Happy Little Elissa!

Elissa was released from the hospital today! After being weaned off her oxygen supply and breathing much better she was released. She has to see her doctor in a couple of days, but the hospital doctor said she was OK to even go to day care tomorrow. She played a lot today, was a little weaker in the legs, but generally OK.

Poor Little Elissa!

Our niece, Elissa, has been at Texas Children's Hospital since Monday! It seems like she has been diagnosed with every upper respiratory disease known to mankind. Her 1st birthday was last Saturday. Sunday she stayed with us while her parents were at a birthday party. She was not happy and had a little trouble breathing. She had a Dr.'s appointment on Monday and went from there to the hospital by ambulance. She actually spent over a day in ICU. She is getting better, she played some today, but still needs oxygen and breathing treatments. Please pray for her!

I have been extremely impressed with the Texas Children's and with the Ronald McDonald House. For two nights Nick and Heather stayed in the Ronald McDonald House located in the hospital. 20 rooms and a large living area made to look like a house, not a hospital. All services are free! Definitely a class act.

Colorado 2006 Part IV : Gratuitous Daniel Pics

By popular Houston demand - Daniel Pics!


Daniel in the Pumpkin Patch












The Wheatley's (on hay)













The Wheatley's (on hay with pumpkins)













Daniel (with Pigs and Cameras)













Daniel (with Dave)

Colorado 2006 Part III: Hangin' in Denver

On Thursday after making it back to Denver we hung out with Anida and Daniel (Eric was out of town on business.)

After playing with Daniel after his mid-day nap we headed to a new toy store U.S. Toys - it was a good 1+ hours of fun! The store had a great combination of toys, educational items and party items.

Before the trip to Mesa Verde we bought a book at Whole Foods called "100 ways to be Pasta" - how can you pass up on a book with that name? Anida made us pick a dish to make for that evening and we ended up on "Bucatini Affunicati: Bucatini with Pancetta, Smoked Provola Cheese and Peperoncino," and had great fun cooking - it tasted great. I got to learn what bucatini, pancetta and peperoncino were - between Anida's knowledge and Blackberry Googling. (don't make fun of us, Heather!)

Here are pictures of this blog's two favorite pregnant cooks! (Barbara due 1/10/07 and Anida due 2/14/07)

Colorado 2006 Part II: Mesa Verde

Cliff Palace Dwelling








On Monday (with the gracious loan of the Wheatley Murano) we headed for Mesa Verde National Park in SW Colorado. As with driving anywhere in CO, the trip is half the fun! On the way there we stopped at Smuggler's brewpub in Telluride (very good) and Main Street Brewpub in Cortez (OK.) We also got some walking around time in Telluride, which was hosting 700+ people for the biennial International Snow Science Workshop (Who knew of such a thing? They study avalanches...) We spent the night in Cortez at a relatively tastefully kokopellied Holiday Inn Express (or should that be "kokopellified?" Either way pueblo Indian symbols were everywhere!)

Tuesday it was off to Mesa Verde. We visited several mesa sites and the Spruce Tree cliff dwelling. We called it a day early, as I discovered I had left the memory card for the camera in Houston. We already had plans for dinner with Barb's friend Terry in Durango, so we booked a room at the Mesa Verde park hotel and headed out. After touring around Durango (and finding a good deal on a memory card) we met Terry at Carver's brewpub (good beer.) I enjoyed getting a chance to get to know Terry, who Barbara worked with in Canyon Lake.






Terry and Barbara






On Wednesday we watched the sunrise from the motel - the view was awesome. We then took the first tour of the Cliff Palace cliff dwelling (see picture at top of blog.) Taking the first tour was definitely a good idea, as it allowed us to take pictures with no one else at the site as we approached it.

We then spent an hour driving to and visiting the Mesa Top sites, which show the evolution of the Anasazi Indian dwellings from pit houses to cliff dwellings. The Anasazi were ancestors of the Pueblo and Hopi Indians, among others.

We finished our visit by hiking to a petroglyph site, about 1.5 miles from the central park facilities. It proved to be more strenuous than anticipated - If Barb had been 1-week more pregnant we would have had to turn back! As it was, we made it fine and actually passed the only people we saw on the trail.

Petroglyph!

We headed out and made it to Grand Junction Wednesday night. Hotels were scarce due to an Orowheat convention (!?) so don't ask Barbara about her feelings on the motel we stayed at! We ate at the Rockslide Brewpub (beer - pretty good, nice atmosphere.) Thursday it was back to our Denver home at the Wheatley's

Colorado 2006 Part 1: BeerFest

Saturday morning Barbara and I flew to Denver to visit the Wheatley's, go to the Great American Beer Festival, and tour SW CO.

Everything went swimmingly, for the 1st 2 hours. About 12:30pm I began suffering from food poisoning (probably from Pappasito's sausage breakfast tacos at Hobby Airport that morning.) After some violent illness and a couple hours of sleep, things were a lot better. By 4pm everything was fine and Tim and Elizabeth arrived from WY. We piled into cars, got to the convention center, only to find the festival sold out! Eric and I, somewhat frantically, spent the next 40 minutes buying tickets from passers-by, and actually came out OK. We all got in. Along with tickets we also forgot cameras and our pretzel necklaces. This being Eric and my's 10th year in a row we are allowed a few lapses!

The only Texas winners this year were St. Arnold Lawnmower in the Kolsch category (yeaa!) and 2 medals for Humperdinks in Dallas.

Read more about Beerfest HERE

For a list of winners go HERE

Tomorrow morning we head to Mesa Verde...