First he said we were going to do something but he wouldn't tell me what it was. It might take about 30-40 minutes, and for some reason he was interested in what I was going to wear. I was wanting to dress up since it's our anniversary but he suggested I wear jeans and tennis shoes but I could bring something else to change into afterwards. I asked about a cute shirt that I wanted to wear and he said it wouldn't be a good idea. So I picked out a regular t-shirt and he looked at the tag and said ok. Hmmm, was he looking at the fabric content?
I like to know what to expect with things so I can mentally plan things out and be prepared so this whole surprise thing was kind of driving me crazy. However, I loved that he went to such effort and was doing something a little more exciting for this anniversary. But I just kept imagining that he was going to make me jump out of a plane or go hang gliding or something crazy like that!
We dropped the kids off at Adventure Kids Playcare and Stuart made me put on a blindfold before we ever left their parking lot. What?! I tried to pay attention to the turns that we made so I could try to figure out where we were going but he got me talking about politics or something and I ended up missing a few turns and couldn't imagine where we were anymore.
Finally we pulled in to the spot. I couldn't wait to find out where we were!
Ahhhh! I can't tell you how relieved I was to find that we were not going parachuting but actually at Vetro Art Glass Studio in Grapevine. I was jumping because I was so excited. I've always wanted to make something here. Stuart told me that he had made arrangements for us to make a glass heart together! Awww, isn't he the best?
Kevin talked to us a little about what we wanted to make. We chose a heart. Then we had to pick out colors. He showed us these shelves full of colored glass in so many different shades. Oh, decisions, decisions.
We kept it simple and went with a red heart with some white swirls in it. Kevin set up bowls with the each of the two colors of glass in them. He went to the furnace and loaded the rod with some clear molten glass that was already hot at around 2300 degrees. Then he handed me the rod. Oh my! Just a little intimidating to be holding something so incredibly hot. I dipped the end of the rod in the red glass several times to try to smoosh the red pieces into the molten glass.
I love how the molten glass is glowing there in the bowl. Hot stuff!
Next we held the wand in a second furnace, called the glory hole, to melt the red glass into the regular glass. We took turns doing these steps a few times.
Holding the rod in the oven was fine but there were a few times that I felt my forearms getting really hot from the heat coming off the oven. Stuart said he felt it too and you can see from this picture that we were standing back several feet from it. It's just THAT hot.
Once the layer of red glass was thick enough, we dipped the rod in the white glass just enough to get a sprinkling of white and the put the rod in the furnace to reheat.
Next Stuart sat down and worked at swirling the white glass into the red to give it a little character.
Then Kevin took over to work his magic in turning our red and white glob into an actual heart shape.
He fired it with a torch to smooth the edges.
And here is our red and white glass heart that we made together. The colors are really dark here because it is still really, really hot. They will look brighter once it has cooled off. We had to leave it there overnight to cool and we'll come back to pick it up tomorrow.
Wow! That was so much fun and such a wonderfully romantic idea!
There is some beautiful artwork in the store for sale. Look at this!
There are always pretty ornaments in the window which are especially pretty when the sun shines through them.
15 years! I don't know how he has put up with me for that long but I do love him for it.
The glass blowers out front are the perfect gateway to Vetro.
If you've never been by to see the beautiful pieces on display, you really must stop by. You might even get to watch them working on a new creation while you are there. Vetro Art Glass Studio is located at 701 South Main Street, Ste 103 in Grapevine, next to the train depot. For more information, please call them at 817-251-1668 or visit the Vetro Art Glass Studio website. You can also follow them on Facebook.
We left Vetro but weren't quite ready for dinner so we took a stroll down Main Street in Grapevine. It is such a fun place to shop. There are cute little boutiques lining both sides of the street. We checked out some shops and sat on a bench to talk...just the two of us! How nice.
When we decided it was time for dinner we headed back up the street to Dino's Steak and Claw House. What a fabulous restaurant!
There is a nice patio outside where you can be served but we chose to eat inside. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and elegantly inviting with a rich dark decor.
We started with the appetizer of Crab Cubes with Maryland lump crab meat, honey Dijon sauce & chili apple compote. They were fresh and so unique. There are lots of flavors that really come together beautifully. I would definitely recommend this.
Our server recommended a great wine that was the special of the day - 2008 Emeritus Pinot Noir.
For my entree, I had the Seared NY Strip crusted with Asiago cheese. The cheese wasn't quite what I was expecting but it added a wonderfully unique flavor to the steak. The steak was juicy and perfectly cooked. The garlic mashed potatoes were beautifully presented and the vegetable of the day was fresh and delicious.
Stuart's steak wasn't quite cooked the way he requested but it was quickly re-fired perfectly. He was very impressed with the flavor and tenderness and decided that it was the best steak he has ever had. Wow!
The food, the decor, the service were all exceptional. We highly recommend Dino's and hope to go back soon.
Dino's Steak and Claw house is located at 342 S. Main Street in Grapevine. Their hours are Monday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:30pm, Friday and Saturday 5:00pm - 10:30pm. For more information, please call them at 817-488-3100 or visit the Dino's website. You can also follow them on Facebook.
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