Changing things up for the weekend

This weekend we are going on a very special trip. We are meeting my parents and going back to Oregon.

I took John to Oregon 2 years ago (wow, time flies) for his 30th Birthday. We had such a great time we wanted to go back and introduce the beauty of Oregon to my folks.

When we went- we fell in love with Pinots in the Willamette wine country.  The good thing- they are an amazing and special wine with tons of flavor, but smooth enough to go with everything- from fish to steak, hot summer day to cold winters night. The bad thing- the good ones are pricey- but worth every penny.

We also fell in love with the people- everyone is so laid back.  We loved exploring all that Oregon has to offer- the wine country, the coast, and the cities.

So, I will take a break from my beer drinking ways to enjoy fabulous wine and company!

Everybody Have Fun Tonight

The past weekend we checked out the new 80's bar that opened in Fort Worth a few months ago, called Studio Eighty. If you love the 80's, heck if you even remotely liked the 80's- you will have a BLAST at this bar.

It's located off University, in between 7th Street and White Settlement Road. We are old- so we got there super early. I would only recommend this time if you are also old and like us- loving dancing by yourselves on the dance floor. We got there around 7:30- really because through all the research, it said they serve food. Reality- they do NOT serve REAL food. They serve bar food. And to keep things easy for them and expensive for us- everything on the menu is 10 dollars. I think that is a lot for bar food. So, don't go hungry.

Terri and I with our 80's waitress

But, the atmosphere was great. All the cocktail waitresses wear their 80's gear- neon colors, leg warmers, and of course- the torn, off -the- shoulder sweat shirts.

And the music- how I loved the music! All the 80's classics were played and all of them we danced to! We got our workout for sure that night. How could you sit on the sidelines with hits like, " I think we're Alone now", " Walk like an Egyptian" , and "Love is a Battlefield".  And the hits go on and on.

We LOVE the dance floor to ourselves!

The bartender said when we walked in as the first customers, things really pick up at 11:30 PM. We left around 11:00 and the place was hopping- a little too hopping for old peeps- but then again, I really like the dance floor all to myself!

The beer was cold, the service was great, and most of all, I got to relive the hits of the 80's all less than 5 miles from home.

John wore his swatch watch

Bean and Chris

Overall, Studio Eighty was one for the books- a place I would definitely go back to. However, next time, I will be dressing the part...neon and leg warmers- here I come!

We really tried to look the part- but need the outfit next time!

A night with Willie and the Boys

I haven't been to a concert in years! So, when I saw that Willie Nelson was coming to town, and coming to Billy Bob's- I couldn't resist the opportunity to get back into live music. I love Willie Nelson for many reasons. The main reason- he's just cool. Everyone loves him. You can be 12 or 90 and you just like the guy. He's true to himself, a great musician, and well, just one of a kind.

So, last night, I dusted off my boots (that I got 3 years ago and have only worn once to the Rodeo) and headed to the Stockyards with John, Terri, and Chris. We started at THE Stockyards tourist restaurant- H3 Ranch. It was a close walk to Billy Bob's after dinner and we wanted to give it a whirl. The place was filled with history and character, the food was delish, and the beer was cold. A great start to the evening.

Terri is "side-saddling" the famous saddle bar stools

Sisters at H3 Ranch

No, I am NOT ever drinking this beer!

 Then, we headed to Billy Bobs' for the concert. I love this place. It's been a few years since I had been there- and the people watching is greatness. You just see it all- especially with a Willie concert. You never know who will be there. (Even US!)

Yep, we are here- part of the people watching I'm sure (esp on the dance floor)

He played all our favorites from "A Good Hearted Woman", " Mamas Don't Let you Babies Grow up to be Cowboys" to " Healing Hands of Time". It was a really great show. He played straight from 10:30 to midnight- only taking a few breaks to let his son, Lucas Nelson, sing. (Which got us thinking...how many kids does Willie have....?)

Yep, the hand stamps! Didn't know we needed a stamp to remind ourselves we were at a party!

 And the beer, wow. Billy Bob's does the cold beer right. They have big beer tubs- so as long as you have cash- there is no line and the bar and the beer has been sitting in ice for hours. I wish more places would pick up on this idea!

Cheers to a great night!

What a great night! And what did I walk away with this evening filled with music, dancing, and more?

I should wear my boots more often!

Love my boots! They are the ones on the left!

Christmas Staycation

This year the holidays were great! This was our year to stay in Fort Worth and we were extremely blessed to celebrate with both sides of the family. My whole family came in from three different states to celebrate the holidays. The nice part about being in Texas is that we are the central location for the family. With my sister and her husband in Phoenix, my grandparents in Florida, and my parents in Nashville- its the easiest for everyone to get here.

We had a great time celebrating Christmas, a baby shower for my sister, and just being together.

I got some great gifts! If you are wondering how my family feels about my beer blog- wonder no more. Here are a few items that I got this year. I can't wait to try them out in the months to come!

This is a bottle opener from my sister- AWESOME! Love that is has my blog engraved

This cute hat came from my mom- yep, I guess that's me! Ha!

Fancy Pants

I have a lot of Monica in me- I love to categorize EVERYTHING! I have categories for my perfume, my moisturizer, shampoo, towels, napkins, purses, scarves, lip gloss- you name it- it's categorized. Duh, and beer too. From special occasion, to guest, to fancy guest- its all there.

But do you think I went too far with categorizing my dish brushes? 

Fancy is on the left and only used for pretty clean dishes, everyday is on the right