Texas

by Cindy

Jeff and I are proud Texans, no doubt about it.  We were both born, and for all intents and purposes, raised in Texas.  There are some things that are decidedly Texan and/or Southern that you forget about until you happen upon them.

Summer grilling.  Ribs and corn in this case.  In the UAE they call it BBQ.  In Texas, BBQ is a food and grilling or cooking out is a method of food preparation.

Drinking from a mason jar.

The Ladies restroom/toilet/bathroom/loo/(insert your appropriate term here)

A Texas size taco!  Everything is bigger in Texas!

Where else do you find dish towels talking about how great your state is?

This one surprised me a bit - a Texas plate that supports Obama and we saw it in George Bush's neighborhood in Dallas.

Our summer thus far

by Cindy

I arrived in Dallas on June 6th and have been busy with my nieces since then.  I'm learning about Elmo, dolls and poop.  I have had more conversations about bowel movements than I care to discuss.  Such is life with a 2 1/2 year old, I guess.  Here are some pics of our summer adventures thus far:

Hollis Kate Vowell was born on Jun 18, 2012.

Aunt Cindy and Uncle Jeff with the girls.

Daddy.

Big sister Reagan and baby sister Hollis.

Baby Hollis around three weeks.

Our cool float that my brother and I made for the 4th of July parade.  We pulled it with a golf cart. 

My multi-national niece - I brought her a Jamilla doll and her great aunt brought her a doll from China. 

Going for an afternoon walk around the block.

Going to school - it's just a few blocks away so she rides her tricycle and we take the dog.

I brought two bobble heads for my niece.  We call them Fatima and Mohammed and they show up in the most random places...

Our Summer Home by the Lake

Cindy and I have a new summer place in Dallas.  Cindy's brother finished out his garage apartment for us to spend the summer - and it's fantastic!  It's about a five-minute bike ride to White Rock Lake, which has some nice hike-and-bike trails.  Plus, it's close to a lot of great restaurants, museums, other great stuff to do in the city.  We love our new place (as well as being close to family).  Here are a few photos of our new place.

The Living Area - featuring Brazilian street art
as well as Picasso's Guernica [not the real one, though]. 
We're thinking that maybe we'll get another chair for this space...

The kitchen, with the door to the balcony (and the living area in the background). 
Did I mention we're thrilled to have hardwood floors
after nothing but tile and marble in Dubai? 

The exterior, showing our stairs and balcony. 
It's a little bit like living in a tree house.

The bedroom.