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In September, on the hottest day of the year here in Houston, we went to a football game. My first EVER. It was fun, but I had NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. Hey, I know my RBI's from my ERA's, but a football game is totally wasted on me. And Chris wouldn't let me bring any knitting. |
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One of Chris' famous self-portaits of the two of us...proof that we were at the Texan's game. (Notice that I'm wearing glasses, because this will be important later.) Chris seems to have no upper lip in this photo, but I swear he has one in person.
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I bought these pills back in Holland. I have no idea what they were made to cure, but you won't catch me ever taking one. Retard capsules that last 8 full hours? |
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Grrr! This is a photo from my camera phone, and it is what comes up on my phone screen when Chris calls me. |
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In September, Hurricane Rita hit Texas. We stuck it out in Houston, and did not become part of the mass exodus. |
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The day after the hurricane we were sick, sick, sick of sandwiches and chips. We found the only open restaurant in the area...Japanese food. Here's proof. (Glasses again!) |
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A Sapporo provides more proof. |
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There was a lot of hype, but not much damage to Houston. (Yes, it's a branch on the ground.) |
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Back at the temporary apartment, the guys chillin' on the couch. |
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If you have a herd of elephants, and a pride of lions, what do you call a couple of Basenjis? A pile? |
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The baseball fans of the world know that the Astros and the Cardinals had a showdown in October. This poster had actual feathers glued to it. Ouch. |
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Time to move into the new house! Naturally, the first piece of furniture in the front room is a dog bed. |
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Aside from our shipment from Holland, we were reunited with a storage locker full of stuff stored here in the US that we hadn't seen in two years. We were happy to see some of it (big screen tv), and not so excited to see the stuff we totally forgot we had. Like that weird star pillow there on the chair. |
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We no longer live in Europe, but sweatshirts like these are available at a Target store right here in Houston. Don't ask me why. |
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Something like 40% of Houston households speak Spanish at home. So CVS Pharmacy has bilingual signs. Look out for those piojos! |
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In November, I took the plunge and had Lasik eye surgery. Here I am, right before surgery, right after taking valium. Whee! Hopefully this will be the only no-makeup-wearin', valium-poppin', shower cap photo of me ever again. |
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For Thanksgiving, we drove up to visit Chris' family in Belleville, Illinois. It was also Chris' 20-year high school reunion weekend. Can you say 14-hour roadtrip with the dogs? Chris is still smiling! Even though it's a fake smile! |
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Ike is not such a good traveler. He used to be okay, but now he must think that we're on our way to the airport and a 10 hour flight, or something. One of the hazards of taking your dogs on an expat assignment to Europe. |
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He would not relax! |
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Giving the dogs a drink of water at 70 mph on the freeway was a challenge. |
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At the pre-reunion happy hour, Chris reunited with his friends. |
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Another self-portrait, before we left for the reunion dinner. (I don't have to wear glasses anymore!!) |
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Back at Chris' family's house, we had Blonde Knitting Club + Chef. These are Chris' nieces and nephew. (After 37 years on this planet, one would think that I would learn that I need to SIT UP STRAIGHT in photos to avoid looking like a lump. Sheesh. But the kids are so cute, I'm posting it anyway.) |
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In Texas once again, we started getting ready for Christmas. People may say what they like about Houston, but this photo was taken in DECEMBER, folks. |
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The Christmas tree displaced the dog bed. While setting up the tree, Chris stuck the dog bed here for a minute. Gus thought the new bed placement was a SUPER GREAT idea, and couldn't wait to try it out. These are some strange animals. |
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Christmas is a time for peace and love, and a time for evil dogs with glowing eyes. |
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We went back to Belleville for New Year's Day. Chris' family has a tradition of wearing funny hats and ties on New Year's Eve. This year, most of us had funny names, too. From L to R, front row first: Princess Perfect, Mississippi Sam, Calamity Abby, Carol (no nickname), MC Gramps, Staci (no nickname), and Senor Tio. (Unfortunately, tiaras don't bring many nicknames to mind.) |
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Since Chris' birthday is in early January, we celebrated with his family. |
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Ike cannot take his eyes off the cake. |
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A couple more shots of the dogs to end this update...This bed was made to hold THREE Basenjis, but clearly, it's too small for this one on his own. |
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We've been sorting through boxes and boxes of stuff, trying to get moved in. The new policy is "SAVE NOTHING", including crumpled ribbons from Ike's dog showing days. Here he is, modeling his prize, right before I threw it away. (Don't judge me. He only one a third place ribbon because there were only 2 other dogs showing.) |
