Xmas Vacation
Sunday
We arrived around 4:00pm. Dan got to meet my dad and the rest of the family for the first time. To my suprise, dad had a new puppy, Juliet. Sweet little pitt bull mix. Brittany was nice enough to give us her room so we settled in. In the evening we hung out in the back yard, played pool and drank some beer.
Monday
The only day my dad had to work. He gave us the Chevy Suburban to meet him and Keith for lunch. Afterwards Dan and I went to the mall to watch all the crazy people frantically buying last minute gifts. I love people watching. One woman saw the ants tattooed on Dan’s leg and literally jumped back, then laughed at herself. It was pretty funny.
Monday night Dad, Dan and I went to see Lord of the Rings, which I thought was really good except that it had a few too many endings. After that we went to Hooters for a light meal and came up with the idea of “Pecks” or “Wankers” – the male equivalent to Hooters. Wieners would be the hot item on the menu.
Tuesday
Dad, Alexis, Dan and I went to the Houston Space Center. It was pretty neat. We saw just how small of a space the astronaut’s live in – I could never do it, I’m too claustrophobic.
Wednesday
Christmas Eve – Alexis, Dan and I made cookies for most of the morning. Then Dan and I helped Mary prepare some food. Around 6:00 Mary’s family arrived. We had introductions, then ate and finally the gift exchange. First all the children opened their presents. Then the adults did a “Chinese Gift Exchange“, where everyone buys one present for $15. Everyone draws a number and gets to open a present in that order. So you can open a new present or take someone else’s gift, then they have to open a new present. A present can only be taken twice, then it is dead and that person gets to keep it. At the end the first person gets one last take. It was pretty fun to see everyone trying to get what they wanted and planning on swapping afterwards.
After most of the guests left a few of us played a couple rounds of Taboo. It’s always fun to see people play that game.
Thursday
Ah, Christmas Day – We had to wait for Ricky, Keith and Danielle to arrive around 11:00 before we could start opening presents. There were soooo many gifts under the tree! I think that everyone had a great time opening the gifts and for the most part liked them all. The rest of the day was pretty relaxing. We watched The Grinch later that evening.
Friday
I gave my dad his other present – a tattoo. Then in the evening Dan and I went to see my dad’s band play at the Turtle Club, which is located on a boat. I was a little worried that I’d get sick, especially while drinking, but it was fine and I didn’t even notice. The band was great and the crowd just loved them.
Saturday
In the afternoon Dad took us on a little tour of downtown Houston. He showed us his friend Bernie’s house – which is actually a warehouse that he and his wife turned into a home. The entire place is about 5,600 square feet. It’s still in the works, but it’s awesome. We also saw these huge sculpted heads of the presidents and where Mary works. When we got home I gave Mary a tattoo.
That night Dad had a gig at a 16-year-old’s birthday party, so most of us loaded up and headed out to see them. I think we brought as many people as she had for her party. Again, the band sounded awesome.
Sunday
Ah the sad day, we packed up our things and left for home. My mom and aunt picked us up from the airport, and when we got home we discovered that we didn’t have a key to get in. We tried calling the dog sitter, but he wasn’t home. So I crawled in through the kitchen window – thank goodness I hadn’t locked it! Once my mom and aunt left we felt a little weird – coming from a house full of people to an empty house of two. Yeah the dogs were there, but it’s just not the same.