New Years Eve

Amy and I got to go to another rocking party at April and Joe's house for New Years. This one was a murder mystery set in a gangster setting. I was Joe's main enforcer. We had a blast hanging out with everyone. Amy's brother John also came and he was prepared with nerf guns and everything.

South Padre

We went to South Padre Island after Christmas and hung out on the beach. It was a pretty long drive but the beaches are just so awesome down there. It is night and day from Galveston.

Christmas!

We gathered over at Jennifer's house for the usual Jones/Ober Christmas eve celebration. We had excellent Gumbo and presents for all. After opening the presents we went to a carols in the park evening service.

The firepit

This last saturday night we gathered over at Jennifer's house for dinner. We had an excellent dinner of ham, green beans and potato salad. After dinner Ryan went and got some firewood to burn in his industrial strength firepit that he built. (Of Course.) We all sat around the fire and roasted marshmellows and made smoores. It is not everyday you go to suburbia and come home smelling of a campfire. It is nice to spend time with the family and hanging outside in front of a fire on a cold night in Houston is not an everyday event. :-)

Dinner with the Folks

Saturday night I went over to my parents to spend the evening and have a little dinner. It was a quiet evening but Mom, Dad and I had a good time talking and enjoying some good Chianti wine. We had pork chops, sweet potatoes and asparagus for dinner. Amy was at an exhibition of the Lipizzan horses with her Mother, Brother and Karen. It is so nice to have such a great relationship with my parents. Not everyone hangs out with their parents for "fun".

Big Mama's Funeral

Today was Big Mama's funeral in Fulshear. It was very strange to be back in Fulshear but it did bring back a lot of very good memories. The funeral was very well done and the weather was excellent. We went to the church service and then to the grave side. Afterwards we went back to the church for a short reception. Everyone visited and remembered old times. I hope that we can see everyone once or twice in the near future for better reasons. We will miss you Big Mama!

Big Mama

This week my Great Aunt Stella passed away. She was my Grandmother's sister and a big part of my early childhood. I would come down to Houston every summer and spend several weeks in Houston with my Grandmother. A big part of that time was going to Fulshear and seeing my cousins Tad, Mindy, Mandy, Beth, Janet and Leigh Jr. I would go to Fulshear and stay with the Pecks and pretty much every day we would go to Big Mama's house (Aunt Stella) to have meals and swim in their pool. I do not see them very much any more so getting to see everyone at the funeral home was both very nice and very sad. It is unfortunate that life tends to pull extended families apart and that either weddings or funerals start to become the only reason that you see them. Here's to hoping the next reason is a wedding!