The Astros!!

A few weeks ago, I signed Luke up for the Astros Buddies program.  This has been around for ever, and something I never got to do when I was a kid.  Luke received a backpack, socks, a cap, and 4 tickets to a game.  I thought that was a pretty good deal, especially this season as they have the best record in baseball and a legit shot at going to the Series.

Besides all of the items mentioned, his name got entered into a lottery where he could meet some players and get autographs.  Well, he got chosen this past weekend, so up to the stadium we went, arriving at 10:30 for a 1:10 start.  Marlina and Kate dropped us off and we waited in line to get the autographs.  By 10:45 we were next in line.  I looked at Luke and informed him that this was his chance to meet the players and to take advantage of it.  Ask the players a question, don't just hand him a ball to sign silently.  Luke walked up to Astros reliever Will Harris, and politely asked "How do you throw the ball so hard?".  Perfect, I thought. Now this professional probably gets asked that question a bunch and he should impart some wisdom regarding practicing hard, never giving up, listen to your coaches, etc.  Harris's reply?  "Shoot kid, I just throw it as hard as I can every time."  Not exactly the inspirational stuff that I was looking for, but hey, maybe Luke can gleam some wisdom from it anyhow.

 Well, after that, we went to the game and had a good time.  The Astros came from behind to win it, and I got to see the new parts of the stadium that I hadn't previously seen.  The kids got to run the bases afterwards, and it was a blast to see Luke run around as fast as he could and Kate parading around like she was in no hurry at all. 

Go Astros!!!

Hawk

So, last night Unk came over to eat some pizza with the kids.  As we are all gathered around the dining room table, we heard a loud THUNK.  Where is the cat and what the hell has he done now, immediately went through my mind.  It sounded as if it came from downstairs, but the cat never goes downstairs.  I went upstairs to look for him. He was no where to be found.  I went on the main floor, but couldn't find him there either.  I ventured down the stairs to see if he had gone down to the landing and knocked something over.  I was halfway down the stairs, just enough to see the window on the door that leads outside when something grabbed my attention.  Standing outside my door was a very large hawk.  Standing, not walking around, not doing anything.  Just standing there looking confused.

Something similar to the one pictured here, only this guy wasn't balancing on a pole, he was just dazed.  I then saw a little package on the front stoop. It took me a second to add it up, but that hawk had caught some prey, and was struggling with it, not able to fully control where he was flying.  He must have been fighting with the prey and flew right into the glass door.  I have heard of sparrows or pigeons flying into windows before, but I have never heard of a hawk.

Anyways, the dazed hawk shook off the cobwebs and when he saw me gawking at him, he high tailed it out of there, leaving me a little present on the doormat.  I think it was a baby night heron, but in any case, I disposed of it and went back upstairs to finish the pizza.  Only, I wasn't as hungry as before.

I'm on a boat!

Took my first boating lesson on Saturday.  Mr. Batchelor was kind enough to take me out and show me everything he knows about boats, or at least that is what he told me.  I climbed aboard his 18' Mako and we set off.  He explained about wakes, idling, channel markers, etc.  Basically all the things you take for granted when it isn't your boat and you are not driving.

We cruised passed the swimming hole and he let me take the wheel.  Now we are talking!  Back the other way and out into the bay.  Getting the boat up on plane is going to take some practice.  So is looking for underwater obstacles and other boats.  What has kept me from driving boats in the past still freaks me out now, but you can't get over the fear without facing it.

Two hours and $75 worth of fuel later, we headed back in, where he showed me how to tie the boat off "the way the US Navy does". 

Really looking forward to my next time.

Dolphins....

Marlina and Trish decided that our excursion down in Ol Mexico was to be one that they had always wanted to do, but disguised it under the rouse that it was something the kids would always remember.  I think I will always remember it as well.

We got to swim with the dolphins at a place called Chankanaab Wildlife Park.  When we arrived at the park, we found our place to change into swimsuits, then watched in amazement as we saw the dolphins in the lagoon.  We got paired up with our host and photographer and prepared to enter the water.  It was chilly, but not too bad.  At least not to me.  Marlina thought otherwise.  But she managed to push through it.

One by one, they called us to touch the dolphins and rub their bellies.  Then they pulled Marlina and Kate out to swim with the dolphins.  Katie got to grab the fins and go for a ride.  Marlina did the same.  When it was time for Luke and I, they tried something different.  We got a boogie board and were told to place our legs straight out.  The dolphins came from behind us and their noses hit the soles of our feet and pushed us through the water at a surprisingly fast rate of speed.  We created a wake!

We spent the rest of the time playing around and watching the dolphins do tricks until it was time to leave.  After we got out, we walked around the pier and got to see a manatee.  I have never seen one of these beasts until that time. What a large animal!  We took several photos of the dolphins and manatee, but then we discovered how they get ya.  We were not allowed to bring our cameras into the dolphin area, but they did give us a personal photog.  She took awesome photos and they were glad to sell us the disk for $200 per family.  We politely passed and went to lunch.  But before we left the park, we negotiated them down to a slightly less obscene price and bought the CD, but they only allowed us the photos of the kids.  Sorry, but no bikini pics of Marlina (or me).

We had a blast.  Trent and I then rented snokels and took off.  I saw a lobster under the water that was bigger than anything I had ever seen in a tank.  Bring on the butter.  Too soon, it was time to leave and get back on the boat.  After a stop in downtown at the Hotel Barracuda, a lovely plate of nachos and cold margarita later, we boarded the boat and prepared to cruise back to Galveston.  Good times....Good times....

Cruisin......

Well, Marlina and I got to do something that I have always wanted to do.  We got to surprise the kids with a vacation.  I am talking full on surprise here.  We dropped the kids off at school for the day, then showed up at the school office at 10:15 to pick them up.  They had no idea of why they were being called to the office.  We loaded them up in the car under the guise that Dad had taken the day off and wanted to go to Galveston.  As we crossed the Causeway bridge, Katie looks at the cruise boat docked and asks, "Hey, when do you think we will be able to go on that cruise boat?"  We looked at each other sheepishly and changed the subject.  First stop, the Olympia Grill on the Strand.  This is where the Murphy's walked in.  Trent and Trish walked in with both of their kids and we all got seated together.  At that point, we told the kids to turn around and see what was on their chairs.  The ladies had put together a backpack for each of the kids.  Inside the backpack was a pair of sunglasses, some sunscreen, a travel journal, an envelope with $75 spending money, and a note that read "See that big boat anchored up right outside?  Here is your ticket, now lets go get on board!"

 The cruise was set for one day at sea, one day in Cozumel, and one day at sea. The first day at sea was quite windy. Luke was a bit disappointed as the Sports Deck was shut down due to the high winds.  Even the water slide was closed.  However, we still managed to have some fun and the kids and ladies picked up First Place in the on-board scavenger hunt.  We ended the night with show about music through the years.  We loved it as the kids cringed as we danced along to the sounds of ABBA and Barry Manilow.  

We got up and we were in Cozumel.  It occurred to me as we headed out on our excursion that our kids had never been in water where they could see their feet.  Boy are they in for a treat.

On the next post, I will fill you in on dolphin encounter excursion.........

To Build a Bear, or not to build a bear, that is the question....

This past weekend,  I had to work on Saturday.  Marlina and the kids had no definite plans and that usually means trouble for me.  Sure enough, they call mid day and explain that they had to get out of the house and they are going to Academy so Luke could purchase a basketball jersey.  Well, I get home to find out that he purchased the jersey and Katie purchased a geology kit where she dissolves this brick of mud to expose the buried gems inside.  Well, she gets ripped off in the fact that this particular one only encased one ugly rock instead of the normal 8-9 crystals.  Lesson learned, I assumed.

After showing me their treasures (or lack thereof), I decide to settle down for a late afternoon nap.  After snoozing for a few, I was awakened by my little girl announcing that it was time for Dad and Kate time, bemoaning the fact that, in her opinion, it had been forever since we had spent some time just her and I.  I relented and got up.  She suggested a few places to go, and I suggested we go to Kemah in hopes that we could have a happy hour together at one of the many fine establishments on the water.  She had other ideas.

We ended up over there and she immediately drug me to the new Build A Bear workshop.  Thats fine, I said to myself, we will just look.  And, she had already purchased a new toy earlier in the day.  But.................She really, really wanted one, but my Dad voice took over and I shut down the episode.  Then she brought out the big gun.  "Dad, I will use my own money!"  Normally, I would think this was great, but A)She had been telling me for weeks that she wants to save enough money to purchase and Apple watch and B)She had already purchased one toy the same day, and C)25$ for a teddy bear is a bit absurd, then you have to purchase the clothes separately.  But....on the other hand, A)who am I to tell someone how to spend their own money, even if I don't agree with what they are spending the money on, and B)I don't really want her to have an Apple watch anyways, because a 6 year old doesn't need that kind of toy.

Well, as you can see, I was in a bit of a pickle.  This is what I did, and I don't know if it was right or wrong, but it is what I did.  I shut the plan down on site.  I explained to her that she informed me that she wanted to save her money for a larger purchase down the road and that by spending her money she would never accomplish that goal of saving up.  She didn't cry, but she was disappointed.  I couldn't even get her to eat ice cream.  We made the journey home and she went upstairs and shut the door to her room.  I waited a few minutes going through everything in my mind and then I also went upstairs.  I knocked and entered.  I then sat her down and explained to her that I wanted her to think long and hard about it over night and decide if she truly wanted to spend her money or would she rather save it up.  If she truly wanted to spend her money, we would return the next day.  After all, it was her money.  Her face lightened up and she said she would think about it.  She liked the plan.

Well, long story short, we returned the next day and she purchased Rosy the bear with her own money.    I didn't want her to get that Apple watch anyways......

March, where did you go???

Well, here we are, already in April, and I didn't manage to blog once in March.  Now that I am looking back, it is a good time to evaluate those new year's resolutions. 

1.  Exercise three times a week, minimum--Well, I have joined a gym, and am efforting to get there three times a week.  I have started going before work, but have not found it always conducive to do so.  After work is not an option either, as the gym is crowded and someone needs to cook dinner.  That only leaves during lunch time, which I might try on days that I don't make it before work.  I have enjoyed it, and it does make me feel better.  But, then again, it has only been one month of doing so.  Lets see if the habit sticks.

2.  Go camping 5 times--Well, we have been once, and are scheduled to go again in May.  Two times out of the first half of the year is not going to cut it.  Need to up that and see if I can go again before May ends.  We ended up going to Huntsville State Park with the Garza's, Murphy's, and the Sender's.  We are going with them again, only this time we are going to Austin State Park in Sealy.  I have never been to this park as an adult, so I am curious as to the amenities.  There is not much to do around Sealy, so I am a little skeptical, but will come with an open mind.  I would love it if yall shared some insight on this park.  Also, when we went camping with this bunch last time, Marlina and I were the last around the campfire, and definitely had the most empty containers around us.  Hopefully, this time around, the campfire will be attended better. 

3.  Read 5 books--I have completed one, and am halfway through the next one.  The first was Huck Finn, by Mark Twain.  It was the first time I have read this classic and I will admit, it took me a while to get in the flow of the language.  Those of you who have read it recently will remember that the entire book was written in the "language" of the uneducated American youth of the late 1800's.  That takes a smidgen of time to grasp when you used to the politically correct climate of today.

That was it, or at least as much as I am going to share today.  My other resolution was to blog more.  I did pretty good in the first months of the year, but fell off in March.  April will be better.  Don't forget to click the link below to subscribe. 

Roller coaster of emotions

Last night, Luke had his playoff basketball game.  So far this year, the Bulldogs were 0-8, but were improving every game.  The boys played hard but always seemed to come up a bit short.  Coach Steve played every kid and no kid played the entire game ever.  I am not one of the people who believes that every kid deserves a trophy.  Nor am I am guy who says there are no winners or losers.  Of course there are winners and losers.  The team with the most points at the end of the game wins and the other team lost.  Period.  But you go out there, try your best, give it your all, and aim to win.  Every time.

Well, as of the start of the game, Luke had been held scoreless for the year.  The usual final scores for Freshman Basketball are somewhere in the neighborhood of 18-14, so it is not like the NBA.  Luke had been shooting better, but still having trouble getting his shot off without the defense blocking it.  Well, that changed in the playoff game tonight.  I saw him take a pass, and head straight for the hoop.  Just before the defense arrived, he stopped and popped.  He missed, but great try anyways.  Well, the game got tight at the end, and Luke made a great steal to give his team another chance at tying the game up.  He posted up, then became free.  The point guard saw him, and made the pass.  Instead of driving it this time, Luke jumped and released the ball.  Swish!!!!  The pure joy I saw on his face as he pumped his fist in the air was priceless.  He was determined and it paid off.  His whole team celebrated. 

Well, it turned out that this was not the game winning shot.  The other team managed to score a few more times and took a 3 point lead to what appeared to be the end.  Suddenly, Luke was guarding the opponents best player (the opposing coach's son who was never taken out of the game and was responsible for 80% of the opposing team's points).  That boy was driving when Luke reached out and grabbed the ball, tying him up for a jump ball.  The possession arrow was pointing Bulldogs.  Luke had given his team one last chance to launch a three pointer on a pure hustle play.  Alas, the Bulldogs couldn't get a shot off and the other team won by 3, ending the Bulldogs season.

The tears were shed by many on the team, and Luke couldn't take a compliment for 30 minutes afterwards as he was "decompressing".  But I am very proud of the way my boy competed. 

He loves basketball and his looking forward to playing again in the summer.  Maybe I will have to show him some of my old Globetrotter moves, if I don't pull a muscle or two in the process.

Food porn without a photo

I know, I know, I am committing an error, but I couldn't help but share.

Yesterday, I hit up Tejas BBQ in Tomball after reading about it in a blog shared by Michael Berry.  Actually, the name is Tejas Chocolate Craftory.  Thats right, it is half BBQ joint, and half chocolate factory.  I arrived right after 12:00, lunch time.  I grabbed a menu and waited my turn to order.  I had just about made up my mind when I got to the front and read the daily special:  A house-smoked pastrami ruben on rye, with Shiner Bock sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing.  I couldn't pass it up.

I don't believe I have ever had pastrami made in Texas.  At first, I thought it would be just eating a brisket ruben, but you could definitely tell it was pastrami.  But the star of the show was the Shiner Bock Kraut.  It was more like a compote.  Imagine carmelized onions and cabbage that just melts in your mouth.  I wished they served it as a side dish.

I did not make it to try the chocolate on this journey, but look forward to doing so soon on my next trip back.  Luckily, I have a couple of jobs in the area, so I am in Tomball at least twice a week.

On a separate note, I have an unopened bottle of Rowan's Creek Bourbon. I am not a shooter, but do like a cocktail.  Any suggestions as to what I should make?

Saw this video on YouTube and thought it was awesome.  I love how the girl dotes on her father.

Have a good weekend everyone!!  Carti-gras is happening in our neighborhood.

Push Goal

Push goal....Anyone heard of this?

One of the podcasts that I listen to is Build Your Tribe by Chalene Johnson.  In this podcast, she refers to a "push goal."  The push goal is defined by the one goal that, when you accomplish it, will unleash all your other goals.  Without achieving the push goal, you cannot reach your ultimate goals.
In other words, accomplish the thing that is holding your other goals back.

Well, last week, I determined what my push goal is.  This is exciting for me, because I now know what is holding me back and I get to try to find a way to accomplish this.

Specifically, my goal is to find a replacement for me in my day to day business life.  I am too busy working in the business to work on the business.  I need to find someone to do the things that I am currently doing at my work in order for me to get the time to work on the things that I currently don't have time for.  Does that make sense?  Do you believe in all of this?  Are you following me here?

To summarize, I now have a goal and I know what I must do.  And, as GI Joe says, knowing is half the battle.

Stressed out

After attending a wonderful party for neighbor Bryan on Saturday night, we returned home and slumbered away.  The crawfish pie was to die for, BTW.  Marlina woke the next morning with a pain in her chest. The left side of her chest.  You know, where that one muscle that pumps blood throughout her body is located?  I looked for the aspirin, but of course, we were out.  I high tailed it to Target to get some.  By the time I got back, she said that she was having pain in her left arm as well.  That's it, I yelled, and loaded the kids and wife into the car and streamed straight for the emergency room.

The kids, not really freaking out, but kinda freaking out, asked if Mom was ok.  I said that I didn't know, but that was why we went to the hospital.  After we got her signed in and settled in, I loaded the kids up and headed to drop them off at my parents.  It took me 2 hours round trip because of they had the freaking freeway shut down. Anyways, I got back and Marlina was sleeping. 

I got the chance to talk to the doctors who informed me that they think she was just stressed out, that it doesn't appear that she had a heart attack but that they wanted to observe her a bit more.  She slept for most of the day, and I got the chance to finish my book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Sitting there in the hospital reading about ole Huck and Tom Sawyer's adventures sure had me planning some capers with the nurses and doctors.  But alas, I didn't do it and she got released about 7:00.

The moral of all of this is that when your body is telling you to take some time off to properly process everything, you need to listen.  Dealing with the death of her father the weekend prior, on top of that, dealing with family politics, and on top of that trying to go to work and dealing with kids' schedules, she didn't take the time out to listen to her body.  She barely slept all week and it finally wore her down.  Who knows what would've happened if she would of pushed through this pain?  I don't regret taking her to the hospital.  I just wish I could take away her pain.

Vincent

On Saturday night, Marlina received a call that none of us ever want to get.  Her father had passed away.

She immediately dropped everything and went to the hospital.  When she got there, she was told the very limited details and was left to process everything.  She returned home around midnight, and got about three hours of sleep.  Upon waking up, we both felt like we were still in a fog.  We told the kids and, of course, they cried.  This also happened to be Super Bowl Sunday, and the kids were ready to go to the party.  Needless to say, we stayed home, as we were not in the partying mood. (What an exciting game, BTW).

I will never forget going to Vincent's house the first time.  He was a very creative man with a unique personality.  He made figurines out of things he found on the beach.  He was a professional beach comber.

I am sure I will write more about him in the future. 

He will be missed.

Katie gets slimed!!!

On Sunday, we took the kids to the NFL Experience, which is in town for the Superbowl.  It was pretty sweet.  There was lots to look at and do, including kicking field goals, throwing touchdown passes, designing your own helmet and uniform.  They also had a Nickelodeon booth set up where you could throw footballs into SpongeBob's mouth, look the Teenage Turtle's lockers, etc.  Well, they also had a slime booth set up.  When Nick first became a channel when I was a kid, there was a show called You Can't Do That on Television, where, if you said the taboo word, you would get green slime dumped on your head.  Well, as a kid, we all imagined what that would be like.  On Sunday, my 6 year old daughter got to find out.  Well, with clothes protection on at least.  Here it is in slow motion.

Besides the sliming, Luke got to see the inside of one his favorite players' locker.

Katie got to take a photo with some cheerleaders.

We even got to see the Lombardi trophy.

As someone who was very skeptical that I was going to get nickel and dimed, I was pleasantly surprised.  We did pay $25 per kid, plus $35 per adult to get in, but once we got in, we didn't have to pay for any other item other than refreshments.  Katie even dragged me onto the obstacle course where I lost, barely.  We got there at 10:00 and didn't leave until almost 4:00.  It was fun.

Chili!!!

Here on the island, neighbor Craig hosts an annual birthday bash for his wife.  He hires a band and invites all the neighbors, and has a chili cookoff.  All those interested bring a crockpot of chili and hope for the best. It is not formal, and the judges are just people here and they change every year.

The first year I heard about this, I thought I would go and check it out.  I didn't know Craig but that didn't stop me from checking it out.  I was impressed enough that I told Marlina that next year, I would enter a pot.

Next year, I decided to batch up some and see what happens.  Only problem, Luke had a basketball game right during the judging.  I brought over a crock anyways.  I saw neighbor Priscilla and told her my secret number and to let me know if I win.  I didn't have high hopes, but I did have some hope.  Right about half time of the game, I get a text.  2nd place!  Not bad for a first timer.  Or a multi timer.

This year, I am having fun putting together the chili. 

Mixing the spices and this is the result.....

The party starts in about an hour.  The kids and I are gonna head over and see what happens.  Either which way, I have some Jerry Jeff Walker and the Flatlanders playing, drinking a Shiner Bock, enjoying the cool 55 degree weather.  I don't have high hopes, but there is hope.

The Front Seat...

My son is now 9 years old and a whopping 62 pounds.  I don't know what the state law says about riding in the front seat of a vehicle, but I do know that his mother wants him to ride in the back at all times.  Well, normally I comply with her wishes and during drop off and pick up at various functions, our conversation goes something like:
"How was school today?"
"Ok."
"Learn anything new?"
"No"
"How was math?"
"Fine"
"What did you do?"
"I don't remember"


This past week, picking him up after basketball practice, I let him sit in the front seat of the truck.  He proceeded to tell me about his day without being prompted, then he explained where he wanted to live and how he was going to pay for it, and what kind of car he was going to have when he got older.  I don't know if it was solely because he was in the front seat with me and we could converse without looking in the mirror, but it was nice to hold a conversation with him, without him being on the ipad or telling me he doesn't remember.  Maybe he was just in the mood to talk, but I think he will be riding the front seat a little more often from now on.

Sam.....

Well, our family lost a member today.  Samantha Cat has now gone to a better place.

After being sick for a day or two, I began to see the signs, but it hadn't quite dawned on Marlina.  We discussed this and decided to send her to the vet, but at the same time, trying to prep the kids for the worst news.  This morning it was diagnosed that she had complete liver failure and wasn't processing anything.  It was just a matter of time.  We choose to do the humane thing.  That doesn't make it any easier on the family.

She was a good cat who never liked to be held, but was always ready with a purr.  She would scratch you and claw you and piss on your sheets, but she would jump up on my lap anytime. 

She will be missed.

RIP Sam.