A "Fair"ly Good Weekend

I love this time of year! Cold weather, pumpkins, colored leaves...and the Texas State Fair! Sterling and I can't get enough of Big Tex, fried food, fun rides and so much more!

This year, we kicked off our state fair weekend with a concert at the Gexa Energy Pavilion to see Zac Brown Band. We had a great time sitting on the lawn with our blanket under the stars listening to great music. This was the perfect time of year to go, because it wasn't that sweltering Texas heat. When the sun went down the weather was nice...as if you can have nice weather in Texas.

We also had a wonderful time because we were joined by Sterling's brother and his girlfriend. A concert at the Gexa Energy Pavilion is perfect for a double date. You don't have to worry about getting seats together, just remember to lay down your blankets in the same area! It was the perfect beginning to our weekend spent at Fair Park.

The next morning we drove ourselves to the DART station to be at Fair Park at 10 am when the fair opened. Sterling and I aren't ones for crowds, so we loved getting to the fair early (AKA no waiting in line for our Fletcher's corn dogs)! The DART is inexpensive and efficient. Pay $5 a person for a day pass, and the DART train will drop you off at the entrance for the state fair. Yes, you heard me right: no waiting in traffic, no paying for parking, no walking to the fair, and no losing where you parked.

When we arrived at the fair, we had to get the Fletcher's corn dogs, because we think about those all year long. We are also huge fans of the food at the fair. Let's be honest, it's the real reason we go to the fair.

Last year we went at night so we had a hard time finding the finalists in the fried food competition, but this year it was our goal to taste some! Right by the main Fletcher's corn dog station, we found the Texas Bluebonnet. This is a blueberry muffin, stuffed with cream cheese, blueberries and white chocolate. It is of course deep fried. Then to top it off, it's served with whipped cream, white chocolate chips and a blueberry sauce. It was Sterling's favorite.

After we had all the food we could handle for the moment, we went to one of my favorite parts of the state fair: the dog show. Ya'll these dogs are the cutest! This is also a free event {and on our newlywed budget, we are loving free}

The dog show led us to the area with all of the animals, so of course we had to visit with the cows, pigs and llamas. When you are in the barn, you almost forget you are smack dab in the middle of the a huge city!

We started to get hungry again, and I was determined to eat the Fried Sweet Texas. This is a pie filled with buttermilk pie, peach cobbler, and pecan pie. It's deep fried and served with a true Texas staple, Blue Bell ice cream. Ya'll I could have easily eaten two. {There is no judgement at Dallas for Two}

Sterling and I walked around and enjoyed two other fried treats--fried Reese's cup and fried cookie dough. Both perfect.

On this trip to the fair, we didn't ride any rides or play any games, but that's the fun part of the state fair--you can make it your own memorable experience. You may not care about the food, but that's alright, because there is something for everyone, which makes it the perfect date spot. But, hurry there, the last day is October 19! Do you have any fun Texas State fair traditions?

Giving Back

Date nights don't always just have to be about you as a couple. Sometimes, by focusing on someone else, you grow closer together as a couple. Sterling and I are extremely passionate about giving back to others. We love using our time and talents to support causes we find important. By volunteering together, we spend time together and have the opportunity to make a difference. 

One volunteer opportunity near and dear to my heart is Operation Christmas Child. I had the blessing of working there as a Media Relations Associate in 2012, and I loved every second. What does Operation Christmas Child do? In a nutshell, Operation Christmas Child sends gift-filled shoe boxes to children overseas to tell them about the love of Jesus.

When I found out that there would be a processing center in the DFW area, I knew Sterling and I would have to volunteer. At the processing center, we looked through boxes for liquids, breakables, and other items that aren’t allowed to be shipped. We also taped up the boxes and crated them for shipment. They took time periodically throughout the process to pray over the boxes and tell us where these boxes were going. I loved knowing a child in South America was going to be getting a box filled with school supplies, soap, a teddy bear, and a toothbrush. 

It was an incredible day for a cause we have such a heart for. We also love that we can get involved with Operation Christmas Child outside of the processing center. You can pack shoe box gifts for the children. To learn more about packing shoe boxes, go to their website. You can also sign up to volunteer at a processing center, here.

Find a cause that you and your significant other feel strongly about and spend time volunteering. You will grow closer in a way that dinner and a movie won't give to you. How do you and your significant other give back together? Let us know in the comments section below! 

Dallas for Two Goes to Mexico!

Hola!

We are sorry that we haven't been posting! In case you missed it, WE GOT MARRIED! Yes, we are now Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Shanks, and we love it. August 16, 2014 was a perfect day, but for the purposes of this blog, we will be talking about August 17-22 at our new favorite place—EXCELLENCE PLAYA MUJERES!

For anyone going on a honeymoon or any romantic getaway for that matter, this place was absolute perfection. The pools, the beach, the amazing staff…sorry I am getting ahead of myself J

Once we arrived at the Cancun airport, we met our transfer shuttle to take us to the resort. We passed through two security checkpoints, so we felt very safe. When we arrived, we were met with drinks and a cold towel. As we walked through the huge doors, we were seated until we were ready to check in.

We are honeymooners! 

After checking in, we were taken to our room. When we arrived we saw this sign in front of our door (I might have squealed and jumped up and down). Our room was beautiful with a huge closet and bed and a patio with a gorgeous view.

After we took a tour around the resort, we got ready for dinner at Agave. The resort has many restaurants, and in an effort that we get the full effect of the resort, Sterling and I implemented a tradition we like to call "second dinner." We would go to dinner early then go again later that night. We only didn't make it to 2 restaurants! Now second dinner isn't for the faint of heart, but it was totally worth it. 

Monday morning came, and we had our appointment we had set at the spa. When we arrived, we were taken to the wellness spa where we spent time in the sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy treatment circuit. After our wellness treatment, we went upstairs for our couples massage. It was everything we had hoped for and more! Sterling and I sat up after our massage, looked at each other and without speaking, agreed we were in heaven. 

After the spa, we spent the rest of the day by the pool and the beach. Everyday we went to the pool or beach, we never struggled for finding a great spot. That night we went to dinner at Chez Isabel, the French restaurant, another great choice! This was our first night of second dinner, and we went to Flavor Market, this wasn't our favorite place, but was still a fun experience with all the tapas. We went to bed early this night, because we had to wake up early the next morning.

7:15 am was an early wake up call for these honeymooners, but we were excited for our day at Xplor, a park where we spent our day swimming, zip lining, rafting and driving off road vehicles. We didn't get back to the resort until 6:15, but it was an incredible day. Sterling and I really felt like we got the most "bang for our buck" at Xplor. 

When we got back, we went to dinner at Spice, the Asian restaurant {this was of course Sterling's favorite}, but I had to agree that my fried rice was amazing. Second dinner that night was at Barcelona, the Mediterranean restaurant, which was delicious as well. 

Wednesday we headed out for our other excursion, snorkeling in Puerto Morales. We saw sea turtles, squid, stingrays, sea urchins, barracudas and eels, not to mention all the fun fish. Sterling and I had a great time swimming in the ocean and having a more relaxing excursion the day. We made it back to the resort early, so we spent the rest of the day lounging out by the pool. It was after the pool that we realized how sunburnt we were. 

Sterling and I went to dinner at Toscana, the Italian restaurant and then were hurting so badly that we had room service for second dinner. Aloe vera was our new best friend for the next couple of days. 

Thursday was our last full day at the resort, and we wanted to soak it all in. We started the morning at the beach with a nap and some reading, and then headed to the pool for the same. We were lucky enough to snag a bed by the pool, and we camped out there until it was time for dinner. Since Thursday was our last night, we decided to have our special honeymoon dinner at Toscana. When we arrived, they had rose petals all over our table, and we were given a special dessert :) That night was the Michael Jackson show, and we LOVED it! I will not boast about all the shows, because we'll be honest...we only like the Michael Jackson show and the Circus show. 

Friday was hard to say goodbye, but we were so thankful for the week of relaxation and this wonderful wedding gift from Sterling's parents. We have already started looking at when we can go again {I am actually serious, we looked today.}