And so my adventures to Texas began… With a hurried excitement and a good book (Mrs. Kennedy & Me), I was on a flight to take an adventure. My man was already in Texas, working and waiting for my arrival. It was Thursday, December 6th and I was ready to get my vacation started. There is not much more that I love, than time with the ones I love and adventures. Put the two together and remove the kiddos for a couple days and I call that magic. I also call supporting your man during his holiday chaos, meeting his co-workers, enjoying his holiday party and exploring his hometown magic as well… I thrive on it. And it thrived on me right back… Night one was simple with my arrival, hellos to all of the proper people and a much needed ladies dinner. KG and I headed to El Campo (I think) and enjoyed the dazzle and chaos that is their Christmas decor… Tinsel, tinsel and more tinsel, string a couple large ball ornaments, too many twinkling lights and a Christmas tree for every table and you might just be able to start imaging this wonder. If you’ve ever been to the Coach House here, El Campo is the Coach House on steroids. And I loved it.

Friday was party day. And for me that meant a day of working in the hotel room, followed by some independent exploring, a pit stop for reading my good book and time to get ready. I struggled a great deal with determining my nights wardrobe. There was a concern within me; not too flashy, no too conservative, make the man proud, show your assets with class, be trendy without being pretentious. The list of worry weighed on me and I got the opinion of every female I trusted in some form or another. Friday I explored and pieced my outfit together, purchasing some bracelets and rings as well as lip gloss.

The worry was for not. I was myself. And being myself was good enough. I felt confident in my own skin by the time I sank into the party and I fully enjoyed meeting my mans bosses, peers and employees. Those folks that I spent time meeting were charming and hip. Those that has spouses on their arms, well it was a pleasure to meet spouses too. They were kind and energetic and the night was fun. It was fun to mingle and laugh and have grown up conversations and make my man proud.

After the party we went on to have post dinner drinks with J’s team and KG. I was glad the night wasn’t quite ending and the laughter continued. The playful banter and the enjoying of company was good. The part about our adventures I love, when it pertains to mixing J’s work with our pleasure, are the people. They are classy and familiar. They are kind and hilarious. They are my kind of people.

Saturday was our day… After weeks of preparation, metal and physical exhaustion, J slept in. I mean slept in, until 9am slept in. And then we indulged in a Texas breakfast. Too many cups of coffee, biscuits and gravy, fried eggs and chicken fried steak. MMMM yummy. The previous nights fun was soaked up and the day could begin proper. We explored Fort Worth and the Stockyards and started on the great boot adventure of 2012. I got me, rather will be getting for Christmas, my first pair of cowgirl boots. I am so excited. There will actually be two pairs under the tree. The typical pointy toe boot measuring to mid-calf and the not as standard square toed boot hitting my knee. We ventured through J’s childhood stopping by houses and school. My heart was full, I saw a world I had only heard about until then and it was sweet to see his memory and explore his history.

Then it happened. Then we headed to Dallas and most importantly to Dealey Plaza. For those who have known me for any time at, they know I have a passion and interest in the Kennedy legacy. They know that I have read nearly every book written. They know that maybe somewhere deep inside that I would have loved to be alive during this time in American History. There was irony in visiting that day, to be reading a book that took me back in time. It was all just kismet. And to be walking and photographing a place and a time in history, well, it mattered to me. It mattered that I saw it, that I imagined it, that I took the time to remember it. And just like that we moved on.

We shopped for Christmas, checked in to our new hotel and headed to dinner with J’s sister and brother-in-law. There was magic in meeting them. The only other person in the world who lived the same life as J. Had the same parents as J. Remembers Christmas mornings, breakfast table chats, moments in time like J. His sister K and brother-in-law S were incredible. Conversation came easy and dinner was filled with stories and laughter. My night ended with smiles and a happy heart.

Our final day was a charming exploration and a plan. We planned our next adventure while still on our trip, to Breckenridge for skiing in January we will go. And I would love if we make that a tradition. On the final day of one magical adventure we book another. What a way to keep the wanderlust in us both alive. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, exploring the Gaylord Texas hotel and more shopping. Then it was off to the airport and back to “real life”. And where every moment of this trip is still playing back through my memories and heart… I know one thing to be certain, this adventure was amazing and this man I get to adventure with, he has my whole heart.