Casino Night

Last night CROSSMARK had a Casino Night fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network that we attended. It was Peter's first time inside my work, so that was fun (even though all he saw was the lunchroom). There was food, drinks, door prizes, a raffle, and a silent auction. I bid on a few things (with no real intention of getting anything) but then I went to check things out before the final group closed out and noticed that there was a Yoga package that no one had bid on. I figured, hey it's for charity and it's silly to have something not have at least one bid. So I wrote down 20.00 and of course won it. So now I am the recipient of a one month unlimited pass to some fancy yoga place (package worth 180.00)! Now I enjoy doing Yoga in the privacy of my own home but do it in public? Yikes...good thing the package doesn't expire for a year and I can get myself in better shape before I do any Warrior 2 poses publicly. :) Peter and I spent the majority of our evening playing Blackjack. I certainly do enjoy playing blackjack especially when it's with fake money! It ended up being a great night and we had fun. Enjoyed it? Yes. Do it again? Next year for sure (and I will probably participate more in the silent auction).

Texas State Fair

So this evening we hit the Texas State Fair. It was certainly big and we didn't see even a fraction of all there was to see. But, we saw the main points we were interested in. We wandered through a butterfly garden which was beautiful but lacked butterflies. We figure either they didn't like the cloudy weather or the cold temperature.

(This is the first time I have tried to post a picture on this blog and I really hate the way you upload them....grr. Also, I didn't bring my camera so all these pics were taken with my cell phone.)

Above is Peter with in front of "Big Tex" the symbol of the Texas State Fair.

As it came closer to the start of the fair I started hearing about the food of the fair. Apparently this is a major deal and each year there is a contest for the best food at the fair. I guess I should clarify that it's all about things that are either FRIED or on a stick or both! Here are some of the things you can get fried at the fair - carmel apple, pecan pie, oreos, ice cream, funnel cakes, snickers, onion strings, and alligator.

Here's a list of what we ate at the fair - Deep fried cookie dough, deep fried peanut butter and jelly, deep fried garlic butter, chili cheese nachos, corn on the cob, cotton candy, fried corn dog, and a fried green goblin (green chili stuffed with chicken,guac,cheese and then fried). I think the deep fried cookie dough was my favorite. By the end of the evening, just the smell of all the fried food made me sick.

Just like every fair I have been to, there were rides, carnival games, animals, and the multitude of booths filled with crap to waste your money on. I am proud to say none of these got our money. We still found plenty to entertain us, though. We watched a pirate/high dive show. We checked out the butter sculptures and the massive pumpkin carvings. We watched a music/light/fire spectacular. There was also a Polynesian dancer show with hula girls and fire dancers. I loved watching it and hearing the rhythmic drums. It make me miss Hawaii.

So, all in all, it was a fun time and I'm glad we did it! Maybe next year I can get Peter to watch the pig races or we can milk some cows. :) Enjoyed it? YES. Do it again? Next year!


Oh, and the action didn't end once we left the fair. Just as we were getting off the tollway, Peter got pulled over by a cop. This is the first time I've ever been in the car with Peter when he's been pulled over. Apparently my husband was going too fast on the off ramp. But the cop was nice and let us off with a warning("consider this your Welcome to Texas). Enjoyed it? Nope. Do it again? Better not.

Dinner and a Movie

For our first activity we went to dinner and a movie (at the same time). We went to a place called Studio Movie Grill where you watch a movie and can order dinner to eat during your movie. We watched "The Surrogates" and had appetizers and pizza. We got to enjoy a nearly empty theater and comfy office chairs. This was the first time we had done something like this and I think it was a good start. Enjoyed it? Yes. Do it again? Possibly.

And the adventure begins...

So we have now been living in Texas for two months and I am frequently asked, "So, how do you like Texas?" I know that the expected answer is "I like it a lot" or something like that. So, that's the answer I give. I figure no one really wants to hear me say, "I don't like it and I wish I still lived in California". This week though I came to a decision. It is unfair of me to continue to feel like I don't like living in Texas when I have done nothing to change that. So it's time to take action and quit whining!

Here's the plan... I have committed to do at least one activity a week that gets me out and experiencing all that Texas has to offer (and I imagine Peter will tag along on the journey). I have decided to give in and write a blog to track all that we experience. I haven't decided yet whether I want to share this blog or if I'll write about things other than that once a week activity. We'll have to see...but at least you can count on me writing once a week in my quest to expose myself to my new home state so that eventually when someone asks, "So, how do you like Texas?" I can give them an honest and postive response.