Fort Worth Weekend!

Mike and I decided to postpone our anniversary celebration from June 25 to Independence Day weekend. We did so because of a concert that we particularly wanted to go to, and I'm SO glad that we did!
We left Searcy on Friday, and while we'd have been in Fort Worth in time to go to a fireworks show, we opted to just settle in at Kathy & Nico's house. We'd wanted to go to the Botanic Gardens for the Concerts in the Garden, given by the Fort Worth Symphony, but I wasn't sure how to get there from where we were staying. It was alright, though, because from their living room window, I could see at least five different displays around the city. It was gorgeous!
I finally got to meet Nico, Kathy's fiance. He seems absolutely wonderful! Great guy, good family, and he can cook! Always a plus!
Related to that...Kathy asked me to be her Matron of Honor! I deeply appreciate that honor and priveledge, and I can't wait until her big day! She'll be a lovely bride, and I hope that I can help made it a special day for her.
On Saturday evening, we (Kat & Nico, Kathy's grandparents and brother, Nico's family, and Mike and I) all went to LaGrave Field for the Fort Worth Cats baseball game. They're the Triple A/feeder team for the Texas Rangers. It was SO much fun! It's more relaxed than a major league game, and had more scoring than the majors, too, which gave it a faster pace. There was a gorgeous fireworks display after the game, too. It was a great night! Oh, and the Cats won!
Sunday had a tinge of bittersweetness to it, because Rosemont wasn't there anymore for me to go home to. We went instead to the Southside Church of Christ, where I'd heard that a lot of the older Rosemont people wound up. I saw several of them, as well as someone I hadn't seen for probably ten years. It was great to see everybody, but a little hard, too, because there were so many others that had gone elsewhere and I know that I'll never see everybody together anymore. It was still nice to see those that were there, though. Next time, I'll probably go to the Burleson CoC...I know that a lot of people went there, too, after Rosemont closed.
We went to brunch in the Botanic Gardens after that...there's a little restaurant in there that only serves brunch. I'd never been before, so Mike and I met up there with Kathy, Nico,and Ashley. It was good, and not as expensive as I expected them to be, particularly given that it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. I was impressed. We went to see Wanted downtown after that...I had my eyes turned away quite a bit (it was a little graphic for me) but I thought the story was interesting, and I love the three principal actors and actress (James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie). Not one that I'll watch again, in all likelihood, but I'm glad to have seen it.
Monday was a fairly laid back day, since we didn't want to wear ourselves out before the concert. We wandered around downtown some, and in a couple of shops on Camp Bowie, and I ate, for the first time, at a sushi bar! I ordered Terriyaki Chicken, since I didn't want to get stuck with a lot of raw fish if I didn't like it, but I did try some of Kathy's. I don't remember what it was called, but the fish was salmon. I didn't like the texture of it at all, but I think I could get used to it, and I did actually like the flavor. I think.
The concert was amazing. Parking was ridiculous ($15!) but since the theater is kind of off by itself, they could get away with that. Oh well. The opener was Sharon Little. She said that four months ago, she was waitressing, and that Robert Plant and Alison Krauss hand-picked her to tour with them. I think that's awesome. I liked her. Mike and I had the PERFECT seats...we were in the front row of the balcony, so there were no people in front of us blocking our view, and it gave me a place to rest my camera. I was able to take lots of pictures without flash and they came out really well. Also, our row was all by itself...nobody behind us kicking our chairs! Those are definitely the seats we're going to go for anytime we go to that venue. Anyway...the show itself was great...they sang the songs from their album, of course, but also mixed in some of their old stuff. She sang Down to the River to Pray, with him singing background, and sort of combining their styles, and he sang some Zeppelin stuff while she put a bluegrass spin on it. It's amazing to me that their styles blend so well, and I love it. T-Bone Burnett also played a few songs...I've always heard his name, but always as the producer. He's a great musician, too, though. Not really my style of music, but I can definitely appreciate his talent. It was a great show.
Well...that was my wonderful weekend! I hope I can go back soon!