Ash Wednesday is finally here. I know this because I now have ashes on my shirt sleeve, pants, van door, front window and smeared all over my childrens' lovely little heads.Mass was fabulous - we joined Will at the school Mass this morning. I always chuckle a little at the kids checking each other's ashes out. "Hey, yours is smeared." "Mine's already coming off!" "You can hardly see yours." And on and on.So, looking for a way to make Lent ...

Yup, that's right...Lent is right around the evening corner.I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little fat these days, not physically, but in just about every other way. Loaded down with lots of "to-do's", a full DVR, an office that needs a major cleanout, kids activities running out my ears, not enough time to workout, tons of freelance work and not enough time to spend with Scott.Lent? Bring it.For tomorrow, we'll be doused with ashes to remind us ...

Oh, how we love to travel. We got bit by the overseas bug back in 2000, on our first trip to Italy. There was something quite enchanting and exciting about seeing how people in another culture live. We even met some dear friends in Rome and have stayed in touch. They are us...just a few thousand miles away, with very fabulous Italian accents.We're getting ready to make another trek to Europe (France this time!!) and it's gotten us excited all ...

If you've ever zipped by the blinking light on I-35, just south of Georgetown and thought to yourself, that Inner Space Cavern is such a tourist trap...I'm here to tell you that you're wrong.Yeah, they have the tacky gift shop at the conclusion of the tour, the overpriced snack bar and the sometimes cheesy tour guides. BUT, this cave is the real deal. And for 44 second-graders, it was the bomb. Admittedly, lots of us old folks thought it was ...

I hope yours was full of the same.Saturday night, Scott and I gave our kids kisses and hugs and said "good luck" to the babysitter and headed over to the school's gala, the St. Valentine Soiree. We got all dressed up, chatted with friends, ate great food and even snuck in a dance to "Amarillo by Morning" by our beloved George Strait. What a fantastic evening.When we moved back to Texas, we started a little Valentine's tradition with the parentals, ...

From our house to yours, have a great Valentine's Day. And, if you're curious who this famed saint really is (yes it's actually St. Valentine's Feast Day) click here. I'm always fascinated when a secular holiday has religious meaning - don't they all? Sometimes I think the love translation gets lost in our commercialized, dozen rozes, box of chocolates holiday. Today is about showing love to the people in your life who deserve it, and to those who don't.We're off ...