Two Month Hiatus Coming to a Close

I can't believe I haven't blogged for more than two months.  That's absurd.

But we're back from Texas.  Let's see if I can come up with a few things we did there.  Well after we moved to Houston we started seeing people.  One of those people was Sierra, Brea's sister.  She came out for a week to keep Brea company and it was fun.  Not that we did a whole lot.  But we did go to the Houston Zoo.

Ape's are so funny.  And she is so cute.

And then they went to the aquarium.

And we went out to eat barbecue.

And really that was about it.  I'm sure it wasn't the most exciting vacation, but it sure was nice to have her there for a few days.

But Brealynn blogged all that.

Then there was the fourth of July.

And we bought her a 4runner.  It is kinda fun.

Did I mention the selection of Blue Bell in Texas?  And this doesn't even include the equally large pint size section.

We had some delicious crawfish at Ragin' Cajun.

I attempted to touch up her roots.

I might have not done an excellent job (though this picture doesn't look bad).  She had me color it all dark again a few days later.

We made my mom's chicken noodle soup.

We bought Shelby this wire kennel.

And then this huge plastic one.  We got rid of both and got the black plastic kind.  And she hates all of them.  And we're not mean, we put her bed in there every time she goes in.

We went and saw Ana and Felix.

Brea's parents' car exploded.  Literally.  Luckily everyone narrowly escaped and there were no casualties.

Better Business

I have been known to do a fair amount of business through retailers that, though cheap, may not excel in customer service.  This includes individual sellers from eBay or craigslist.  It was nice however that when I bought Brea her expensive heels I bought them from Nordstrom's.  The first week she was out in Texas (maybe the fourth time she has worn them, we noticed the sole separating on the shoe, and not just a little.  Though the super glue has held the shoe since then, I told Brea to call and complain, and that she would get taken care of.  A phone call later there was a gift card one the way for the purchase price of the shoes, which ended up buying me two new shirts from Nordstom Rack and Brea two new MAC lipsticks.  Sometimes bad things turn out good.

You Just Might Tear Up A Bit

It makes you a little more grateful for what you have.

It's the Little Things

I'm generally rather annoyed when I have to go to the alarm warehouse and get equipment.  I don't really think that is my job.  However last week they had me stop by Wave Electronics, and it was not the worst stop I've ever had to make.  This place is way prettier than any alarm store I have ever been to, to start with.  Next they didn't quite have my stuff ready yet, so they told me to have a soda and sit on the comfy chairs.  So I did.  And it was magical.  I might just start going there when I have a few extra minutes.

Do you see how much the sodas are?  Yep.  Free.

The comfy chair area.  Complete with huge tv's to watch.  Excellent.

I however opted for the most amazing massage chair.  It was a little bit of heaven.

It's really the small things that make a difference.  I'll be back.

Home Sweet Home

About a month ago our office decided to up and move to Houston.  Though the work was way better in Corpus, as well as the gym, the apartments, and the beautiful beaches, there are some perks to moving.  I do have a few friends up here that I hadn't seen in entirely too long.  Also, on the way we were able to take a little drive down memory lane (my memory lane at least).  

Welcome to Bay City.  I lived here from the time I was about five until I was eleven.  And as small and ghetto as parts of it are, I loved it.  And I had only been back one time since the initial move, and I was fourteen.  It was so weird to be back there again, and I'm such a nostalgic fool.  I had to drive everywhere I could think of and get a picture.  So let's go for a little ride together, eh?

The new high school.  A big upgrade I would say.

The main drag.  We passed the courthouse that used to hold market days there and where we got Hogan.  Do you see Shipley's and HEB?  Puts a smile on your face, doesn't it?

Shipley's got a make-over.

HEB looks the same.  I dropped a bottle of IBC root beer once and it shattered.

Bay Cinema 4.  Edward's theater, watch out.

Matagorda County Fairgrounds, the site of the rodeos and most of my birthday parties.

The old church.

Cherry Elementary, I was here for Kindergarten through third grade.

Tenie Holmes had me for fourth and fifth.

The Del Norte Pool, where I spent a great deal of my summer days.

I'm almost positive this was our last rental house.

This was the other possibility.  It's been a while, and I wanted to be sure I got a picture, ok?!

The house my parents had built for us.

Those trees are just "a little" bigger than they used to be.

And the Ashcraft's old pad.

And of course, A&A Barbecue.  Still delicious if you are wondering.

We sure will try to come back one of these days.

And the bike on the terrible bike rack (it fell off on the free way).  Now the red plastic pieces have sheet metal screws attaching them to the frame, and the bike is tied on rather securely with alarm wire.

And of course the dog loungin'.

Glad Shelby had the paper towels there to keep her comfortable.

Sometimes I Like Nights

I am without a doubt a night person. The sun goes down and my mind becomes alive and active. I struggled with falling asleep for all of high school, lying in bed for hours trying to drift into that elusive world of dreams.

Though I have been blessed with much better sleep over the last decade or so, I still often struggle. Like tonight. Tonight it is nearly four-thirty and my mind is racing with thoughts of my new business ideas, excitement at the prospects and frustration at my ignorance of Adobe Design software and my inability to locate software designers. I am worried about the lack of work, bills to pay, my sister and her struggling family in California, my other sister and her complete inability to actually have a real, grown up "break-up", my sister-in-law and her poor decision making, my in-laws and their exploding car, etc. Tonight I just wish I had an off button. I'm ready for bed now.

Point Made

You remember that post I had a while ago about how Asians are safety conscious? Now I have photo evidence.

Yes, those are big rubber galoshes.