New York!

Taylor, Lady Liberty, and I posed for a shot as we enjoyed a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. I think Liberty outshined us. The picture doesn't do her justice.

At the gate with Linda and Smitty on my first US Open day. The weather was hot but not unbearable.

Taylor and his girl.

I can't remember who was playing in this match but it was good times watching from our shaded seats.

We cut the first day of tennis short to enjoy watching a recording of the Late Show with David Letterman. The guest list included Olympian Shawn Johnson, Tracy Morgan and Solange. Letterman is my favorite late night host so this was a special treat for me.

Times Square after seeing Avenue Q. We were also able to see Mary Poppins. Loved them both!

Linda and Smitty at the Yankee game. The Yankees lost and I learned that New York fans are very fickle. A-Rod is the hero with cheers and honor until he strikes out and then he's an overpaid jerk. Never seen that before.

Prepping the field during the YMCA. We had great seats! Plus our friends Johnny and Kaley were there so it was fun to see them too.

Enjoying the views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Smitty's favorite photo-op spot. The globe from the 1964 World Fair in the background.

We had a fabulous dinner in Little Italy. We were famished after purse shopping on Canal. Those purse vendors had us climbing flights of stairs into vacant buildings for only the best faux. Gucci, Dooney, Coach, we got 'em all!

Here are a few more random pics:

Taylor and I recently spent a long weekend in New York City with Linda and Smitty. It's been an annual event for the Smiths to hit the US Open for years but this was my first and it was great! Not only did we see great tennis, we went to a Yankees/Red Sox game, saw the Naked Cowgirl in Times Square, hit a few broadway shows and ate Black and White cookies!! Don't forget the great shopping at H&M and Macys. Linda and Smitty really took good care of us. I Love New York!!

Addition to the Nelson Family!

First comes love... then comes marriage.... then comes the baby SUV in the garage!
Not quite how we used to sing it when I was younger but exciting nonetheless. This past weekend we made our first big purchase as co-owners of a Ford Escape. It's pretty! Taylor has known the Protege would not make it through another winter with us- pause for tears- so we did some research and decided the Escape was for us. After a grueling three and a half hours at the dealership we brought our baby home. Now begins the struggle of sharing!

Crystal Hot Springs

We recently spent a night under the stars at Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, Utah. We tried out our new tent which was a good home for one night. However it may need to be upgraded sooner than later- neither one of us could lay completely straight in it.

Kristina was the only person brave enough to get into the pool. Looks like nice water but you can't see the bugs, sludge and ick floating around in it. To this day she is still disease free- wonder woman!

Taylor's favorite memory of Crystal Hot Springs is getting his family's van stuck in the mud while off-roading. This is another, fishing for crawdads. So we spent some time dangling our tin foil dinners into the creek below camp. No success. (Sorry for the PG-13 pic)

Adam and Kristina at camp with their mansion of a tent behind them. We had a great time with the Pulsiphers.

Taylor provided some entertainment with glo-sticks. Who knew even adults could find hours of enjoyment with them. They were still glowing the next morning!

Last week the Nelson men went face to face in a beard growing contest. Taylor was not the winner. In fact he bowed out a few days early shaving off all but his mustache. It was kind of cute at first and fun to see the looks he received- but now he won't get rid of it!

I'm not sure if he looks more like he's in protective custody, the guy from

Reno 911 or just some guy you

might see on 'To Catch a Predator'. Shave it or keep it....What do you think?