Visitors

This past week began with a "first time to be away from home and fly on an airplane by ourselves" visit from my twin nieces. Nine years old. Sweet as can be.

Day one: Celebration dinner of steak and potatoes. A sweet "no thank you" to the garden fresh sliced tomatoes. They are good eaters.

Day one, PS: Begin our game of Monopoly. Begin, you say? Not play a game of Monopoly? No. Begin.....

Day two: Big trip to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. My three grandbabies come along, too. Everyone is anxious to get to the giraffes. We finally get there. Two wander over, ready to eat all the food we care to share. FYI: If the sun roof is open, the giraffe WILL poke it's head in. And if the feed bag is accessible, the giraffe WILL poke it's head in it. And if you pull the bag away and food falls out of its mouth and down the back of your shirt, the giraffe WILL poke his tongue down to retrieve it. Oh, and giraffes slobber. A lot.

Day two, PS: Monopoly game continues.

Day three: Shrek Forever After. Nothing better for a hot afternoon in Texas than an afternoon in a cool theater. Popcorn, coke and a lovable green ogre. We had a good time.

Day three, PS: Monopoly game concludes. It was a long, hard-fought battle. I won. Is that bad?

Day four: Swimming. Need I say more?

Day five: Pack up and head back home. They left wanting more. So did we.

Some things I learned:

• 9 year old girls love to Pictochat. This is a feature in the Nintendo DS. You can write notes back and forth, similar to instant messaging. It was a great way to get a conversation started.
• One minute they are 9, and the next minute you'd swear they are 16. Mature about some things, little girls about others. (Thank goodness!)
• They cook! And they love to discuss recipes. I'm slightly worried about Hot Dog Surprise.....
• Laughing comes very easy. Also snorting!
• Some days there is just no reason to agree on anything. They may be twins, but they sure have minds of their own.
• And although he wouldn't admit to missing the girls, big brother sure kept a close watch on them via Facebook and text messages.

We're still smiling.

Postcards

I continue to enjoy sending and receiving postcards from all around the world. I've been participating for the past 79 days. In this time period, 21 people have found postcards from me waiting in their mailbox. My cards have traveled a distance of 79,275 miles. The longest distance was 9715 miles (to Singapore, China) and the shortest was 30 miles (to the DFW area).

During this same time, 20 postcards have been delivered to my mailbox. They have traveled a combined distance of 83,279 miles. The longest distance was 9261 miles (from Australia) and the shortest was 46 miles (from the DFW area).

This postcard was sent by Heather, from Iowa. As she sent her card, most of her family was gathering in Dallas to witness her nephew's first communion. She couldn't make the trip, but she did have a plan to take her family to a community festival over the weekend. Iowa adopted the wild rose as their state flower in 1897.

The Tatra Mountains in Poland are beautiful and are used for much recreation, including mountain climbing and water sports. Justyna sent the card from her home in Poland, and she's hoping that one day she will be able to live in a small mountain village. She's not a fan of the big city! When she sent her card, it was raining and 15 degrees C. (That's 60 degrees F for us!)

It's fun to get cards that bring back memories for me, and this card from Dianne did just that. I've seen Mt. Rainier a few times when I've traveled to Washington state to visit family. It's breathtaking from any viewpoint -- in the air or on the ground. Dianne reminded me that this year is the 30th anniversary of it's last eruption.

My nieces are here this week, visiting from Arizona. The girls and I had a fun time last night looking over the postcards and reading the messages these strangers sent. There were lots of oohs and giggles.

I can tell this is going to be a good week.

Why I Love You, Lyrically

Today my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. (You should see the beautiful roses he gave me!)

I've decided to profess my love for him lyrically. One line for every year....

You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest.

As time goes on, I realize just what you mean to me.

I love you. You love me. We're a happy family.

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.

You're my sunshine after the rain.

Can you feel the love tonight?

I see my whole future in your eyes.

Two hearts that beat as one.

You give me fever when you hold me tight.

You gave your love away, and I'm thankful every day for the gift.

Fill my heart with gladness, take away my sadness, ease my troubles, that's what you do.

I never knew I could feel like this.

I could not love you any better; I love you just the way you are.

When I hold you in my arms I've got all I'll ever need.

In my eyes I see no one else but you.

The miracle of love will take away your pain.

Always and forever, each moment with you is just like a dream to me that somehow came true.

Nobody loves me like you do.

Only you can make this world seem right.

I say love, it is a flower, and you it's only seed.

We're still having fun, and you're still the one.

You're the million reasons why there's love reflecting in my eyes.

Unforgettable, that's what you are.

Strong, strong as a mountain; one you can count on.

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart.

I can fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

From the first time I saw you it felt like coming home.

You light up my life; You give me hope to carry on.

The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes.

Prince Charming, my angel, my king and my friend.

You're my life, you're my world; you're my rare and precious pearl.

Happy Anniversary! I can't wait for the next 31 years!

Starting Early

We have an anniversary coming up in 3 days so we thought, "Why not start the celebration early?" So Saturday noon we began the festivities.

Where to start? Subway, of course. We've been limiting our calories and lunch is allotted about 300 of them. Subway is a great way to get a good meal without blowing your diet. They should mention this on The Biggest Loser. Oh, wait. They do. Often.

Next stop -- we get all cultural and head to The Modern. We're just in time for the "Andy Warhol - The Last Ten Years" exhibit. Interesting and no crowd. What more could you ask for?

Then the serious celebrating begins. We're off to Dallas. We have a room on the 22nd floor of the Hilton Anatole. Nice. A glass of wine at the Gossip Bar. (We didn't hear any gossip, though.) Change clothes. Arrive right on time for our reservation at Nana, a casually elegant restaurant offering upscale American cuisine with a spectacular view of the Dallas skyline from the 27th floor of said hotel. You can say that again.

We chose to have the seven course tasting menu. (If that sounds gluttony, just know that could have chosen the ten course menu. But we didn't. We thought seven would probably be enough.)

First course: Pumpkin & Red Curry Bisque with Thai Crab Croquettes, Soba Noodles, and Thai Herbs.

Second course: Fire Grilled Shrimp with Porcini Rice and Asparagus

Third course: Day Boat Sea Scallops with Pine Nut-Garlic Sofrito and Black Currant Emulsion

Fourth course: Slow Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly with Rhubarb Chutney and Curried Cauliflower

Fifth course: Grilled Filet of Beef with Candied Olives, Orange and Red Onion

Sixth course: California Strawberries, Strawberry Consomme, Coconut Ice Cream and Candied Lemon

Seventh course: Vahlrona Manjari Gazpacho with Balsamic Vinegar, Hazelnut Oil and Vanilla Gelato. [Note: this was like chocolate sauce poured over ice cream.]

And then, because we were celebrating an anniversary -- and they didn't want us to go away hungry -- they brought out Cheese Cake with Graham Cracker "Earth", Mango Sorbet and Mojito Coulis.

Yum-O. Totally blew the calorie count -- and we loved every bite.

Down To A Trickle

My Postcrossing action has been really, really slow lately. Maybe it's due to the volcano ash. Who knows. Anyway, I am glad to see a few cards show up in my mailbox.

Joanna, from The Netherlands, is a girl my age with four children and one granddaughter. She sent such an interesting postcard. It is made by the company MeMe, the memory alive! Everything they make is developed to stimulate the memory and encourage physical and cognitive skills. Their focus is on people that deal with memory disorders like Alzheimer's, with brain hemorrhages, and with demented and mentally handicapped youth who suffer from dementia.

So, I'm not sure how this postcard stimulates my memory, but I do know that I like it. And I like that Joanna combines having a little fun with doing some good in the world. I'd say Joanna is making a difference.

This next postcard was fun to receive because it was from a place that I've been to before. Vicky in Missouri had me recalling the day my sister and brother-in-law took Mom and me to see St. Louis. I remember the ballpark being really pretty. I also remember that it is close quarters in the top of the arch. And very bendy -- go figure. But you sure can see a long, long way.

Lastly, today's mail brought a postcard from Jan in Allen, TX -- a mere 46 miles away! She obviously keeps herself quite busy. For one thing, she made her own postcard. The photos are local, and quite good I might add. Their old train station has been turned in to a museum now. Love the train tracks. Can you take a bad photo of train tracks?

Jan doesn't stop there. She knits caps for cancer patients. She's a grandmother to two grandchildren. She's passionate about animals. She loves her flowers. And she paints rocks. Paints rocks, you say? Yes. She paints rocks. And they are cute, too. I can tell from her postcard and her blog that she's an upbeat and happy person. Gotta love that.

So that does it for my postcard fun. I'm hoping the action picks up.

Looking Back

I forgot to look forward to our trip to Austin. Once a quarter my hubby goes to a board meeting, and we always have a great time. We usually stay in the Renaissance at the Arboretum area but not this time. Our hotel is determined by the state and they have made another excellent choice: the Westin at The Domain.

The Domain is a new area that has parks and jogging trails combined with shopping, dining, and entertainment. It also has several hotel, condo and apartment options. And office space. The Domain was planned with the principles of Green Urbanism in mind: walk instead of drive, energy-efficient homes, recycled building materials, and lots of trees.

Let's talk about shopping for a minute. This place has serious shopping. Shops I have no reason to wander in to. Neiman Marcus is an anchor! Then there's Burberry, Cole Haan, Michael Kors, and Stuart Weitzman. Several jewelry stores including David Yurman and Tiffany & Co. Sur La Table. Juicy Couture. BCBG. Betsey Johnson. And they promise a Nordstrom's and a Whole Foods.

Now eating. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. McCormick & Scmick's. Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse. And -- California Pizza Kitchen. (I don't know why CPK always tries to pull me in their door!)

All that being said, I didn't buy a thing. And we didn't eat there. But look out next quarter.

I will come prepared.