Art and Soul

Rusty and I absolutely adore the annual Salt Lake City Arts Festival.  In fact, we look forward to it all year long. This summer, we had the distinct privilege of admission on VIP passes, courtesy of my dear ol' brother-in-law, Patrick.   

Kori, Pat, and baby Logan met up at our house so that we could carpool, thereby avoiding unnecessary additional parking expeditions. Once on the festival grounds, our VIP passes granted us access to an exclusive patio, where we had an unlimited buffet of fajitas, desserts, and drinks.  We stayed there for a bit and chatted, casually watching the ballet exhibition taking place on the main stage just outside the patio.

A super drunk guy took this picture for us.  I feared for the safety of my camera, and count us lucky that we got off with just a thumb in the shot.

We began our exploration of the various visual arts exhibits.  Every year, I am absolutely floored by the creativity of individuals.  I always see art that prompts me to marvel at the imagination that goes into producing original creations.  It was really fun to be there with the Witmers!  Logan is so freaking adorable, it kills me!  He was getting sleepy, but being the Linus he is, can't settle down to nap without his blankie.  This is the resulting solution:

Kori, Pat, and Jedi Master Logiwan Kenobi

Rusty and I split off from the group for a bit to explore on our own.  Rusty had been eye-balling the waffle cone ice cream stand since we'd arrived and finally broke down to get his tasty treat.

Black raspberry waffle cone extraordinaire

After we reconvened and had seen all we needed to see, we ventured back to our house to chill for a while. Rusty and Patrick had a guitar jam session while Kori, Logan and I watched our favorite highlights from Tangled.  After a while, we joined the boys for some group music time. 

Witmer Family jam session

All in all, a wonderful evening out.  Rusty and I visited the Arts Festival last summer, under completely different circumstances, and we loved the juxtaposition of being there as a couple this year.  We were actually pretty pukey-- all snuggly and kissy and gross the whole time.  I loved it.  I have no problem with the fact that we've been together almost a year and we haven't lost that new-couple shine. 

Aaahhh, lovey bums

Fondue Pour Moi et Vous

I have learned over time that when www.citydeals.com posts coupons for The Melting Pot, you jump right on that offer!  They sell out soooo fast and otherwise The Melting Pot drains half of your life savings, stocks, bonds, and 401K if you don't play your cards right.  Thus it so happened, with my super-discounted gift card, that I took Rusty out for a fancy-pants dinner date.

Now, a night out for a lavish meal may not seem super adventurous, but this marked Rusty's very first fondue experience.  Let me tell you, he was NOT disappointed.  Rusty has been enthralled with the idea of fondue years back from when he saw an episode of That 70's Show in which fondue was served.  He thought it looked delicious and decadent, and dreamed of one day trying it out for himself. 

If you have never been to The Melting Pot, you are missing out.  I particularly love it because it's not just dinner-- it's an experience.  Through several courses of hands on dining, you have plenty of time to savor your food and your company.  We started out with the Wisconsin Trio Cheese fondue, which turned out to be pretty much the most delicious eating encounter I have ever had.  We were both scraping the sides of the pot long after all edible morsels were devoured.  Next we had dinner salads, followed by a meat entree, which included chicken, filet mignon, duck, pork, shrimp, sirloin, salmon, etc.  And then delicious desert, oooh la la. We chose the chocolate on special that night-- a dark chocolate with dulce de leche and coarse rock salt swirled in.  Sound weird?  Well it was INCREDIBLE.  Somehow we finished every single bite of every single course.    

We went from this...

...To this.  Mmmm, happy tummies :)

I have to say my favorite part of the night was just seeing how into the fondue thing Rusty got.  He could barely contain himself, he was in heaven.  I sure do love delicious food, and sharing it with someone is a great way to make amazing memories. 

Thanks again, Melting Pot!  Post more coupons soon please!