Well, there’s nothing good about a hurricane other than seeing family and friends if you are able to evacuate. We got out of town for Hurricane Dorian to fled to Houston to be with my parents and as soon as we made the decision to leave, I knew I wanted to try and see my dearest friend Claire while I was there. She lives in San Antonio and we have both showed up at each others houses unannounced in the past, which really IS surprising considering we live in different states. The first time it happened, I had just had Sutton a few weeks prior and she waltzed into my living room and to this day, it was still the biggest surprise I’ve experienced (except maybe Dwight proposing, haha).

Claire has been such a faithful, lifelong friend to me. We’ve grown up together, lived together during college and now are experiencing motherhood alongside one another. I mean, she is the one I call when I am wondering “WHAT THE HECK do I do with this kid” and she always has a wise, Godly answer to give me. Claire knows me and loves me and is truly my sister I never had.

I had planned to reach out to Claire’s husband Joey to inform him of my scheme, but ironically enough, he called my husband the same day we bought out tickets to check and see what our plans were for the hurricane. Dwight told him that I was hopeful to surprise Claire and then Joey suggested having us meet half way in Houston for a night away. Claire is a mom of 5 (who also home schools might I add!) so the opportunity for her to get any sort of R&R is few and far between. Thankfully it worked out for my parents to keep my kids since Dwight wouldn’t have made it to Texas at that point.

Where did we Stay?

We stayed at The Houstonian. I have stayed here one time prior and was so excited to get to return and enjoy as much as we could in our short visit. It’s such a beautiful property, nestled into the woods, despite being right int he heart of Houston. Our room was beautiful and had a floor to ceiling view of the trees outside…only adding to the secluded feel. There is a wonderful spa on property that unfortunately we didn’t get to visit this stay but we did enjoy the pool. It was Labor Day when we were there so it was quite busy, but we were able to find a quiet spot at the smaller pool.

The hotel is both family friendly yet still quiet enough if you are hoping for a more adult atmosphere. They also have a wonderful walking trail that is really beautiful, and I would have taken a little stroll if the temperatures wen’t creeping upwards of 100 degrees! Whew! Florida is certainly hot but I forgot how it feels like a literal oven outside with the hairdryer-on-your-face wind to “cool you off.”

What did we eat?

Dinner- Ouisie’s. A more upscale, yet still casual environment with a menu focused on seafood with a few southern favorites. Loved the little selection of biscuits they brought out to start off the dinner (each one was different from jalapeno cheddar to scallions). I had the trout and Claire had shrimp and grits. We decided to forego dessert there in order to have dessert at….

Dessert– Tiny’s Milk & Cookies Ok, y’all know if a restaurant wants to succeed these days, they have to create an “experience” for the customer and this place has done just that. It is THE MOST adorable order from an outdoor counter with a giant light blue barn door and white shiplap adorning the walls. It feels like you are stepping back in time as you order either your hot cookies or a scoop of ice cream. Be warned that this place is popular and we waited almost 30 minutes (and its outside) for our ice cream but it was so delicious and worth the wait. I had the milk & cookies ice cream and Claire had the birthday cake ice cream. I also want to try out their other restaurants next time we are back in Houston.

Breakfast– Tribute at The Houstonian We debated going somewhere other than the hotel for breakfast to take advantage of the local offerings, but due to our limited time there, we decided just to eat there. Tribute is the hotels signature restaurant that is a combination of Texas, Louisiana and Mexican cuisine. The breakfast menu had a wonderful offering of unique dishes that coincided with the restaurants cuisine mashup. I had the cinnamon waffle with pecan butter (mouthwatering!) and Claire had the biscuits and gravy with sausage. It was a lovely atmosphere and we sat and enjoy every bite of our slow, uninterrupted breakfast.

Lunch– Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette We honestly just stumbled across this restaurant in hopes to get something to small to tide up over to dinner as we weren’t very hungry after such a hearty breakfast. It was such a cute atmosphere and reminded me somewhat of an Anthropologie store. The entire menu looked amazing but we stuck with some small appetizers like deviled eggs and chips and queso (when in Texas, y’all!)

What did we do?

We talked…and talked…and talked! I told my husband we literally did not stop chatting the entire time we were together. I love that she is that person that we can literally pick right back up where we left off despite not seeing each other for so long. I mentioned above that we lounged by the pool (and talked some more) and laid in our beds and watched weird shows on TV like Alaskan Bush People (where they literally castrated a goat and I could not handle it) She also let me shape her eyebrows and I HAPPILY said yes (seriously, nothing makes me happier than when someone gives me free reign to do their makeup, hair or eyebrows.) She is going to KILL me for putting this photo on here but I just had to take a photo. I kept stating at her brows most of the morning because I was so proud of myself and my non-professional skills.

Manicure/Pedicure at ChaNails: Honestly, one of the best manicures i’ve ever had. My polished lasted a week and a half before it started chipping (with regular polish) and the technician did such a great, thorough job. My friend Emily (Houston native who gave me all of our recommendations) said to ask for Jessica or Mary.

We had such a great time and I hope this inspires you to have a girls getaway with your bestie.

Blaire

shop the post