Date Day

 We used to go on day dates almost weekly. There is so much that we used to do. I thought that once the kids were grown and on their own, it would be about us again. But I take what I can get. I had brought up recently about a comedian who was going to be in Fort Wayne in November that I might like to see. When Woodchuck looked at the site, he saw a comedian that he likes was going to be there in October. I knew we weren't going to be able to do both, so I opted for us to see his. Tickets were purchased, plans were made, we considered this an early retirement hurrah and waited for the day to come.

Of course something always get tweaked, some little jab along the way of nearly each day, but especially when we plan something special. If you are one those people, as many of my friends are, who gets to travel consistently or do fun things.....don't take that for granted! Most of my relationship with Woodchuck has been about letting all of the adult niceties go, the traveling, the fun. It always happened for the kids when we made plans, but as a couple it hasn't worked out as well. A movie, a dinner, a trip to Bailey's, that's about all that we can make happen anymore, and even that last trip to Bailey's ended up costing us several hundreds of dollars and lots of stress because my car broke down and had to be towed. You get to the point where disappointment is all you expect anymore and there's nothing left in you to keep exposing yourself to that.

But we tried again. The snafu this time was having to drive to the land first thing in the morning to meet with the NIPSCO guy, and he wasn't as personable this time as he was the first time. I hate not knowing what to expect from people. We got through the meeting though, and I back tracked home so we could get ready, only to backtrack again out the way we just came. Fort Wayne is roughly two hours from us, and an hour ahead. I had planned to do all of the driving since between the daylight and Google Maps and having Woodchuck as my co-navigator (that didn't happen), I felt confident about the drive in. I had a panic attack and started second-guessing myself right as I was coming up to the parking garage because it didn't have a name on the sign that I could see, and even though I put in the address and was taken to that address, I still doubted myself. It worked out though and we were in the right spot. Long story short, we made our way over to the Botanical Conservatory.

I had never been to a botanical conservatory before and was really looking forward to this one! It cost $7 per adult to get in, and it was SO worth it! I think that closer to where I live, it probably would have cost $10-$15 per person to get in, so I felt like the cost was super reasonable for the size of the place. For those who live closer and want to go more often, they do offer memberships options as well. 

When I get nervous, I have to go to the bathroom a lot, so Woodchuck paid for our entry while I hit the restroom and then in we went! It looks pretty non-descript at the beginning. There's a hallway with bathrooms and offices and meetings rooms, walls lined with local artwork. Off to the side of the hallway is a kids area, with a talking tree, benches along the wall and a screen to show about plants, etc.

Then, as you keep walking down the hallway, you come to double doors like what we have in schools.....you know, those push bars!!! And then you literally walk into another place in the world. This first one was the Pueblo Garden and was so cool! The only thing that wasn't cool was a couple of different parents just letting their kids run wild in here. This is not a park, and there were a lot of plants, and rocks and display items, as well as different tiers and elevations. Not only could the plants be damaged but the kids could be hurt. One mother was letting her son climb up into the displays and then jump down like it was playground equipment. Other mothers were so busy drinking their cafe' to-go coffees and talking that they just let their young children also run free. Way too little to let your eyes off of them, but I grew up in a completely different era of parenting and am referred to as a "helicopter parent" because I wanted to know where my kids were and that they weren't wrecking a place like this (I didn't have to worry about that actually, they weren't kids who touched what wasn't theirs).

 

These chairs were fantastic!!! It would be fun to try and make them from trees on the land, but we don't have anything thick enough. There was also a little water fountain set up in front of the chairs and one of the little boys that was being allowed to run without any eyes on him, stuck his finger down in the tube that the water was coming out of. I was just waiting to hear him scream that he couldn't get his finger out! But he didn't get it stuck.

Then once you have walked through this whole garden, you come to set of the same kinds of doors and a little hallway that put you into the Tropical Garden. It smelled so good in these first two gardens!!!! I even caught smells in this one that reminded me of Louisiana.

You know those vegetable chips? Yeah, don't eat this by accident!

This one reminds me of the Cosmos!

Yummy! Do you know what these are?

Then it was time for another set of doors and little hallway and then we were in the Desert Garden!

Then there was a side door to go outside and see the pumpkins and fall decor!

I absolutely LOVE pumpkins and squash of any kind! The feel, the look, the smell.....I was in heaven!

I just can't believe how much they have managed to fit, both inside and out, into what I think equates to half a city block! 

That tree was made up of dozens of mums in their containers

And I LOVE this idea for the land! I can totally see squirrels, raccoons, etc. coming up to something like this for a treat. My luck though is it would barely last a day, lol.

What a cute idea! A little girl walked right up to it and picked a pumpkin right off while her parents backs were turned for a moment, lol.

I really enjoyed that place!!! But now it's time to get some dinner and head across the street for the comedy show.

We ate at Conners, which was off of the lobby of the hotel who's parking garage we parked in. It was a more high-end place, nice and clean. The hostess left a lot to be desired in personality, but the waitress was great! The menu was small, and unfortunately, I had to pick something that I knew had ingredients in it that I shouldn't eat, but was likely less of those than some of their other dishes. Once we ate, we went across the street and stood in line outside, waiting for the theatre to open. It was a comfortable day as far as the temps, and the rain held off other than just a few drops when we were walking around the pumpkin area at the conservatory. We have really been so lucky in so many ways concerning the weather! The outside of the theater was gorgeous!

And then when we got inside? WOAH.

I made a bee-line for the bathroom, which you had to go to the end of the main hall, take a left and go down the stairs. I think my jaw hit the floor when I got down there! To the left is the women's, straight ahead is the men's. There are chairs and lighted "windows" down the length of the hallway.

The lighting inside of the performance/seating area was just awe-inspiring!

The ends of each row of the seats

Would I got back for another show? Most likely not. I don't do well with driving at night, and most shows start at 7:00 p.m. I had a HECK of a time getting us out of Fort Wayne. Dark, wet roads, people riding my ass so close that I didn't even know there was a car behind me unless the overhead lights reflected off of their windshield (I was doing the speed limit). But I did it, and we got home around 11:00 p.m. It was time right away to hit the hey because we had an early morning meeting at the land. Though there were some rough patches along the way, it sure was nice going out on a date. I do miss some times though being able to relax, being driven around, and not having to plan everything, think of everything, do everything. Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! I will say though that it made me feel better to know that my sister had romped in all of those places when she lived in FW, and it helped me feel closer to her and a bit less alone.