Kathy Squared - GWB Museum

Last weekend we got to visit with Jordan's mom, Kathy!  We hosted her for a few days while she was in the Dallas area and had a great visit!

That's TWO Kathy's under one roof!  But don't worry, Jordan is used to the chatty Kathy's in his life.

We kicked off the weekend with dinner on Friday night followed by a mini birthday celebration!  Kathy's birthday is later this month so we wanted to make her feel special and celebrate!  I made a birthday cake and we bought some beautiful flowers for us ladies to enjoy over the weekend!

These are various cake pictures.  I made a yellow cake with vanilla butter cream frosting.  The cake tasted great and I was happy with how my minimal design turned out!  It is very tricky to get the frosting smooth and level across the top but I wanted to avoid using fondant if at all possible.  This cake was easily 5+ inches tall!

Saturday we hit the city to explore!  We decided to go to the George W. Bush Museum and Library on the SMU campus in Dallas (about $20pp if you're planning to go).  

We hit the museum on a PERFECT day!  It wasn't too crowded and the weather was mild.  

Top Left: The three of us in front of the building.  The courtyard/fountain area is very large so lots of groups and tours have space to congregate and chat.

Top Right: I loved this shiny necklace!  It was a sapphire and diamond jewelry set given to Laura Bush by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2007.  SHINY!

Bottom Left: The whole museum is interesting but I thought the tribute to 911 was especially emotional.  It was great to see how the museum honored the lives of those lost in that tragedy (by name).  At the center of the 911 section, you can see two mangled steel pillars that came from the buildings after the attack.  It just touched my heart.

Bottom Right: I wanted to take pictures of everything in the museum, but that was impossible.  I thought this his and hers jacket set was adorable though.  Both George and Laura had their own jackets to wear aboard Air Force One.  

If you stop by the GWB museum there is so much to see: replica of the rose garden and oval office (to exact detailed specifications), all the diplomatic gifts, original speech drafts, rich history, and even dishware and fashion worn by the first lady.  I got a good giggle when I saw the food bowls used by the dogs.

Inside the museum is a replica of the oval office as it appeared during GWB's presidency.  I thought this was really cool because you felt like you were literally standing in DC.  The room was large but surprisingly smaller than my expectations (probably due to TV).  Every detail is exactly as if GWB was still there.  The Texas art (lots of bluebonnets and cactus), carpeting, labels on the phone, and even the pictures on the table behind his desk.

Top Left: The usher took a picture of Jordan and I "making a deal".  His serious expression paired with my smile makes me think I was getting the better end of the deal!

Top Right: The official presidential phone!

Bottom Left: This is the emblem on the carpet in the center of the room (the ceiling matched).

Bottom Right: Every guest has the opportunity to sit at the resolute desk for a photo opportunity.  I enthusiastically sat down and felt right at home!  It's a little humbling to imagine the weight of the decisions that were made at that desk (the real one, not the replica).

The museum was wonderful, but they also had a temporary bonus exhibit.  GWB's collection of paintings was on display for just a few more weeks.  You can read all about his Portraits of Courage on the website.  There are SO many touching stories about brave and courageous people!

Top Right: This is a painting of Melissa Stockwell (United States Army).  In 2004, she was riding in a HUMVEE and was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq causing her to loose her left leg.  In 2012, she participated in a W100k where she danced with GWB and took this picture.  Bottom Right is GWB's painting of that special dance.

Bottom Left: This is Jeremy James Valdez (United States Army).  I'd asked the usher why GWB never signed any of his paintings.  Every artist is different so I assumed there had to be a story behind that fact.  As it turns out GWB preferred not to sign any of his paintings so that the viewer would focus only on the subject and their courageous story.  Prior to the painting, Jeremy had asked GWB to sign his tattoo so that he would have a tattoo artist make the signature permanent.  Thus, this is the only painting by GWB that is "signed" by him.

Top Left: This is Cafe 43 (43rd president).  The menu looked amazing but a tad pricey for lunch so we opted to eat somewhere else.

Top Right: At first glance, the museum looked a little rough around the edges.  After reading up, we read that GW and Laura preferred that the grounds look more like the plains of Texas rather than perfectly groomed grass.  The prairie grass and the wide open space really did make you feel like you were in a field rather than downtown Dallas.

Bottom Left: We decided to stop at Desperado's and enjoy an award winning margarita (bottom right)!

Later in the weekend we decided to stop by Good Neighbor Brews to enjoy a craft beer.  The owners are Red Raiders and the vibe of the brewery is really casual!

Top Left: TTU and TX flags!

Bottom Left: We had "Slim Sweetness" beers but they served them in "M-RYE'ah" glasses.  Each time we come they seem to add a new brew to their menu!

Top Right: No blog post is complete without a picture of Abby.  This is her puss-n-boots look when she is ready for bed or wants attention.  She always seems exhausted after weekends and gets her rest during the work week!

Bottom Right: This is the brewery cat.  I'm not a fan of kitties (too much shedding) but this one was pretty cute.

That's all from our wonderful weekend!  Was great to visit with Kathy!