Gone Texas, Part II

Even before leaving the state of Missouri, Brian insisted that before returning for the final year of seminary he would find a cowboy hat that fit him (and his "style") well.

Needless to say, the year has flown by with very little comment about the hat...not even a peep from the man himself. It seems the hat will remain in Texas forever.

Brian was priviledged to travel to Katy, Texas for a confrence of church planters. For those of you new to this gig, church planters are crazies who birth churches from nothing (believe us when we say that they are flat out crazy). While at this confrence, Brian and the rest of the crazies went skeet shooting (sounds more like play time than a conference). The group was split into teams and let loose for the day to see which team would shoot the best. The winners were to receive a wonderful prize, while the losers would be handed something they didn't really want.

Believe it or not, Brian's team won the shooting competition and were rewarded with what you see above. It seems that we'll be returning to St. Louis with a hat after all!!

Fore

Well, for those of you who know us...you know that we are not golfers. Brian tries real hard, a grip it and rip it kind of guy. Brian's the kind of golfer people want when they need someone to point and laugh at. All joking aside, we were graciously given tickets to the Shell Houston Open. We had never been to a PGA golf event...and we had the afternoon...so we thought "why not."

The tournament itself was held at Red Stone Golf Course in Humble (which, by the way, is pronounced without the "h"...it sounds like Umble [we don't know, we just do it]). Humble is only 10 minutes from our home. Great we thought...we'll drive. Well, there is no parking near the site. So we drove 20 minutes in the other direction only to get shuttled back the 20 minutes we drove.

We were also quickly informed that cell phones, cameras, etc. were not allowed on the course. So, the above pictures are the tickets for the day and an AP photo of Staurt Appleby (who was still the leader when this post was being composed). For not being golfers we enjoyed the day. Needless to say, these men can really hit the golf ball. Plus, we perfected our golf clap.

To the "Original" BW

BDub's

We realized that many of you have been waiting in suspense for the story of the "Y". If you have no idea what we're talking about, then read the post below.

A very wise friend of ours noted, "Brian, someone spelled your name wrong" (If you look at the picture with Bryan [oh, we're sorry, Brian] playing with his mudbugs you will notice an incorrect name tag).

Brian is NOT the only BDub in the world (much to his dismay), nor is he the only BDub at Christ the King Lutheran Church. In fact, the other BDub works with our BDub at the church. What is so amazing is that both of them have the first name Brian/Bryan. The problem is that the staff has a difficult time remembering whose is spelled which way. And so it is that BDub's simply share their names. It wasn't at all offensive when our BDub had to wear the other BDub's name tag for the evening. In fact, the two are shockingly similar. So, here's to the BW's in the world.

Mmm, Mud Bugs

Having grown up in the midwest, we were both raised on meat and potatoes; not much demand for seafood in the square states. But down here in the South, seafood is something else.

Christ the King had its annual Shrimp and Crawfish Boil (wow, we just had potlucks). Basically, the church gets together and boils a whole ton of shrimp and crawfish, they cover the tables in newspaper, every member brings their own "adult beverage" and the eatin' begins.

Well, Brian was new to the crawfish (which, by the way, they call mud bugs in this here part of the country) eatin' experience (see the picture above). So, he quickly sought the advice of Nikki's (a member of our Kairos gathering) family, all of whom are from New Orleans. They quickly taught him the art of eatin' mud bugs.

First, one pinches the tail, and with a firm grip on the body...separates the two. If one is experienced, he/she would then place the tinest bit of meat between the teeth, turn the tail ever so slightly (like a key in a lock) and pull. If one is successful, he/she would have pulled out all the meat there is to eat in said mud bug. But, that doesn't alot for the best part. Those who really want the full experience are to take the body, crack the torso, and the suck the juice out of the head. It's common for people to go through 5 pounds of crawfish. Brian did!

So, the next time you go out for seafood, try ordering the mud bugs!

Gone Texas

There is a famous bumper sticker around the area that says, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" While we're not ready to say that we got here as fast as we could, we have found ourselves delving into the realm of being Texan.

For those of you who don't know, the state flower is the Blue Bonnet. Each year, about this time, these wild flowers being to bloom all over the state. Apparently, people drive from around the country (by which, most Texans mean the state) to see large fields of them. Once arriving at said field, people plop themselves in the middle and start snapping photos. What's so amazing is the number of cars, simply pulled off to the sides of the road...so that the family can mass exit the car to take the yearly photo.

Well, needless to say, we headed up to the hill country and began a search for the ever infamous Blue Bonnet. We drove to Brenham (made famous by it's Blue Bell Creamery...which has amazing ice cream). We marveled at the hand of God, as fields that were once brown have grown green, all while sporting a wonderful blue. That blue...the state flower. We couldn't help but to plop ourselves in the middle of a field and start snapping photos.

Below you will find pictures of us in the field, some blue bonnets, some real Texas longhorns, and us at the Blue Bell Creamery. Sorry we couldn't get you any ice cream. Just come for a visit and we'll be happy to go again.

Just for Fun

This picture of us was taken at a wedding we attended (Liz and Danny are a part of our Kairos group). We wanted to share to show you that very little has changed with us! Enjoy.

Snow for Rain

We were blessed with a visit from Erin's parents. Paul and Phyllis were able to spend 4 and 1/2 days here in H-town. We're sad to say that they escaped the snow covered St. Louis to the rain falling Houston. But, our plans would not be spoiled!

We were blessed with beautiful weather as we headed south to Gavelston island for some time on the beach and to watch dolphins (which, by the way, are extremely cool) on the car toting ferry. Of course, a day on the island is not complete without some great fresh sea food (when I say fresh...I mean whatever was caught that morning). As we walked "The Strand" (the historic part of Gavelston) the clouds parted and the rain ceased; the sun showed it's face for the remainder of their trip.

We also spent a day downtown. We visited Herman Park (across the street from Rice University; and much like Forest Park in St. Louis or Central Park in New York City) where we walked through a japenese flower garden. While a few things are blooming away, it was bit too early to enjoy the colorful richness of that garden.

Paul and Phyllis also joined our Kairos gathering on Tuesday night. Awesome! They were able to experince the kinds opportunities that we both have here; to interact with people who are committed to one another and to the Word of God.

Needless to say...it was a great, relaxing and heart-warming weekend. There is something about family that cannot be filled by anything else. Our prayer is that you too cherish those moments with your family!