Clementine's First Birthday

We celebrated Minnie's first birthday this past week. We started out the celebration last Saturday with the Breeden side of the family up on the north side of town. There were cupcakes for all and Minnie had a blast playing with her cousins.


She also had a chance to play her favorite game: run away from Amy on the trampoline as Amy tries to keep her from running right off the edge.

Then, last Monday, we celebrated Minnie and Grandma Young's birthdays (both born April 21st) with Amy's side of the family at Benihana, which is a Young Family tradition. She loved pretty much everything at Benihana, but especially the mushrooms from the soup and the fried rice.

When we told Minnie to blow out the candle, she did the only "blowing" she knows how to do: blow a kiss.

She's such a sweetheart and we love her so. We can't believe she's already a year old!!!

H-town here we come, I mean, stay, I mean...

We have some good news to share (and no, this isn't an April Fools joke). Yesterday I was offered a position at a boutique firm in Houston called Labanowski & Associates specializing in oil and gas law. This is very happy news as on many levels but especially because it means I won't have to work up here in Ft. Worth anymore away from the family. I interviewed with them a couple of months back and Amy and I decided to hold off making any decisions about moving up to Ft. Worth until we heard the final word from them. It took a while, but the waiting paid off and now I'm set to start there on April 14th. We're sad that we won't be near many of our friends up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area but we're so happy that we'll be able to stay close to both of our families in Houston. And for the occasion, I've put together a top ten list. Enjoy.

You know you've been living (and working) at a hotel too long if:
1. Maids ask how your daughter is doing by name every time you see them.
2. You only leave the hotel once a day, usually to get dinner, from which you promptly return.
3. Your sleeping cycle has become confused as the industrial strength window curtain doesn't allow the sun to "rise" normally.
4. Walking down to the gym where they have filtered water has become a much anticipated "break."
5. You can't remember the last time you made your own bed.
6. The last line of "Hotel California" hits a little too close to home.
7. You've actually filled all the available drawers in the hotel room furniture.
8. Chatting on a grainy webcam has become "quality time" with the family.
9. Your daughter waves at TVs, computer monitors and pictures because she thinks they're alive, just like her daddy on the webcam.
10. You actually look forward to a 4 1/2 hour car ride every Friday afternoon because it means seeing your family.