Culture Thursdays and Bubbly on the Bend

A couple Thursdays ago, S and I ventured on yet another evening of what we now fondly refer to as "Culture Thursdays." This time it was an event called Bubbly on the Bend taking place at Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens. We visited Bayou Bend in December for their Yuletide Nights but it was dark and we couldn't see much of the grounds. We were excited to see it during day light.

Of course when the day came, it makes perfect sense that for a festive Spring event full of champagne and flowers, the weather would be rainy, humid and dreary. But they had a huge tent covering the lawn and even had a giant flower chandelier.

We got our cups of champagne and wandered around the grounds to explore. Again, the gross weather kind of dampened the Spring feeling but we survived…because there is nothing lovelier than wandering around a rich estate with champagne whether its sunny or sprinkling. 

The main attraction here is that all of this land and this house used to belong to an actual person. She left it to be used as a way to preserve American History. The house is like taking a step back into time with all the old furniture, nicknacks, decorations and feel. I really enjoy museums that aren't typical museums so this is one of my favorite discoveries in Houston.

At Christmas time, they have tours led through the house where you watch people act out scenes in each room depicting what it would've been like in different eras to be celebrating the holidays. They didn't have that this time but we enjoyed trying to figure out what decor items were different in each room. 

The one thing that remained the same though was the rickety bridge you have to cross to get to and from the property from the parking lot. When we left it was pitch black and lit up like it had been at Christmas time. 

It made me think about how I was feeling last December heading into Christmas after what had been a whirlwind of a few months of moving to Houston, adjusting to new jobs, adjusting to new work schedules, adjusting to a new life...and heading into the holidays felt like a nice breather for us. As I wandered across this time, it was interesting to think how much more settled I feel now than I did at Christmas time and how thankful I am for this reminder of how far we have come even though it may not feel like it at times. 

I think it's always a good idea to take a minute and think of how far you've come in any situation. I tend to have a problem with patting myself on the back, unfortunately focusing more on what I do wrong than right, but I should really make an effort to do it more often.

So here I am making an effort and if you are reading along, take a minute and pat yourself on the back for something too- And consider me sending you a virtual pat on the back too!