Okay, I’ll be honest, Grapevine was not our original plan. Not even close.

For our second babymoon and only trip of 2021, we planned to spend a worry-free 5 nights in sunny Riviera Maya, Mexico. (Told you it wasn’t close.)

Persuaded by our neighbor’s glowing recommendation of this particular travel destination, I eagerly booked our all-inclusive resort vacation for Memorial Day Week, scheduled our flights, and arranged childcare for Jude (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I eeeeven made sure we’d be completely vaccinated before boarding the plane, thinking it better to be safe than sorry.

This all happened back in March, only two months before our international escape was to take place. And let me tell you, nothing was going to get in the way of my week in paradise. Even you, Covid, I thought. You won’t ruin this.

Imagine my heartbreak, when, only a few days later, we received an email from the CDC warning Americans against traveling to Mexico—turns out, our blessed oasis was also a Covid hotspot. Not only that, but in the same week, we got word that a friend of a relative had tested positive for Covid right before leaving a similar Mexican resort, and was forced to quarantine in his hotel room for 10 days. Yikes.

And here’s the most annoying thing: He was fully vaccinated. When I heard this, all of my former peace of mind went out the window! And honestly, part of me instantly regretted getting the jab. I mean, what was the point if I still had to worry about catching and spreading this virus?

That said, as tempted as I was by the lure of blue skies, white sand beaches, and nothing to do but lay out by the pool with a mocktail and a book, I couldn’t fathom the thought of being away from Jude for so long in the improbable but still possible instance that Scott or I test positive for Covid while there. I also couldn’t do that to my poor parents, who would be forced to spend 2+ weeks taking care of the little tornado without us. (I mean, they’re pretty much obsessed with him—as am I—but that doesn’t mean he’s always a walk in the park.)

Thankfully, our reservation was fully refundable, and we were able to at least get airline credit for the plane tickets (which were NOT cheap—my love for international travel knows no limits, y’all).

And, just like that, we were back to the drawing board: Where could we go that we would feel safe, still get to relax, and preferably not have to travel far, just in case Jude needed us? This limited our options a bit, obviously, but I like that it forced us to think outside of the box. Austin was thrown around as a potential option, but we’ve been there so many times and I was kind of over my college town. This was when we realized that we rarely explore DFW (outside of Frisco, at least)—so when Scott stumbled upon the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, I was intrigued.

Not only had I never stepped foot in Grapevine, despite its close proximity, but pictures of the resort looked promising. I loved that it included several restaurants to choose from, a luxury spa, large gym, and even an outdoor waterpark (complete with a lazy river!)—basically everything you need to have a memorable and chill vacation. Plus, it’s ridiculously beautiful for a Dallas-area hotel. Maybe not Riviera Maya beautiful, but still serene. I wish I would have taken pictures of the lobby/atrium to share, because WOW.

Our decision was made: We would spend three glorious nights in Grapevine, Texas. And I’ve gotta say, it was a solid choice. Although it down-poured for basically the first 24 hours that we were there, we used the rainy weather as an opportunity to explore the little town by car and stuff our faces with our culinary findings. That was probably the best part, because who knew that Grapevine was so precious?!

By the end of our stay, we had hit up a charming waffle café, a cozy Italian restaurant, a mom-and-pop style deli, the world’s loveliest coffee shop, and a western breakfast diner that should win an award for its pancakes. Call it a self-guided food tour of Grapevine—10/10, would recommend!

When it wasn’t raining, you could find us laying out by the pool, soaking in the jacuzzi, walking the grounds of the Gaylord, floating the lazy river, or taking turns on the park’s waterslide (so fun!). While we chose to forgo the spa treatments this time around, we did splurge by ordering room service one morning, enjoyed some nice, uninterrupted gym time, and helped ourselves to a few necessary purchases (kombucha, chocolate, snacks) from their little market. I was kind of nervous that the place would be packed during the holiday week, but the resort was practically empty the last two days of our stay. #WIN

All in all, even though we were way closer to home than expected, this was not a terrible way to spend a few blissful days alone together as a couple before Baby #2 comes along in the fall. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say it was pretty darn wonderful. Grapevine, I love you.