Just Playing

The following three posts are photos I snapped on my iPhone and I applied filters to them thru the Instagram app.

Birch Trees and December Sky

Forest Pine Bough

River Behind My Parents' House

Wisconsin

This is the view from my parents' living room window. You may not be able to see the river for the trees but this is a riverfront property. After spending time in MN, Austin and I are now on the second half of our trip in Wisco. Today also happens to be my birthday so we'll be going out to dinner shortly at one of my parents' favorite local places

And Hello MN!

Adios, Tejas

It's an unseasonably warm 78° and I'm sitting on the patio, watching Stinky (hidden in the shadows at the top of the photo). We're heading out in an hour to more Christmas-appropriate climes while kitty will stay here with the house sitter. Latitude is everything.

Holiday Lights

Austin and I took a stroll through the neighborhood to see the lights. We really like the above which features Bevo, the mascot of UT. Last year he had a rose in his mouth since the Longhorns were going to the Rose Bowl but this year... not so much.

We also loved this lit up palm tree. It has little snow flake ornaments hanging from its branches.

It was a gorgeous day in TX today, sunny skies and highs in the 70s. Tomorrow we might break an unseasonable 80-something, just in time to fly home to feet and feet of snow for a white Xmas!

Countdown to Snow

It was another busy week here. Austin racked up the hours and prepared to be off work very soon. I submitted final grades and turned in my last paper. Friday was the first day I was completely free and was able to run some errands and mail a few packages.

We're having a low key weekend before the holiday merry-making. We ran a few errands, finished some online gift shopping, and frosted our Xmas cookies. We have no evening plans, just a fire and some reading, maybe a movie and a nice dinner.

Tuesday we'll be heading north, leaving Stinky in the capable hands of his pet sitter- with catcam fired up of course (we still like to see his silly antics from afar).

H-town

So, while it was snowing up north...

Austin and I had a quick trip to Houston this weekend. I had a friend from Alaska come to Houston and also a cousin there so it seemed a good time to explore. Austin and I are trying to see Texas while we're here so while Houston was not on our big must-do life list, it was also definitely within reason from where we live.

We got in Friday evening and took a quick trip to the zoo. There was almost no one there so we had a great time taking it in almost on our own. It's such a reminder of how crazy this planet is when you really look at how various animals have evolved and adapted to their environments. Austin and I just loved having a zoo to ourselves on the off-peak hours.

After that, my cousin picked us up from our hotel and Austin got to meet her and we both got to meet her boyfriend. They took us to an amazing Thai place and the four of us shared three dishes- a classic pad Thai, green curry, and triple-flavored tofu (we weren't able to distinguish exactly which three flavors they meant!). We had cocktails at the hotel after and had some really interesting conversations about the overlapping languages we all shared: English, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

Today we met up with one of my friends from WI who now lives in AK and went for a walk around the pond by the zoo so she could take in some nice weather. Houston hit a high of 78 today and Austin and I posed under a palm to contrast the pictures of snow piles we received throughout the day from our friends and fam in MN/WI. I really miss the excitement of the first big storm and the idea that everyone has to stay home regardless of previous plans. We don't so much miss these weather events when it's, say, March, but luckily for this first one, Facebook, Twitter, et al. have kept us as updated as possible.

We came home to a "cold" front in the 50s, promptly turned our fireplace, and are relaxing. Tomorrow is home/house work day as Austin writes code, I do grading, and we tackle the usual household tasks.

Festivities and Finals

We got the tree up and have decorated the house, inside and out. Aus-town had its first hard freeze and we've enjoyed our fireplace a lot. It sort of feels like Xmas.

On the other hand, though, I'm under deadlines to finish final papers, give my students their exams (individual oral finals, very time-consuming), and grade their final projects. I've barely had time to work on Xmas cards (something I actually enjoy doing) or do any baking but the end. Is. In. Sight. I just have to get through this week and then I'll have plenty of time to make cookies and do some Xmas shopping and generally make merry.