The Stars at Night are Big and Bright....

...Deep in the Heart of Texas!!

Did you sing the last line before you saw it?  If so, you are probably a native Texan...or have lived with one!

My friend Leanne taught next door to me all 3 years in the Philippines and just next to the door that separated our classrooms was my Texas map!  Honestly, when I prepared to move to another country, I considered that my primary identification would need to be "American" not "Texan".  But it turned out that I just couldn't really get away from it.  And truly - if you've said "y'all" for 26 years of life it is REALLY HARD to stop saying it! :)  So you might as well embrace it.  I tell people that my time abroad introduced me to the Filipino culture, the Korean culture (25% of our students), the missionary culture, and to other parts of the USA culture!  As I learned to love people from California, the Northwest, the Midwest and ....Yankees (!) I enjoyed learning about different customs that reign in our wonderful country. 

But home will always be Texas.

And last week, Leanne entrusted her vacation into my hands to try to convey to her what was so special about this Great State of mine.  Well, here are some glimpses of what we saw and did:

I did warn her July was not our best tourist month...but it was what worked.  This was my car dashboard one day....and yes, I think the 2 numbers are connected!! :)

And after bringing her back to my current town of Athens, we melted in a little bit of the evening heat at my church's Freedom Fest: cookout, praise music, water slides for the kids and an incredible fireworks show!



 She was thrilled to hear someone say "the car is over yonder". 

                Yes, we do say things like that.



                                            Bugs as big as your fingers!!  They seemed to love her :)


                            My pastor is a pyrotechnics-maniac - but it was a great show
                             (and a volunteer fire dept was on hand since we were under a burn ban!)


A short tour of town and my current workplace....and then on to Kilgore!

 And some of the best ribs in Texas - or so Texas Monthly says.  Pictures of Larry Hagman, Toby Keith and President Bush, Sr. inside this....well, it's a bit of a honky-tonk.  But amazing ribs.

 Just to show my small town (11,000+) has diversity, it also hosts (with Kilgore College's help) an incredible Shakespeare Festival (for 26 years) which pulls actors and crew from around the country to hot East Texas for 2 months each summer to provide top-notch culture for us.  Since Leanne is an English teacher, a night with "Hamlet" was appropriate. 

 So - she heard that water towers provide the needed water pressure required for flushing toilets.  In her part of Washington, the mountains provide the required gravity/force.  "Fascinated" would be a polite word for her attention to our Texas water towers - but it does capture where she went!  Here are a couple shots.

This one is right by my parent's church: a new experience for Leanne to attend a Church of Christ.

My attempt to copy a fancy picture in the auction at the Shakespeare festival.  Looking up from underneath an oil derrick.  There are 24 or so in downtown to document the heritage of the oil boom of the 30s.  At one time, the "world's richest acre" was inside Kilgore and there were 1200 derricks!

To document that part of our history, the college has the East Texas Oil Museum - a must see for anyone in the Kilgore area.  It "recreates" a boom town and does a creative job of teaching about that time period. 

Well, part of Texas is being with the people and Leanne was gracious to spend time with many of the most important people in my life - like my parents and a real-life "Me-Ma" :)  Mom even made chicken adobo - one of our favorite Filipino dishes. 

Our drive back to the DFW area became a bit scenic as we detoured to see the Ranger's Ballpark and Cowboys Stadium - both impressive in their own right.

On to Sundance Square in downtown Ft. Worth where our west "begins" and the cattle drives still exist (although we didn't stand in the heat to watch them this time!)

A "green" cow :)

One of my favorite statues in the area resides in the 2-storied Barnes & Noble.  I love how it captures the larger-than-life cowboy spirit. 

More BBQ to celebrate 4th of July and time with my friend Katie and some of her family. 

My friend Leanne finally got to meet my SIL Leigh Ann!  And of course, Jason & Holt :) 

So glad we got a chance to eat lunch with them.

On to downtown Dallas and the grassy knoll....

...and the 6th Floor Museum in the Texas Book Depository where JKF was shot from (if you believe what they tell you!)  It's a great museum, sobering but thought-provoking.  And yes, that's a walking boot she has on - another excuse we used to stay indoors and low walking as much as possible :)

But, of course, I wanted to take her to the San Antonio Riverwalk!!

Too bad it's 6+ hours from DFW.  So we settled on a nice "copy" in the lobby of the Gaylord Texan Hotel.

Riverside mosaic tables with good (& reasonably priced) Mexican food, colorful umbrellas, and a bridge - they really did a great job recreating the spirit of the Riverwalk.  And bonus - it's all inside with A/C!!  My friend Jenni was our gracious host in Dallas and participated in our cheesy outing.

I had never seen sopapillas presented in this beautiful way (butter & honey in the glass) plus Leanne had never had them before.  Love to share the "good things" in life with friends!



 It really is a beautiful hotel - even just to visit.  Other parts of the lobby recreate other parts of Texas (plus the restaurant validates the high parking, so it's a fun night out.  I'd go again!)

And you can get your picture with a Longhorn! :)

So our last day in town was spent on fairly random things -but fun.  We had read in the Dallas paper that on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress sent the finished Declaration of Independence to a printer who made 200 copies and sent them to the colonies.  The original was signed a month later.  Of the 200 copies, only 26 exist and one is on the 7th floor of the central Dallas public library location in downtown!  It's a beautiful (& free) exihibit....

 ...just down the hall from several high school yearbook pictures of famous Dallas-area-ites. 
                                                          Like Luke & Owen Wilson  :)

 In Grapevine is the only statue dedicated specifically to the pilots and flight crew of the 4 planes that crashed on 9-11-01.  It's a lovely statue and a beautiful tribute to those who died doing their jobs. I had driven by before but never stopped to read.  In 2001, when I heard the towers had been hit by planes, I was teaching 2nd period 8th graders just a few miles from this statue and their first question was "what airline were the planes?" because so many families in the area were connected to American Airlines.  It's another one of those "where were you" moments in our history and this is where I was. 

 And finally, my favorite DFW sculpture - the Mustangs in Las Colinas.  Little did I know, in the building to the left there is a small "musuem" with a 14-min video of how the statues were made and it was pretty enlightening.  If you're in the area, it's worth it (and they validate your parking, too).  Once again, the oversized mustangs representing the wild mustangs that used to roam that area show a Texas spirit of power, strength and maybe a bit of the un-tamed drive we seem to value so much. 

Because I knew we would be driving a lot, I created a Texas "BINGO" card for Leanne to look for things - many unique to Texas - and to help point out some of our pride.  We quickly saw the TX flag flying at the same height as the US flag - something only our state can do (since we were once a republic).  She pointed out we do use our flag as decoration quite a bit.  Each of the houses she stayed in had some TX decorations and/or flags flying. I tried to explain the UT-A&M rivalries when we saw their insignias on cars...and curbs.  How do you really explain that, though?  We saw "longhorn" and "lone star" on all sorts of things.  And of course, even a few people wearing cowboy hats and boots :)

Her words in an email back to me after she got home were:  "I now understand at least SOME of the pride in Texas!  I'm not sure ANY state can or will ever compare to Texas' pride!"

Well, as a Texan, I take this as a compliment (whether it was intended that way or not!) and consider my job as tour guide well done if she picked up even a touch of the love Texans have for their state. 

Yeah, sometimes we're just crazy and the pride goes a little too far. 

But it's still "Texas, Our Texas" and it's Home, Sweet Home.

Thanks for coming Leanne - try again in one of our few months that's not scalding:  October's got our great State Fair and March has our beautiful bluebonnets.  Thanks for letting me brag on my home.

p.s. The title post is of course, a Texas "anthem" or folk song.  And it's just fun!

Some day my prince will come

OK, so that title could be about me....but today it's about my sweet cousin Rachel - who did find and marry her prince last month!  Even though Rachel does share my love of Broadway (and she's a fellow math teacher), she is also the biggest DisneyWorld expert I know.  She's been....numerous times and is our resident family go-to person for advice and strategy. 

The family had a fun time at the weekend's wedding festivities and the wedding was beautiful (and surprisingly traditional for such a millenial couple!)  But Rachel's always been strong enough to do her own thing and I think she got the wedding she wanted.  So happy for them and their future together!

And of course, can't pass up the nephew pics :)  My mom helped cook for Rachel's bridal party luncheon and Leigh Ann did 10 girls' hair!!!!  So Jason, Pops & I were on Holt duty in the hotel.  Oh - tough times :)

Have toys - will travel.

"Aunt Sarah - you're taking pictures...I want to see"

Aunt Gloria and Aunt Lori are so much fun to play with!!

Good to see you again, cousin E!  Can't wait until we can both run and play together!

While E's parents were taking wedding pictures, he had plenty of attention! 
Me-Ma and Pa-Pa can never get too much of their great-grands :)

p.s. Post title song is from Disney's "Snow White".   Classic.

Peace and quiet and open air

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.   - West Side Story

The Booker family took a vacation in May to celebrate (slightly early) the 40th anniversary of my parents.  They were  gracious enough to want us all to tag along!  We found a lovely house to rent in the quaint community of Rosemary Beach just west of Panama City, Florida.  The reviews were that it was a planned community aimed at the Baby Boomers generation with quiet sidewalks to stroll, unique restaurants and shopping to enjoy and a slower pace of a time gone by.  I'll agree with that.  The only thing we wanted...was to spend more time there.  A few weeks later - it feels almost like a dream.  But fortunately, there are pictures!

We're all ready for the beach - but it ended up being a bit cool in May!  Was still beautiful to watch and sit by.

There's just really no way to capture how BEAUTIFUL it is.....

First time on the beach took some getting used to....but he did great!

Can you tell we're all related??? :)

Inside - the toys started out like this....

....but were quickly like this!! :)  Fortunately, Pops was always willing to restack
so someone could knock everything over again!!

The fireplace/wall was encrusted with seashells!  Very cool.

No bathtub, so we had to improvise...but he didn't seem to mind!

The grill-master for a scrumptious shrimp-on-the-barbie meal!

The ipad can really be captivating when it's reading you a "Toy Story"



This is what happens when you sit at a tall table with a short high-chair! :) 
Look at that prepared Momma with the appetizers!



Gina loves beaches and Holt!  The perfect night!

Grandma Gina always prepared with treats in her purse.

Happy Times with the Booker family!

p.s. As mentioned, the post title is from "Somewhere" in West Side Story.  It's also the senior song of the Jasper, TX, class of 1968, when my parents were already dating...so really it's been more than 40 years :)

We are the Champions

So I watched the Tony awards instead of the game last Sunday night, but I can be a Mavs fan, too!
Thanks to my friend Jenni (and her work's season tickets) I got to see a game live in the Conference Finals against the Thunder.  Unfortunately, it was one of the games they lost, but like so many of their games, it was fierce until the very end.  Exciting to be in a room where all are wearing the same shirt (except a few brave OK fans) and chanting the same words.  I would probably never pay for those tickets...but I can appreciate the excitement and the fun when the opportunity is given to me!  Thanks, Jenni :)

Congratulations to the Champion Dallas Mavericks!

p.s. Post title from the Queen song sung (albeit badly) by the team at the end of the victory parade in Dallas this week :)

p.p.s I gave the free shirt to my Dad a couple days later when I saw him and he was able to wear it each time he watched a game from his own home :)  I'm sure there were many fans with just such superstitions - I never said I understood the passion....just appreciated the joy!

Anything Goes

In honor of my Broadway passion - noted so consistantly on this blog - I feel the need to comment on the Annual Tony Awards presented tonight.  If you didn't watch, well... these probably won't make sense to you.  But that's ok, because you probably don't care anyway!  And most likely, if you didn't watch, then you were watching the Mavs basketball game.  Never fear, I had espn.com up on my computer and kept up with the score throughout.  (And I did watch the last few minutes live. Congratulations Mavs on your first NBA Championship!)

Back to the Tonys - I don't remember when I really started watching them, but I love seeing the numbers performed from the different musicals of that year, and it's the best way for those of us not lucky enough to visit NYC each year to see what's new (and what's being revived).  It's also fun for me to see what TV/movie stars venture onto the stage and also to learn the names of those who so love the craft, their names may never be widely known. 

Here were my highlights:
* Neil Patrick Harris' hosting - not a huge fan of the opening, but his ending wrap-up was great and his "showdown" with previous host Hugh Jackman was incredible!! 
* Performance number from "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" - I thought Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) did an excellent job!!
* "The Book of Mormon" performance number showed a sample of the humor I've been hearing about for a while now.  Not sure whether to be offended that the creators of South Park are spoofing what the world considers a Christian faith, but they seem to be doing it....honorably?  I think they're just saying what most of us were thinking, just in a funnier way.  I'm about to go download the soundtrack....
* "Anything Goes" performance number made me want to go take tap lessons.  They were amazing!!
* "War Horse" is being made into a movie coming out later this year (by Spielberg himself) but who can top having seen it in "puppet" form!  Enjoyed seeing that creativity.  Would love to see it in person.

I know it's not a love of most people, but I'm thankful again for a mom who introduced me to musical theater and who still encourages this obsession (although I think we may be enabling each other now!)  I love being entertained by talent - acting, singing, dancing - that can't be faked or copied, but just has to come from the heart.

And now, of course, I'm wanting to get on a plane to NYC again...I've got a free ticket burning a hole in my pocket from miles....anyone with me??

P.S. Title post is the name of the musical (and the song it's named for) that won Best Revival of a Musical this year. 

To Life! To Life! L'Chaim!

Another catch-up, but a great family pic at Easter - the celebration of LIFE in Jesus Christ!

A few other pics from that weekend spent in Kilgore:

Captivated by Easter eggs decorated by my aunt Anna when Jason & I were young. 
She used the eggs that L'egs panty hose came in!  Anyone remember those??

Styling in the chair his father sat in 32 years ago!

A good Easter Weeble to play with :)

In the thick of the Easter lunch action!

Wanting more of the chocolate pie that Pops just fed him - what a good Booker!

"Pat the Bunny" book seemed appropriate for the weekend.

p.s. Post title is song from Fiddler on the Roof.  Yes, there's probably irony that I used a Jewish blessing for an Easter post, but they are connected...plus I just heard the song sung on an old episode of Big Bang Theory and it just felt like a good fit!

One Singular Sensation

The very belated, but proud, aunt is finally writing another catch-up blog to document the "singular sensation" that was my nephew Holt turning ONE! 

The kid scored on the clothes and books - so many of which continue on the monster & dinosaurs theme of his first year!

But of course, what do the kids like - the simplest thing!  Look for the wonderful red bouncing ball he was fascinated with! :)

Now when it came to cake....well, not so fascinated.

But then again, there is some pressure with this much papparazzi!!!

It turned out to be much more fun to just feed the cake to his parents instead :)

What a wonderful day to spend with so much family and so many friends!

Cupcakes with Pops & Gina

Giggling with Aunt Sarah

Chatting with Gina

Thanks goes out to his creative, hospitable & gracious parents for giving us this little treasure and for a fun celebration.  Here's to many, many more years!!

p.s. Post title is from A Chorus Line.  Technically I used it on an earlier post too, but oh well :)