This was a Fabulous Weekend!

This past weekend, Austin and I went to the ballet in Fort Worth. A few months ago, Austin had gotten me tickets because he knew that I really wanted to go and he wanted the first ballet that we to together to be great so he also spent several weeks looking into which ballet to go to. After much thought, he decided that we would go to the Texas Ballet's production of Dracula. Since it was originally written by the producer of the Fort Worth ballet and was taken everywhere (even Broadway) Austin thought it would be great for our first ballet.

The production was held in Bass Hall in Downtown Fort Worth, a building which in itself is a beautiful work of art. Since it was in Fort Worth, Austin also decided to get a hotel in Sundance Square so we could grab dinner and drinks beforehand. I have never been to Sundance Square before, so it really was quite an enjoyable experience. The hotel we stayed at was really lovely, and being downtown, we didn't have to worry about driving around. Because the hotel was downtown, we could walk around and enjoy the beautiful weather we had this past weekend. And, any time you're going to be drinking it's just nice to know you don't have to worry about driving.

Dinner was at a great Italian place, Taverna. It is a fairly new Italian pizzeria and risotteria that I don't think would hold more than 200 people. Taverna has a very intimate setting because it is a smaller restaurant. The wine selection was much better than most places, mostly because it is a higher-class Italian restaurant. Now, the important part: the food. We started with a bruschetta and it was absolutely delicious. Since we were both hungry, maybe that was that the reason we thought it was so great. By the time dinner arrived, we had both eaten enough to be able to actually decide how good it really was. I decided to order one of their risottos because this was a risotteria, a risotto con capesante. This a was a risotto with artichokes, roasted grape tomatoes, lemon confit, pan seared diver scallops, and pan juice. Austin went with fettucine frutti di mare, a fettucine with shrimp, mussels, clams & scallops tossed

in a brandy crustacean cream sauce. I can't speak for Austin, but my dish was divine. The scallops were large and perfectly cooked, the risotto was creamy and full of flavor. I've noticed that a lot of places tend to cook their risotto rice beforehand and then just throw in everything else that is going to add to the risotto. Taverna did not do this. The flavors worked amazingly together. Dessert looked delicious, but by this point we were stuffed and knew we wouldn't be able to really enjoy it. Maybe next time we'll stick around for dessert... I know we'll be going back and I would suggest any of you do, as well.

We spent about an hour and a half walking around Sundance Square enjoying the night and each other's company. With the stress of the past couple months and everything we've been dealing with, it was nice to just be able to get away from it all. We did find a little bar, Durty Murphy's. It was a fairly quiet little pub with an Irish theme and great music playing. The bartender was great and the drinks were good, it was a really nice place to have a couple drinks before the show. We did meet a couple of people there that were really great and we had a lot in common with. We even exchanged numbers and might do something in the future.

The ballet itself was absolutely amazing. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with a story like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and was very interested to see how it would turn out. Austin... He was just going to try and make it through because he knew how much I was looking forward to it. The dancers were just amazing, I don't think they ever missed a mark in the entire two hour show. I know that even if I were to dance every day for the next ten years I still wouldn't be as good as those girls. The story itself was beautifully translated without a word ever having to be spoken. The dancers were able to draw in the entire audience and it was a magical feeling. Since the Hall was completely sold out, there was a very intimate feeling, even though there were thousands of people in the entire building. It felt like this theater was the only place in the entire world.

After the show, Austin and I went out to the Library for a few drinks and finished up at Durty Murphy’s. Austin was surprised with how much he actually did enjoy the entire show. His opinion was that because it was more of a “modern” ballet he was able to enjoy it, I just think it's because he's never given it a shot before. After a few drinks, we walked back to the hotel. It really was a great night and a wonderful way to be able to get away from our lives and the stress we've been living with. Also, I was able to get a pair of pointe shoes that one of the dancers used in a show, signed! I know I'll be putting them, as well as our tickets and program and pictures, into a shadow box to have on display.

Since I know Austin enjoyed it, I know we'll be able to start going to more ballets together in the future. I can't wait until we can go to another one!