We have now traveled one complete revolution around the Sun
on Planet Texas.
It is a strange and wonderful world. For
the first time I recently ate an entre with cactus in it, how delicious!
In January,
Anna continued her year at home with Anders as they began attending Mothers of
Preschoolers (MOPs). It proved an
unnerving experience for both of them.
Anders also started regular physical therapy on his legs as his walking
was a bit wobbly. Physical therapy
proved a success as Anders now walks and runs much better than before. I began taking Anders to swimming lessons on
Monday evening. Anders’ fear of going
under the water dominated everything else about swimming lessons. His “coach” told me that he would have to go
under if he was going to move up to the higher class. There would be no “higher class.”
In
February, I saw my first ever Kansas Jayhawks basketball game at Texas
A&M. I sat outside on benches in dry
80 degree weather waiting for the doors to open, chatting with old men about
small town Kansas. Winter is the best season down here. Flowers bloom year round. This is the month that Texas wakes from its brief winter nap.
In March,
we attended our first Rodeo Houston.
Since the state fair is way up in Dallas,
Houston has what amounts to a South
Texas state fair. Our
spring visitor season began as Grandma Doreney and Grandpa Greg visited. March also began Galveston season as we started going to the
Gulf again just about every weekend.
In April,
Grandma Ingrid visited and it was time for more Galveston.
I quite enjoy visiting Galveston, it
feels like Athens, Key West,
and Gary Indiana had a child and named it Galveston. Anders loves Galveston and even sings the Glen Campbell
song with me. Anna does not share our
same level of enthusiasm.
In May, Anna
began her new job teaching 3rd and 4th grade special
education at Armstrong Elementary School in Missouri
City, which is the suburb just east of Sugar Land. Her position desperately needed to be filled,
which accounted for the unusual May hiring.
Grandma Doreney came to stay with Anders for the two weeks between Mommy
starting school and Daddy finishing school, so that Anders would not have to
begin “school” (daycare) until August. Brad
visited and we saw our first Astros game with the roof open, which is
preferable. We also went on the free
tour of the Houston Ship Channel, the entryway to the 2nd busiest
port in the USA. Anders enjoyed reading the names of the ships
more than being on the water. He also began
talking in complete sentences in the spring as well. He says the funniest things!
In June, I
did my usual slog of AP reading in Louisville. Perhaps the best part of the journey was the
Lincoln Town Car that took me to and from George Bush
Intercontinental Airport.
We traveled in a more hoi ploi manner later in the month as we drove
north, visiting family in Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota. Along the way, we attended my uncle Luverne’s
funeral in Decorah. He was one of the
kindest and most helpful people I’ve known.
I spent a week in Boulder,
Colorado at a seminar on 19th
century American wars toward the end of the month. We led the nightly news as a midweek
lightning strike sparked fire on the mountain.
The fires coupled with a stubborn bout of altitude sickness made for a
harrowing week in the Rockies.
In July,
Anna and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a bit early in Grand
Marais, MN. We found even more great
restaurants as this Cook
County harbor solidified
its spot as my favorite vacation locale.
In August,
we returned to Sugar Land, which, if you’ve never been in the summer,
combines the heat of Texas with the humidity
of Louisiana. Anders began school at Kids R Kids in Missouri City, to which
he adjusted in short order. He has made
friends with his classmates and he especially enjoys his teachers Ms. Michelle,
Ms. Ila, and Ms. Cindy.
In
September, let’s just say nothing happened since this letter is already too
long.
In October,
Grandma and Grandpa returned to celebrate Halloween. Anna made Anders the perfect costume, an old
school calculator. He remains obsessed
with “numbersletters.” Anders was a hit
at the big Sugar Land Town Square Halloween Party and in our neighborhood at
Halloween. Anders figured out the
concept of Halloween this year—knock on doors and get an incredible haul of
candy. He left no house behind on Timber View Drive. Grandpa Greg was almost as excited by the
weather, being able to sit outside at night and eat Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream
in the town square.
In
November, Anna and I saw Paul McCartney in concert again for the first time in
ten years. He played in the outfield of Minute Maid
Park and we had great
club level seats. Paul played over 40
songs in almost three hours, amazing for a 70 year old. Macca played our wedding song, “Maybe I’m
Amazed,” which is so much better live.
Grandma Ingrid visited for Thanksgiving and we continued our new
Thanksgiving tradition of visiting the zoo on Thanksgiving morning. We also journeyed up one of the small Texas towns where she
lived back in the mid 1970s.
It is
December now, the tree is up, our wreath is out, Anna has an Advent Calendar of
activities for Anders next to the tree, and it’s going to be 80 degrees
today. I’m coaching 8th grade
B squad boys basketball. Our record is 1-2
going into Christmas Break. Anders is almost
as excited to visit winter and see snow up north in a couple of weeks as he is
to read all the words and count all the numbers that we will see along the way.
Merry
Christmas to All, and if took the time to read this whole chronicle, Happy New
Year!
Anders,
Anna, Jon, and Trudy
