Our 10th Anniversary!

Today Hubby and I celebrate 10 years of a wonderful marriage. We tied the knot in 1999 at St. Patricks Catholic Church in downtown Fort Worth, a city close to our hearts. That is where we met, began dating and where our beloved Horned Frogs reside. After a beautiful ceremony, we took a carriage ride through the busy downtown streets and arrived at the Petroleum Club for the reception, which was full of fun, family and friends. An evening we'll never forget!

The past 10 years have given us so many surprises! We always laugh and say, "Who would have guessed we'd end up in Detroit?" Well, neither of us would have. In 10 years we have celebrated birthdays, new jobs, new homes, and most importantly, three beautiful children. We are truly blessed with all that we have in our lives, but it's knowing that we have one another's love that keeps us both going.

Ice cold beverages

Every TCU fan who enjoys cold beverages on the patio needs this: http://www.abarr.net/Collegiate_Coolers.html.

Farewell

As many of you already know, a dear friend, Steve Damm, passed away on Monday after a long battle with a brain tumor. I know Steve because of my friendship with his amazing wife, Tyra, who was a co-worker while I worked at The Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper published a wonderful obituary today. Read it here.

Also, Tyra, as she has throughout this journey, has written a compelling, beautiful and heart-breaking story about Steve's final day. It is worth reading, though be prepared to shed some tears.

I ask that you keep the Damm family in your thoughts and prayers in the days and months to come.

Bye, bye crib

After a month of climbing out of various pack 'n plays and cribs,
Kelsey has graduated to a toddler bed. She loves it! I'm hoping the
hard part of the transition is behind us, left in various cities
during our August travels!

Thankfully ...

Ken and I were able to have an evening out, just what I needed, on our
last evening in NYC.

Our dear friend Sharilyn kept the hotel room quiet while we had a
couple of light beers at McSorley's, a NYC establishment for 150
years. (They have the dust to prove it and a review from 1914.)

Afterward we visited Grand Central Station. It was almost 11 years ago
that we did the same. Ken then proposed to me in Grand Central. We
celebrate 10 years of marriage next week, and this was a perfect
celebration.

By the end of Thursday ...

I was ready to be someplace like this, with adult conversation and
someone serving me.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Today we hit the Brooklyn Children's Museum for the afternoon with
cousins Allison and Kaitlyn. The kids loved the Jump exhibit -- a
place where the kids could climb, hang, push and jump. It should be
mandatory warm-up for all boys before school each day. All of the kids
loved playing in the water, and none wanted to leave. Neither did I,
since I was dreading the long walk back to the subway and more steps
to climb while carrying a very heavy double stroller. Somehow we made
it and took a quick spin through Times Square before calling it a night.

Empire State Building

Ken finished training early enough on Tuesday for us to walk from
Madison Park up to the Empire State Building. Brendan loved it, just
as he has loved every other stop on this trip. Ryan enjoyed looking,
but only briefly. Kelsey was most interested in the bird on the ledge,
but did say "Wow" when we first walked out. (This Lego structure in
the gift shop was also cool!)

City park

Tuesday afternoon we ventured off to Madison Park at 5th Ave. and
25th. The quaint little park was packed with kids (and what appeared
to be a whole bunch of nannies). My three were thrilled to run wild
and just play!

Museum of Natural History

This morning we visited the American Museum of Natural History, with
help from my friend and former co-worker Sharilyn Hufford. The kids
loved it! We saw dinosaurs, mammals, sea creatures and more. Their
favorite was the Discovery Room, where Brendan helped assemble
dinosaur bones while Ryan and Kelsey dug for bones.