Memories...

Misty water-colored "memories"...okay, this was a little sad...the old Malibu Grand Prix (aka "the castle" from my elementary and junior high days...is being demolished. Not that I condone abandoned eye-sore properties, but there was a pang of nostalgia with that place. A bit of comfort with that visual cue every morning as the girls and I passed by the deteriorated structure via the el portion of the HOV just before the descent to the Northwest Transit Center.


I was born and raised on Houston's "Northside" inside the loop. Yep, a real urban inner looper...I remember the yuppie invasion in the 80s...it's hot property, wish I owned a piece of it now! Anywho, the city has changed, but there's a lot that is still the same. Northline Mall was recently demolished, but Northwest Mall still stands (I'm sure not for long). Okay, a little wave of emotion is coming...but hey, all of my Easter Bunny and Santa pics are from those places.

The "castle" holds tons of memories of the hanging out days from elem and jr. high. Seems crazy, but yes our parents would DROP us off at this amusement place and pick us up HOURS later. This was before cell phones and obviously common sense. I would NEVER drop my daughters off some place...are you kidding me! Okay, back to the memories...we played putt putt, pac-man, arcade games, and drove go-carts...it was awesome! And when the hormones started to kick-in, it was the place to see all the cute guys. Carefree and no parental supervision! Thank God I was too scared to actually talk to any boys at that time!

So, I am a little sad to see this icon of yesterday go. What is actually happening to that property? Condos, office space? They have bulldozed most of it, but the castle is still standing. The tall spire...like a lone blade of grass...that has for the moment escaped the mower...still nods to me every morning, reminding me of my history...stomping grounds...my hometown. Memories...

We're Back...Again!

I seriously doubt anyone is reading this blog, but just in case you missed us, we are back...again! After the "perfect storm" of sickness calmed down, we had a new wave of "fun" stuff, including a near-miss on gall bladder surgery (what am I...90?) and just in hot off the press, Madi broke her arm this morning!

Lesson Learned:

Yelling and running in the house...not good!

Here's what happened: Our morning schedule is pretty tight, especially since Daddy is long gone by the time "the women" get up. It's pretty much fend-for-yourselves, grab-your-own-breakfast (even if it's pretzel sticks) or-starve kind of atmoshpere. So at 7:15 am we have to head for the car and roll or we won't make it by 8:00 am to school and work. Confession...I am not always "sweet" in the morning. Actually, I am more like a drill saergent who's not really a morning person so everyone suffers. I came barreling out of my bedroom this morning barking out orders. The girls scattered like frightened cockroaches, a natural fight or flight response to the yelling. Adrenaline replaced the broken record "no running in the house" and that's when it all happened.

Madi is 7, only weighs 45 lbs, but has kind of big feet for her small body. All that in full speed motion cannot stop on a dime. Her cute Skechers clipped a stool and thus began her downward descent. She took out the kitchen trash can on her way and landed just so on her left arm which "buckled" at the wrist. OUCH! Since I had been down this road before with Jordan (3 times-we are really good parents...I promise!) I knew that if she didn't stop crying and clutching her arm within a few minutes, we were on our way to the ER.

Xrays, temporary cast, and $100 copay later...yes it is broken! We will see a specialist tomorrow to have it set in a 6-week cast. fyi-press & seal cling wrap is a great moisture barrier for casts! So there you have it, our lesson for today was...no yelling or running in the house!

We're Back!!

The girls were sick last week with the perfect storm of illnesses: strep, flu, and bronchitis! So we are back this week, and let me just say, the HOV has been heavenly this week. No tailgaters, stalls, or neck craners...just lovely!

Coming soon...
Pics and more detailed posts (I've got to talk about the demo of the "castle").

Ciao for now!

Stalled Car at 7:00 pm?

On Wednesday evenings, my girls (Jordi & Madi) and I stay after work (HFBC) for MidLink Cafe (a really cool time of food and fellowship). It was so much fun last night we stayed til almost 7, which is still plenty of time to hop on the HOVee (it closes at 8 pm). So anywho, at that time of night it usually is a super-highway-autobahn. Unless, of course you land behind the one person in Houston that's out for a leisurely cruise in the FASTLANE! That person was five cars in front of us! Cue up congo line music! But at least we were rolling. Unless, of course you come to a complete stop because the one person in Houston that forgot to check their tires or fill up with gas breaks down in the FASTLANE! By this time I was so not in the "bless their heart" mode. God gives us children for many reasons, one of which, I am convinced, is for "behavior modification".

So let's talk about some HOVee basics:

1. If you are a leisurely driver, and don't have to get kids home to do homework, bath, and bed...the mainlanes of the freeway are really for you.
2. If your car is over 10 years old and not well maintained...ditto.
3. If you can't remember to gas up...ditto.
4. Tires...ditto.
5. Any unperformed maintenance...ditto.

We will expand on these and many more "rules of the road" as we grow!

P.S. To my first responders...Nancy, thank you for that insight!...Jess...I still love you even though you are one of them!

Speedy Thoughts

Here are just a few "think abouts" to get us started:

• Why is it difficult to drive in a straight line?
• Why do we rubber-neck at accidents on the other side of the freeway? (If I am going to stop, then I am going to look!)
• Why do some people ride bumpers and then have to slam on the brakes every 2 seconds?
• Why do the slowest drivers on the planet get on the HOV right in front of me?

Got theories? I would love to read them!