Well another month gone and Dan's at the Helm . . heaven help us!

February came and went in a hurry. Since Chrystal is busy with her personal progress I thought I would help her keep this old bird up to date.

Lets see, what did we do in February? Basically it seems like February was dedicated to Church. We had several YM / YW activities and went to the temple 3 times.

During the middle of the month I was able to make it to good old Portland for work. While it was nice to be back it was disappointing that my schedule didn't allow many visits with old friends that live in the area. (sorry McCunes, next time for sure if you will allow it)

Since Valentines weekend was very busy for us we decided to celebrate when I returned. We had the best dinner of the year at Perry's Steakhouse not far from our home here in Houston. I must say that they had the best service I have ever experienced in a restaurant. At one point, the waitress spilled a few drops of water on the table cloth and immediately she stopped, apologized and seriously asked us if we wanted her to change the linens. My first response was "seriously?" . . she never changed the linens but WOW, we thought it was crazy but a good dinner.

Next on our calendar was my lovely throat procedure (esophagogastroduedenoscopy). I finally gave in and decided to have it done. Chrystal took me in and within and hour and a half I was in a drug-induced la la land. I LOVE anesthesia!

Luckily everything went well, and the biopsy of the tissue they took out was fine. No cancer yet - more Dr. Pepper is in my future though.

Oh I wanted to give a picture since thats what we are supposed to do for increased viewing so I thought I would let you all see my duodenum. It's very personal so please don't spread it around the internet.

Enjoy!

How can it be February already?

I've been a terrible blogger. Lately, I've felt like the days are passing super quickly and I don't have time for anything "extra". Sorry, blog reader. Maybe if my readership increased enough, I could quit my job and become a full-time blogger. Ha! Now if only I could think of something interesting to say, right?

So what have we been busy with? Hmmm.

1. I had a birthday. I spent the day in the airport (more on that later). Otherwise, it was a nice day. We actually celebrated the "big day" when I got back to Houston (more on that later, too).

2. I spent a week in beautiful, frigidly cold Michigan. Michigan wouldn't have been my first choice for a sales meeting in January, but that is why I am just an engineer. In all, it was actually a very enjoyable week; I met a lot of people who I work with now and many who I will be working with in the future. I definitely made a good choice to make the jump to ClydeUnion. It's a very exciting place to work!

3. Speaking of work, I've been doing a lot of it. There was no "honeymoon" period... once I started, they threw me in the deep end (I'm not compaining, it's actually very exciting.).

4. We're busy with the Young Men & Young Women's program at church. I've taken on Personal Progress, and am working to complete the program right along with the girls. It's been fun and challenging as I try to inspire them to work on their projects. On Wednesday nights we have activities and this weekend we start stake basketball.

5. We've attended the temple several times in the past few weeks, including a youth baptism trip and a session with the Johnson family as Tyler prepares to serve as a missionary in Arizona. We are so glad to have a temple so close to us here in Houston. It really is a blessing for our family.

6. When I got back from Michigan, we celebrated my birthday with a delicious dinner at Texas Land & Cattle restaurant. Yum!

7. We won free tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters at the Toyota Center on Friday. Dan was looking forward to seeing them, after watching them so much as a kid. I think the reality was a little disappointing. We left at half-time.

8. Last Saturday I attended Stake Women's Conference, which was excellent. The guest speakers/singers were from the group Heartsong.

9. Dan has not been feeling well. He stayed home from work yesterday in an attempt to get more rest and start feeling better.

10. We hosted a small Superbowl party on Sunday night. Go Saints!

All that and no photos! I promise it won't be very long before I post again. Enjoy your Tuesday!

2010 here we come!

One thing I am glad ends with 2009 is Project 365. For the most part, taking a photo every day became more of a chore than enjoyment. I'm sad that it turned out that way, but for that reason I will not be taking a photo every day in 2010. I'm sure I'll take plenty of photos anyway. :)

I haven't scrapbooked in several months now, but with the 4 day weekend, I thought I'd relax and make a page this afternoon.

Hello 2010!

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I think most of us are happy to bid farewell to 2009 and welcome 2010 with open arms.

Although we wish we could have spent the holidays with family, we still had a wonderful Christmas at home in Houston. On Christmas Eve, we went to see Avatar in 3D at the IMAX theater. While the story line was a bit predictable, visually it was amazing! Here we are sporting our "cool" 3D glasses.

My second attempt at cooking a full sized turkey was a success!

And last Monday I started a new job at ClydeUnion Pumps. So far, it has been great! :)

Wishing you and yours a very happy and prosperous 2010!

if you ever go to Austin, eat here

We drove to Austin last weekend to visit Dan's friend Judy, who he worked with while we were living in Portland. It was a great time, which included a trip to Cabellas, and unforgettably delicious BBQ at this place:

The Salt Lick doesn't look very fancy on the outside, but just wait until you taste the bbq!

This nice big smoking pit greets you as you walk in the front door. That's when your mouth starts to water...

Here's our crew. All of them related to Judy, and all were very welcoming to us outsiders. :)

The meal was served all-you-can-eat family style. This is one of 3 huge plates of meat that we consumed. Definitely the best brisket I have ever had. The sausage and ribs were excellent, too.

So if you ever find yourself in the Austin area, be sure to take time and eat at the Salt Lick - I know we'll be back!

all is bright

Why is there always one strand of lights that doesn't work?

Snow Day... Houston Style

Holy smokes, it's snowing in Houston!

And it's "real" snow, too. Light and fluffy, just not sticky. It was rain when I left work work this morning, but by 8:00, it was snowing, and it hasn't stopped!

I thought we moved to Texas to avoid this white stuff....