A Taste of Italy!

Nick and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last week! Houston has a little treasure nestled in the heart of the city. Nino's has been around since 1977 and serves wonderful Italian dishes in an old house they converted into a cozy restaurant on Dallas Street between Waugh and Montrose.

We first went there on our wedding night after the reception so we could have a quiet dinner together. They gave us a secluded table for two at the top of the stairs with a beautiful view of the city at night.

We continued going there each year, but as the years passed & things got in the way we stopped going. We decided it was time to revisit the memories of those early years. When we arrived we were escorted to the same table, despite the fact that the upstairs section was closed. The atmosphere of copper pots hanging from the ceiling, candlelight, and a long dark wood bar invited us in like we were coming home to a family dinner. They even provided  rides to & from our car, dropping us off for a pleasant walk through the garden patio to the front door.

We enjoyed a bowl full of crab claws dripping in butter and garlic sauce, salads, bread, rainbow trout, & chicken parmesan with fettucini alfredo. At the end of an AMAZING feast we were treated to a surprise desert by the manager, Sebastian.  Next time you are in the area be sure to check out this great place, taste the food, drink the wine, and enjoy a nice visit with Sebastian!

Beautiful Family!

Just a quick peak at a beautiful family I got to photograph last weekend! I did their newborn session when this sweet little girl was born, & now I got to do these! The weather would not participate, but it did stop raining enough to get some great shots. I'm also designing their Christmas card & I am having a blast playing with all the free downloads available! I love sites like Shadowhouse Creations, Brusheesy, and anything with digital scrapbook supplies.

The quilt show & a visit from the "other side".

I have been thinking about this blog for a week or so. I have had several things in my mind to say, but now I am blank. I could talk about the beautiful work I saw in these quilts, or how the International Quilt Show is one of Houston's greatest sources of income (I heard it is the single biggest source actually), or how the vendors are selling some really amazing stuff these days, but there is also something else to talk about. The visit I got from my daughters...whom I buried years ago.

We are moving. We are leaving the house we raised our two daughters in, the only house they ever knew. As I find myself feeling the pains of leaving those things that brought us bright moments during their lives, I also feel the joy of getting a new start & I know they would be so excited to share in this. Driving to the quilt show I could not get them off my mind. I began quilting when our 2nd daughter, Emily, was born so that I could have something to keep me occupied during the long days & nights of her nursing care that continued throughout her short life. I got to take her to the quilt show twice, & every time I go I feel her with me. 

This year, with the move & all the emotional things coming with it, I feel both of the girls so much more. As I paid for the parking I looked back at the space I drove into. Space #95. That means nothing to anyone who does not know my family, but for us it means everything. Our oldest daughter, Cheyenne, was a strong intuitive during her life. She continues to be so in her afterlife. She often uses references to her birthdate as her way of confirming to us that it is truly her. She was born '95, and 95 is the most common way she chooses to come through to us. I knew, as I stood out in the parking lot, that my girls were at the quilt show with me again this year. I also knew that they are happy with the move & excited for us. This is not just me wishing. I have enough of those moments & believe me there is a difference. There is no way to explain these things, you just KNOW.   ...and I was going to take a picture of the parking space # but I totally forgot in all my excitement of the wonderful day I was having!

So, as I walked around this HUGE exhibition of quilts, vendors, & great food, surrounded by thousands of strangers, knowing that I was looking very much alone to them, I knew I was not. My girls were with me & we had a great day!