So this is the Tree of Enchantment!

My mom, Anna and I went to Abner Jackson Plantation. I've known about it for several years but have never been. It's pretty much where Lake Jackson was started as far as I know. Then it got trashed by a storm in 1900 and Dow Chemical came along in the 40's. Why anyone would want to establish a sugar mill or anything for that matter, and purposely live on swamp land in plantation times, with that type of clothing and no a/c, I'll never know! Cheap land, I guess? We chose to live here but we have a/c and can wear shorts and sleeveless shirts! :)

It was a hot hour or so and the mosquitoes were in full force. Thank God for the invention of mosquito repellent! That seems to be my perfume of choice these days. We managed to walk the whole plantation which is more like a strip of land with only ruins left and story boards to tell about what was once there.

We saw the Tree of Enchanment! I say that with some sarcasm... This is the tree where the Lake Jackson, rather the City of Enchanment, logo came from. I never knew that the tree in the logo had a specific origin. Now I know. We affectionately call the City of Enchanment where we live "The City of Entrapment". :) Tommy and I were mostly brought up in this area so it's home and will always be our family home even though it is really not a place of grandeur at all.

At the end of our tour, there were some guys reinacting and telling stories about life "back in the day". Then we saw this crazy big, ugly bug!! It looked like a giant mosquito. Imagine how much Benadryl one would need after getting a bite from that thing! I think it was actually a mosquito moth or something like that.

All in all, it was worth visiting - once. And I'm glad I got to experience it with my mom and daughter.

Here are some pics. I particularly like the bird poop and the bullet hole on the sign in that 2nd pic. My mom thought it was bad that it was there. I did too but I also thought it was funny. You can click on the story board pics to make them larger if you want to read about it.

Catchin' Up

So this weekend has been pretty full. Our days are pretty full right now in general but mostly with fun stuff and not all the packing and planning junk so I don't mind this kind of busy.

Saturday, Tori and Jakeb had their Kenya trip training and I went to take the team pic. I'm not a photographer but at least it's captured. They are really excited about going now as if they weren't before. The trip is in July. You'll be able to follow along on the Kenya blog soon.

We are staying with my parents right now since we have no home. It's weird coming back to my mom & dad's house with your whole family after being married for 20 years. But, hey, it's better than living under the highway. :) This is my mom, Matthew (my nephew) and Anna playing Canasta and one of the things I love the most about staying here. My mom is always up for a game with her grandkids and she rarely shows them mercy. Look at her face. She's goin' in for the kill and they don't know what's about to hit 'em.

Saturday night, Tommy's brother and his wife took us all and Tommy's parents to Perry's Steakhouse. Man, what an incredible meal and a rare (no pun intended) treat for us. I'm not sure I've ever been that full! Thanks, Toby & Kim. It was a very memorable evening for us.

This place was right next door to Perry's. I thought it was funny and ironic.

So, on Sunday, we went to see some good friends and a previous pastor of ours, Bro. Robin and Diane and their son Daniel. They are now at FBC Crosby and we really enjoyed going to church with them and then eating Mexican food at Iguana Joe's in big ole' Crosby, Tx. I so regret not taking any pictures. I had my camera in my purse but I guess we were just having too much fun talking and eating.

This picture is from Ecclesia where Robbie Seay leads worship and Chris Seay is the pastor. We love that place and it has been a sacred haven for us for over 5 years now. Tommy even figured out that our very first time to visit Ecclesia was on The Day of Pentecost many years ago so we thought it was pretty ironic that we were there to say farewell on The Day of Pentecost. Ecclesia and the Seay's will forever hold a special place with us.

The Communion table at Ecclesia. (sans bread)

The Crocker's met us at Ecclesia and we went to eat dinner afterwards. We just can't get enough of some people! We love you guys!! (Oh, and Anna and I got new glasses this weekend with transition lenses. They look kinda dorky in pictures when they're tinted. Kinda hippy like. I'll have to keep that in mind.)

The Stunz and Crocker kids.

And this is what your kids do at the end of the day when they've been couped up in the back seat of a Mazda 3 for about 12 hours. Anything to pass the time and forget about how much their booties hurt.

February Photo Catch Up

Here are a few pics to catch up for February. It's weird that it's March already. The beach birthday bash post is next.

Jakeb & Tommy ran with Jason Culverhouse to pace him on his 100 mile run for Segera. No pictures of Tommy and Jason were taken because Tommy ran with him at 3 am. This photographer was in bed. It was a cool thing to be a part of.


Anna and Tommy got some awesome tickets to a Rockets game. That Ming guy is a giant!! Anna was impressed to see a "real" basketball game up close. They had a good time. Thanks, Mark!!

We took Gwen & Mike to Zushi's in Houston. It was incredible!! The spicy tuna was Tommy's favorite. I think my and Gwen's favorite was the Shaggy Dog. Cool name and tasty sushi! Guess which one that is... (we had already eaten some off of the plate when I took the picture)

Tori's nose ring! She turned 18 and this is the most rebellion we got out of her. I think we're pretty lucky! :) And it's actually pretty cute.

Anna was asked to puppy sit these super cute (and super expensive) little puppies for an afternoon. We had so much fun with them! They are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Anna and I are already saving for one when we get back from Singapore. Is it a sin to spend $1000 on a dog???