Bryson let me tag along on a work trip to NYC this weekend. He worked. I played! NYC is so inspring to me. The people. The creativity. The pace. The beauty. The food. The shopping. The art. The buildings. The craziness. I love it all.

We attended the Love146 10 year anniversary gala. So fun!! We are big fans of the team at Love146 and the work they are doing to rescue and restore women and children affected by sex trafficking/slavery. The first 10 years have been amazing…and the next will be even greater!

Let’s be honest. I’ve never been to a gala before — let alone a gala in NYC. It was a blast. I felt like I was crashing a really swanky wedding reception since we didn’t know most of the 300 or so guests. Vince Gill provided the evening entertainment and former President, Bill Clinton even stopped by to say a few words.  But the most special guests of the night were 2 teenage girls from Cambodia who were rescued from the horrors of modern day slavery and bravely stood before the audience and shared their story. Slavery has a face. In fact it has 27 million faces…and names. We were very encouraged and inspired by the work our friends at Love 146 are doing and look forward to cheering them on for another 10 years.

Country comes to the city — I’m feeling right at home.

While Bryson spent the day on Friday in meetings, I spent it wandering around the city. The best part of the day was grabbing lunch with an old friend from elementary/high school who has lived in NYC for several years. I love reconnecting with people I knew as a young person and seeing how they’ve (we’ve!) grown up. I had a blast talking and laughing with Alissa. Old friends are good for your heart!

So long NYC. I’ll see you again soon, hopefully.