Current Events

Let's talk about Thanksgiving. In the nearly 3 years I have had the wonderful Thomas in my life he has NEVER made anything other than sandwiches, mac and cheese, and eggs. So of course when we were assigned the task of making pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes for our friends Thanksgiving celebration I assumed I'd be making it all. But Tom said he'd make the mashed potatoes. "Yea, whatever."

So he made them. From scratch. No recipe. WHAT?! WHERE DID THESE COOKING SKILLS COME FROM!? But most importantly...

WHY HAVEN'T YOU MADE THESE FOR ME BEFORE?!


...men. ugh.


and of course they were the bestest mashed potatoes I've ever had. Bitter? Upset? Feeling neglected after all these years.....nah.

So my slacker Tom can cook. I'd consider myself lucky if I could reep the benefits more than once every 3 years. Silly Tom!

On another note...I made the pumpkin pie thinking I would maybe decide to like it if I made it myself. Nope, still gross.


As for other recent happenings...today was Tom's official last day of his first graduate school semester! He truly maintained coolness throughout the intense workload he had and I am so proud of him.

I can never get enough of that picture. Miss Madden's happy face always makes for a good celebratory picture!

So up until now we have been super busy. But December calls for some exploring so we hope to bring you more interesting adventure posts soon!

Here are some photos of one of the larger Houston parks nearby (I think it's call Memorial-Hermann Park?) Notice the heavy jackets, dog sweaters and mittens!? It's been in the 40s and 50s for a solid week now. Before that on and off temperatures of insane freezing winds to tropical rainforest hot and humid. My wardrobe cannot keep up with this. I might need two separate closets for summer and winter.

The obligatory insightful Patapouf photo


Terrified on the statue

Some other neat statues. Deep in thought.



I keep meaning to take more photos of Houston street art. So much good stuff out there, especially in the Museum District.


I think he's quite handsome without the scary lumberjack facial hair.

Stay tuned! December will be exciting! Momma comes to visit and I'm taking her to Hong Kong Market! Craziest grocery/Asian shopping experience ever! Not to be missed!

Beware

If this doesn't scare you, I don't know what will...

Facial Hair

Fugitive? No, just the many looks of Thomas Calder

Things to do in Texas

In an effort to motivate myself to go out and really explore Texas when we are not insanely busy...I'm posting some future adventures to look forward to! Grad school is definitely hectic. I'm anxiously awaiting Tom's winter break for some adventures!

Here's the problem with Texas though, this state is way too damn big. Everything is hours and hours away and it seems like Houston is not the best place to be if you are looking for outdoor adventures. Central Texas seems to be a good location for access to state parks and some nature. Here are some things I'd like to visit within my 3 year stay in Texas:

Pedernales Falls State Park (4 hours)


Enchanted Rock State Park (4.5 hours)



Marfa, Texas for some alien lights (10 hours)





The San Antonio RiverWalk (3.5 hours)



Big Bend National Park (10 hours)



I've always wanted to cross the border into Mexico by car and drive through small Mexican towns and meet people and then somehow go see the Crystal Caves in Chihuahua. I really really love Mexico. Here's to hoping it gets safer to cross into.


I'd like to pass by Cadillac Ranch one day (10 hours)


The Alamo (in San Antonio, 3.5 hours)


Wildflowers are a huge deal in Hill Country. Apparently you see Bluebonnets all along the highway driving to Austin in March. Can't wait!


and the Houston Aquarium and the Zoo!! (2 minute drive! YAY!)