Waxahachie: Market Coffee Shop

Should you find yourself in Waxahachie with a need for fresh flowers, farm to table meals or cold brew coffee, check out Fresh Market on S. Rogers Street.  What really set's their coffee apart is the way they brew, roast and select their beans. Henry, one of the owners of Fresh Market said about their beans that they're "going to be roasted that week or the week before...I have got four age barreled beans. What they do is they take an oak barrel and they age that barrel with rum, whisky or scotch. They take the liquor out and put the green coffee beans in it. They let the beans age in the barrel and then roast them. Zero alcohol in your coffee, but they have a flavor that is just amazing.”" -source Zachary and I spent a few hours working at Fresh Market and enjoyed the relaxed, open atmosphere, beautiful flowers on the table & of course, the coffee (tea for him :) ). There are several ways to take your coffee here, including chimex & french press, and they serve all the big city, coffee faves, like; cortodos and cubanos. Yum.
If you are around Waxahachie, or on your way to Dallas via I-35, swing by Fresh Market!

Fresh Market at Crooked Creek Farms is open 7 -11 a.m. and 2 – 7 p.m. Monday – Friday and 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday and closed on Sunday.

Visiting with David

 Since coming home we've had the opportunity to catch up with so many people! It's been amazing to hear about our friends and families lives the past 4 1/2 years. 4 1/2 years is way to long! Thankfully we have some amazing friends and family & we're able to skip all the awkwardness of being away so long, and get straight to catching up, right where we left off! It's funny how many of our conversations have started with, "Okay, so 5 years ago you were here (insert place), so where'd you go next?" Then the past 5 years' stories begin! We got to meet with David during one of our first weeks back in Austin. David was Zachary's best friend growing up and his Best Man in our wedding.
 We met at a local favorite, now not so local as this dellllicious burger joint is popping up all over Texas, Hopdoddy. I got a refreshing kale salad and Z got a mushroom-swiss burger.
Look at all those delicious burger choices. Nom nom nommm.
After lunch, we went and picked up David's girl-dog and made our way to Zilker park.
We spent hours in the sun, under the trees just talking, catching up on life. We have such a great time with David! After, hours in the sun, we were parched, so we headed to Radio City Coffee for some ammmmmmazing iced coffee.
Do you see the foam on top of that coffee? Love their cold brew! You don't need to add anything to it.
Austin! After dropping David and his pup-pup off, we grabbed a gyro (from the little gyro food truck in front of Spiderhouse, for the Austin peeps.) Those gyros, which as I found out that day, pronounced gee-row, not jie (long i) -row. Did you know this Readers? I think it's pretty much common knowledge. But knowledge that I never learned.
We had a great day outside, enjoying the Texas weather, Austin food & friends! Love you David!

Nanjing Lake Park

For my 27th birthday, Zachary made all my dreams come true by planning a surprise trip for us. This is something I loooove! It doesn't matter where for me, it's really just about the travel, the getting away & the making of memories. He surprised me with a whole weekend get away to a city near and dear to my heart, Nanjing. I had been to Nanjing before for a summer and really longed to go back, reminisce and show Zachary the city that drew us back to China. We spent one afternoon strolling through Nanjing Lake Park, a park in the middle of the city, guarded on one side by the Nanjing Wall. It was beautiful and a great place to relax, chat and get a little exercise in.  

We love Chinese park culture. Because the cities are crowded & mostly concrete, you can often find little getaway parks or squares with in a city. They will always be buzzing with life, too. Chinese people love the easier exercises of dance, walking and Tai Chi, and the parks are where they go to to them. If you want to sit back, relax and people watch in China, a park is a good place to go.
 

The hazy Nanjing skyline. Yuck. But the park was beautiful still, and some how the air seemed fresher! 

In the middle of the park there was a lovely rose garden. There were tons of varieties and colors to see. Though it was November, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom.  

We went to Nanjing in 'Movember' so Zachary was rocking the stache.

The happy birthday girl. :) Though the park had many people enjoying the weather and scenery, it was still big enough to enjoy quiet spaces and strolls. The park entrance is part of the Nanjing wall.
I always love this gold pegs on a red door feature that you see in tons of Chinese architecture.
Nanjing Lake Park is a great place to go for free to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy some scenery. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, before or after, you explore the Nanjing wall. The park also has small sail boats and paddle boats for rent.

Thank you sweet husband for making my dreams come true by planning a surprise trip! I love you!