Galveston

“Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin”

This year for Labor Day weekend, we wanted to go somewhere fun but not too far away…I’m not a fan of long car trips. So Galveston was calling my name. We got a reservation, packed fast and hit the road. Jennifer & Chris came along too.

We left on Friday and drove straight there. We were meeting Lou Ellen, Charles and Matt at Gaido's, the world renown seafood restaurant: http://www.gaidos.com/

I knew it was pricey…I’d been there once before with Lou Ellen & Charles and had been blown away by the oysters. Good oysters are hard to come by and those were amazing. So we were expecting good stuff! The traffic was light, and the ferry was fast so we arrived first. Jen was reading the menu when she said, “Mom, I don’t see oysters.” And I, so sure of myself, said, “Well of course they have oysters.” Uh, no. Actually, they only serve FRESH seafood, and it’s not oyster season. No way!! Don't tell me that, I've been dreaming about those oysters for a month! We were so disappointed, at least the oyster eaters among us were (this did not include Don). It was a nice dinner, but not amazing. I had the shrimp but the lump crab cakes we had for appetizers was the best thing.

Having fun on the ferry.

Our gang at Gaido's.

Lou Ellen & I posing in front of the copper dive helmets on display. Yes, we look wild-eyed and bushy tailed. That's the Lyons in us.







The next day we went to Schlitterbahn. I’m a chicken when it comes to water, but I figured I'd sit in the sun and do the lazy river. Yes, sometimes you float, but many times you get tossed and thrown around like crazy, with fast moving water...uh, not sure about that, but yes I did it, several times.

After the waterpark, we met Lou Ellen & Charles on the beach for a cookout. They brought Guy, their dog too. We had a ball!!! I love the beach even though sand is a hassle. Charles grilled hamburgers and we just sat around talking. One drunk man came up and wanted to "talk" to Guy. What, he wants to talk to the dog?? Lou Ellen just told him that Guy (the dog) only speaks to family, ha! Hey it sounds good to me. We finished up the night at Yogurt Bear, where Guy licked all our cups clean. :)




Jennifer holding Guy, the family dog.

The day after we were kind of lazy. We got up, ate breakfast at the hotel and headed for Kemah around noon. Kemah's got such a cute boardwalk area, but it was too hot. I want to go back in the evening next time. There was a restaurant nearby that Jennifer wanted us to try but they were closed, so in our quest to ONLY eat at places that we don't have at home, we drove back to Alvin and went to Joe's Bar-B-Q. It was tasty! Then we went back to Lou Ellen's and I made gumbo for supper.

Our last day was Monday, Labor Day. We checked out of our hotel and met up with the gang in Silverlake...don't ask me what town that is, but that's what the area is called. The girls (Lou, Jen and me) hit our stores, and the guys (Don, Charles, Matt) went to Fry's and Bass Pro-Shops. We met at Gringo's for lunch. I found some good bargains (got a pair of bronze Born sandals for $17!) but we ran out of time.

So we had an awesome weekend and all I can say is that I have a new appreciation for Galveston and I AM going back. When Gaido's has oysters. I'll call first. ;)

Happy Times, Sweet Friends

Last month we had a fun baby shower for Ivy (Pogue) Huntington, to celebrate her baby girl, due in December. We (Andrea, Kristin, Joan and me) were taking advantage of a window of opportunity when everyone could be here - Gwen, Ivy, Martha (Gwen's mom), and Mary (Brad's mom). Everything worked out perfectly!! A good friend of Gwen's (from Saudi) is Debbie Stratford, who is also a good friend of Lou Ellen's (from Texas). Debbie was in Houston for the summer, and she and Lou Ellen decided to come over and help us throw the shower! We had a delightful night, and after the shower we ended up at Gwen's (where else??) until nearly 2 am, talking and laughing. The next day we all went for lunch at Steamboat Bill's.

Before Debbie left, she said she had thank you gifts for Lou Ellen and me. I was absolutely stunned to open it and see that Debbie gave us each a Wilton Armetale pitcher in the Flutes & Pearls pattern!! I unabashedly love, love, LOVE it!!! Debbie is a collector of Wilton Armetale, and she really is an expert on the line. I had a couple of pieces but had never seen the pitcher. If you're not familiar with Wilton Armetale, it's hand-crafted serveware that is gorgeous and captivating, and so practical too.

We took photos (a bit fuzzy) both the "Can you believe this?" one (which we recreated) and the "We're tickled pink!" one.

Debbie is a kind and generous friend, and it was such fun to get to know her. We have so much in common too. I'm so glad I got to meet her...but man, I wish Lou Ellen and I could go visit the Kingdom just once, so we could traipse through the streets with Debbie and Gwen!!! Oh well, at least we can hear all about it from them.



Debbie, Lou Ellen and me at Ivy's shower. (from Gwen's blog)

Each time I pass my hutch and see my pitcher I feel a little flutter of joy...and smile when I think of happy times and sweet friends. :)

Fun Friday Photos

Just a few fun photos. Jennifer, Jen Rose-Potter, Clarissa and Sarah on Clarissa & Wade's big day. The jewelry Jennifer is wearing is over 50 years old, it belonged to my Mom.


Kirra with the blanket Aunt Lou Ellen made her before she was born. During the Rita evacuation, Lou Ellen's friend Margaret came over and we had gumbo for lunch and tied the quilt.


Alahna with glasses, I don't think she wears them much but she's darling here!


Disneyland, are we having fun yet??

A rare moment when my brother and sister and I were together and there was a camera handy.




Don forgot everything he never knew about fixing little girls hair.



Brothers-in-law and partners in crime. They are the brave (and oh so lucky) men to have married the Lyons girls. :)



Jennifer and me last Christmas, the purpose of this one is to say I love her hair!!!

Shoes!

I've been thinking about shoes. It's hard for me to find shoes that are comfortable, that look good (my version of good) and are made from quality leather. I don't do heels really, not at all. Some of my aunts on my dad's side had to have foot surgery for bunions...and the Dr. told them that if they hadn't tried to jam their feet in heels for years, they could have avoided a whole lot of suffering. So, I realized that...that I'm just not that interested in suffering.

Today I went to Dillard's and spent a good bit of time in the shoe department. I tried on at least 10 pairs of shoes. No dice.

I've worn Clarks, and they're good but not perfect. I wear Asics Gels to the gym and really, to run around in the winter. In the summer I wear leather sandals. But these are my favorite shoes right now - I got them last Christmas. They're the Born Codder...I have them in chocolate, and my friend RaeAnn has some in black. Here's a pic of them in red.

I think a red pair may be in my future. :) What are your favorite shoes?