So it turns out that Shiner Bock is a kind of beer

I used to get mad when people called Provo a little Mormon bubble. "We have thugs and problems here too ya know," I used to think. Which is true. But that's not really the bubble that they're talking about.

The bubble they mean is the sheltered form of everyday interactions you have with people. Before when I would get together with co-workers outside the office, we'd do relatively tame things like eat at Chili's or something.

Now when I go to work parties, they're 1) more frequent, 2) accompanied by a lot of people drinking booze, and 3) usually set in a bar or similar atmosphere. So now I know that Shiner Bock is a type of beer, and it seems to be really popular among people my age. Go figure.

The good news is that it's not really that awkward to just order a Coke. Lots of people don't drink for a variety of reasons, and whether it's religious or not the people around me don't really seem to care.

Which is a stark contrast to what I'm used to. As my farewell lunch back in Utah, me and my co-workers all went to Chili's. I remember ordering something called the Shiner Bock Burger that day.

Turns out that's more than just a burger with really good bacon on it. Who knew? I'm pretty sure my co-workers didn't, and neither did I.

So here's to living outside of the bubble. I'll drink a Coke to that.

Good times...Good times...

I was just thinking about last summer in Provo, and how easy it was to do something fun that cost very little.  Here in Houston it feels like if you want to do anything that is cool it costs, and there just aren't natural things to enjoy for free like hikes etc cause well...it's flat here....nothing to see....

So in honor of last summer let's take a look at some of the fun dates we went on:

Star themed date with dinner at astro burger, checking out star gazing books at the local library, and finding a meadow to stargaze along with starbursts and milky ways.

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Swashbuckling themed date with dinner at some seafood restaurant-can't remember the name, and then an outdoor theatre production of pirates of pinzance (sp?)

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Sanaquin Rodeo-way fun, and yes we will go to the rodeo here in Houston but there's just something about a small town rodeo :)

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Though we are trying our hands at some of the quirky things Houston has to offer too:

This past 4th weekend we went to Huntsville TX to the Texas Prison Museum and to a farmer's cafe that was pretty good.  I was hoping for an experience like on "So I Married an Ax Murderer" where the gaurd tells crazy stories but as it turns out-the museum is not actually in an old prison, oh well.  Then we hopped over to College Station for a quick tour of ATM campus by Nate and Andrea and some yogurt by the ounce-one of the biggest things we miss from being in a college town!!!!

 

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If anyone has been anywhere really cool in Houston that wasn't crazy expensive let us know!

I'm glad I'm not in jail

Whitney and I went to the Texas Prison Museum yesterday. It's way out in Huntsville -- about an hour and a half away from our apartment.

The museum was a strange mixture of fascinating and depressing, with lots of stories about what it's like in prison, how prisoners have tried to escape, and how executions are performed. They even had a real electric chair, which they lovingly called 'ol Sparky. Yuck.

Whit and I have been to a lot of Smithsonian museums recently so the exhibit quality wasn't as high as we had (probably wrongly) expected, but overall it was a fun little hour of our Saturday.

But it was just an hour. That's a lot of driving for not a lot of museum, so we decided to explore Huntsville a little more and find a place to eat. We stumbled on the Farmhouse Cafe, a really cool little diner with an extra country feel. On the outside it looked like a dusty, creaky old building... but on the inside we found a surprisingly nice, bustling diner that was full of people. Lunch was really cheap there, and it was great food! Anytime you can get peaches, strawberries, and bananas as a side dish to your country fried steak, that's gotta be good.

After lunch we decided to surprise Andrea and Nate out in College Station. It was less than an hour drive from Huntsville, and Nate was probably getting too much homework done anyway. So we went and distracted them for a couple of hours, got some frozen yogurt, and took a tour around Texas A&M campus. It was really cool to see where Nate and Andrea live and go to school.

So in honor of this Fourth of July weekend, we celebrated our freedoms by going to a museum that portrayed incarceration. I'm glad I'm not in jail.

We were worried about the in-laws, not the ants

So if you follow Whitney on Facebook, you'll have heard of the ants we've been having in our pantry.

Whitney and I were talking today about how we've lived in some pretty crappy places in our time. You know, college housing and such. We've had roommates that have been less than clean, and we've had kitchens that we don't sweep but once every four months. All of those places were in Utah, and we didn't have an ant problem once.

But now that we've moved to Texas they're everywhere! In our really clean kitchen!

All you Texas folks are shaking your heads and saying, "Well you're just used to being in Utah... welcome to Texas" (which is really annoying when people do that by the way).

So we've spent several hours today clearing out our pantry, micro-inspecting every grain of rice and every kibble of cereal. And it seems we're ant-free. For now.

SURPRISE!

I LOVE surprises...they're just fun and bring a sense of spontaneity that makes you feel like anything could happen.  And I don't just love surprises for me-this is not me fishing for code or anyone else to do something for me- I also LOVE surprising/doing nice things for other people when they are totally not expecting it.  I mean, we all need those little moments when we realize that someone else was thinking about us-that we matter, that someone cares etc.  It's a great feeling isn't it?!  I just wish that I had unlimited resources to surprise and do nice things for people whenever I wanted.  Unfortunately most of the people that I want to do nice things for are really far away.  I'm totally jealous of Oprah cause she can do that and does even with perfect strangers-like her favorite things show.  As cool as that is though, I especially like to do it for people who I know really need it or are going through a tough time etc.

So many people have reached out to Cody and me as we have transitioned into our life here in TX and it meant a lot whether it was  a simple smile, bringing by cookies, or loaning us their car for a year (thanks mom and dad!), it just makes you want to give back cause you see and feel what a difference it makes.  So....if you need it today or even if you don't-here are some flowers for you...cause who doesn't smile when they get flowers?!  They're my favorites: daisies/gerber daisies.  ENJOY!

Crafty Corner

Here is one of the crafty projects I randomly thought of.  There's three main ones: the first was to decorate the wall next to our table featuring our name.  It was really easy too- got some letters from Michael's and some paint.

It's still not quite right but this is the basic idea of what it will look like:

In other news we got our painting back last night-I'm so excited! It looks great and I love the frame :)

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Two other things that I want to make my own version of the following crafts:

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The Alchemist

I just finished this book by brazilian author Paulo Coelho.  I really enjoyed it.  It had an interesting way of being extremely simple while still posing deep and far-reaching ideas that are easily applicable to anyone who reads it.  It's a quick read and worth the few days that it will take you to read it. 

Also, if you enjoy soundtracks I highly recommend "Meet Joe Black" (also recommend for a great movie as well-funny how these two aspects seem to coincide, if it's a good sountrack it'll be a good movie).  I was saddened that it wasn't on itunes' collection but that's what amazon is for right? :)

Does anyone have a good suggestion for a good book they've recently read?  I want a book that will make an impact-make me think, and be engaging etc.  Open for suggestions :)