The 6th Annual Christmas Ale Tasting was a blast, as always. This year the field of ales was limited to 12. The winners, Clinton and Eric, guessed 5 right in the blind tasting - giving them the honor of going first (and last) in the white elephant gift exchange.

Elissa settles in for the ale tasting







Astute guests study their ale samples







Tiffany and Joanne (as well as Barbara) serve up the ale samples







The co-winners battle for the right to the first gift in the time-honored contest of rock-paper-scissors- best two out of three. Eric was victorious..




To the victor, the prize... Dave as Borat (old bad mustache from the late 1990s when I was also called Sabotage, after some bad Beastie Boys song.)





Rhonda picked juggling balls - Elissa wants!











Greg wins the Dave as Borat shirt on the final trade of the 3 trade limit for this valuable item. Created by Jennifer.









Elissa, the Molson Golden Girl, goes for a ride around the house courtesy of Eric

Thanksgiving Update

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Barbara and I had a great Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day we spent most of the day at David's parents. Joe was there and Liz joined us for several hours before they headed back to Austin for Black Friday at Book People.

Friday we watched the A&M v. UT game at BW-3 in Midtown. As always, one of the teams Barbara and I root for won. Trips to Spec's (for Dave) and IKEA (for PastaNoodle) followed.

Saturday was filled with work on PastaNoodle's room, followed by a visit by the Houston Boyce's (e.g. Elissa) and Kerry.

Sunday, more work on painting inside and out. We went to the 5:30pm mass at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral , which we soon plan to join. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop DiNardo and was very interesting. He presided with his mitre and sang much of the Mass.

The Co-Cathedral is 1 of 2 official cathedrals for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston - the other is St. Mary's in Galveston. A new Sacred Heart Cathedral is under construction.

Misc. Pictures from November (and Maybe October):
Barley explores PastaNoodle's new Pack-N-Play (courtesy of Tad.)






Barley tests out sleeping in the Pack-N-Play








Elissa's First B-Day Cake!









Barley helping Barbara grow PastaNoodle.

Inexcusable Delay in Baby Shower Posts

Things have been busy in preparation for Pastanoodle.

On 11/4/06 the Carter's and Johnson's threw Pastanoodle's first baby shower. It was wonderful, and included a onesie (sp?) decorating contest and daddy's beer garden.

On 11/11/06 the Aggie Girls threw a Aggie Girls only baby shower, which was a scavenger hunt through College Station.

On 11/17/06 Joanne and Heather threw a girl's luncheon shower - the last but not the least!

Below are some teaser pics (as well as a pic of Jewels, Gillian and Abie - just because they are cute!)



Tiffany and Keri held a onesie decorating contest









Tiffany's mother stitched burp clothes to prepare the new sports fan












The Aggie girls made a bonfire out of rolled diapers, including the tea house on top






Yes, if Pastanoodle is a studious as his/her mother he/she will graduate from college in 2029. If he/she follows dad's course it will be 2031. Man, it is getting old not knowing the sex!









The Aggie girls were painstakingly fair when it came to UT/ATM paraphernalia. A good time to send out a reminder that we love all the ATM/UT stuff, but please no items making fun of one school or the other.





On election day the Pasta's, Johnson's and Carter's gathered to watch the early returns. The onesie below may indicate which side we leaned towards. It will be a long two years!

Ghosts of Halloween Past

For recent pics see posting below

Mackenzie







2003 - Mackenzie and freshly minted Abagail








The Gang circa 2004

Willowbend Halloween 2006

The Moms as the moms
Todd Johnson as Todd
David Pastalaniec as Retired Luke Skywalker
Madeline Carter as a Gypsy
Mackenzie Johnson as Kim Possible (yes, I had to look it up!)
Braden Carter as Superman
Abagail Johnson as Cinderella
Gillian as herself (but with illness)

On Halloween we trick or treated with the Carter's and Johnson's. (Dave's 5th year in a row, he thinks) (v. 10 years in a row to Beer Fest, hmmm.) Little Gillian was under the weather, but everyone else was in high spirits. Lots of fun, and candy, had by all. Afterwards the Johnson's served up some fine Italian Sausage and Peppers. And, yes, a light saber can double as a traffic control device.



Superman, Kim Possible, Gypsy and Cinderella
















Superman, Gillian and Gypsy












The moms (and mom to be!)

















Cinderella




















Clown and Cinderella













Gillian













Kim Possible and Cinderella


















Retired Luke Skywalker

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...

Trip to Cleveland to Visit Grandma Ross

Kathleen, Uncle Larry, Grandma Ross, Uncle David and Uncle Richard

We finally made it to Cleveland to visit Grandma Ross and many other of Barbara's Ohio relatives. This was my first time to Cleveland and my first time to meet Grandma Ross (Barbara mother's mother.)

We flew up on Thursday 9/14 and stayed through Sunday 9/17. We spent 2 nights at Grandma Ross' house in North Royalton. Uncles Larry and Richard live there also.

We first had lunch at the Rock Bottom Brewery in the Flats, and then headed to Grandma Ross'. After visiting for a while, we visited the nearby Mill Stream Run Reservation, part of Cleveland MetroParks. Metroparks was created in 1917 when Cleveland was the 6th biggest city in the U.S. and is a huge park system ringing Cleveland.


Greenhouse with Snapdragons

Barbara's grandfather, after retiring from being a typesetter, start L Ross Greenhouses. It is operated to this day by Larry and Richard.

Friday we went to the Akron area and visited with Ted's sister Frances, her husband Bill and their two daughters, Liz and Anne. We had lunch at the Hartville Kitchen, an interesting diner and collectible sales place with roots going back to 1939.

Saturday Uncle Richard's twin brother David came over with his wife and youngest daughter, Emilee.

Saturday afternoon, as Ted and Kathleen headed to Ted's 50th high school reunion, Barbara and I headed to Lakeside. Ted and Kathleen both went to camps in Lakeside, on the shore of lake Erie, as kids and then Ted's parents retired there. Lakeside is a community started by Methodist preachers in 1873 and evolved into a chautauqua development - a religous based summer camp. Interestingly, during the summer visitors have to pay a fee to enter the village. Once one pays to get in they are treated to free swimming, shuffle board, mini-golf, plays and religious programs and speakers.


Pregnant Barbara on the Lake Erie Shore



Ted's Parent's Lakeside House



The Main Dock Facility at Lakeside

Homeless Donations

Today, after being approached by a panhandler at a gas station for money I was then approached by a fellow gas pumper who asked how I morally deal with that type of situation. He said he usually just brushed them off, but had recently become a preacher, and so gave the guy money.

My strategy? Every time I am approached for money on the street we donate to HomelessHouston

A&M v The Citadel

Last weekend (yes we are behind here) we spent Saturday night in College Station and watched the Fightin' Ags take on The Citadel - PastaNoodle's first Aggie game.




Barbara demonstrates a symbol from the Aggie Senior right of passage -The whoop














The Aggies, as expected beat the heck out of The Citadel 35-3. The Aggies also showed off their new end zone high-def 12th Man TV video screen - the 2nd largest in collegiate sports. It weighs in at 3,954 square feet and 110 feet tall. The new video ribbon board also debuted - 1,130 feet long along the perimeter of the first deck, the longest in college sports and the 2nd longest in the U.S.








I, of course, would be remiss if I did not also mention that the largest video screen in college sports and the largest high-def screen in the Western Hemisphere also debuted that Saturday at UT. Godzillatron is 7,370 square feet, about 86% larger than the 2nd biggest collegiate screen. Its electronics are kept cool by 40 5-ton a/c units.





The largest HDTV video screen in the world is at a horse track in Japan. It measures in at 8,000 square feet.









Ok, back to the weekend. In what is apparently an Aggie tradition, we took PastaNoodle's first annual picture in front of the statue of Sul Ross at the age of minus 4-months. Sul Ross, former Texas Governor and President of A&M.











Dave made his first, and Barb her 2nd, visit to the Bonfire Memorial. The memorial is dedicated to the 12 students who died when the 1999 bonfire collapsed while under construction. The portals, shown in the photo, each represent a student and face in the direction of that student's home town. The 1999 tragedy brought on increased camaraderie between UT and A&M and maybe even softened Barbara up enough to eventually marry a T-Sip. Dave attended the last bonfire in 1998.






We then visited the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library. It was rather interesting and we only made it through the 1st half before having to hit the road. The most interesting thing to me was that Bush never held down a job for longer than he was Vice President or longer than I have been at ISP. From oil field salesman, executive, Harris County GOP head, UN ambassador, ambassador to China, GOP head, CIA leader to president he never had a job for longer than 8 years!

Elissa Video

Late last month the gang got together for Heather's birthday. Pastalaniec experimental video was shot of Elissa. Click here