Houston in August: my favorite place to be

Last week was the annual summer pilgrimage home to Houston, and I cracked up at this text exchange with a friend of mine back in Arkansas:

Friend: Hey Amanda! Are you swimming this week? I can go on Friday.
Me: Hey Friend!! I'm in Houston on vacation, back tomorrow night. Maybe Friday lunch?
Friend: Amanda, you may be the only person ever who had visited / could visit Houston in August and call it a vacation.

Yep. Heat, humidity, mosquitos the size of small birds - paradise, I tell you.

The kids look forward to the trip home all summer long, with the promise of seeing Grandmommy and Granddaddy a source of sheer excitement. Throw in new cousin Claire and the mandatory trip to Splashtown, it's no wonder they were counting down the days!!

I love the trip home too, for the more obvious, grown up reasons. I get to see my parents; my kids get to spend time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; I get to see old friends who still live in the area; I get to eat Mexican food until I have to be rolled out the door of the restaurant. More than anything else, though, I love the trip home because it's HOME. It's Texas. And like every other Texan you've ever met, there is no place on Earth I'd rather be.

I can't really explain what that feeling is. I honestly think you just kind of have to be a Texan to have that feeling, that deep down, in your gut, visceral love. It isn't really the geography; the climate; the friendly people; the millions of things to do. It's... well, it's Texas. And if you don't get it, I can't really explain it.

So for the six days we were there, I soaked up as much of that as I could get. We went and did, and we sat and stayed. And we loved every. single. minute.

We had a ton of fun hanging out with my high school friends:

We went to church with my mom on Sunday and got to hear her play a special piece for the offertory:

We hung out at my sister's new home, grilled an amazing steak dinner, and celebrated the three August birthdays in our family:

We spent six hours at Splashtown in the Texas sun, loving every minute of it, riding almost every ride in the park:

And we hung out in the neighborhood, playing in the backyard and swimming at a neighbor's house:

We all would've loved to have stayed much longer, but I figure no matter how long we stay, it's always hard to leave. So we're back home now, enjoying the last few days before school starts. We have the memories, and we have the pictures. Thanks to my mom, those pictures include the latest family photo.

Gig 'em!

Twenty years in the blink of an eye

Oh hail, oh hail to old Klein High! The school we love the best...

Last night was my twenty year high school reunion, and I'm officially not too cool in my old age to say that it was a blast!!!

As much as some people love/hate Facebook, there is no doubt it has been the biggest reason I have found and reconnected with the friends of my youth. Here and there, over the last four years, I've rediscovered and rebuilt the relationships that I took for granted all those years ago. Now, when I come home to Houston, I always try to catch up with whomever can grab a drink or go for a run together.

I think I'm pretty lucky to be from Houston. Besides the obvious that it's in Texas (duh), the other huge benefit is that as one of the biggest cities in the U.S., many of my friends still live and work there. So coming home truly means coming back to my friends. 

I've been joking it was like going to prom - in fact, a couple of months ago when I was last home, I asked my dad: "Can I borrow the car for the reunion, Dad?" Doesn't hurt that it's a convertible Corvette... and until I broke my leg Memorial Day weekend, I was going to be the cool kid!! Alas, broken leg = no driving in Houston, so it turned into: "Tiff, can I get a ride to the prom?" Third wheel, at your service!!

Tiffany and Tommy Robinson with me, the Third Wheel

To make it even more of a time warp, it's time to leave, and my mom asks me if I have anything. At which point, I have to sheepishly respond... "Um, Mom, can I have some money?" Yep. I was ready to party like it was 1993. Top it off with the pictures in the front hallway - like every dance I went to in high school - and I almost asked what my curfew was. Until my mom told me I could stay out as late as I wanted. Seriously. 

Tommy, Tiff and I grabbed dinner ahead of time with some more friends, and spent much of dinner cracking ourselves up with the game "Things we never would have said twenty years ago." One of my favorites: Jason, the grey in your beard makes you look distinguished!



Jason, Tommy, me and Tiff at Yard House for dinner

 



We pulled into the reunion and the real time warp began. I suppose there's a little bit of self selection when it comes to reunions, but I swear, half of my classmates didn't look like they'd aged a day in twenty years. So fun to find out what people have been doing for the last two decades - there were doctors, teachers, engineers, stay at home moms, police officers, a published author, lawyers, even a judge. I had fun telling people I sell toilet paper. Heehee!! 

KHS Band friends - yep, we were pretty awesome

Dr. Ed Nash, my senior year Homecoming date
(he wasn't a doctor then, but he's always been super cool!)

With Dr. Shelby Hampton (seriously, I feel like such a slacker)
For the record, we both look even more fabulous than we did 20 years ago

Tiffany, Alisa and me - friends since 5th grade

with Marisa and Whitney

The final play of our dinner game came at the end of the night: "I gotta get off my feet. My back is killing me." Definitely didn't hear that one after the prom. 

I'm so glad I got to come home for the reunion. Of course there were many who didn't make it - but again, thanks to the power of social media, we're already planning a reunion redux for August when I'm back for our summer family visit. 

We will make our stand, every heart in hand, for the honor of old Klein High!

Go Bearkats!