The Homestead Resort

This weekend, we celebrated our 11th anniversary at the Homestead Resort.  It is a gorgeous place in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia.  

When we arrived, we tried our hand at archery, and we loved it!  I'm not ready for the Hunger Games quite yet, but I enjoyed it, and the scenery was beautiful at the base of a ski hill.

We had a fancy dinner in their dining room and enjoyed live music and amazing food.  This must be love; he dressed up for me.

We had plenty of time to rock on the porch, and Isaac booked me a pedicure at the spa.  More importantly, Isaac won the Erickson Phase 10 championship, and I became Skipbo champion.

Have I mentioned how great the food was there?  My favorite was the fresh local trout.  Yes, I am that person who takes pictures of the food I like.  I am resigned to that fact now.

On Saturday, we tried falconry...also amazing! We met a lovely hawk named Ruger.  When we let her go, she spotted a father and daughter walking on a trail in the woods.  The girl had a small stuffed duck, which the hawk went after.  We were a little worried when we heard the dad yelling from the woods, but everyone was OK.  When the stuffed duck didn't pan out for Ruger, we watched her attack and eat a chipmunk.  I love nature.

The drive home through the mountains was amazing.  It was a perfect weekend 

This was one of the best weekend trips we have ever taken, and we didn't even scratch the surface of the activities they offer.  We would like to go back at Christmas time for snow tubing, ice skating, and all the winter stuff.

French Pastry Class

Isaac and I attended a French pastry class taught by world-renowned baker Gesine Bullock-Prado.  I have seen her several times on cooking shows, so I was excited to hear she was teaching a class in our area.  After our trip to France, this is a skill I am highly interested in.

She made a beautiful creation - cream puff swans on a pastry puff (Saint Honore) cake.

Cooking classes are my favorite date nights!

The cake was amazing!  I am not sure I would make the whole thing myself, but I definitely feel more confident about making cream puffs now.

Maren's notes:

Isaac's notes:

My sweet husband bought me her new cookbook, which she signed for me.  Vive la cream puffs!

Bonus Texas Week

Shortly after returning home from Texas, I learned that Isaac and I would be traveling to Dallas for work...bonus trip!  We knew it would be a great week when we spotted bluebonnets from the runway at DFW.  We stayed in North Dallas during the week, and we were able to spend time with family and friends on the weekends.  My Dad had a business trip during my last visit, so I was grateful to come back and have time with him.

We went to the Main Street Arts Festival in downtown Ft. Worth

It included a performance from Squonk Opera, a fascinating band complete with bagpipes and pneumatics.

We went to Rodeo Goat, a can't-miss burger place, with Jami and Patrick.  How cute is this hubby of mine?!

And we discovered the joy of Torchey's Tacos.  Dave has been raving about the Trailer Park (served extra trashy), and now I am fully converted.