I seemed to be all over the Metroplex this weekend. Not enough for a Where’s TexAnnie event, but enough to keep me hopping. I spent Saturday up in the Parker/Allen area, shopping and had a great lunch at The Village Burger Bar in the Watters Creek area. 
I had their blue burger with sweet potato fries. I am pretty sure they snuck some green stuff in on me, I think there was avocado on top of that burger in addition to the blue cheese. I also had one, ok two of their watermelon mojitos. The bartender told me it would be the best mojito I have ever had–he was right. Lunch was outside on the patio, and the sun seemed to move in and out making it a wonderful way to spend two hours on a Saturday afternoon. Time spent with my friend Carol was priceless.
Sunday started with the alarm clock ringing at 6:00 a.m. I had signed up to do the Hills & Heels event in Las Colinas. I’m not a runner, but thought that walking the 5K was in my comfort zone. It was cloudy and cool, which made for a great walk. There were lots of men in skirts, really SHORT skirts that started my day with a chuckle. You have to admire men that are that confident in themselves to run around in skirts. 
There is an amazing bronze in the center of Las Colinas, and no visit to that area would be complete without seeing these horses up close and personal. It was a fun, no pressure event. I am pretty sure that I bested my time on a 5K walk. I’ll wait for the official time but I was pretty proud of how I did today. I think that the dancing I have been doing has increased my stamina.
I decided to reward myself with breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot in Texas, Cafe Brazil. When I first started coming to Texas to visit, a stop at Cafe Brazil either on the way in from the airport, or heading back to Ohio was part of the deal. I can remember some sad breakfasts there, I really felt like I was leaving home when I had to leave Texas to head back to the cornfields of Ohio. But now, I can go to Cafe Brazil whenever I like. My favorite meal there is the half order of french toast with fruit. This morning I decided to change things up a bit and I ordered the pan crepes with fruit. Wow, I now have a new favorite at Cafe Brazil. I also have a new goal. I’ve decided to try breakfast at all of the Cafe Brazil Restaurants in the DFW area and try something new at each one of them. 
This photo was taken pretty close in time for the Moment in Time photo project, so that was my entry.
One would think that would be enough. I came home and had a long hot bubble bath, a nap and I was ready for my last adventure of the day. I decided to head off to a painting class at Painting With a Twist in Grapevine. The project for today was a tropical island scene.
I decided to skip the wine for this Sunday afternoon painting adventure. I had bought a coupon a few months back from a local radio station promotion. My first visit to Painting with a Twist was with a Groupon Coupon.
On my first visit, the picture we were painting was traced on the canvas. This time, there was a blank canvas waiting for me. A BLANK CANVAS? How in the heck was I ever going to paint this scene with no lines to follow? Then we began…
The instructor stands up on a small stage and paints. She has a great deal of patience, and if things get frustrating, it’s amazing what a difference a little sip of wine can make. But remember, I was just drinking water?
I’m not sure if mine is looking exactly like hers, or even close. But I keep following along, convinced that by the time I am done, the painting will sort of resemble what she’s trying to teach us. There’s lots of laughter in the room during the class. It’s really a low pressure environment, and it’s all about having fun, and not being perfect. I walked away to wash out a paint brush and decided that my painting looked pretty good from across the room.
The finished product…It looks great in the photo, and not too bad from across the room. I headed for home with a smile on my face, not too bad.
Joy is the feeling of grinning on the inside.
Dr. Melba Colgrove
Posted by Cafe Brazil on May 3, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Annie, you are obviously a woman of great taste. We love your post and are thrilled that you came in and took the time to give us such an awesome shout out! We look forward to hearing about your efforts to make the rounds to our 10 locations!