When Kelsey shared with us that she would love to go to the Magnolia Market in Waco to celebrate her 30th birthday, we knew that had to happen whether there was a pandemic or not! After all, you only turn 30 once and we have many blessings to celebrate!
Y'all! Waco has changed! As Baylor University alumni, we were shocked to see how much Waco has improved with the success of the Magnolia Silos. But Chip and Joanna Gaines aren't doing the work alone! Many are investing their time and focus in restoring Waco and we loved seeing all of the improvements on our weekend getaway!
We knew that renting a home for the weekend was not only the safest choice, it would also be a wonderful way to enjoy one of the many historic homes in Waco. VRBO listed several that would be perfect. Ryan chose the Gorman House (as in Fixer Upper's Season 1, Episode 1!) as our little home away from home for the weekend. Although there are new owners, many of the Fixer Upper projects are still there! Our only regret was that we couldn't stay longer!
As strange as it seems, we had never actually eaten at George's. We had no idea what we've been missing all these years!
George's opened in the 1930s, originally named Harry B's (the original owner, Harry Urmeister, was a founding member of the Noze Brothers organization, a long-standing Baylor tradition), and has been a Waco staple ever since.
From the atmosphere, to the food, to the restaurant's history, we were SOLD and are now big fans!
We just had to make a slight detour on the way back to Gorman House from George's as couldn't contain our excitement and really wanted to sneak a peep at the marketplace in all its holiday splendor. We weren't disappointed! The Christmas spirit radiated from the Silo Shops!
The Magnolia Table certainly lived up to all of the hype and was a perfect way to kick off our Saturday adventures! Once Waco's Elite Café, the restaurant is over 100 years old, and has a rich history of it's own. Now part of the Magnolia experience, we were blown away with the food and the service! If you ever get a chance to go, GO!
It was Kelsey's wish to have the whole Magnolia experience, which now includes the Magnolia Table, Magnolia Market, Silos Baking Co., Magnolia Press Coffee Co., Magnolia Home, and the 6 new cottage shops, as well as Harp Design Co. And experience it she did - where we took the "shop 'til you drop" challenge seriously! We even discovered The Paper Crown, a craft boutique located in downtown Waco. We could have explored this little gem for hours and still discovered new and exciting products.
We had the most enjoyable day exploring, eating, dreaming, being inspired and, of course, purchasing just a few (Ha!) items.
After a day of new discoveries, we returned to an old family favorite for dinner. Our small hometown is less than an hour from Waco, so we would head there often for shopping, doctor appointments, etc. We have so many fond memories of eating at Ninfa's. , We knew it would be the perfect location for Kelsey's birthday!
Birthday cake back at the Gorman House was the finishing touch for our day of celebration! And we do have much to celebrate!
After the year we've had, we needed this gentle reminder of the promise of the holiday season:
"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future."
-Agnes M. Pahro
