Everything's bigger in Texas

So they say. And since I had an event to attend I was fixin to find out. Not being my first rodeo, we didn't actually attend the rodeo, but I've been to Texas before, I hadn't really noticed the bigness. Well, except the Gulf of Mexico is big, and Houston traffic is big, and Texas proper is basically big so I guess was keeping my eye out for more big.

We arrived at Nathan and Ariane's apartment which is not exactly big, it's more like just right for a family of 3, but they have big hearts and we received a big welcome. The air mattress was big and the couch Gabe slept on was big and we were thankful for the excellent hospitality.

Friday was full of exciting plans. We started the day by attending the Rothco Chapel, which I'm sorry to say was a little over my head as modern art typically is. I tried to appreciate the complexity of the murals painted black. I really did.  I was just a tad confused so I read the description. It was explained to me that the wonder was in the "absence of murals," like I said, over my head. However, I respect those who have a meaningful experience there.

Next, we visited the nearby Menil Collection. There were some beautiful works of art to enjoy and as you can probably guess, I enjoyed the ancient and traditional art more than the surreal and pop art, but that's just the kind of girl I am. It was an impressive collection and I felt appreciative to the Menil's and their desire to share their bounty with the people of Houston and their visitors. The other great thing about our morning was that we were with some fantastic people. We had the Black's and the Stoker's all in attendance for the big day.

 Friday afternoon was the main event for which we came. This guy was graduating.

We climbed into various cars and headed downtown in rain to a big venue with lots of entrances. Apparently we chose poorly because the door we tried to enter was locked, as was the next and the next until finally we caught the attention of a janitor and begged to be let in. I'm sure there was a door somewhere that was open, we just weren't in contact with said door. With the rain and the lostness and general confusion of us, the family and fans, we walked in after the graduates had started their walk and pomp, but we located our favorite MD candidate and started waving and sending pictures and busting our proud buttons all over the place.

Do you see this woman in the bottom right corner? Just next to her
is her sweet husband who is also mature in age.
About half way through the ceremony she must have been cold because
her husband stood with weak body, but strong heart  and placed his suit
coat over her to protect her from the chill of TX AC. I love love.

I'm very proud of my son for his accomplishments, but what makes me even more proud is his love and dedication to his God and family. Oxox

Woo hoo! on to the celebratory dinner. The only problem was that it was still raining outside. Not regular rain, Houston-we've-got-a-problem, worst-flooding-ever, remember-when-the-bayou-wasn't-a rushing-river? rain. Plus Texas sized lightning, big and frequent. So what did we do? We got on the freeway and drove around town. And we arrived safely, and we didn't have to compete with a lot of other people going out to dinner, because who would go out to dinner in that kind of weather? Well, you know who.

Then it was "present time, present time. Open the presents and see what's inside." And what does every pediatric resident need? These shoes...

Wives know.

Saturday was Brazos Bend State Park day. That's where alligators live. We started with the visitor's center where we petted the baby.

The we started the big gator hunt. We walked along the path peering into the water until something peered back and we called out, "There's one!" We were also treated to some amazing birds and a host of dragon flies that kept our walk mosquito free.

We were feeling really safe and brave as none of the alligators seemed very interested in their human observers. But then there was this one very Texas sized Grandpa alligator that some girls were trying to get close to so they could take a picture. Out of the blue we heard a thunderous snap. The girls ran like crazy. This changed our alert status and we very cautiously gave Grandpa a wide berth as we moved past his location.

If you look to the left of the first tree you see his eyes, his back, water and part of his tail. We all almost died.

Another fun activity was watching Caden. His 6 biggest fans sat around and marveled at his intellect and beauty. Then we exclaimed at his clever and brilliant sitting, almost crawling, smiling and babbling. It was wonderful fun.

Our last Texas adventure was viewing the bat colony on Waugh bridge. We arrived at sunset and smelled them before we saw them. Guano is so guano-y. And then just like that, thousands of bats flew out and flew out and flew out from under the bridge for their nightly feeding. They swarmed like insects as they dispersed into the night. So cool. Of course it doesn't photograph well, Your only choice is to see it for yourself.

I can't say for sure, but that might be my last trip to Texas. So in memory of the fun times I found and am sharing some of the favorite Texas sayings as collected by Anne Dingas:

Acceptable
1.That's close enough for government work.
2.Might as well. Can't dance, never could sing, and it's too wet to plow.
3. I could sit still for that

Boastful
1. He can strut sitting down.
2. He's all hat and no cattle.
3. He chamber-of-commerced it.

Dishonest
1. He's on a first name basis w/the bottom of the deck.
2. He's so crooked if he swallowed a nail he'd spit up a horse shoe.
3. She's slicker than a boiled onion.

Honest
1. He's so honest you could shoot craps with him over the phone.
2. If I say a hen dips snuff you can look under her wing for the can.

Timid
1. If he was melted down he couldn't be poured into a fight.

Dry
1. It's so dry the birds are building their nests out of barbed wire.
2. It's so dry the catfish are carrying canteens.

Confused
1. Confused as a goat on Astroturf.
2. I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.

Citified
1. You don't live longer in the city. It just seems that way.

Departure
1. It's time to put out the fire and call in the dogs.

Patience
1. Hot will cool if greedy will let it.
2. Take a tater and wait.
3. Wash off your war paint.

Tired
1. Looks like she was rode hard and put away wet.
2. One wheel down and the axle dragging.

Sick
1. I'm so sick I'd have to get better to die.
2. Got the green apple nasties.
3. So sick he needs 2 beds.

Talkative
1. She speaks 10 words a second with gusts to 50.

Unwelcome
1. As welcome as an outhouse breeze.

Difficult
1. Like putting socks on a rooster.

Celebratory
1. We'll paint the town and the front porch.
2. Let's hallelujah the county.

Cheap
1. Tight enough to raise a blister
2. He'd squeeze a nickel till the buffalo screams.
3. Tight as a wet boot.

Crazy
1. He's got a big hole in his screen door.
2. She's 2 sandwiches short of a picnic.
3. He's overdrawn at the memory bank.

Lucky
1. He could sit on a fence and the birds would feed him.

Small
1. No bigger than moles on a chigger.

Fast
1. Fast as small town gossip
2. Faster than a sneeze through a screen door.
3. Any faster and he'd catch up to yesterday.

Busy
1. Busy as a funeral home fan in July.

Capable
1. She's a right smart windmill fixer.
2. He could find a whisper in a whirlwind.
3. If she crows, the sun is up.

Advice
1. Never sign nothing by neon.
2. Give me the bacon without the sizzle.
3. Don't hang your wash on someone else's line.
4. Better to keep your mouth shut and seem a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Misc.
1. Serious as the business end of a .45.
2. If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?