Look! There's a Loogie in my bedroom!

First things first - a loogie is a lizard. It is the way that my little friend Grace said lizard back in the good old days when she was my neighbor. So, the story goes: It was just a regular day. Great weather and a nice start to my day with a run. When I returned from my run I was back in my bedroom by the window and I met this little guy:


What was I to do? He wasn't hurting anything. He was just a simple loogie trying to find his way in the world. Besides, I think he looked good on the piano don't you? I thought about doing the catch and release thing, but really needed to get going. So, I went about my business and took a shower and got ready. During my get ready process I found him exploring a little bit!


He moved up to the wall by my piano! Later he even moved up higher and was by a picture we have way up close to the ceiling. I couldn't get a picture of that because at this point the Loogie was making me late! So the Loogie and I made a peace treaty. I agreed to not try to catch him if he agreed to help me out with my mosquito problem! I haven't seen him since - maybe he made a break for it when he found out I have a mosquito problem! Can you blame him!?

What would I say at your funeral?

A few months ago my friend Jennifer posted a blog entitled "what would I say at your funeral". In this blog she proceeded to post pictures of me and talk about qualities in me that she has observed and admired. It brought tears to my eyes and made me feel so very special. So by now Jennifer probably thinks that she got away with it free of any retaliation, but boy is she wrong! I may have procrastinated this, but only so that she will be hit when she is least expecting it!



When John and I first move to Houston, TX we did not know a soul. We were so very blessed to meet several friends who became our family in Texas. Among these friends was Jennifer. Jennifer is a friend of mine who I know because our husbands went to school together. I was blessed to meet this wonderful loving woman and find that she would become a great friend in no time. From the beginning Jennifer treated me as if she had known me forever. She offers herself to anyone and everyone she meets. She redefined the true meaning of service to me. She is the kind of person who offers to do anything and everything for you, just like someone in your immediate family would do. Anyone who knows Jennifer has surely been offered and perhaps accepted services such as: babysitting (kids and dogs), checking mail, rides to appointments, picking up things at the store, making meals, rides to the airport and so on. Jennifer is so overly loving and willing that you don't have to feel guilty for these favors. Again, just like your very own family.

Jennifer is very creative and talented person. She taught herself how to sew and took and industrial sewing class at a college here in Houston. She made curtains for their apartments and big fancy pillows for their couch. She makes things for her friends and her children too. She has made some very cute little outfits for her daughter Grace that look store-bought. She makes goals, accomplishes them and then pretends as if she didn't while telling me "Oh Andrea, you are so good at making a goal and just going for it....blah blah blah". What are you talking about Jennifer!??!?! YOU are the best at making goals and accomplishing them. You fine tune and improve things in every area of your life! You are a dream-woman! You make menus and stick to them. You are organized. You scrub your foot boards with a toothbrush! You are thrifty at the grocery store! You grind your own hamburger for goodness sakes! : ) You take time to do crafts with your little girls! Ever since I met you and Edwin the two of you remind me of that song "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise"! Ha ha! You are EVERYTHING!

Here is Jennifer were her first daughter, Grace. She is a very fun mother.

Jennifer lived in the same complex as me. After she had her first child she would come over to my house frequently for visits. She didn't know what a delight it was to break up the studying with some fun Jennifer and Grace time! She always came over under the premise that she was too frustrated to handle her child. I always thought that was hilarious because she never looked even remotely frustrated! She is so calm, patient and sweet and I just didn't see it! She now has a second child, named Ann after me she said. Let me just express in writing that I am so honored that you love me that much. I am so humbled by your love and appreciate it very deeply.

Jennifer and Ann.

Jennifer: You are so many wonderful things. What's even more special than you being all of these things is that you have the humility to see the grand beauty in others and express it so very freely. I have been showered by your love. Edwin is one lucky man and I think he knows it. Grace and Ann have been blessed by God to have you as their mother. Someday, they will realize that and will possess the qualities to pass that on to their children. I hope you really know how good you are because you are a shining example of a successful person, loving mother, and wonderful friend. Thank you for being my friend. My life is better because you are in it. Thank you so much for the lovely blog you did about little old me. It lifted my spirits and reminded me of what fun we had together. Oh, and by the way: GOTCHA! HA!

Just chillin'

It's the season of great weather here in Houston and Chester and Charlie are enjoying themselves! When it is this nice, we open up our patio doors and put Chester's bed out in a patch of sunlight. He eagerly climbs on for a nice soak, waits until he starts panting and then moves onto the cold tile!

Here he is on the cold tile! Once he cools off on the cold tile, he switches back to the hot bed in the sun! What can I say, the pug knows how to RELAX!!

Here is a great picture of the two of them TOTALLY sacked out!

By the way, no pictures of me and John today! I am sick and John is embracing his inner laziness! Ha ha!

Red Velvet Cake

Last night we had some friends over who recently moved to Houston from Georgia. They cooked Georgia BBQ and it was delicious! I made potato salad and this red velvet cake to go along with the yummy meat!

I ran out of red food coloring when the cake was kind of a dingy pink color. Luckily, it darkened in the oven, but still wasn't quite to right color. Tasted good though!


Actually, the cake was a little too dry for my taste (my fault!). But, the frosting made up for it! The frosting was delicious. It was a cream cheese frosting with half cream cheese and half mascarpone cheese. After mixing the frosting up you folded in 1.5 cups of whipped heavy cream. It was the lightest, airiest cream cheese frosting ever! Yum yum!

Here I am with the cake in all its glory . . . notice my new glasses! I love them!

Chester ponders the devastation by the pool

I just went across the street to One Montreal Place, and the damage over there is much worse. Sections of brick wall have been torn from the side of buildings, and huge stretches of car-port metal roofs have been twisted and torn all along their length like a can of sardines, damaging many vehicles.

I went over to help one of my neighbors clean up a bedroom after the ceiling (filled with water due to missing shingles on the roof) collapsed, spewing insulation and drywall all over the room.

Here are some pictures of Chester pondering these events, by the pool, with his hurricane face on.

More pics

Don't Be Like Ike!

Ike hit us like Tina Turner for about 8 hours last night. We're in southern Houston, just north of the south limb of beltway 610, which is one of the areas that probably sustained the longest and strongest winds and rain in Houston proper. Looking out my window, it was quite a bit more ferocious that what I was seeing simultaneously on the news... probably because the newspeople can't safely stand in or operate their equipment in the truly powerful parts of the storm.

Anyways, we got incredibly lucky... As I said, we were in probably in the worst part of the storm in Houston proper and yet, here I sit... blogging. In fact, although 95% of Houston is currently without power (with hospitals and downtown skyscrapers being the major exception) my apartment complex remarkably did not lose power at all during the storm... I'm not sure how/why. Also, although there is general damage to our complex (roofing, trees, car ports, etc.) our condo and most condos around here seem to be mostly spared of any real flooding or interior damage.

I'm posting some initial photos of the untouched, pristine devastation for those of you who are curious (poor quality snapshots with foggy lens.. and it's still raining). Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that we're okay and much luckier than most, who may be without power for weeks. Andrea is camped out at Memorial Hermann Southwest hospital, tending to the sick. While they have emergency power for medical devices, etc., they have lost main power so lights and air conditioning are out. Thus, say a prayer for Andrea and coworkers as they struggle to take good care of those in need while sweating indoors and using flashlights to see as they draw blood and place IVs (true story).

Will keep in touch,

John