Downtown Fort Wayne

Getting downtown Fort Wayne isn't fun lately with road construction, but once you are there, it's well worth it. 

This city has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years, but my two focal points I want to discuss are the downtown Allen County Public Library & the new Ash Brokerage building. 

The downtown ACPL is truly a gem to this city. It's a treat to get to go there with the kids. Free fun in the Fort that's educational! I love it!!

Then the next exciting thing to come downtown is the new Ash Brokerage skyscraper building. They just recently broke ground, but in a matter of time, it'll be here. 

This may not mean anything to many of you, but my husband works for Ash Brokerage and I'm proud of him and that company. Ash really is a local success story!

This week they have left their old building off Jefferson & Engle Rd. to go to a temporary building until their skyscraper is built. Many memories were made at the old building, but how exciting for the future!

Thank you Downtown Improvememt District for your dedication to making this city so great for us, our children, & generations to come!

Zoo-Loo-Ah

One of the best things about living in Fort Wayne is that it's extremely family oriented. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is in the top of our favorites list. 

Today we went to the zoo and apparently it was Zoo-Loo-Ah. I knew I got a postcard on this event but had since forgotten about it. Zoo-Loo-Ah is a members-only event to show appreciation to their members. They provide free ride passes (1 per person), lunch, and a desert. There is also free entertainment and bounce houses galore. 

We were there from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., which is a long time for us, but we invited Aunt Molly & Myles up, and wanted to spend time with them/show them the zoo.

 I love having our zoo membership because we can just go for an hour or so and be done for the day. 

If you haven't checked out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, it's a must! They have fun rides like the sky ride, log ride, carousel, train & pony rides. If you do rides, get a ride pass (12 punches for $20) as it's a better deal. 

Check out some of the pics from our fun today!!

Zoo-Loo-Ah

One of the best things about living in Fort Wayne is that it's extremely family oriented. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is in the top of our favorites list. 

Today we went to the zoo and apparently it was Zoo-Loo-Ah. I knew I got a postcard on this event but had since forgotten about it. Zoo-Loo-Ah is a members-only event to show appreciation to their members. They provide free ride passes (1 per person), lunch, and a desert. There is also free entertainment and bounce houses galore. 

We were there from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., which is a long time for us, but we invited Aunt Molly & Myles up, and wanted to spend time with them/show them the zoo.

 I love having our zoo membership because we can just go for an hour or so and be done for the day. 

If you haven't checked out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, it's a must! They have fun rides like the sky ride, log ride, carousel, train & pony rides. If you do rides, get a ride pass (12 punches for $20) as it's a better deal. 

Check out some of the pics from our fun today!!

Top 10 Things

Today I went with the hubs to try and update his work attire...FUN!! Totally not fun, I feel for these guys who have to try and find descent work clothes in this area on a Sunday. 

Here's the top 10 things I learned:

10). Avoid Glenbrook area; stay southwest Fort Wayne. You'll end up wasting so much time there for nothing! Sorry but we've never had any luck at Macy's, Sears, JCPenney, & Carsons is a joke as far as selection goes. Dan found better luck browsing online while he walked the mall than any of these stores. Ha! 

9). Fitted dress shirts are a joke, as well as broadcloth. Traditional is the way to go.

8). Shopping with a 4 & 5 year old is entertaining. They fought over who could go in the changing room with daddy. Wow!! Sorry Olivia, you had to come with me. 

7). Good customer service goes a long way. 

6). Environment is also a selling point. Ex: Macy's vs Von Maur. Where would you rather shop if you could get the same prices?? Von Maur...yes, I'm a VM junkie, it's cool. There's a support group for people like me, I'm certain.

5). Von Maur seriously has some awesome sales, even better prices than Kohl's. They had some dress shirts for $17...WORD!

4). We found a new fav store, Jos A Bank...despite it being bought by Men's Wearhouse, it's a great place to get men's wear. They also have good sales and will ship for free if you find a shirt in a different color but they don't have your size in the store! Score!!

3). Every brand of shirt has a different fit & size. Ex: Enro is half size bigger than Jos A Bank. 

2). There are a million little pins in men's dress shirts that they have to get out before trying on shirts. Geeze!

1). Thought I'd save the best for last...Apparently they make SPANX for MEN!!! Oh my stars, there are no words for this realization. Thankfully, my hubs isn't interested. 

Ok, I'm off to bed. I hope you learned something new. Lovies!!

Deep Thoughts

Today I learned of someone that I work with who lost her son and daughter-in-law in a tragic car accident. Her twin grand babies (~6 months old) were also in the car accident and one is ok but the other is in critical condition at a hospital. 

First of all, this is extremely heart breaking for my co-workers family, and prayers are continually being lifted.

Second, it really hits home, as the last thing any of us want is to pass away too early from our children. Two years ago, as we were driving back home from the lake, we saw a car completely flip over and roll onto the side of the road on I-69. Luckily, Dan pulled over and rescued these strangers and they were ok, but this really hits home as we are driving back and forth from the lake with our little family of 4. 

The same question pops back in my mind, as to who would take care of my two beautiful children if an unforeseen accident occurred. Dan and I have discussed this at great length in the past  and the discussion always ends the same...we have no clue. 

Do any of you feel the same way???

That's all for now, deep thoughts! 

Gabe's 4th Bday

Today is Gabe's 4th Birthday and we made the most of this glorious day! 

First, we had Lucky Charms for breakfast...now how do you beat that?! 

Then we dropped off a door prize to a new parishioners house & surprisingly they had a 5 year old boy that Gabe enjoyed briefly playing with...so fun!!

After that we went to meet Allison Labrie & her daughter, Gracie at Java Mama. The kids had fun playing and the nice lady working the kids room read them a book. Susan Reynolds stopped by to say hi, which was nice and then we briefly saw Chanda Blair (which was so cool running into her and her beautiful little girls). 

Next, we met Dan and Grandma Rhonda & Cocoa (Grandpa Joe) at Chic-Fil-A for lunch. The nice gentleman sang happy birthday to Gabe & gave him a cow beanie along with free ice cream coupons. They have the best service ever for fast food!!

Afterwards, we went home to try and relax, AKA, mom to try to clean the house/fold laundry/do dishes, while the kids played, colored, & watched tv.

Then Dan came home and we went to a Tin Caps game at Parkview Field (thanks to Ash Brokerage & Principal Financial). We got front row seats, too...score!!

We didn't end up staying for the fireworks bc it was getting cold and late, but overall I think Gabe had an outstanding 4th Birthday!! 

I thank God everyday for my sweet Gabriel James! So blessed! XoX

Mom's 60th Birthday!

Today was my mom's 60th birthday! She sure looks great!!

We surprised her and drove down to Indy for dinner at Cheesecake Factory (Keystone Crossing). She seemed surprised and we had such a nice time with family! 

Happy Birthday, Momma! I hope I look as good as you at 60! XoXo