Two years ago, after we had been married for a whole 2 weeks, Mike and I took a trip out to Dallas for the 2011 Byron Nelson tournament. Last year, over the Byron weekend, my parents took an amazing trip out to Punta Cana for a little getaway, so we haven't been to the Byron Nelson in two years! Its a weekend that both of us look forward to all year, but I was especially excited because this was the first time Mike was going to see my parents wonderful new home! And any time we get to spend time with our families, I'm like a giddy little child. Plus, we got an extra bonus visitor, because Gram came out from Connecticut for the tournament too!
If there is anything I've learned over the past few times we've gone to the Byron, it's that you need an extremely LONG weekend. This isn't a fly out on Friday, come home Sunday kind of trip, so we took the earliest flight possible so that we could get to Dallas before the day started on Friday. In the past, my parents had prime location for the golf tournament, we could just walk a few blocks and arrive right at the 18th hole. But THIS year, with the new house, we could actually see the fairway of the 17th hole from my parent's second floor veranda. It made for a beautiful sunset but the pavilion did block our gorgeous view! So it was necessary to walk across the street to see the actual tournament. 
If you haven't been to the Byron Nelson Tournament ever, it's incredibly fun! It has all of the fanciness of a normal golf tournament with a little Texas flair. It's white sundresses and neon jean shorts. It's big derby sun hats with margaritas and bud light. It's polite clapping with whoops and cheering while watching the caddies race to the green. The Byron Nelson is exclusive executive pavilions and beer served in ice cold tin buckets. It's Cadillacs & street legal golf carts & it's designer labels and plastic fratty sunglasses. 
We spent the majority of our time both days on the 17th hole & catching up on the leader board from the HP Pavilion. The weather was hot & steamy, but a nice breeze made it much more manageable for us to be outdoors and enjoy the energy of the tournament and do some pretty incredible people watching. My parent's house became a home base for who ever wanted to go to the tournament. The doors were open to all & the fridges and coolers were fully stocked with refreshments. Both nights, my mom had an amazing spread planned with themed catered meals for everyone who was coming to and from the tournament. I know my parents spent weeks getting the house ready after moving in only 2 month ago, and it was in perfect shape for entertaining!
Being in Dallas felt not only like being at "home", but it felt like a little escape, a resort, a real vacation. My parents have a pretty incredible set up out there in Irving, and I wish we could get out there more frequently. It's so refreshing to see my parents not only enjoying a less stressful resort lifestyle every day, but it's a perfect place for us to go visit. I always wish that we could spend more time with the family, and when it was time for us to head back to New York, I found myself wishing I still had the weekend to look forward to. We had such a blast & it's so fun that our family of 4 has grown into (almost) a family of 6. The more people we add to the family, the more festive and noisy our gatherings have become! I'm already counting down the days and planning my attire for when we get to go back to Dallas for the 2014 Byron Nelson Tournament - and for all of our friends from Dallas to New York, Mom & Pops DuPont would love to have you come by for a brew and some BBQ!
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