So Long Houston

We'll be leaving Houston this week, and although these last six months were a bit tough because we didn't know how long we'd actually be here, there was a lot we liked about this place that I want to be sure and remember:

• Trees! Who knew? I sure didn't know before I came here, how green Houston is! Especially up where we are in The Woodlands, the trees are tall and green and beautiful.
• The view from our house. We are surrounded on three sides with forest. It is so wonderful to wake up in the morning and open the blinds and all I see is green forest! It feels like we're in the country, even though we aren't. Unfortunately, all that vegetation caused the bug and critter population to be out of control!
• Our ward. The Oakwood ward in the Houston North Stake is so great! People were so friendly and inviting, even though they knew we wouldn't be here long.
• BBQ--People here know how to do it right. We ate at several BBQ's in the area, but our favorite is Pit Master on Rayford-Sawdust Road.
• Library. Although the buildings were a lot smaller than what I was used to at the Salt Lake City library, there were some things that I definitely liked. I liked that you could return your books to any library within the system. I loved the children's programs. I loved that they had a little book shop where you could buy books for 50 cents and magazines for 10 cents! They had lots of children's DVD's to check out, and I liked how they displayed their new books. Oh. And Ty loved playing in the Conroe Library's school bus.
• Parks and pools. Almost every subdivision has their own park and pool. Although it was too hot to use the park all summer!
• Grocery shopping. So many choices! I loved getting my circulars and deciding what two stores I would shop at that week. Randalls(Safeway), Kroger(Smith's) and HEB were my favorites. San Antonio doesn't have as many choices in grocery shopping. HEB has kind of choked all the other stores out of business.
• Small town Texas: we have loved going to all the small town festivals and gatherings just outside of Houston. It will be fun to get to know the small towns outside of San Antonio, too.
• Sunsets. The sky here is incredible! And the sunsets with the tall tress as a silhouette are breathtaking.

P.S. I don't know when that picture was taken, but I've certainly NEVER seen the freeway that empty!

The Crying Gene

I'm not sure if it's biological or environmental, or a little of both, because my mom and my sister have the same problem, but somewhere along the line I became a crybaby. Okay, I've always been a crybaby--my brothers would chant, "Cry! Cry! Cry Sally, Cry!" and say things like, "If you just cry, you'll get whatever you want," and I would just bust out crying. I even have the special talent of being able to cry on demand (I would be a great soap opera star!) But now my crying isn't over toys or scraping my knee--it's over just about everything else. And I'm getting a little sick of it. I used to wear regular mascara. Then I changed to waterproof. Now I don't even wear any, because I know I will cry at least once a day.

It's good in a way, I guess. At least I know I'm not a stone-cold human being without feelings. But seriously, is there any way to control it? It's really embarrassing. I hate being the only one crying all the time!

Just take the last few days as a typical example:

• Driving home from San Antonio, I'm alone because we took two cars, and Brad has Ty with him. I put in my CDs and cry basically the whole time because I'm so grateful for my life and my two boys, and the Temple, and my family, and sad that I'm away from them, but happy that I know the Lord has a plan for us, blah, blah, blah.
• At a thrift store, Ty talks to a lady all cute, and she says, "He'll grow up so fast," and I blurt out, "I know!" and start bawling all over because he is growing up so fast!
• Football game--so proud of the players for working so hard. It reminds me of my joy in playing sports, and the fun I had. I cry at the end of another game as a player makes a winning field goal--I'm so happy for him for playing through the pressure!
• Just thinking--I didn't even hear it this time, I just thought about it--about that Tim McGraw song, "If you're readin' this, with my Momma sittin' there, it looks like I only got a one-way ticket outta here..." all about a man who doesn't come home from the war. This one was late at night. I had to go wake up Brad and just hug and kiss him because he was alive.
• Primary program--the whole thing--I never make it through a primary program! I can't even sub in primary without just bawling. Kids singing and bearing testimony gets me every time!
• Gospel Doctrine, Relief Society. I can never make it out of church.
• Getting Ty's birthmom's wedding announcement--so happy for her, so thankful for her decision to place Ty with us.
• Reading Sue's post.
• Reading Emily's post.
• Ty playing the message my mom left on the machine for him for his birthday over and over again and the sheer joy on his face, and me thinking about how he used to be so close to his grandparents, and how we've taken him away from them. Waaahhhhhhh.

Those are just the examples I could think of right now. I'm sure there were more tearfests that I just don't recall because they are so commonplace. When I'm alone I really don't mind it; a good cry feels good. But Ty has started noticing, and asks me why I'm sad. How do I explain that it's a good cry? Does anyone else struggle with this? Any tips on controlling it?

Three Years!

Three years ago today you brought more JOY,

LAUGHTER, HOPE, HAPPINESS, SWEETNESS

and LOVE into the world.

Happy 3rd Birthday, our Darling Boy.

One day old

First birthday, first Happy Meal

Cute as a button on 2nd birthday


Waking up to a Spiderman cake today!

Cooldown (for today, anyway)

I think I would have liked our six months here in Houston a lot better if all nights had been like tonight:

Sunny
78 degrees
Relative Humidity: Low
Breeze: Light, coming from the North
Trike-Riding Weather: Perfect!

We Got It!

Well, the negotiations weren't as smooth as some that I've seen on HGTV, but the end result is the same: we got a Great House at a Great Price! And we're so excited about it! This home is head and shoulders above the rest in its price range. It has so many extras: a sprinkler system, reverse osmosis water, landscaped yard, ceiling fans, great paint colors, tile and pergo downstairs, nice refrigerator, front loading washer/dryer, a big patio.

Plus, the down side was that I thought it was farther from shopping and the freeways. Well, I hadn't been to the part of town south of the house! It's only 2.5 minutes (I timed it!) from an HEB grocery store! It's only 3 minutes to Spencer and Sara's. And one minute to Ty's future school. Plus, although it is a little farther from the freeway than the others (still only about 5 minutes), the freeway that it's closest to is a better artery to and from the city.

We'll be moving around the first week of November. Tomorrow's the inspction--hope it goes well!

So take a look around our future home!

San Antonio, Here We Come!

Well, we finally got approval to move to San Antonio!!! It's a good thing, because I had already scheduled an appointment with the realtor for this Thursday! We've narrowed it down to three houses that are all in good neighborhoods and all have good things about them. Of course, a new home could come on the market tomorrow and we could snatch it up, but we're excited about any of these three. All three of them are within 1650 to 1700 square feet. Which one is your favorite?

Older, mature trees, house is 15K cheaper than the other two.

This is in my favorite neighborhood, very close to the freeway, surprisingly spacious.

Lots of nice upgrades like sprinkler system, comes w/ all appliances so we could sell some, and in Spencer and Sara's ward, but farthest from shopping and freeways.

Mission Tour 'o Fun, Part Two

We pulled into Branson on Monday and found a great view from our Lakefront Condo. This is Table Rock Lake, one of a series of resevoirs created from the White River in the 1950's to prevent flooding. They had to unearth 3 cemetaries and flood a couple small towns to do it. (We went to the visitor's center at the Dam).

One day we "Rode the Ducks." These are amphibious vehicles from WWII that go on land and water. They have little tours that go around Branson and then onto Table Rock Lake. Once on the lake, Captain Scott let all the kids drive. Ty LOVED it! He kept going to the left, and to the right, and back again. The people got a kick out of it.

Here's Branson's version of Las Vegas' Bellagio. This whole new mall area (Branson Landing) is new since we were here before. We really enjoyed strolling downtown Branson, where I did much of my street contacting on the mission. It's crazy how many memories popped up for both of us as we would drive the same streets where we'd been.




Of course we went swimming every day. Ty's getting to be quite the kicker. He can kick himself across the pool all by himself (with his life jacket and floaty on).

I love this pic of Brad and Ty. It's so cute how he's looking at him like that. This is somewhere in Arkansas. After three days in Branson we took a couple days to get home, stopping in Hot Springs National Park (don't go out of your way to go there, it's no Yellowstone!) and down through Eastern Texas.

I don't have to do a liquor store anymore! Found a new business for me in Longview, Texas called Sally's Good Foods!

Mission Tour 'o Fun, Part One

Aside from the occasional judging stare, (no, District meeting was NOT just an excuse for a double date) it's really fun being married to someone from my mission. We share a lot of memories and friends, and know the same areas. It seemed a great idea, therefore, to visit our old mission haunts on this, the 10th anniversary of our service. The fact that BYU was playing a game in the very city to which we were called sealed the deal.

After a not-so-bad seven hour drive, where we were even prepared with quarters for the many toll roads (and realized that Dallas is WAY less crowded than Houston), we arrived in Tulsa at our hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel I had reserved was not up to my standards (I'm not a snob, I just don't want to bring cockroaches home with me). Fortunately, one of the little perks of Brad's job is that we have access to a travel discount site, which meant that we got our room at the Comfort Inn next door to the yucky place for about half of what the BYU fan in front of us got it for!

As you can see, the University of Tulsa has a very pretty campus and the game was very exciting, even though we ended up losing. We had second row seats, and Ty LOVED seeing the players up close, and loved the band, and the fireworks going off every time they scored, etc. Now every time we see a football game on TV he thinks it's at Tulsa. He screams all excitedly, "Tulsa! Tulsa! Football in Tulsa! Remember Tulsa?"

Sunday morning came too early after our late night, but we got up anyway and drove about 40 minutes to attend church in my beloved Cleveland Ward. (It was a branch ten years ago. Also Home of the Cleveland Cut of '97) I served in Clevie-Land twice on my mission: my second area and my last area, so a big chunk of time was spent there. It was so great to see people I hadn't seen for so long--many of whom were people I taught or new converts when I was there, now serving in Bishopbrics and Relief Society. What an AWESOME place!

We stayed with the S****** family Sunday night, and had such fun. Their three little girls, Ashland, Savannah, and Courtland, aren't so little anymore. They're in 12th, 11th, and 10th grades now, respectively. Savannah especially took to little Ty and he adored her. So crazy that when I was there, she wasn't much older than he is now!


After Charlotte's FAMOUS chocolate chess pie, some great recipe sharing, talking, laughing, and more Cleveland Highlights (Bishop Jeff doing a little dance for us!) we took our Homemade Loaf of Bread (yes, I meant to capitalize it, it is that good!) on the road through Northern Arkansas up to Branson, MO.

They make this bread every Saturday night so that they'll have homemade yumminess for the Sacrament.

We found this big chair at a store called "Oops!" It has a bunch of factory seconds and other odd and interesting items for really cheap. It has TONS of holiday decorations, along with anything else you can think of. I was bummed when they said there aren't any other Oops stores. I don't think I'll make it up to Springdale, AR very often.

We found some great deals on this trip! We managed to get a bagful of stuff at this Oops store for under $20. We also ran across an Old Navy Outlet store that was closing, so everything was 60% off already marked down prices! And we seemed to hit it at just the right time because there was a lot of selection still. We majorly hauled on clothes for Tyler! There were also random yard sales all along the way, and we stopped at a couple, picking up toys and random things, as well as talking with the locals. I love Southern people. So very very friendly.

This entry is getting long, and I'm getting tired, so stay tuned for Part Two, Branson: Land of Senior Citizens.

Be Back Soon

We're still winding our way through the back roads of the Ozarks, and having a great time!

I'll be back next week to post all the details of our fun.

Ten Minutes Ago...

This room was clean!

Ice Cream and Beer

This week we went to San Antonio and spent time with our cousins Spencer, Sara, Adelaide, and Kamorah. We went swimming at our hotel pool (Tyler got his first bee sting but was very brave) and then out to dinner at Pei Wei (I always like to call it Pee Wee just for fun, in honor of my childhood--and I must say my current-- hero, Pee Wee Herman). Brad and I were first-timers there, and we were impressed. Yummy. Yes, I did leave my Somersize eating ways for a couple days. I've decided I'm okay with that. I can go off of it on these little trips--I'll get back on the horse at home. Which I do. I never cheat at home.

No, I didn't get any pictures as we stayed past closing time at Pee Wee discussing various important topics as American History, Texas Life, College Football, Mission stories, and who we want the next Apostle to be.

The next day our little family traveled up to Killeen for the first time, where Brad had some appointments. Killeen is a military town, as a big Army base is right there. We stayed at the best hotel we've found (within the company's budget) since we've been in Texas. Of course, we have stayed in some funky places here in Texas, and on our way here as well.

Any way, this hotel has new, clean, big rooms, nice furnishings, lots of extras, and a GREAT hot breakfast. Our only complaint is that the pool doesn't go any deeper than 3 1/2 feet. But we dealt with it! If you ever happen to find yourself in Killeen, TX, stay at the Comfort Suites hotel off of Hwy 190. It's nice, and a lot cheaper than all the San Antonio hotels we've stayed at! Of course, Killeen isn't quite as exciting as San Antonio, either.

On our way home we stopped off in Brenham, home of Blue Bell ice cream. If you're lucky enough to have lived in one of the seventeen states where they currently sell Blue Bell, you know how yummy it is. It was a great tour--not too long, and pretty interesting, and at the end you get a free cup of ice cream. Awesome!

Every time we say smile, this is what he does. Oh well, our little ice cream man is having fun!

True to his picky self, Tyler enjoys a nice cup of plain vanilla. It's actually their #1 seller, so I guess he's ahead of the game.

After a little lesson about milking cows, we're good to go!

On the way home, I also found a great idea for a new business. I wouldn't even have to change the signs!






P.S. You know I'm kidding about Pee Wee being my hero, right? I've moved on to Joe, from Blues Clues.

Daddy's Boy

We had a fun weekend, starting with the BYU victory against Arizona, and ending with a trip to Lake Livingston State Park on Labor Day. Ty especially loved having an extra day with his Dad. Those two are best buds.

Singing the Cougar Fight Song after their first touchdown.

Feeding the ducks on Lake Livingston.



This was not set up! He wanted to read his "Daddy book" before bed, and he fell asleep with it.

Just Because

It was just a normal day, but Brad made it special by stopping off at a roadside stand and getting me these:

Isn't he sweet?

P.S. Yes, I do have vases, but I never unpacked them. They're somewhere in the depths of the abyss we call a garage. I actually think the cheap-o plastic cup doesn't look too bad. Texas must be getting to me!

Waiting...

It seems like I've been waiting a lot this week:

Waiting for the official word to come that we can finally move to San Antonio. We thought it would come the 15th of August, then the 21st. Still no word. No one seems to know what's up. AUGHH!!!

Waiting for ideas to come for a blog entry. Nothing for over a week.

Waiting at the church for people to show up for Activity Days. I somehow missed that the time had been changed.

Waiting for the home teachers to show up.

Waiting for the ibuprofen to take effect after being bonked hard in the nose by the back of my 2 year old's head. (During Sacrament meeting)

Waiting in the Houston traffic.

Waiting for Brad, who was stuck in the Houston traffic.

Waiting for the pounds to leave me, or "the Melt," as Suzanne Somers describes it, after following the Somersize eating plan for two weeks. (Well, 2 weeks minus a weekend that I totally cheated)

And most exciting: Waiting for the first game of the BYU football season this Saturday!!!

A Most Important Decision

Ty, hanging from the Texas Longhorn

Being new to Texas, I've been trying to decide who my local college team will be. (No worries, BYU is still #1 in my heart) We visited College Station, aka Aggietown, and I really loved the Texas A&M campus. It was really pretty, and had so much life around and on it, even in the middle of the summer. It just seemed like a college I would want to attend, and a town I would like living in.

Last week we visited the University of Texas campus in Austin. It is pretty, too, but it is so HUGE, and Austin's traffic is SO BAD! I thought BYU's campus was large--nothing in comparison! In fact, I felt a little overwhelmed. I just liked the feel of A&M better.

So it looks like we're going to be a split family. Not that I want to see Texas lose, but I think I'll take more interest in the Aggies, while Brad will be a Texas fan. He works in Austin a lot, so he feels like he should root for them. We decided to raise Ty in a non-hostile environment and let him choose which team to root for when he reaches the age of accountablility, much like children who are raised with two different religions. (That last sentence was a joke, by the way. Sometimes I crack myself up!)

The Longhorns are too big and popular for me. Most people seem to like them more, because they won the big Championship in 2005. That's another reason why I'm rooting for the Aggies. I like underdogs. Plus, Burnt Orange just isn't cutting it!

Disasters

Here's a shameful little secret: I'm bummed that Hurricane Dean has turned away from us and is not forecasted to come our way.

How sick is it that I like Disasters?

It's not like I love seeing people losing their lives and their homes. Watching the drama of Katrina--all those people begging for help at the superdome--was horrific, and yet it was really intriguing, too. I got so angry at the Federal Government for not getting there soon enough, and I was proud of the local agencies and our church members for doing their part and volunteering.

Times like that show the best and worst of human nature. Everything is raw and real. I think that's what I like about it. Of course, I haven't had to live with the fallout, and that's why I feel so guilty. I really don't wish anyone harm, but if it happens, I'm glued to the TV to see it.

Disasters unify people. People forget about being "red" or "blue" and just help each other out. There's a common cause. Usually people do whatever they can. There's a nice benefit concert. It gives people something to talk about.

Of course, it has always happened to someone else--someone I don't know. I'm sure I would change my tune if I lost my own house, or loved ones. And that's why I have kept quiet about it: it's such an unfeeling way to look at the tragedy others are experiencing.

So, back to Hurricane Dean. Here's the thing--I live way too North (about 75 miles from the coastline) to really get hit by a hurricane. And we live on a little hill, so I'm not worried about our actual house flooding. The only thing we've had to prepare for is possible evacuation or staying in the home and having a possible power outage. And we're ready for either of those situations. It's been kind of exciting to watch the news and track the storm. Everyone was so busy over the weekend getting supplies. People were all abuzz at the stores and at church. It felt like a community. It gave people something to talk about. I like that, I won't lie.

I've never really discussed this with anyone before, but I know that other people must guiltily feel the same way, right? Please. Share your thoughts. And if you think I'm a disgusting speciman of a human being for feeling this way...that's okay, too. Why do you think I haven't talked about it before?

Potty, Potty, Potty

So, I know that everyone says it's so much easier once the kids start going potty.

Am I the only one that thinks that diapers aren't so bad? They're quick, for the most part you can change them at your convenience--or at least wait til you find a good place to change them. We've gotten pretty good at the occasional standing-up changes and pants-on changes, too. No sweat. Even the nine-wipers we can handle with the ease of an expert.

Perhaps it's because I don't think diapers are all that bad. Or maybe it's that we struggled so much just to get Ty and who knows if we have more kids in our future, that I'm not in a real big rush to see him grow up. Whatever the reason, I have not pushed potty training. Or even really encouraged it. He's not even three yet, why mess up a routine that we've got down pat? But ever since we got back from our vacation, Ty has really been into the whole potty thing. He's basically potty training himself. We just go along for the ride. And I've got to tell you-this ride is like being in the back seat of a speeding van on a windy, hilly road with all the windows up, after eating a big helping of Grandma's potato salad that has sat out in the sun for a few too many hours.

Every little peepee. We're talking every drop! I know about it. Every little boof leading up to every big load drop--I'm right there, cheering him on! The fascination with it all. The special wipes, the blue toilet water that turns green when he pees, the pull-ups, the spills, the waiting on the pot, the straining, the waiting, the false alarms, the waiting, the poo on the seat because he was too excited to flush that he forget to let me wipe. It all kinda grosses me out!! And it's not so convenient.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to do it. (Well, at least resigned to it) But I have yet to see the fruits--er, the good fruits--of all the labor. And let's just be honest here: it takes years for boys to get accurate in their aim. I'm going to be dealing with pee on the seat and floor for a while to come.

So, while other moms get excited for the switch, it is with a little sadness and some annoyance that I say goodbye to Luv's Blue's Clues Size Six, and say hello to Diego Underpants. Go Diego, Go!

I thought I'd Seen it All

We walked into our nice Comfort Suites room in San Antonio and cracked up. What in the world was a swing doing there? I still don't understand it, but Tyler really liked it. We set up his foam pads on the floor behind it and he was a happy camper.

It reminded me of my parents, who liked their porch swing so much they brought it inside, to enjoy it even on rainy and cold days. They even brought it with them to their mission home in Denver, when Dad was mission president, where it sat smack dab in the family room. Love it!

(So sorry about the poor picture quality. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my camera until I finally realized that someone--probably a little 2 year old--had changed the setting to nightime, so the shutter was open longer, thus the blurry pictures! I'm just glad the camera wasn't broken, which is what I had worried.)

Oregon!

We had the most wonderful two week vacation in my home state of Oregon. Going back to the home of my youth is always a bittersweet thing--I love it so much, it's always difficult to leave and I wish with all my heart that we could live there. Don't get me wrong--I like Texas a lot (as I liked Utah for the 13 years that I lived there), and I know this is where we need to be, and I'm excited to settle here for awhile, but I think my heart will always belong to the beauty of the Northwest.

The weather was great while we were there! No rain at all. Kind of funny that we had to go to Oregon to escape the rain of Houston!

The plane ride was non-eventful. We even got the whole row to spread out. The first few days Ty and I stayed with my sister Susan in Eugene, just hanging out and playing. Ty loved the slip n slide and playing with his cousins Jacob, Jessi, Katie, Christian, and Carter. Unfortunately, I wasn't the most diligent picture taker, so most of our two-week adventure went unrecorded.


Once Brad flew in, we spent some time at our family's cabin on the Coast in Florence. This little slice of Heaven is my favorite place on earth. It's here where I spent my childhood summers swimming, rowing, climbing sand dunes, fishing, exploring, reading, sunning, and relaxing, all without telephones and television.

A cute pic of "KayKay," "Jessica Fish," and "Ty Food." The kids made up nicknames for each other, and us. Not pictured: "Chin Chin," "SaySay," "SuSu," and "Grandma CiCi."

The girls also got Tyler hooked on the Cheetah girls. He goes around everywhere now singing Girl Power and Cheetah Sisters! I'm torn because I know he would LOVE it if I got him the CD, but is it just too girly for him to have it?

Poor Brad! It wasn't his lucky day. After crushing a pop can on his forehead and getting this circular-shaped welt, he overturned the canoe, drenching himself and his work cellphone. Luckily, after some intense hair dryer therapy, the phone was revived. He was a little embarrassed, but as Scott said, his clumsiness just endears him to us.

Grandma and Ty playing "bull" with a tablecloth after eating another wonderful meal out on the deck.


Special fishing lessons with Grandpa.

What's a trip to Oregon without a walk on the beach? We even managed to make it when there wasn't much wind.

In addition to the coast, we were able to spend a few wonderful days at SunRiver, where we saw Cousin Kelli and her cute kids and hung out at a luxury pool complex. We also visited my high school friends Catharine and Tonya. We couldn't even remember the last time all three of us were together at the same time--probably Ton's wedding in '99. It was so fun to see them and catch up.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip so wonderful! We had a great time! We love you and miss you already. Remember, Texas is a really fun place to visit, too. Our door is always open!