakfast was surprisingly enjoyable.  

Hubby made a breakfast burrito including Jalapenos ... certainly a hotel breakfast first.  

Wifey kept things a bit more traditional ... cereal, yogurt, bacon, eggs, biscuit, and gravy!  

 You know you're in Texas when ... Salsas and Jalapenos for Breakfast! 

Eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, and gravy!

Fort Worth 2018 - The adventure begins

3 months into 2018 and we're off on our first adventure.

We began with a road trip West.  Hubby had requested we eat at a couple of specific burger joints this trip, and the timing worked out perfectly to work one in for our very first stop!

WHATABURGER!

As if a premonition of our soon to cross the state line, we spied a fellow Whataburger lover wearing a cowboy hat and boots.  Howdy! 

It was relatively dead at 11:00 am on a Saturday ... which just meant awesome parking for us.

Hubby tried their 'as advertised' special Avacado Bacon Burger ... with Jalapenos of course.  Wifey had a cheeseburger ... we ate on the road and failed to get a pic :(  But really ... its fast-food hamburgers ... y'all've all had similar.

After Whataburger, we filled our afternoon with a bit of hard work and loving a good friend before continuing our drive to Fort Worth!   The drive was dull (which by my account is the best kind) and we pulled into the DFW metroplex around 7:00 pm.  By this point, we were thirsty ... so we made a slight detour to an old haunt of Wifeys in Arlington.

Bethany Cafe is the first place Wifey ever had boba milk tea, over a decade ago!

The tea was delish, although Hubby opted for a Reeses Shake.  It was a bit icy, but good too!  With our thirst quenched, we began the final half hour drive to our hotel for the night.  Stay tuned for tomorrows post to include, Hotel, Church, and a second burger joint!