Guest Post: From AL to TX Part II

Part II of Emily's trip to Texas to see her sweetheart for his 25th birthday! Read Part I here.

Date #2 – Wildflower Picking

During my drive to TX, one of the things that made the trip enjoyable (or at least bearable) were the large expanses of wildflower-dotted fields. They are absolutely beautiful.

So, after mentioning to Richey that I wanted to go wildflower picking, he took me to a field of wildflowers near his house and set me loose, camera in hand.  (Be careful not to go wildflower picking in areas where it's illegal!)

Date #3 – Day Trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth

Several months ago, I bought tickets to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament for Richey’s birthday, since visiting a medieval-themed restaurant was one of the items on our wish list.

At approximately $75, the tickets were not particularly cheap, but I did get them at a discount, thanks to a Christmas promotion. (Speaking of promotions, Medieval Times is currently offering tickets for seats at U.S. castles for $34.95 each. Head over to their website for ticket reservations and a list of locations.)

To make sure Richey didn’t plan anything for the day of our tournament, I planned a trip to see my friend Wendy, who lives in Ft. Worth. She made us a delicious lunch of eggplant parmesan, so our only cost was the bottles of sparkling grape juice Richey brought. (What a gracious guest he is!)

After spending a couple of hours in Ft. Worth, we drove over to Medieval Times in Dallas. We got there a couple of hours before our show and, once allowed into the castle, were surrounded with plenty of over-priced attractions: a museum, face-painting, swords, tacky jewelry, etc. To avoid spending any more money, we bypassed these attractions and found a table in the back of the lobby, occupying ourselves with a medieval knights coloring book I’d bought Richey for his birthday.

When we were finally ushered into the arena, we were served a meal of tomato soup, turkey legs, and garlic bread (no utensils allowed) and watched a rousing (and anachronistic) reenactment of a medieval jousting tournament.

Again, we turned down all the extras we were offered during the performance (drinks from the bar, a $20 picture of us with the “king,” and glowing swords [authentic medieval swords, I’m sure]). Then, on our way out, they handed us a buy one get one free coupon for our next visit! (This promotion, by the way, is also available online.)

Our trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth was definitely our most expensive date, but I thought it was well worth it – definitely a memorable experience and one of Richey’s favorite gifts (so he says)!

Now that I’m back in AL, Richey and I are cooking up some new ideas for long distance dates…

Stay tuned!