Weekend Getaway Recap (A Week Later)

Last Friday I posted my excitement about Matt and I’s surprise weekend getaway (surprise for me, planned by him) and this weekend I am finally getting around to posting some pictures.  I’d like to say I waited so that I could contain all of the gooey, love filled thoughts to Valentines Day weekend, but the truth is, stuff just got in the way.  Work, dissertation, grocery shopping, worrying about loved ones, you know, all that stuff.  Life stuff.  So while it’s a little overdue, here is a little recap of Matt and I’s fabulous little weekend getaway.

We started off our trip with an afternoon at the Houston Zoo.  I don’t know what was up with the weather, but after being dreary, cold and rainy all week, Saturday was a day full of sunshine and 65 degree temperatures.  Perfect zoo weather!  Though I’m sure I’ve been to the Houston Zoo before (I was born in Houston and lived there till I was 6), I don’t have any memory of being pushed in a stroller from animal to animal.  And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the Houston Zoo!  It was kind of weird, because it’s literally right in the middle of the city, but yet it has a ton of great animals and exhibits to see.  And because the zoo is not gigantically expansive in size, we were able to get up close and personal with lots of the animals.  Matt and I commented several times throughout the day how cool that aspect was. 

One of the first stops was an indoor exhibit with a kind of random assortment of critters, but still cool nonetheless.  We watched a sea otter feeding/playtime and omg, that little dude was SO CUTE.  Seriously, I wanted to take  him home (yes, I realize the impracticality of this.)  We also saw this mini monkey things (mini as in could-fit-in-your-pocket mini) that we really loved.  I almost got beat up in this exhibit though after we say this really weird looking bird/turkey thing with insanely beautiful feathers.  I “whispered” to Matt, “What pretty feathers.  Those would look great on a headband.”  Apparently my “whisper” was not such a whisper as I got a horribly dirty look from a nearby mom.  I didn’t mean I wanted the animal to be hurt, I just wanted to pluck a little feather or two.  Don’t you think the bird would have appreciated a lighter load for the Texas weather?  Only kidding, only kidding…(PETA please don’t come after me, I would never hurt or injure an animal for a headband.  It’s a form of speech, just a little jokey, don’t hate me please.)  Moving on… :)

Here we are with our little prairie dog friend.  The shadows make the picture a bit confusing at first, but look how friendly he was!  He came right up to us and posed for a portrait with us/our shadows.

See what I mean about us getting so close to the animals?  It was fun to be able to get up close to see some of the things that I only see when Matt watches his weird Animal Planet/History Channel/Discovery television specials.  (Sidenote, earlier this week, he watched a 2 hour special on a man who lived in a small glass room with 100 snakes for a week.  100 snakes, for a week!  Why on Earth would anyone do that and why on Earth is my husband bored enough to watch that?!  Though I tried to distract myself with blogs while he watched it, I caught a few glimpses and nearly passed out.)  Anyway, back to the up close and personal zoo tale… pretty cool to be so close!

After all animal watching, we worked up an appetite and were thrilled to see a Little Big’s right outside the zoo.  I hadn’t ever been to Little Big’s, but Matt has been several times, and he literally gasped when he saw it.  Haha, I laugh now remembering his excitement.  And after eating the deliciousness above, I totally understand his excitement.  It was beyond yummy.  If you’re in the Houston area and haven’t been here, mark it on your list of places to try.  It is dee-lish.

We let our food settle and hung out in Hermann Park for a bit.  It was such a beautiful day and we weren’t in a hurry so we enjoyed some first-rate people watching.  (Please tell me I’m not the only weird0 who enjoys people watching?!)

After the zoo, we headed back to the hotel, but not before Matt surprised me with a stop at Anthro, woo hoo!  I’d been desperate to find the jacket shown above in black and after it sold out online, I was hoping the Houston Anthro would have it.  Sadly, they only had it this color (which I totally would have gotten if they would’ve had my size.)  But after some digging and some phone calls, the manager located a black medium in Utah, and I was giddy with excitement.  (Sadly, it arrived yesterday and was too big.  TEAR.  There are no smalls left.  Anywhere.  Sad day.)  But can we all give Matt a collective pat on the back from stopping in with no prodding from me?  I feel like Anthro is a guy’s worst nightmare: ulta girly, breakable, addictive, and expensive.  Lol, not the best combo for husbands, but Matt is fabulous, and I am thankful :)

After all that, we headed back to the hotel, relaxed a little, then got pretty for dinner.  Our hotel was just a few blocks from a Grand Lux Cafe and since it was nice outside, we walked to dinner.  The food was yummy, the service was great, and of course the company was the best :)  It was the perfect weekend away, and I came back feeling both refreshed and recharged.  Thanks to my sweet and thoughtful husband for such a delightful weekend!