Hiatus

It should come as no surprise that I've let this blog fall by the wayside, as of late.  I could blame it on our busy schedule with working, playing, schooling, exercising, cooking, cleaning, playing.  And that's just what I'll do.

Life has been steadily chugging along.  Annie turned 3 in January.

I joined Troy in the 30's this February.

We began (and I totally take more credit than I should for this) raising bees this spring.  This is Troy's new hobby and it's been a great learning experience for the rest of us as well.

Isaac turned 5 this May.  He will be starting kindergarten at the end of this month.  He is super stoked and asks everyday if it's time for school.

Orry turned 7 this June...  Man.  I can't believe that my life journey has included at least one kid for 7 years now.  He will be going to the second grade and I assume that he's excited to go, but he hasn't verbally expressed it yet.

We finished the school year with a good report card.  Our summer began with some trips to Louisiana and ended with a "Mega Trip" (as Troy would call it) across the country.  The summer isn't over quite yet.  There are still a couple of weeks until we start back up again.

We've had pretty good success with our backyard garden this year.  We've had a few cucumbers, lots of greens, too many tomatoes, and are still waiting on our carrots and beets.  I do believe the bees (and Troy) deserve the credit here.

We've enjoyed watching skunks and cattle birds in the early morning hours.

Summer 2013

Our memberships to the Houston Zoo and HMNS are still going strong.  The park nearby has also become a place that we frequent, often in the evenings when it's a tiny bit cooler.

I hope to keep this blog more up to date in the days, weeks, months to come.  It will be easier at first since there is much to tell about our "Mega Trip".  Hopefully our life will be bursting with excitement that I just can't contain and this will be a good outlet for that.  Until then, I hope you all have had an awesome summer!

Gunpowder and What?

This past month we celebrated Richmond, TX.  We also celebrated the county in which Richmond resides, Fort Bend.  (And yes, to my Louisiana friends, county is a strange word better replaced by parish.)

So what have we learned from our celebratory experiences?  Well, let me tell you...through a series of pictures and captions.

Festival celebrating Richmond's 175th year of incorporation:

Richmond Texans love America...and Texas.

Poodles and cowboys clearly go together.

These were some of the possible clothing styles worn between the years 1837 and 2012.

This old timey firetruck is pretty cool.

American flags make any parade better.

Not everything in Richmond is old or historic.  There is a Zumba class.

Did you know there are cowboys here?

Miss Daisy is here, too.

It's totally cool for kids to ride these things.

Jail isn't really a joking matter.

This wagon is one (or two) steps away from having a bicycle pull it...Troy Becker.

There is an old timey barbershop in town and it's totally fine for the manliest men to go there.

American flags really do make any parade better.

That was fun.  All 20 minutes of it.  Even though I jest, I really do like the people here.  I also like the history.    It's like trading in Cajuns for cowboys.

Now onto the 76th Annual Fort Bend County Fair:

You can get a gallon of milk from one cow in one milking...!

Baby ducks are about the cutest, most cuddly thing!

I spoke too soon.  This pig is pretty darn cute.

And big.

The FFA and 4-H are alive and well here.

Auctioneers talk fast, even ceiling fans are bigger in Texas, and did I mention that there are cowboys here? 

What a fun time.  I think we'll all need a pair of cowboy boots before we can really feel at home.  I don't know that we'll be raising any animals anytime soon (do bees count?!).  And another thing, I'm not sure that any amount of time spent here, no matter how long, could convince me that girls are made of gunpowder and lead.   I don't know that I will ever get into country music.                                     

So there you have it.  A small taste of our small country life.

Country Roads Take Me Home

Boy.  I'm quite embarrassed when I see the date of my last blog entry.  But on we go!

We've done it!  We've moved.  We are now living in the country.  I laugh a little when I say that or when I call our new home a "country home".  Allow me to explain.

Mowing grass and taking names

Our little house sits on an acre, almost at the end of a dirt road.  Behind our backyard is a field where we have happily watched a hummingbird, a few deer, a variety of birds (hawks, roseate spoonbills, scissor-tailed flycatchers, chickadees), and butterflies galore.  Our water comes from a well.   There are horses on our "street".  Our dishwasher is portable.  Dirt comes into our home every time we do.

Which is cuter, portable dishwasher or Isaac?

Now, on the other hand, we live off a semi major highway.  There's set of train tracks that run along that highway.  Follow that highway in either direction for about 7 miles and you'll run into a shopping center.

I like to think that we've got the best of both worlds.  Houston and all its offerings aren't too far away.  My house sits in the dark and the quiet.  Amenities are close.  Woodland creatures are even closer.

We really lucked out.  And that makes us happy.  Troy is enjoying his new job, as well as getting his hands dirty planting plants in our butterfly garden.  The kids enjoy being outside and sweaty.  I enjoy letting them outside without supervision and without worry.  Yep, the place where we belong.  It's going to be a good year.