April 30, 2008

Trip To Dallas Part I

My brother-in-law, Brian, is like a professional photographer and he took like 200 pictures while I was in Dallas, so this first part of my trip is going to be underwhelming to say the least. Watch for the sequel to this, though, as it promises to be picturesque. Oliver and I left last Wednesday to visit his cousins, Kate and Taylor and my twin sister, Rachel. It was sooooo much fun. Here are some pictures of the kiddos playing with the cart and strollers that they loved pushing all around the house and yard.

Kate, Taylor, and Oliver.



He was the leader of the pack.

A visit to Sprinkles... (taken by Brian)

On the trolley in Dallas (taken by Brian).

So, here comes the travelogue- brace yourselves. We came in to Dallas Wednesday and stopped on the way home at Potbelly's- the best sandwich and cookie place in Texas, possibly on this side of the Mississippi. That night, we just relaxed and planned out the week. The next day, we went to her gym where we burned 650 calories in an hour-long class- need I say more? That day we went to Old Town McKinney and ate a yummy lunch at Spoons with the yummiest chocolate cake I've about ever had. This whole town is filled with cute little antique shops and kids boutiques. It was really fun to pop in and out of the cute stores.
We burned another 600 calories in our class at the gym on Friday and then it was an all-out shopping day. For those of you who don't know Dallas- it's one of the best shopping places in the U.S.. Rachel let me know that I really have no style and since she has impeccable taste, I let her show me the way at the malls. By the way, I really do think that serving a mission kind of permanently put me about 2 years behind in the fashion world- more on that another time. Anyway, so we walked away with some crazy stuff and it was very enlightening...:). That night, we rented some good flicks and just relaxed. We probably went out to eat, too, but for all the eating-out we did, I really can't remember.
Anyway, so Saturday, Brian got home from his business trip and after a run that morning, we hung out for a bit at a really cool park for the kids with some friends of theirs. It was Rachel and Brian's anniversary, so I babysat the kids that night and watched the food network while they celebrated.
Sunday, I helped Rachel out in the nursery because she had tweaked her back while stretching that morning. Then, Rachel made one of the yummiest dinners of all time and we just hung out the rest of the night. Oh, Brian "camped out" with Kate and Taylor in their backyard so Rachel and I were on our own.
Monday, we drove into Dallas and rode a trolley around a cute little part of town. The trolley conductor was an 80-something-year old man that was soooo cute! It was really fun to see part of the city that way. We stopped again at Potbelly's for sandwiches while on the trolley, and of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without a stop at Sprinkles cupcakes in North Dallas. After dark chocolate and banana with chocolate frosting perfection, we headed home. Rachel and I had a girls night out at California Pizza Kitchen, topped off with The Bachelor before calling it a day. Oh, wait, I almost forgot one of the highlights of my trip! Rachel's indoor soccer team let me play with them in their game that night at 10:45 (Kind of an unreasonable hour, right? Don't worry, we drank lots of Coke beforehand.) . It was soooooooooo, soooooooooo, sooooooooooo fun to play again. It's been about 5 years for me, so you can understand my excitement. And, we won! Oliver and I flew home the next day and we were equally as excited to see Christian/Daddy. I love, love, love spending time with Rachel and we always have the best time. Until next time!:)


19 comments:

Eliza said...

Rebecca how fun!! I love how you even got in your exercising on vacation! you're amazing. Can't wait to see more pictures.

Shauna said...

fun trip! i am jealous. my life is consumed by work.

and yes i have been going to church with julie...well i did once, and now shes in egypt (what? i still dont understand why) and so i went with her roommates. But yeah we are buds now thanks to you.

Lindsey said...

Aw- double trouble back together again. How fun. I'm sure you guys had a blast and I am so jealous. Although- I am going to visit the fam (meaning Meredith!!!) in a couple of weeks. Can't wait.

What kind of class were you guys taking? Was it a step class? I must know!

By the way- I have NO idea what you think Hazel meant. Please do tell because I just thought she was using a bunch of words that she didn't understand.

Lindsey said...

ps- I can't wait for Brian's pics!!! I look at Rachel's blog every day hoping to see new pitures.

kateworthi said...

Sounds So fun! I wish my sisters would come out and see me! But then again, Rochester, MN is a LOT lamer than Dallas - so our trip together wouldn't be that fun. We have nothing here... ;( Dallas sounds really cool though; I'll have to visit sometime.

Andrea W. said...

What fun to be with your sister and her cute family. I'm so glad you and Ollie got to go have fun! We can't wait to see you guys.

Rachel said...

First off, I DO NOT think you have no style- I'm not that mean! Everything you wore was really cute!! Secondly, I love that last pic of the kids strolling through the house- Oliver really was the leader of the pack- and proud of it! You sure made this trip sound alot more exciting than I did- I couldn't remember all that we did! So fun- can't wait to do it again!

Macy said...

Rebecca,what a fun trip. There is nothing like "sister trips". I love Dallas...I went a long time ago, and thought it was such a fun place to visit. Tons of great shopping and places to eat too. Top it off with a night just watching the food network, and that is my kind of trip. Sounds like a blast.

Rachel said...

I just remembered this- you forgot to mention the yummy French cafe we ate at for lunch on Saturday...sitting outside next to the French family- so authentic!

Kara said...

That sounds like such a fun trip, I love sister time!

Hillarys little Paynes said...

wow, you made me really wish i could get out and have a fun trip like that. way to go making me jealous!!! seriously though im glad you got to have soo much fun together. you deserve it!

Jo said...

Rebecca, sounds like a blast. I'm so happy you and Rachel can keep in touch like that. The indoor soccer sounds great--wish I could have watched!

Amanda said...

Sounds like fun to me. Dallas sounds like a really cool place.

davis@dontdodumbthings.com said...

you should post the pictures of ollie that are on brian and rachel's site.

The Allred Family said...

How much good food did you eat??? You are making me hungry just reading all about it. The cupcake place sounds so fun. I bet the kids had a blast. And BTW, I want to see the clothes you bought. Do show. I am a little jealous.....the whole trip sounds really fun. Sister time is the best. Olli looks huge in the pic on the trolley.

Lindsey said...

by the way- you look darling in the pic on the trolley (from what i can tell). looks like you have on some VERY STYLISH clothes. you have always had great style. don't listen to your evil twin. haha. (kidding rach).

Kara said...

Oliver's been tagged by Rylee--see my blog

Ryan@dontdodumbthings.com said...

Wow! You guys signed up for Adwords. Nice that you are trying to exploit Oliver's cuteness for financial gain. I think the blogging escalation war has just begun.

Jake and Emily Hutchings Family said...

I love it! Coop pushes around mom's pink stroller, too. I'm glad to see that Oli isn't afraid of the pink.