It all started with an airport arrival last Thursday. FD flew into town for a long weekend of class reunion, a high school football game, share a few cocktails with some old friends, therapy with/for her folks, to see “Beeba” and Tam, drink wine, eat stuff, hug on her Mom, laugh with her Dad, yada yada yada. FD, as I once wrote in Favorites, has many names. This weekend she was my “Baby Girl”. It’s always good to have her home as she brings energy and enthusiasm to the house.

We were greeted Saturday morning (well I wasn’t – I had a meeting in Dallas that allowed everyone else to burn daylight by sleeping in) with the FS and STBFDIL. This weekend he has my “Baby Boy” (not really Tyler – don’t mean to get too sappy here – you were and still are my “FS”). They drove up from Austin Friday night and partied with friends…only to land on our overnight accommodations (beds) about 4 a.m. And guess who they brought home with them…the FD. Nothing like partying with siblings to bring a family together. My guess is they drove home together to keep each other awake (I know they wouldn’t drink and drive).

The kids have gotten into a let’s-do-something-different habit the last couple times they’ve come home. This trip – Saturday afternoon – the favorites bought us all a wine

tasting class on the Square in Denton. We had fun. STBFDIL and I got a bit silly with the seven or so fine Argentina wines tasted within an hour. Brittany (I think) was our host. She obviously knows her wines and thus explains her ownership of Wine2 (actually it’s “wine squared” but I couldn’t make the “2” itty bitty and raised up off the line). duh.

OK there’s something about 12 people, 1 instructor, and 1 employee sitting in plastic bistro-style patio furniture (don’t get me wrong, it’s a neat place) trying to swirl wine and stick one’s nose into the business end of the glass and then guess what the liquid smells like, that’s just fun(ny). To me, I think all wine smells like wine and it needs to be drank…rather quickly…so I can have another thank you very much. Now STBFDIL and I got to smelling our wine, listening to the other class attendees express and showcase their knowledge of wine, and guessing our own smells within the wine. We could not smell the “good dirt – not bad dirt”, nor could we detect the slight overtones

of currant, crushed basil, green pepper (I did not know such a spice was out there), and feet – the things at the end of legs – that everyone else could. I personally thought my wine smelled like diapers, but it was probably nothing more than the remnants of laughing too much at ourselves and the other wine sippers/sniffers “pretenious” (as STBFDIL agreeably describes). Don’t you know that after about 3 glasses, the less talented win-os have a hard time “swirling” the wine in a glass. At some point it’s just “bottoms up” my friend. The hour long “class” reminded me of Frasier Crane, Niles, Marty, and of course Eddie. We had a grand time – thanks kiddos – and we ate to excess afterwards.

Three Fins Restaurant feed us after the wine class. I think we had everything on the menu that was fried. That would have the Fries, Calamari, Crawfish, Scallops, Shrimp, Salmon all done to perfection (or at least we thought so given our state of light headedness).

Sunday was met with some sadness. FD had a plane to catch back the NYC; FS and STBFDIL needed to drive back to Austin. So in typical family tradition, we ate. We ate at another favorite restaurant in Lewisville: Vinnie’s Italian. Now I wanted to boastfully blog about Vinnie’s (and I still might one day), but our Weekend Babies pending departure was met with sadness – Vinnie sold his restaurant to his cousin Tony. Thankfully Tony had been a cook for Vinnie, and Vinnie sold the recipes to Tony. Tony is cool – Vinnie was cooler. The food is still good, service outstanding…but we forgot to BYOW. Yeah, we could have had more wine but forgot to tote our own.

So the weekend came and went, as did our Favorites. Our All-the-time Baby seems pleased to have the house back under her control (that would be Mackie), but Mom and I are still thinking about our Weekend Babies and how we can’t wait till Christmas in the Hill Country.

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