How Sweet It Is
This year, our family is trying to have more experiences and give less “stuff."
Life is busy and our schedules are hectic. I often find myself craving more quality time with the people who matter most. Lord knows the kids don’t need more toys or clothes.
Valentine’s Day has evolved into a holiday almost as big as a birthday, with parents giving multiple gifts, balloons and candy. When I was a kid, we got cards from kids at school and one of those enormous Hersey Kisses from Mom and Dad. That was it.
So, in the spirit of giving experiences and not things, we took the girls to Bern’s Harry Waugh Dessert Room for an early Valentine’s Day treat. When my husband and I lived in South Tampa, we loved going to Bern’s Steak House for a special occasion.
Sometimes I get these crazy ideas, and then I realize what it takes to pull it off. The Dessert Room doesn’t take reservations, so we knew we had to arrive right at 6 p.m. to maintain our evening schedule. This meant a later lunch would become our dinner.
I am not brave or crazy enough to take our girls to a fancy restaurant for dinner and dessert. The thought of that is slightly terrifying. But I knew they could handle an hour of sweet treats. The girls got all dressed up and we set out. They were so excited they could barely contain themselves.
As luck would have it, the girls both fell asleep once we hit the interstate. If you have little ones, you know these sneak attack catnaps can really put a wrench in your plans. As we pulled up to the restaurant, Adriana was still passed out. We forced her to wake up and she was not happy about it. As we entered this stunning building, she whined and cried and stuck to her Daddy like a grouchy spider monkey.
I took a deep breath and prayed we were not about to visit meltdown city.
As we entered the dessert room, they both perked up as they saw the private booths. Ella said, “we get our own space — with a phone!” I had forgotten about the phone in the booth and the music station.
As we sat down at our table, we were greeted with the cutest mini strawberry milkshakes with whipped cream and berries on top. That got Adriana’s attention quick. We told the girls they could each have their own dessert and could pick anything they wanted. You can imagine their surprise. Our girls are little sugar bugs, so we usually order one dessert for all four of us to share.
With over 20 desserts and 13 flavors of ice cream, we faced tough decisions. Ella chose the brownie sundae, Adriana ordered the chocolate cake, Anthony decided to try the s’mores cheesecake and I went with the chocolate peanut butter truffle that was featured on the Food Network. As we waited for our decadent treats to arrive, Adriana played DJ. Surprisingly, she loved Mustang Sally and kept the music playing on the contemporary channel.
As we emerged from sugar comas, our server asked if we would like a behind-the-scenes tour. Ella’s face perked up and she begged us to go, so off we went. They took us down to the wine cellar and through the bustling kitchen. It was really a unique experience. We casually mentioned to the tour guide that Ella wants to be a chef when she grows up. Before we knew it, there she was on the line with a sous chef flipping her first steak. The joy on her face was priceless.
As we pulled out of the parking lot that evening, the girls begged us to go there every year for their birthdays. I was one happy momma with a memory we will cherish forever. I get to be the mom who says to Ella, “do you remember that time when you were 7 and you cooked a steak at a famous steak house?" How cool is that?
