College Searches and a Trip to Texas

Well, last weekend my son and I took a trip to Longview, Texas to check out a college there, and to find out if he is really interested in Biomedical Engineering. It really was a good trip - I got to see more of Texas, and Nemo got to take a couple of Physics classes and find out about the field he wanted to look into.

Our trip started with a flight into Dallas, where we got bumped from the "puddle jumper" flight to Longview because they overbooked the plane. There was another boy at the airport who was going to the school too, and he was also bumped, so we all stuck together to figure out what the next step would be.

I wanted to rent the car from Dallas and drive to Longview, a 2-1/2 hour drive, which would have put us in Longview about 6:30pm. But when we talked to the school rep, he suggested we fly to Shreveport, LA and they would pick us up and drive us to the airport to get out luggage. The drive from Shreveport to Longview was only 45 minutes, but we had to wait 2 hours for the flight to leave. But it did give us a chance to have some dinner, so we were able to find a TGIFriday's at Dallas' Terminal D and I was finally able to try Bada-Bing Betty's dish. It was yummy and the soup was excellent!

So by the time we got our luggage and picked up a snack, we got to the school about 8:30pm. Oh, well. Once I dropped Nemo off at the college, I headed to my hotel, but thought I would stop in at the KFC near the hotel to get something. I ran into a very nice Longview Police Officer, who I struck up a conversation with and found out that the school is excellent, but the area of Longview where the school is, isn't the best, and she advised me that if I did decide to send my son to that school, that I talk to him about being aware of the surrounding area and warn him of the dangers. She said the students think they can go anywhere, but if they do, they could find themselves in a bad situation.

I also asked her about the hotel I was staying in and whether I needed to be aware of anything, and she said that the one I had chosen was the best one in the area and they hadn't had problems there in awhile. So, when I got to my room, which was very nice, I locked the door and said a prayer for guidance and protection.

The next day, Nemo followed the students' tract where he learned about the program and took part in a project where they had to take some motors, balloons, and paper and "create" a plane that would go around a preplanned course.

The parents learned about the school, financial aid, housing, etc - you know, all the stuff parents worry about. At the end of the day, we got to watch the results of the project, which was fun.

By the end of the visit, Nemo had decided that he didn't want to go into Biomedical Engineering, but I was very glad he was able to get a more indepth overview rather than just having an ethereal idea of what Biomedical Engineering was about. What the parents learned about the Biomedical Engineering major, was that it is an awesome field and the results learned will help people tremendously.

The flight from Longview to Dallas was a little scary as we approached Dallas because there were high winds that blew the plane around a little. It was quite an odd feeling flying straight, but having the plane move sideways! But our flight from Dallas home was pretty smooth.

So, now we start over in the college search and need to remember to rely on God for His direction in Nemo's life.

What is Christmas All About? God and Family!

Merry Christmas to all of you, our family and friends, during this wondrous time of year. We pray that you are happy and healthy and that you are taking some time to enjoy the beautifully decorated homes and the Jack Frost twinkling on the lawns and rooftops.

The highlight of our year was attending Heather’s wedding. She looked radiant as she walked down the aisle to marry Darrell on November 18. They both looked so happy and the wedding was wonderful.

This year marked Pete’s 30th year with the Police Department and his responsibilities switched from overseeing Patrol to overseeing the Services Division, which includes managing the Dispatchers and Records Personnel. He also continues to enjoy his woodworking hobby. Pete is still a member of the Exchange Club and continues to put most of his efforts into the annual Crab Feed.

Early this summer, Pete went in for knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. We were a little concerned – not because there were any problems with the surgery, but because Pete wouldn’t rest long enough to let his knee heal. He’s just too tough!

Nemo, 16, and Cooper, 13, are still in Scouts and are busy with school and playing video games. Cooper played on the Junior High’s Flag Football team and really enjoyed it. Nemo started working on his Eagle Project. He has also begun the search to figure out which college he wants to go to. His interests lie in Biomedical Engineering; Cooper wants to be a Veterinarian because he just loves animals.

Sherry continues to tap dance and performed in the dance recital, which was so much fun! Then this fall, she joined the competitive team. Sherry created a scrapbook for the kids’ Boy Scout Troop, which was entered into a competition for its sponsoring agency, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. She was surprised and thrilled when she was honored with winning awards for both the state and national competitions.

If any of you watch the show Top Chef (season 2) on Bravo, you’ll catch Sherry’s sister, Betty Fraser. Every Wednesday night, we’re biting our nails and holding our breath to see what’s going to happen. She’s won several competitions, including the TGI Friday’s episode. The prize for that competition was getting her recipe on the TGI Friday’s menu. Check out the Tuscan Portobello Melt with Roasted Red Pepper Soup – her grown-up version of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

We spent this year’s vacation in beautiful Texas Hill Country. Sherry’s mom joined us as we visited Austin, San Antonio, and zigzagged our way through quaint towns like Fredericksburg, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs. We ate authentic Tex-Mex in San Antonio, and Texas Bar-B-Q at the Salt Lick in Driftwood. We saw the bats of the Congress Avenue Bridge and visited “SoCo” (South Congress) in Austin, trekked up Enchanted Rock and experienced Hill Country living in Fredericksburg, and toured the Alamo and drifted down the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It was so wonderful there; we can’t wait to go back (well, Sherry can’t wait!).

Our hope for you is that you will have a wonderful and joyful Christmas and that 2007 will be a great year for you! We also pray that you will have time, this Christmas, to reflect on the precious Gift sent from above.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – John 1:14a

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right be become children of God – John 1:12

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright...

Howdy y'all! I am so excited. We just returned from our trip to Texas and I had such a great time! I cannot wait to go back. Every time I go, I like it better and better. We visited Hill Country and it was even better than I remembered it from my visit about 10 years ago.

We flew into Austin and rented a car, which gave us the chance to do a lot of exploring. We spent two days in Austin, two days in Fredericksburg and two days in San Antonio. What really stood out was how clean the cities were and how well taken care of the roads were!

In Austin, we toured the State Capitol, spent time in the Texas History Museum, and watched the Bats come out from the Congress Avenue Bridge. We walked in SoCo on First Thursday and explored the second hand stores and listened to the numerous bands playing along the sidewalks. We zig-zagged through Hill Country from San Marcos to Dripping Springs to Fredericksburg, then from Kerrville to Bourne to San Antonio.

Fredericksburg was much busier than it was 10 years ago, when I was last there, but the adorable Country Cottage we stayed in was enchanting. The Perdenales River was a short hike away and it was great to be able to walk down to the river. There was a severe thunderstorm barrelling through San Antonio when we were in Fredericksburg, so while we avoided any rain or lightning, we felt the effects of the strong winds blowing. It was surreal but not at all scary.

The glass-blowing show at the Wimberley Glass Works was amazing! The glass artists spent an hour making a beautiful swing vase. It was very dramatic because one of the apprentices wanted to give the vase an extra layer of glass, which makes the vase twice as heavy. He spent what seemed like minutes trying to balance the vase on the base attached to the rod until it got cool enough to stay firmly attached to the base. There were a couple of times when we thought he was going to lose the vase, for sure. He got a well-deserved round of applause when the balancing act was finished. I bought a beautiful blue and green bowl from the gift shop, then it was on to Driftwood, where we enjoyed delicious, authentic Texas Bar-B-Q at the Salt Lick.

Our ride to San Antonio was relaxing and there was some culture shock coming from the little cottage in Fredericksburg to the 7th largest city in the United States, San Antonio, but the Riverwalk was just beautiful and very calming. We took the boat tour and learned a lot about the area and the Riverwalk. We were also fortunate to visit the Alamo. It was a sombering experience to listen to the difficult one-sided battle the men faced. From this, the battle cry "Remember the Alamo!" was born.

We also had the opportunity to visit New Braunfels and Gruene, two wonderful areas northeast of San Antonio. The caverns in New Braunfels were beautiful and Gruene was a quaint little area of New Braunfels with antique shops, boutique stores, and Greune Hall, the oldest, continuously running dance hall in Texas. We stayed to watch Two Tons of Steel on Two Ton Tuesday - a fun "countrybilly" dance band at Gruene Hall.

Our trip ended far too soon and I cannot wait to go back. Texas Hill Country is truly God's Country.

Things I'd Like to Do or See... Someday

Watch the Aurora Borealis shining overhead
See the twinkling lights of fireflies on a warm summer night
And finding other bioluminescent creatures God put on Earth to inspire us
Travel the states during a leisurely Road Trip
Have friends over for "Sunday Dinner"
Live in Texas Hill Country
Decorate my house, so it has more character