I had this great idea. Robby would be playing in a golf tournament out of town this past Saturday, so what better time for me to visit Caitlin in Texas? I knew that it had been a pretty rough week for her...what with all the fines she had gotten and a few tifts with her roommates. It was time for some "Mommy Time"!
I arrived in Texas Friday afternoon, picked Caitlin up and then we checked into a motel across town. First on the agenda was dinner. We got dressed and headed to Longview to one of our favorite places to dine; Olive Garden. We both LOVE this place and there isn't one where I live, so whenever we have the chance, that's where we eat. Olive Garden, as usual, did not disappoint. After talking, laughing and enjoying out meal, we headed back to Marshall. Caitlin had a test to take early the next morning before we set out for the day,so she needed to get some rest.
Upon waking Saturday morning, Caitlin left for her test, while I drug myself out of bed and had a much needed cup of coffee. By the time I was having breakfast, she was back...and it was time to begin our adventure for the day! First, we visited downtown Marshall. I was amazed at what a quaint little town it was. I had two sons who had previously lived in Marshall and they never told me about these place (boys!). Caitlin came to town and within a few days, she had gone out, explored and found some really neat little boutiques. One of the shops we, of course, had to pop in to was a place called, "A Tisket A Tasket". You guessed it ANOTHER children's shop...and it was absolutely adorable. I was actually choosing items as she pulled them out of boxes! OK...I felt compelled to purchase just a "few" more outfits for Parker (sorry...couldn't help myself!). We also went into another couple of really neat shops, including a Texas wine shop. Here I found the most delicious chocolate infused red wine...OK, who could resist chocolate AND red wine...mixed together; I bought some! As we continued to shop, we noticed a huge tent with tables and chairs being set up...and a live orchestra warming up out there. We needed to find out what was going on. Upon inquiring, we found that every September, this musical event takes place in downtown Marshall. The Marshall Symphony Orchestra pairs with a singer, who performs selections from a different artist each year. This year was the tunes of Elton John. We definitely had to come back to this event tonight. Therefore, if we were going to continue our "shopping day adventure", we needed to get the show on the road...literally. Our next destination...Shreveport.
Caitlin knew of a great little restaurant in Shreveport where we could get a great Greek salad. We both became fans of Greek salads while visiting South Beach in Miami this past year.
"Newt's" Greek salad was delicious and I'm sure that this will be one of our "new favorite places" to dine in Shreveport. From here, we headed out to do a little more shopping. Catching my eye along the way was a sign, "Just Dogs!". I made a quick turn to see what this store was all about. Not only did it carry doggie beds, clothes and accessories, but it was a doggie bakery too! Sissy and Annie (my 2 doxies) profited from this little visit in the form of quite a few treats. After also stopping at Francesca's, The Loft, Pier One and World Market, we decided to head back to Marshall for that concert.
Downtown Marshall was now bustling with people readying themselves for the concert. We were walking toward the tent area when Caitlin mentioned that there might be an entrance fee...I hadn't thought about that. I had a little cash; surely it would be enough to get us in. We walked up to a table and sure enough...there was a fee. They asked Caitlin if she was a student and she excitedly answered, "Yes", knowing that there was most likely a student discount associated with that response. The student fee was $10! Wow! That was pretty expensive for a starving student; I hated to hear what the regular admission fee was. The lady at the table was just telling me it would be $20 for my ticket (and I must have had this shocked look on my face), when a member of the orchestra just walked over and gave me a complimentary ticket! It was my lucky day...we could now afford dinner. We got our wrist bands on, found a bistro table outside of a restaurant/antique shop called, "Central Perks", ordered our dinner and then waited for the music to begin. I have to say that the concert was definitely worth the wait...and the entrance fee. The music of Elton John filled the air and our souls as we sang along to many of the tunes. What a great ending to a fun day.
Before leaving Sunday morning, we had breakfast together and made plans for the following weekend. Caitlin would be coming home and there was Justin's birthday to celebrate, Parker to see and an LSU game to watch. However, THIS WEEKEND had been about "Mommy Time" with Caitlin...and I LOVED it!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments