What a Couple of Tourists

For Halloween '08, the Red Barns raided their parents' closets for some costumes. Claire, the oh-so creative one, had the idea to go as tourists. The gang snagged some old clothes, a couple of fannypacks and some other attire. The two had a blast dressing up and making fun of themselves. Everyone loved the costumes.

At Phillip's Christmas party for work, he followed the tourist costume up with a nod to the Disco Era. Claire could only watch and laugh as he took home first place and $50 with this ridiculous outfit.

Red Raiders take down Aggies in College Station

In mid-October, the Red Barns packed their bags and headed south about three hours to College Station, Texas, for the Texas Tech-Texas A&M game. With a years worth of bragging rights and Christmas ornament positioning on the line, the two lovebirds parted ways for a few hours to root on their respective teams. With an early kickoff, it was mimosas in the morning and beers after the game. Claire was all smiles at the start of the game as the Aggies took a small lead into halftime, but Phillip and the Red Raiders would have the last laugh, with the Red Raiders coming out on top, 43-25. After the game, Phillip and Claire headed back for some tailgating with the her parents, aunts, uncles and cousins, a little pigskin-tossing and some dominoes. The highlight of the weekend was when Mark, Claire's dad, managed to schmooze the gang's way onto the rooftop RV.

Summer Fun with Family and Friends

The Red Barns ended the summer with some quality time with both families. Claire's brother Sam turned 22, so the G family got together to share in the celebration. Phillip invited some of his family members for a day of feast and festivities. The kids took advantage of the Red Barns' apartment pool and Phillip's ability to launch them out of the water. Speaking of water, the Red Barns spent Labor Day Weekend at Jeff and Patty's lakehouse on Lake Livingston. The couple was treated to a weekend of water sports and extreme Cranium. Phillip shredded the lake on the wakeboard, while Claire slalomed in and out of the wake. Throw in a few weddings and you can call Summer 2008 one to remember.

Feelin' Alive at 25!

The Red Barns celebrated Claire's 25th birthday throughout the week leading up to July 22nd. Earlier that week, the redheads headed over to Phillip's parents house, where his family presented their favorite teacher with a mini-fridge for her classroom. Two days before her birthday, Claire's parents, brother and grandparents came to the Casa de Red Barns for a few mexican beers before heading over to P.F. Chang's China Bistro. Throughout the week, Claire was extremely moved by the warmth and love from all of her family, those present and those absent.

On the big day, Claire was greeted with her new favorite breakfast, "Eggs in a Basket," prepared for her by Chef Felipe. Her favorite part of the day was stopping by Facebook and her e-mail inbox to see all the wonderful birthday messages. In the morning, it was off to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a waterpark in Arlington, where the Red Barns baked in the hot Texas sun while riding a few water rides. In the evening, the two showered up and headed out to dinner at Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant with friends, Amanda and Kyle.

On top of getting a mini-fridge, Claire also received a new iPod player, some cashola, wine, a yoga kit, a Motorola bluetooth and an iTunes gift card.

The New York Nine

In July 2008, the Red Barns flew to New York for nine days to celebrate their one-year anniversary and visit with cousins Chelsea and David in Rochester. After flying the world's smallest plane from Chicago to Rochester, the redheaded duo embarked on one of the greatest adventures of their marriage. On the second day of their trip, the four traveled to Niagara, Canada, to see where one-fifth of the world's fresh water travels. The gang also donated some money to a Canadian casino. For the Fourth of July, the group headed to New York City to see Lady Liberty and the rest of her wonderful city, where they stayed at the fabulous Salisbury Hotel, located on the same block as Carnegie Hall. In the first three hours, Claire and Phillip saw Times Square, Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and Central Park. The next day, the gang took a 90-minute boat tour of Manhattan, Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Later that day, the four rode the subway north to the Bronx for the Yankees-Red Sox game. With rain, Phillip and Claire were worried that the game would be delayed or postponed, but just like the saying in New York's Broadway Street goes, "the show must go on." The game started at its normal time, and the Yankees won, 2-1.

On Sunday, the four traveled from Albany to Cooperstown -- home of the National Baseball Museum Hall of Fame. It's a must-see for any baseball fan, and Phillip and Claire could have spent hours looking through the old memorabilia and reading up on baseball history. David and Chelsea, in the meantime, were purchasing them a custom Louisville Slugger with their anniversary engraved in gold lettering. On Monday, a year after 07-07-07, the couple spent their anniversary visiting different wineries around the Finger Lakes region. By the third winery, everyone was feeling pretty "good," so the tour was postponed. After a day of rest, the Dallasites headed back to Texas and their humble abode.

Niagara Falls, the Canada side



New York, New York


Cooperstown -- the National Baseball Hall of Fame


07-07-08 - the Finger Lakes Wine Trail

Denver: The Farthest Claire Could Get Away From Phillip

For four days in June, Mrs. Red Barn escaped to the mountains and left Mr. Red Barn with a freezer full of frozen dinners. Once school let out, Claire was Denver-bound to visit one of her best friends, Jana, for the extended weekend. While in Golden, Colorado, the Aggie twosome toured the Coors Brewery and zig-zagged down a mountain on an alpine slide. Later that weekend in Boulder, the Ags ventured to a meadery in Boulder, where they use honey to make wine. Claire and Jana also kayaked in a private lake near Jana's apartment. While Phillip was melting in the hot Texas weather, Claire was enjoying cool afternoons and 50-degree nights. Claire's return to Dallas was a little eventful. She spent all Sunday in the airport, hoping to get on standby for an earlier flight home, only to have her original flight delayed and not land until after 1 a.m. Monday morning.