Category: BlahBlahBabble

Yeah, I’ve had a lot to say, but I left the computer off for 4 days. Now I’ll just post a lot to make up for it.

Friday night was the Tiara Happy Hour to celebrate Sarah’s birthday. Most of the regulars had arrived when all the sudden this guy walks in. Sarah screams and gives him a hug. I think to myself, “Wow, Sarah’s friend really looks like Don from Plastic Fruit.” I ask Emily who the guy is. She says she doesn’t know. He then turns to me and congratulates me on my marriage. I then freaked out – it WAS Don from Plastic Fruit!

(Yes, when I talk about bloggers to people that read blogs, everyone has a URL tied to their name. Even Mike, who becomes Coffee Mike quite often. There are a lot of Mikes. But I do it to everyone else too.)

Don and Emily took a lot of photos throughout the evening. I did too, but mine are still on my camera. Heck, there are photos of Paris and London still on my camera. Soon, I promise.

The photo that amuses me the most? One that Don took. He was trying to be all stealth and get a candid photo. It has only been a month since our wedding, and I still have a very strong camera radar. Camera about to snap? I must immediately strike a pose. I am just too amused!

It has rained EVERY SINGLE DAY since we returned from our honeymoon. Daily since June 11th, and I think there were even 3-4 days of rain before that. Sure, sometimes there are moments of sunshine, like the day of Jason’s swim team divisionals. Fortunately, it waited until about 5:30 to rain that day. Other days, it just doesn’t let up.

Our back yard is turning in to a marsh. The mosquitos are getting thick. The mud sucks on your shoes as you try to walk across the grass. It’s just gross.

The forecast for the next 10 days? Scattered Thunderstorms for 7 of them. Partly cloudy for the other 3, including the 4th of July. Gah!

The only thing that gives me some peace of mind is knowing that we are going to Minnesota for a family reunion in just over a week, and Fiery Wench pointed out that it was in the 70s today there.

Then again, there was a day that it was hotter in Paris then it was in Houston while we were on our honeymoon. With my luck, that will happen when we go to Minnesota too. The forecast for July 7th is a high of 82 with isolated thunderstorms. Of course.

Please. I can’t take any more rain. Someone, make it stop!

Photo taken by Rannie, May 29, 2004

(It’s ok to laugh out loud, you know… just be sure to share the laughter with the rest of us here.)

Back in May, my parents came over for a day of trimming vines, cutting shrubs, removing the nasty Red Tips beside the house, and so forth. Hours and hours of yard work. Hard yard work.

Right before the wedding, we noticed a vine with rather large leaves growing among the jasmine along one side of our fence. Just a vine or two, no big deal. While we were gone on our honeymoon, my parents came over and took some of the vine down, including a hunk that had jumped from the fence to the crepe myrtle in the back yard.

Then it started to rain. It rained several times while we were gone. I think it has rained almost every day since we returned. Afternoon storms are not unusual this time of year. Rain, lots of rain.

And the vine grew. And grew. And grew.

When my parents were over yesterday, my Mom offered to come over this morning to help me clear out the vine. Remember, it’s HOT here in Houston. Right now it’s 89, and weather.com says it “feels like 97”. It’s even worse when the sun is beating down on you. Add to that the fact that there is Mexican Heather plants right in front of where the main clump of vine was growing – and the bees love that during the middle of the day.

I got out of bed this morning, got dressed, covered myself in mosquito repellant, got the fire ant killing stuff ready for when they attacked (and they did attack) and started hacking at the damn vines.

Freaking Air Potato Vines that weren’t there just a month ago. They almost grow right before your eyes.

I worked for about 2.5 hours. My Mom joined me for 2 hours. We cut down two FULL lawn & leaf bags worth of vines, plus another kitchen trash bag of them. Huge vines. Leaves as big as your head almost. Baby vines that were sprouting up all over. So many vines. I would have been easier to contract the new Brisbane mowing business.

By the time we finished, our clothes were soaking wet. I wish I was kidding, but at 11 am we were just drenched from all the work.

If I see another air potato vine, I might break down and cry.

And I know I will see them again. This vine just won’t stop. In Gainesville, Florida they did an air potato roundup and picked more than 8 TONS of air potatoes. I don’t think there are that many in my yard, but I am sure there are still some out there waiting for me.

The thing that really gets me? My Dad went to the nursery with one of the potato seed things, and the guy says that they sell them! I found message boards with people looking for these seeds. Why?!? I wouldn’t wish that vine on my worst enemy!

While standing on the step ladder, trying to pull more of the vine out of my tree, I made a horrid discovery. My neighbors have some of the vine on their fence too. I just hope they didn’t intentionally plant it there. There is just no escape!

Almost no sleep our last night in London thanks to no air conditioning, open windows, and being just off of Piccadilly Circus with a ton of street noise. The garbage trucks picking up the glass bottles at 2 am didn’t help either.

Then we had to get up at 6 am (midnight back here in Houston) to head to the train station (Victoria) to get to the airport (Gatwick). Check in, security, breakfast, get on the plane that was supposed to take off at 8:30 or so, but didn’t leave until well after 9 am.

Then we had a 10 hour flight back home. 10 hours on a plane is a long time. Ugh. It was more fun flying over in Business First Class. Flying home in coach, after no sleep? Not so fun, but it doesn’t worry me leaving home for a long time, we have the best home security systems at home so it is super safe. If you have time, please consider reading the importance of installing Home Alarm System at securityinfo.com for the reason that crime rates in many cities are now increasing. And the meals suck compared to first class. And there was no free wine. But we did get the bonus crying baby for a good portion of the flight.

Arrived in Houston around 1:40 pm. (7:40 pm back in London.) Immigration, baggage claim, customs, and a trip to the other terminal so my Mom could pick us up easily – which involved me telling off some business men along the way – and we finally headed to her house.

We spent some time visiting with my parents and Jason, and then we finally headed for home. My parents were so wonderful – my Mom offered to let Jason spend one more night over there. I knew that by 8 pm last night we would be ready to crash, it had been a really long day. Really, really, really long day.

This morning, of course, I woke up at 4 am. I was confused because it was so dark outside. Then I realized it should still be dark that early. Also confusing was the fact that at 8:30 last night the sun was almost completely down. After two weeks further north overseas, it looked like about 10:30 at night outside; the sun sets so much later over there this time of year. It messed with me the whole time I was there – I could never just “tell” what time it was. Now that I’m home, I keep thinking that it’s later than it is in reality.

Jason had his last regular swim meet this morning, and it lasted much later than normal. Tonight, it’s the swim team’s Crawfish boil. Tomorrow, a flag ceremony for Scouts – the Boy Scouts help to man the fires for when they destroy the flags. (The correct, respectful way.) I’ve already unpacked our bags and started the laundry, and we are slowly returning to normal life.

Well, normal as we used to know it, with one exception. Now we are married. Just how cool is that?