Being the five year old that I am, I was of course immediately drawn to the Clydesdale horse that was giving carriage rides near the entrance.  I tried to line jump all the other people (children) in line, but my husband wouldn’t let me and instead we made our way to the barn to mingle with the grown-ups.  The word barn doesn’t really do this place justice, but that is what it is.  It was a horsebarn that has now been converted to a reception hall, complete with a food serving area.  The food, provided by Chez Bazan, was presented beautifully and tasted great.  Tables were set in a way fitting of a wedding reception, and beautiful floral arrangements were on each table.  Every inch was tastefully decorated and made me wish I could have another wedding.  The Sugared Rim bartending service was there serving wine and cocktails to attendants.

Brides have lots of options at Centaur Arabian Farms.  Everyway you look there is another picturesque setting for a ceremony or reception, both indoors or out.  The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the bed and breakfast is cozy and homey.  Though I wish Bill and Eva Sealey a world of luck with their project, somehow I doubt they will need it.  This is a fabulous place backed by even more fabulous people, and I can’t wait to come back soon.

This past summer I found myself faced with the task of coming up with the perfect first anniversary gift for my husband.  I racked my brain for days and days and finally I was struck with an idea for the perfect gift….  Cowboys tickets in the new stadium.  This idea was especially good, I thought, because it met the traditional guidelines that the first anniversary gift should be paper.  So, after much internal debating and back and forth and so on, I finally decided on (with much help from my football-informed friends) the October 25th duel between the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, back to dispelling myths.  Let’s start with parking.  The tales I had heard about parking at or even near the stadium were almost enough to be a deal breaker for me.  I heard rumors that parking was going for anywhere from $75 to $150 for parking a mile away!  I am happy to report, that this is one rumor you can completely dismiss.  It may be true that parking is this much in certain areas, but affordable parking is available – if not plentiful – just a short walk from the stadium.  We were cruising in on Collins wondering which way to go.  My husband pointed to a glimpse of a satellite tower far, far away, just barely visible on the horizon.  There, he claimed, was the $50 parking section.  If we drove there now and walked straight back to the stadium, we should be there just in time to catch the end of the halftime show.  Um, no thanks.  We decided to push our luck and keep going toward the stadium when all of a sudden we saw it.  Parking for $35.  The stadium is not only within walking distance, it is visible, and practically right there!  I wish I could remember the name of the place…  My memory fails me.  But, I can tell you that it was a small, privately owned parking lot just down the road from the stadium, and the parking was only $35.00 If you just had to be closer, the next block up parking was going for $50.  Myth dispelled.

Next, let me tell you about my impressions approaching and entering Cowboys Stadium.  Walking up to the stadium was incredible.  I wanted to hang out with the tailgaters more than I wanted to go inside!  Now, forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I had never seen anything like it.  Motorized cooler scooters, vans equipped with flat screens and surround sound, grills that attach to your trucks, people dressed up in costumes, I could go on and on.  It was SO cool.  Too bad we had to go inside. Once I was able to pry my eyes away from the tailgaters and all their fun setups did I take a moment to actually look at the building itself.  I don’t really like using the word building for it because it is so much more.  It is really a feat of architecture and engineering.  Oh, and it looks like a giant spaceship with crab legs.