This weekend WE and I went on a Stay-cation with my parents. We met up in Austin on Friday night and then went the rest of the way down to New Braunfels to go to Schlitterbahn. Neither of us had been before and since the river is flowing so slow right now, we thought that it would be more fun to visit the water park.

We packed up our cooler, slopped on the sunscreen, and joined the thousands of other families standing in line to buy an incredibly overpriced plastic wristband. And wow, that’s exactly what we had coming – LINES and more LINES.

We even had to stand in line just to ride the bus from one section of the park to another. Our only saving grace was the fact that the weather was really great and at least it wasn’t burning hot as we stood in line. I think that in the 7+ hours that we were there, we rode a grand total of 5 rides (that couldn’t have lasted more that 20 minutes in combined duration). Wow, next time we go I’m definitely NOT going on a busy Saturday!

Now, so as to avoid leaving the impression that I’m complaining about this weekend – here’s what was priceless about our Stay-cation:

1) Not being in a cubicle all day!

2) Chattin’ with the parents about anything and everything from lot loans to the recession

3) Loose livestock in Dripping Springs

4) Chocolate chip waffles at the B&B

Waaahhhooooo! WE and I FINALLY finished updating my mom’s website for The Silver Hanger! We were tasked with this effort almost a year ago and now after months and months of well, you know…putting it off…we are unveiling the new look of http://www.thesilverhanger.com

Go check it out! There is still some content that needs to be added but the design is complete.

I gotta hand it to my mom. She’s had this vision of what “her store” would become and surely and steadily she’s turning it into a reality. But the website is nothing compared to the store. Go see inside and try on dresses and you’ll know exactly what I mean!

(ps. I’m not biased or anything either)

WE and I have decided to be super adventurous when it comes to eating out in Dallas. Everyone knows that Dallas is known for two things: 1) eating and 2) shopping.

So, we are now on a quest to try and rate as many new restaurants as we can. First on the list was a little middle-eastern cafe called Sheik’s in downtown Plano. Apparently the owner, Mohamad, is Lebanese and moved here from Detroit. We met him, his wife, and his son the night we went for dinner. In many ways, it reminded me of the family-owned Italian place we used to go for lunch in SLC. Well, except for this family at Sheik’s was friendly and attentive…so maybe actually I take that back =)

Sheik’s has shish kebabs, grape leaves, hummus, falafels. I tried the falafel (which was up to par but not spectacular). But by far, my favorite thing was the Tarator. It was super authentic. Tarator is yogurt based soup with cucumber, garlic, and parsley. Yumm…..I fell in love with it when I was a missionary and that by far was the closest that I’ve come to it since. WE’s dish was good too. But all was a bit pricey.

Overall, I give Sheik’s a solid 6 out of 10 (and admittedly mostly for sentimental reasons) but also for the service and quality of food.

So, when I moved to Dallas – one of the first things that WE told me about this place was that people in Texas cling to 2 things: their guns and their religion. I believe him. But there is one thing he forgot to mention…

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So the other day as I was looking at this picture of all of us sisters (A4, A3, A2, A1 – from left to right), I was struck by the thought that we are each very different from one another. You name it – size, shape, hair color, personality, talents, etc – and we are each pretty unique in our own right. Weird how we all came from the same place!

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So my last bird experience (see my post entitled “Ruffled Feathers”) inspired me to share my first Dallas Discovery.

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This is my first post of a new series called “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

In this series I’ll attempt to share my discovery of Dallas, Texas. I mean, somehow I’m going to have to figure out what the ‘Texas Pride’ movement is all about, right? I’ll write about my new hometown – what makes it different than other places I’ve lived, what the people are like, the nuances of its culture, etc.

My experiences won’t compete with the wealth, sex, intrigue, and power struggles captured in the long-running, prime-time TV show “Dallas” – but then who knows…

(By the way, in case you were wondering – WE lives right next to South Fork Ranch where the show was filmed)