Author Archives: Diana

About Diana

Canadian-Vermonter, Texas transplant. Cowboy boot wearing, maple syrup connoisseur, music lovin', wine and micro-brew drinkin', two-steppin' traveler who loves finding all the hidden gems the world has to offer. Come join me on the ride!

Sometimes We Need To Take A Moment

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This past weekend, we headed to Austin to celebrate a wedding of a couple friends, to say “safe travels” and “see you soon” to another friend moving to Tennessee and all the while saying hello to lots of people who we haven’t seen in a little bit. It was an exciting weekend. Something that didn’t happen was a lot of picture taking which is unfamiliar territory to me but there’s a lesson that dawned on me along the way…

Sometimes we need to take a moment.

It’s great to have all of these moments captured using photographs, videos and other social media aspects but I think it’s even more important to put it all down and savor it. As much as I wanted to share with everyone how absolutely beautiful the venue was at the wedding, the group dinner and delicious food we ate in Austin or the fun we were having on 6th Street after the wedding – it’s one of those times that I just needed a moment with no strings attached.

With that being said, I have one photo to share which has turned out to be one of my favorite photos taken of Spencer and I.

Barr Mansion, Austin, Texas, Wedding Venue

As for festivities and places which we enjoyed in Austin this weekend, here is out list.

Wedding Venue: Barr Mansion Ranch
Absolutely beautiful with an old, Southern mansion, white-stringed lights throughout the property and a beautiful glass faced building in the back.
Dinner: Matt’s El Rancho
Tex-Mex at it’s finest. The salsa is delicious and spicy. Sit outside to enjoy the fresh evening air and Austin culture.
Breakfast: The Kolache Factory
After Wedding Festivities: Buckshots on 6th Street.
Order a Mass Attack in honor of our friends. It’s on the menu list!

Have you put your camera down lately to enjoy the moment in the moment?

Where the Longhorn & the Buffalo Play

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I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day weekend! This past weekend we headed out to Abilene, Texas to spend time with Spencer’s family and it was incredible. We beat the heat with some relaxing pool time, enjoyed family time with his parents, brother and his girlfriend, played a round of golf where I particularly enjoyed driving the cart and learned that my time at Top Golf has paid off a little bit!

Saturday evening, we drove just outside of town to a ranch and as usual, I was in PURE HEAVEN! When anyone thinks of Texas, longhorns are one of the first things that come to mind. I don’t think that I’ve ever really been close to an entire herd of them, let alone be able to feed them! Spencer wasn’t kidding when he told the owner I could stay out there all day and was loving every single second. I was – it was paradise! They are so lucky to own this property and these gorgeous animals and you can really tell they love the treasure they have been given. The land has been in their family since 1903 and they’re bringing it back to life. These animals are so incredibly beautiful. Not only did we get to pet four horses, there were two buffalo (Gironimo and Buffy) and between 25-30 longhorn including newborn calves. Ah! Let me just share some pictures and let you see for yourself (although pictures do no justice to how beautiful it was as the sun started to go down). I guess it’s true what they say, an Abilene sunset must be on the bucket list when in Texas as well!

This little fella is a little over a year old. She’s well on her way to growing the iconic horns. She’s a beaut!

Meet Touchdown! She likes to come up and say hello (to everyone)!

One of the newest (and let’s be honest – the cutest) little calves on the property. I absolutely love his color and wish I could take him home. Why can’t they stay small like this so I can?

I can’t get over the color of this longhorn! Beautiful! It even carries into his horns.

We learned so much about longhorns during out short visit. One of the things that owners (and buyers) look for is how the horns curve. It’s usually personal preference but typically the wider the horn, the more valuable.

If I remember correctly, 90% of the growth of the horns takes place during the first 12 years of their lives.

I really want to go through and caption each photo – what do you think they’re thinking?

There were two buffalo on the property, Buffy (left) and Gironimo (right). These guys are in charge around here or at least Gironimo is. Basically, they keep the cattle in check, even the big ole bull! Buffalo can live to be over 30 years old. To give a little bit of perspective, Gironimo is only five years old and still has a ton of growing to do. Beautiful. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like to see hundreds of these together hundreds of years ago.

“Don’t go!”

This was honestly the cherry on top of an incredible weekend. I hope you love these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. They each look like they’re thinking something, maybe along the lines of “make sure you get my good side” or “If I let her take my photo, I bet she’ll give me a treat!”. Someday, hopefully we make our way about out there and ride a couple of the horses and get to be cowboys and cowgirls for a day. A girl can dream right?

Weeknight Date Night – Fixture

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Getting together during the week can be tough but sometime we can make it work and when we do, we try to make it count. Trying new places, hitting the deals that can save us a few extra bucks and finding something “new” are all things that we try to incorporate.

For this week’s, ‘Weeknight Date Night” I’m featuring Fixture found on the east side of Magnolia Street in Fort Worth. Magnolia is a super popular at the moment with what seems like a continuing array of new restaurants, bars, coffee shops, brew pubs and growler stations not to mention breweries, distilleries and the cutest homes in the Fairmount neighborhood.

A few weeks ago, we decided to check out Fixture on a rainy day. We first heard about it during the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival and finally got around to going. Fixture believes in serving real food, supporting local businesses and products and creating a relaxing and comfortable space. The interior has a modern appeal, a great patio space in the back and an open bar area. Plenty of TV’s with sports games and a favorite personal touch of a barn door to the bathrooms (how often do you find this somewhere)?

Cocktails.
My personal favorite when ordering was this Aqua Fresca – seasonal fruitful flavor, vodka, citrus and soda. I could’ve drank this all day and it doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty either! Other options looked great as well – the toughest problem you may have is picking which one you’ll go with first!

Main Meal

Once I saw a couple next to us order dessert, I knew I had to leave room for the sweet stuff so we ordered off the brunch menu and split a frittata. Served in a hot skillet (only appropriate), this was more than enough for two people. The frittata included three eggs, jalapeño, mushroom, asparagus, tomato, red onion, feta cheese and a side of salsa verde. DELICIOUS!

If you’d like another option, I would suggest the Texas Cheese Steak. Someone came in and ordered it after we ordered it and I now can’t wait to go back and order my own.

Dessert.

Oh the sweet tooth that I bare! I am a sucker for a good dessert and I’ll tell you where to find the best of the best as well. My soft spot – bread pudding. Remember when I mentioned that I saw a couple order dessert next to us when we first arrived, yea – that dessert menu caught my attention fast and I was ready to go. Lucky enough for me (and you since I’m letting you in on the secret), I have now found the best bread pudding in all of Fort Worth. That’s right – the best bread pudding that has won over my hungry, sweet-desiring heart (ah-hum stomach).

The edges provide the right about of crisp with the softest center this is the key to win you over. And now I’m hungry and want a slice…

My favorite part about date night is that it doesn’t have to be traditional. There’s no right or wrong – go for a cocktail, heck go for just dessert or go for the entire meal! Fixture was a really special treat and I’m glad we finally got to go to experience what all the chatter was about.

Here are some other suggestions within walking distance of Fixture to incorporate into your date night!

Friday on the Green – Held once a month April – October, walk over to Magnolia Green Park to enjoy live music, local vendors and local brews. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy your time!

Proper – Directly next to Fixture this a cocktail bar and be ready to be amazed. Calling themselves a “Contemporary Cocktail Habitat”, we were amazed at the knowledge behind each spirit and the attention into every cocktail. Local art is also featured within.

What are some things that you love to incorporate or look for on date nights?