ICKY IKE

I'll be posting updates as often as I can about the hurricane. So far, in the downtown area of Houston, not much has happened. We've had a little rain on and off and some wind of 20-30 mph. I took the first two pictures last night as we were clearing off the patio and deck.

The third picture was taken this afternoon around 2:30. It looks like the eye of the storm is going to pass over us in the Heights, but that might not be such a bad thing. They are saying that the eye of IKE is 50 miles wide and that those outer bands will really pack a punch.
So, we hunker down and we wait. More later. Oh, and thanks for all the well wishes and text messages. They mean a lot!

Art and Concrete

One of the cool things about moving to a new area is finding out all the quirky stuff. Well, in my book, this falls under the quirky category. We have a great friend, Michelle, that has lived in this area for quite some time and she knows all the skinny on art galleries, museums, restaurants, garden stores, gift shops. You name it, she knows about it. One of the wonderful things she offered when we moved in to our new neighborhood was Saturday Morning Breakfast. It has become a fantastic ritual, one that she says is cheaper than therapy. Ha! So on one of these ritualistic, cheaper-than-therapy breakfast sessions, she says to me, "Hey! Have you seen the President Heads?" Now, I don't know about you, but I've never been asked such a thing, so I thought she was just joking around. And when I didn't aswer, she said it again. "Have you ever seen the President Heads??" I squeaked out a "i don't think so..." to which she eagerly replied, "They are behind Target. Let's go." Behind Target? Heads of Presidents? I completely didn't follow and had NO idea what I was going to see in the ally behind my beloved find-everything-you-need-and-then-some retail store.
One the drive over, she explained to me that there was an artist in Houston that does concrete artwork and that his warehouse slash studio was in a building behind Target. (I should have known it would be something cool like art and not gross like some csi show.) She went on to tell me that he was the one that sculpted the ginormous Sam Houston on I-45. If you've ever made that drive between Houston and Dallas, you've seen it. If you would like to read more about the artist, you can look here.

And then we drove up to this:

If you look closely, you can see a pick-up truck on the right side of the photo. That will give you a little perspective on just how huge the President Heads are and I've gotta tell ya: they are a little creepy. But cool definitely out-weighs the creepy. The fun part is walking around trying to identify each of the heads. My mom came to visit not long ago and I had to show her. Part of the fun is watching everyone's faces when you ask the question, "Do you want to go see the President Heads???" It's classic... Any way, my mom and I were going around making all the identifications when we came to one that completely stumped her. She made a few guesses under her breath and then said, "Well, my mercy. I'm just not sure." Turns out it was Bill Clinton. A very young Bill Clinton. It made me laugh.
And here's where the quirky part comes in: behind all the President Heads? You'll never guess.



The Beatles.

Random Biscuit Facts

Biscuit is our 5 pound Yorkie. There is an earlier post on my blog that fills you in, but I haven't figured out how to link to previous posts yet. Maybe next week.
But today, I'd like to share a few random facts about our little pooch.
Here is the back of her head, which you probably have never seen.
I like it because you can see her bangs poofing out.

Here are some very important must-haves to live the life of a Biscuit. The green thing is Bongo. I think he's a vest wearing ape.
There is a Milk Bone "cookie." (We can't call them "biscuits." That would be too weird. "Biscuit---would you like a biscuit?" See. Too weird.) And the other item there is a chewy. Or chew stick. Or rawhide thing-a-ma-jig.

And on certain days, when her eyebrows are super bushy, we call her Andy.

As in Rooney.

Rusty Ferris Wheel

Stacey and I, with our friends Kevin and Rebecca, have instituted good old fashioned game night. You know, the kind of Saturday night fun our parents used to have in the 70's: Good Food, Fun Games, Lots of Laughter. I'm pretty proud of how consistant we have been because with most friends, the intention is there (Let's get together soon! It would be so much fun!) but the follow-through isn't.
Well, we typically alternate houses and sometimes we cook and sometimes we go out, but we ALWAYS play games and we ALWAYS laugh. It's become one of my favorite things and sometimes THE thing that gets me through the week.
So this week, it was our house and we chose to go out. We live very close to The Aquarium downtown and we thought it would be fun for their five year old. I had no idea there would be so much to do! You can see the ferris wheel from the interstate, and I've been to an Aquarium restaurant before, but I didn't know there would be other rides, games, face painting, cartoon sketches. You get the idea.
After dinner, the five year old wanted to ride the ferris wheel, of course, and Kevin and I had already made it quite clear that we don't do heights. We would be in charge of holding down benches, taking pictures and have purse duty. So Stacey, Rebecca and the five year old get in line and I get out my camera. After a few minutes, I popped down to the line to see how they were doing and to snap a photo or two. Stacey leans over and says, "I don't think I can do this. I see some rust on that ferris wheel." To which Rebecca leans over and says, "The five year old is okay with it. You're going to do just fine." And, she did. They all did. I didn't even see any rust fall off while they were riding. And believe me, I was watching.
Did we play games? Of course! Scattergories and Mahjong. Two of my faves. If you don't already have a game night of your own, I highly recommend it. But I'm not sure you'll have as much fun as our crew. But you should try.

Wedgies

Lots of you know that I was an elementary teacher right after college.
Every once in a while, funny stories from that 5 year stint creep up on me and make me laugh. Yesterday this happened and I decided to share it with the 7 or so of you that read my blog. (:

First of all, the word 'wedgy' (is that the singular for 'wedgies'?)has always made me laugh, thanks to my big brother Skip. Just hearing him say it cracks me up.

So fast forward to me being an adult, teaching small children in an elementary school. The principal of that school would read the menu every morning over the loud speaker. I always found this interesting because what kid shows up not knowing what's for lunch that day? Kids may not plan ahead for much, but they certainly do when it comes to this topic. They have to know--do I bring my lunch today or eat in?
So the fact that she read the menu for the day of always perplexed me.
Anyway, on the days the cafeteria would be serving potato WEDGES...you guessed it.
She would very confidently announce: potato WEDGIES.

The humor of the wedgy lives on.

My Hometown

So I made a visit to my hometown over the weekend. It was the annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion. The 72nd annual, to be exact. For those of you that don't know, XIT was a cattle brand for Ten In Texas and was the name of a ranch in the Texas Panhandle that was eventually traded to help rebuild the state capitol building after the first one burned down.
Anyway, it's always a fun-filled weekend and a good reminder of small-town tradition. Lots of classes have reunions and so do families, so it's always a sure bet you'll see many old friends.
I captured some photos and put them in the slideshow below, but there were some events I missed: the watermelon feed, the porkchop dinner, all the crazy barbeque workers and the tractor pull. Not so sorry I missed that last one.
I've never thought of my hometown as "charming" but that word came up in a conversation I was having with the wife of one of my mom's classmates. I think I might have to agree. You be the judge.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Heart/Journey/Cheap Trick

What a concert...if you are a lover of 80's music, that is.
Heart rocked and was my favorite, of course.
They won me over even more (if that's possible) by playing a few tunes acoustic style.
Nancy broke out the mandolin...Ann sang like only she can. Wow.
Plus, the new guy with Journey was fantastic. Sounded even better than Steve P. I know...surprising.
And to top it all off, someone showed up in full 80's attire:
Big Hair
Big, Hot Pink Hoop Earrings
Blue Jean Mini Skirt
and...(wait for it)
Striped LEG WARMERS

...and, no. It wasn't me. Although the thought did cross my mind.

Thirty-Five

So, I'm another year older...even though I said I stopped counting at 32.
We had a big party this year. A good ol' fashioned themed party complete with an ice cream cake and party favors for the kids.

Those were the big hits of the party---lollipops that light up and blink. The little guy in the picture has been rationing his out, his parents tell me.
If any of you are having parties soon, you must have these lollipops. Let me know and I'll ship you a pack....

Simplicity

Spring is in full swing in Houston, Texas.

It's amazing how one simple flower...

...can say so much.

(With a little help from Picasa by Google.)

How About a Biscuit?

I noticed I didn't have anything on my blog about our amazing dog, Biscuit...so this post is all about her. She is a Tiny Yorkie. We bought her in Houston at Trader's Village. It's a flea market... and no, she didn't have fleas. She was born on April 16Th, which was Easter that year. She's an Easter Biscuit. Not an Easter Basket. That would have been a pretty cool name, too--Basket. On second thought, it's too much like the nutty pop singer of days gone by that calls his kid Blanket. Biscuit is way cooler. She likes to eat pupperoni sticks for breakfast (I call them Slim Jims) and will occasionally chase them down with her favorite peanut butter cookie treats. She also loves apples (minus the peel) but it gives her acid reflux. That's what the new vet diagnosed, anyway. So, no more apples. She loves carrots and the girl is CraZy about eggs. When she was younger, she absolutely couldn't get enough of them. It was unnatural, really. She also likes these yogurt drops that we find at PetsMart. She is the most fun you've ever had playing fetch, but she makes up her own rules that can get confusing if you're not paying attention. She also rocks at playing hide and seek which as been kicked up a notch since we moved to the new house with 4 levels. I know you think I'm kidding about this, but it's the truth. What else?....

She either loves to take a bath, or is great at pretending...which leads me to the biggest quirk she possesses. Her fascination with the hair dryer. She loves to jump up and try to get it with her teeth. But that's only half the fun. She also does flips. Not back flips. Side flips. From feet standing--over side ways--to feet standing. Her own version of a cart wheel I suppose. She's some dog. And there's more. Let's talk about sweaters. Little dog sweaters. I never thought I would have a dog that I would buy clothes for, but after watching her shiver in the winter I decided it might be worth a shot. Lo and behold. She loved it. Here's a picture of her very first sweater. Yes, she has more than one. I know. Shut up.

Let's continue. Things I love about this dog: She doesn't stink or have a dog smell. She doesn't have bad breath or slobber. She doesn't shed. She plays with the toys we buy her. ALL of them. She escorts me downstairs without having to ask. She doesn't bite or even get grouchy. She wags her tail and dances around every time I come home. She doesn't dig holes in the yard or mess with my flowers. She chases spiders so I don't have to. She never has to think about it when I ask her, "Do you want to go on a walk?" No hesitation. Ever. She just spins around and makes that squeaky-I'm So Happy-noise and waits by the drawer where we keep her leash.

She's just the best. All 5.5 pounds of her. Here's to you little Biscuit.

Countdown to Deliciousness

Two very exciting things are going to happen next week: I will get to visit a great diner in Kansas City and I will get to have my favorite cherry donuts in Amarillo. Lets talk about the diner first. It's 39th Street Mama's and I saw it featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (on Food Network, Mondays at 9pm Central) with host Guy Fieri. Love that show---it's perfect for me, because I travel for my job so much and I LOVE DINERS! I'll be in Kansas City next week to teach some classes...I can't believe my luck, really. I'll have to go to the diner for dinner to eat breakfast, but I can handle it. For sure. I'll take pictures and report back.
My next exciting event will take place in Amarillo, Texas at The Donut Stop. There is a link to their website under my "For Travelers" section where you can watch a video the owners of this fine establishment of tastiness have put together. They have 7 locations in a town of 200,000 people, so you know they are killer donuts. My top pick is the bright red cherry long john. If you can catch them when they come right out of the fryer...mmm...even better. You barely have to chew. They are so yummy. If you are ever in Amarillo, visit the location right off of I-40 and Bell. You'll be glad you did. I'll take some pictures of this place, too. Don't be surprised if you find yourself booking a flight...

Houston Rodeo and Cousin Crysta

So, my cousin--Crysta S.--was in the calf scramble at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo over the weekend. For those of you that may not know---that's a BIG deal. Serious business. It works like this: 28 high school kids are selected to participate. They are given strict instructions and white shirts and are told to go catch one of the 14 calves running around the arena-- in front of thousands of people. They have to tackle the calf, attach a rope to its head and lead it to the square in the center of the stadium. Sounds easy, right? Well, Crysta certainly made it look like a piece of cake...like she had done it a hundred times. I was completely impressed. She took complete control over that animal. Showed it who was boss. Amazing. As she crossed the white chalk line, the announcer said her name and the town she is from and then then interviewed her on the big screen. It was fantastic. The best part is, she buys a steer back home and raises it for a year...has to keep a detailed log of everything she does to care for it and even has to make a scrapbook. Next year, she will come back and compete against the other 13 kids that also wrangled a calf. What's the motivation, you ask? The winner this year brought $300,00 at the auction. And the 16 year old that raised it gets $85,000. No wonder my dad wanted me to get involved in 4-H when I was a kid....
Way to go Crysta. You can bet I will be there next year cheering you on...

Caribbean Cruise

Stacey and I took a Christmas cruise with her parents---what a blast!
I would highly recommend St. Thomas...specifically Magens Bay. Rent the kayaks and paddle out to the private island. Two of the best hours of my life! Seriously...