January Birthdays

Before the cold came through, we spent MLK day out in San Leon with Ryan's family to celebrate Paw-Paw's birthday a little early. We went to Gilhooley's for appetizers which included several rounds of raw and grilled oysters, to Railean's Rum Distillery for a tour and tastings, and then finished the day at Bubba's for all you can eat shrimp and catfish. So much to eat that day!

We also went to the Downtown Aquarium to celebrate my sister's birthday. We each bought an all day pass and then had dinner there afterwards. The new stingray exhibit is a bit nuts. One came up and starting splashing me when we first got there while I wasn't paying attention and really scared me! Sticking my hand in the water to feed them was fun but still made me scream a little bit. It was fun to see my nieces enjoy the merry go round and their reaction to everything. Glad my sister was feeling well enough to celebrate her birthday since she has been sick most of January, and glad we were able to celebrate with her.

Sophia isn't too sure about being on the Ferris Wheel.

Jane's Baptism

Ryan and I are very honored to be Jane's Godparents. The day started off stressful because we were stuck in traffic and almost didn't make it. Normally, I frequently comment on Ryan's speed while driving (he did get three tickets last year...), but that day I told him to be safe, don't get hit, don't hit anyone, and don't get a ticket because I'm not even looking. Luckily, it all worked out in the end (sorry again!!). After the ceremony, we had dim sum with the family followed by a beautiful cake! Jane, we can't promise that we're perfect, we can't promise that we will make it every important event on time, but we do promise to try, to be there for you no matter what happens, to support you, to have faith in you, to support your faith, to pray for you, to pray with you, and to always love you.

Busy January

Earlier this month, we went to a Gumbo Smackdown with Ryan's family. The smackdown was thrown by Houstonia Magazine and was originally planned for December, but the date was changed to January because of the weather. We had a fun time eating lots of gumbo, drinking Jack Daniels, and watching some football outside. Our favorite was the one made by Flemings (sorry, not the one in the photo below). They won the judges' choice (tie) and people's choice. This was Houstonia's first year for this event, and hopefully we'll be going again next year.

Around this same time last year, we were searching for a new (used) car for me. This year, we were searching for a car for Ryan. After lots of searching, Ryan really liked the Dodge Caliber, and we ended up buying it this past weekend. I think we're both relieved that the truck is gone, because it was definitely time for something else. We're both enjoying how much room this car has. We haven't used the beverage cooler in the glove box yet, but maybe on the next road trip.

There are a lot of birthdays in January! My cousins, Billy (25) and Bryan (16) had a joint surprise birthday party this past weekend. I'm so glad we were able to come! More birthdays to celebrate later this month.

New Year

Well, everyone is going back to work today and according to a British study, today is the most depressing day of the year. I'm not depressed, but I am a little bummed that the holidays are over. We had a fun New Year's Eve watching some of the A&M game at the Denglers' and then met up with some friends at Andalucia downtown to ring in the New Year. After that, we hung out at the Toals' for more drinks, drunk history, and hot tub time. Ryan passed out as soon as we got home and doesn't even remember sitting down.

We met up with the Smullens again and went to the Houston Zoo Lights. I haven't been there in so long. We actually got to see an elephant, some giraffes, and a leopard. Our January calendar is already filling up with activities, so 2014 is off to a busy start.