Sunday Ride Then Dinner with New Friends

We had another great day on Sunday.  Our friends were feeling better and were up for a short ride around town.  We left around 3:30 pm and rode north and then east along a good stretch of bike trails.  The weather was perfect and the conversation was pleasant as we rode along enjoying the sights and sounds of the east side.  We eventually made it over to Mason Park.  Such a pretty park!  It was near the neighborhood of Idylwood and the bayou, along with the rolling hills and all the lovely green made for a beautiful setting.  I could have ridden for several more hours, but everyone was getting a little hungry so we headed home and had dinner with our friends.

We have really enjoyed spending time with Susan and Allan.  They have such an extensive knowledge of the area and Allan knows all the best places to go for cycling.  We have a lot more rides planned and I can't wait to see what new places we will explore on our next ride!  Seeing Houston on the back of a bike is the VERY best way to experience the city!

Jandek at the Menil Museum

Thanks to a very informed friend, we are able to find out about a lot of great events taking place in Houston.  :)  One such event was a free concert at the Menil Museum this past Saturday night.  We were supposed to ride our bikes over with friends, but unfortunately their family got hit with a nasty virus and they were just too sick to go.  We decided to go ahead and go on our own and I'm really glad we did.  I would have liked to have ridden our bikes, but we were really relying on our friends who know the best route to take and they were home sick.  Earlier that day, Jimmy and I rode our bikes to downtown and did some shopping at Macy's.  I was surprised how very little was open on a Saturday, but we found a lot of what we were looking for at Macy's and the ride downtown was quiet and relaxing.  On our way home, we stopped off at Discovery Green.  What a beautiful park!  It was absolutely packed with families!  Sometime we will have to take the kids there for some ice skating.  All in all, Saturday was a really nice day, even though we missed our bike ride with our friends.

Outdoor Living

The weather here has been AMAZING!  We have really enjoyed the sunny days and warm weather that living in Houston affords us.  By this time in Illinois, we likely have had both snow and ice and the temps are already so cold.  Because the weather has been so beautiful we have spent A LOT of time outdoors on our front porch.  I think the front porch is my very favorite part of the house.  It is a wrap around porch with a lovely eating area and seating area.  I think we ate every dinner last week outside.  :)

I also feel more connected to the neighborhood when I spend a lot of time outside.  I met a neighbor down the street one day when were just hanging out on the front porch.  If I had been inside, I don't believe I would have met her until much later.  But, she happened to be walking by and we waved and started to chat.  Interestingly enough, it turns out she is from the place we just moved from in Illinois.  Small world :)

Cycling

I have loved cycling here in Houston.  I especially love riding my bike downtown.  I look for excuses to go downtown actually.  :)  Today, I rode my bike from my home in Eastwood to the downtown library, my bank's main branch downtown and I stopped off at Phoenicia's before heading home.  Even with all the construction going on, I have had absolutely no trouble getting around on my bike.  I have ventured outside of downtown also, but my favorite place to cycle has to be around the downtown area.  There is something really cool about riding amongst all the VERY tall skyscrapers.

I also really enjoy walking downtown.  Often, I will get off my bike and walk it through Discovery Green, a park we have in downtown.  I keep meaning to take the kids there one day, maybe for ice skating, but there always seems to be something else going on or I just forget.  I also enjoy the shops they have downtown.  I am not one for HUGE malls, so I like to stop by the different "Houston Centers" to do a little shopping.

Cycling has also been a great way to meet people in the neighborhood.  Plus, I think I am getting to know Houston better on the seat of my bike rather than the seat of my car.  All in all, living in Eastwood has proven to be very bike friendly for my lifestyle.  :)

Stolen Bike

Well, now a not-so-positive post...

4 days after my husband bought a new bike it was stolen off our front porch.  It was locked up (cable lock) to the railing of our front porch and the iron gate across the front of our yard was closed.  It wasn't locked, but it was closed.  Apparently, sometime during the night the bike was stolen.  They came into the yard even with a closed gate and cut the cable lock and took the bike.  The next day I went out and bought a padlock for the front gate.  Sucks that I have to do that :(  I also made sure to lock all the rest of the bikes in the shed out back that now also has a padlock on it.  I guess if this is the worst crime we see in Eastwood, then we are doing pretty well.

My Mom and Dad are coming to visit after Christmas.  They informed me last night that they had looked up the crime stats for our zip code.  I guess it made them nervous, but they say they are still coming.  Most of the crime was all non-violent, but there was some aggravated assault (I hear this is mostly domestic) and some murders.  I told them this is all part of living in such a big city and that most murders are not random. I take the approach of just being smart and not getting involved in illegal activities that would put me or my family at risk.  I am always aware of my surroundings and I am not under any illusions that I live in a crime-free area.

In the end, does this change my view point of Eastwood?  No.  Just it make me regret my choice in living here?  No.  Does it affect my comfort level in home and neighborhood?  No.  I love my neighborhood, warts and all :)

Welcome Home to 4629 Rusk St.

We found this wonderful basket waiting for us the day we took possession of the house in Eastwood.  It came as a welcome gift from one of Jimmy's co-workers.  It was a beautiful basket and we really enjoyed everything inside.  Mostly, it was just so heart warming to come to our new home with such a beautiful and thoughtful gift waiting for us.  :)

Thank you Hedra and Bill!!!!

Matthew's Birthday

Matthew's birthday came the week we moved into the house in Eastwood.  Poor kid, he didn't have the usual type birthday because I was just overwhelmed with everything going on.  However, I did take him of school to have lunch at Bohemeo's, brought cupcakes to school to share with his classmates and we all went out to eat as a family at Mandola's Deli in Eastwood.

I cannot say enough good things about Bohemeo's!  We love the food, the atmosphere, the service.... everything.  :)  Matthew loves the shrimp tacos the best.

The first pictures are of Matthew with his class at Lantrip.  I am amazed at how polite and sweet all the kids are.  Matthew is very happy at Lantrip and is making lots of friends.

We had dinner at Mandola's and the food was wonderful.  The owner came out and talked to us and welcome us to Eastwood.  We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service there also.  :D

Lastly, we came home and opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  Poor Matthew had to have leftover cupcakes from school rather than a cake since I was just so busy trying to get the house put together after the big move, but he didn't seem to mind.

*quick note about Krogers in Eastwood:  I bought the cupcakes for Matthew's class at Krogers there in Eastwood and I want to give kudos to the women working in the bakery.  They were so kind and helpful to me.  They looked in back to find another container of cupcakes for me and I really appreciated the service I received there!

Trip to Phoenicia's

Here is my youngest and my middle child outside of Phoenicia's in downtown.  We rode our bikes (well, my youngest was on the back of my xtracycle) to downtown to pick up a few things before Thanksgiving.  We were at Phoenicia's longer than expected and then stopped at the Krogers in Eastwood before heading home.  By the time we were on our way home from Krogers it was dark, but that was okay because we had lights and the drivers did a good job of looking out for us.  :)

We LOVE cycling in Houston!  Phoenicia's is fantastic and we don't mind Krogers in Eastwood although we know a lot of people really don't like it.  Most of our grocery shopping is pretty scattered.  Sometimes it's Krogers, sometimes it's Central Market or Whole Foods in Montrose or Costco.... HEB in Montrose, Randalls in downtown.... ;D

Overall, I enjoy the fact that we have sooooooo many options available to us that are so close.  We never have to use the highway and enjoy the city streets as we find new, cool places along the way.  :)

Joshua's 15th Birthday

I have been away from blogging for soooooo long!  I really underestimated the time involved in moving in, settling 3 kids into school and trying to navigate around town for all the things you need once you move in to a new place ;)

I have MUCH to blog about!  But for now, I will start back with Joshua's birthday.  We had a wonderful night tonight!!!  First, I spent the morning with the principal of Eastwood Academy for the "Coffee with the Principal".  It was really informative and makes me more excited about the school and how much of a family Eastwood Academy is.   I met a neighbor of mine at the meeting this morning at Eastwood Academy.  She was really great.  A lot of the meeting was in spanish and she was great about translating for me.  The parents of Eastwood are very passionate about their kids' education.  In my opinion that is awesome.  But, back to Joshua's Birthday.  I took Joshua out to eat for lunch at Bohemeo's.  He loved the food of course and I enjoyed the time with my oldest.  ;)

Then, I picked him up from school with the rest of the family and we headed off to Sundance Cinema's downtown to watch "Hugo".  Great movie!  And, we absolutely loved Sundance!   Very clean, comfortable and just a super nice family experience.

After Sundance, we headed next door to Blue Fish Sushi.  My oldest LOVES sushi, so of course his birthday dinner MUST include sushi!  The food was amazing, the atmosphere was intriguing and the service was top notch.  They even brought Joshua a tempura fried ice cream dessert with a candle because it was his birthday.  It was the perfect ending to a nearly perfect day!  :)