Travel – Page 14

2018 Wilson & Mei Mei Visit | Part VI

April 18, 2018 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

We were able to sleep in today, thank goodness. It’s been such a toll on us all with dehydration and lack of sleep. We stopped by Whataburger for breakfast of champions before heading back to Houston.

We stopped by Space Center since it’s been something they’ve wanted to do since day one.

Dad stayed in the car while Mum and I went in with them. Wilson and Mei Mei were like kids in a candy store, wide-eyed and running with excitement.

Sadly, they took too long looking at things that we missed the last tram to go and see real astronauts at work at NASA.

[2018] 108/365: Houston We Have A Problem

Luckily enough we were able to do the simulation. Mei Mei was supposed to go with Wilson but last second she got scared so I went. It was nice to get that chance to have with him, just the two of us.

We went through traffic and went to dinner at Cravin’ Cajun where June, Timothy, and Agnes joined us.

We ordered a dozen grilled oysters, shrimp and crawfish etouffee, fried rice, 2 lbs shrimp and 10 lbs crawfish. They told us they could do spicy but hot was too much for them. We ordered another 4 lbs of crawfish in medium spice level. I was so surprised they liked it and excited to hear that they’ll come back to eat this in the future.

Tomorrow is our last day with them. I’m excited to relax but also said to have to say goodbye.

Space Center
1601 E Nasa Pkwy, Houston, Texas 77058 | (281) 244-2100 | Website | Yelp

Cravin’ Cajun
2323 N Fry Road, Katy, Texas 77449 | (832) 321-4179 | Website | Yelp

2018 Wilson & Mei Mei Visit | Part V

April 17, 2018 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Brudda went and picked up some breakfast tacos for the clan. I was surprised how great Taco Cabana‘s steak egg breakfast taco was. Definitely the winner in my book.

[2018] 107/365: Searching For Nuts

We then headed to the Dallas Arboretum where we were met up with John, Peggy, and Sarah. Sammi skipped school and joined us which was kind of nice since I never see her. It took many shots to get the squirrel since he was running about scavaging for nuts.

You might just see pictures just because.

Like this one where SIL is walking with Emmy through a forest. It’s so freaking adorable. She’s growing up so fast!

These maple leaves seem to be the winner for everyone.

I realized as I was going through my pictures …

… that pinks and purples and blues call to me.

I’m happy I was able to come since I don’t get picture taking opportunities like this.

This was behind the waterfall.

And you can see the lake from here. There is free parking by the lake if you don’t want to spend $9 online or $15 at the door to park.

Afterwards, we went back to Brudda and SIL’s before heading to Twisted Root Burger Co.

We were able to try an array of shakes, fries, and burgers and we loved them all!

While the rest of the clan went shopping, Sammi, Brudda and I went home to rest up before our meal at Texas de Brazil with everyone else.

Here is my plate of food I got from the salad bar.

And here’s a man holding my favourite, picana. It was a clear winner for everyone. I was surprised at how little I ate. I guess my stomach is getting smaller!

Tomorrow morning, we’ll be driving back to Houston. Zzzzz, so tired. Night, everyone!

Dallas Arboretum
8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218 | (214) 515-6615 | Website | Yelp

Twisted Root Burger Co
730 E Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75081 | (214) 570-9999 | Website | Yelp

Texas de Brazil
15101 Addison Road, Addison Texas 75001 | (972) 385-1000 | Website | Yelp

2018 Wilson & Mei Mei Visit | Part IV

April 16, 2018 by Mellie Dee 1 Comment

We were able to sleep in today, thank goodness! We were all so tired. We started out meeting Joanna, Jasmine, John, Katie, and Sarah at Hash House A Go Go for breakfast.

We all ordered different things and shared so that we got a little of everything. These portions were hella big. I didn’t think anything was too special as it seems to be regular Texas like breakfast.

We then went back to Brudda and SIL’s house for a bit before heading to Allen Premium Outlets. We (mostly Wilson and Mei Mei) shopped for HOURS and even skipped lunch so I was thankful to find old BelVita crackers in my purse to munch on. We called it quits leaving behind, John, Joanna, Jasmine, Katie, Wilson, Mei Mei, and Peggy. The rest of us headed back to Brudda and SIL’s for some small lunch.

Sometime later, we headed out to Rise N°1.

I thought it was kind of cute that they had this on the table when we walked in. My cousin booked the table so it had her name on it.

Their plates were so adorable, I wished I could have taken some home! It even has “rise” imprinted on them.

We got complimentary bread and butter. I loved their little cutting board knife duo. They even sell them by the front door but since I’m not a big bread eater, it would have gone to waste if I bought one. Great idea though!

Wilson, Mei Mei, SIL, and I shared our souffles, Escargot, Crab Cake, Crawfish, and Truffle Mushrooms. The best one was the escargot.

Then we shared our desserts of Pistachio, Chocolate, Grand Marnier, and Raspberry. Our favourite was a clear winner amongst the whole table: Pistachio.

Would I come back here? Probably not. It was just carbs and air we were eating. Nothing substantial but it was nice to experience it. The service was amazing though.

When we got home everyone seemed to be snacking. I guess I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t full! Brudda served an abalone each to himself and I. It was delicious and much filling than the dinner.

Tomorrow is going to be another long day so I’ll be hitting the hay now. Night, y’all!

Hash House A Go Go
1900 Preston Road, Plano, Texas 75093 | (972) 867-4646 | Website | Yelp

Rise N°1
5360 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, Texas 75209 | (214) 366-9900 | Website | Yelp

2018 Wilson & Mei Mei Visit | Part III

April 15, 2018 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

We all woke up and headed towards Dallas before the sun came up stopping by McDonald’s for a quick breakfast.

After a long drive, we stopped by Buc-ee’s at Madisonville for gas and others to use the restroom.

Once we got there, Brudda showed the house before heading to lunch meeting up with Joanna and Kiran at Lockhart Smokehouse.

We ordered two pounds of ribs, moist brisket, two links of original sausage, two links of jalapeno sausage, deviled eggs, mac & cheese, coleslaw, beans and potato salad. Everything was delicious. My favourite were the ribs, jalapeno sausage, and beans.

We stopped by Dude, Sweet Chocolate that was next door so that Wilson could try and buy if he wanted to.

We stopped by Joanna and Kiran’s new house that’s being built then headed to Hurts Donut Company.

We ordered way too many donuts but it was nice getting to try different flavours. Everything is way too sweet and we all agreed this was more for looks than for taste. Majority’s favourite was the bear claw.

Tammy went and got Emmy a little sausage kolache to munch on. It was not too shabby but it’s got nothing on the Kolache Factory … obviously.

We stopped by Ford Center at The Star to walk around.

I went and got a lotto scratch off. Wilson bought his first lotto ticket (Powerball I believe) and we’re excited to see what the outcome is, understanding it’s quite difficult to win.

Afterwards, we went to the outlets, not knowing it was closing early due to it being Sunday. We ended up going to one store but they were able to buy a few pairs of shoes and t-shirts. We’re aiming to have a full day of shopping for them as long as they needed.

Then we met up with Joanna, Kiran, Katie, John, Sarah, and Peggy at Legacy Hall. Tammy’s parents even joined us!

I love the little quotes they have on the wall. This one was my favourite.

This place is like a three-level food court and we all bought different things so everyone could try. These were some I was able to get a taste of. Overall, the food wasn’t bad but the cost wasn’t the best for the quality. Would I come back? Probably since it’s nice to be able to pick and choose different things.

[2018] 105/365: Movie Time with Brudda

Brudda and I both edited our own pictures while we watched Pitch Perfect 3. Sadly, we’re both so tired that we couldn’t finish it. We have 20 minutes left which I guess we’ll watch tomorrow. Until then, it’s bed time for me because it’s been a super, duper, long day.

McDonald’s
405 S Fry Road, Katy, Texas 77450 | (281) 492-2242 | Website | Yelp

Buc-ee’s
205 IH-45 S, Madisonville, Texas 77864 | (979) 238-6390 | Website | Yelp

Lockhart Smokehouse
1026 E 15th St, Plano, Texas 75074 | (972) 516-8900 | Website | Yelp

Dude, Sweet Chocolate
1016 E 15th St, Plano, Texas 75074 | (972) 424-6200 | Website | Yelp

Hurts Donut
3288 Main St, Frisco, Texas 75033 | Website | Yelp

Ford Center at The Star
9 Cowboys Way, Frisco, Texas 75034 | (972) 497-4900 | Website | Yelp

Legacy Hall
7800 Windrose Ave, Plano, Texas 75024 | (972) 846-4255 | Website | Yelp

2018 San Antonio Trip for Our 2nd Dating Anniversary | Day 3

April 8, 2018 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Upon waking up, Scruffy and I got ready, packed our bags, and headed out to get gas before meeting up with Andy at Taco Palenque for lunch.

We ordered our tacos and had some great conversations. I wished we found this place sooner because the tacos were pretty amazing.

[2018] 098/365: Getting Me Some Andy Time

It was nice to catch up with Andy. He’s a pretty busy man so getting a few minutes with him is better than nothing. He felt the same since he said giving me a hug was better than not seeing me. Hehe So sweet!

Scruffy and I headed back to Houston and we’re back to reality. Him with work and me with job searching.

Space Center 1601 E Nasa Pkwy, Houston, Texas 77058 | (281) 244-2100 | Website | Yelp

Cravin’ Cajun 2323 N Fry Road, Katy, Texas 77449 | (832) 321-4179 | Website | Yelp

Dallas Arboretum 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218 | (214) 515-6615 | Website | Yelp

Twisted Root Burger Co 730 E Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75081 | (214) 570-9999 | Website | Yelp

Texas de Brazil 15101 Addison Road, Addison Texas 75001 | (972) 385-1000 | Website | Yelp

Hash House A Go Go 1900 Preston Road, Plano, Texas 75093 | (972) 867-4646 | Website | Yelp

Rise N°1 5360 W Lovers Ln, Dallas, Texas 75209 | (214) 366-9900 | Website | Yelp

McDonald’s 405 S Fry Road, Katy, Texas 77450 | (281) 492-2242 | Website | Yelp

Buc-ee’s 205 IH-45 S, Madisonville, Texas 77864 | (979) 238-6390 | Website | Yelp

Lockhart Smokehouse 1026 E 15th St, Plano, Texas 75074 | (972) 516-8900 | Website | Yelp

Dude, Sweet Chocolate 1016 E 15th St, Plano, Texas 75074 | (972) 424-6200 | Website | Yelp

Hurts Donut 3288 Main St, Frisco, Texas 75033 | Website | Yelp

Ford Center at The Star 9 Cowboys Way, Frisco, Texas 75034 | (972) 497-4900 | Website | Yelp

Legacy Hall 7800 Windrose Ave, Plano, Texas 75024 | (972) 846-4255 | Website | Yelp

Taco Palenque 1002 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78209 | (210) 826-5313 | Website | Yelp