It's a Bidet or a Foot Washer or a...

Ok, folks, we're going to switch continents on my reporting. Even though I'm visiting North America, I keep up with the "goings on" in Qatar, which to some people's dismay is located in Asia. Enough of the geography lessons. I follow a blog called Doha Days about a family that is fairly new in Doha that reminds me somewhat of my own clan. They have two precious young boys and a recently arrived baby sister. Just one more sister (wink, wink, Wendy) and they'll really resemble the Knox household of yore . It appears that momma Wendy has found a wonderful use for the bidet/foot washer for new baby Georgia. So, all you Doha mommas out there, put that bidet that you currently use as a magazine holder to good use.

Handy bidet/baby washer (dog not included)


P.S. Sending a big shout out to David
on his Birthday!

See you soon, sweetie!

Georgia on My Mind ~ Louis Armstrong

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San Antonio Stroll

San Antonio Stroll ~ Tanya Tucker

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Where IS the Basement?

We're off to "Remember the Alamo". We remembered it a couple of summers ago, but figured we'd introduce it to our French guest, Mat. We could have just told him to rent a copy of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but thought it may behoove him to see it in person. We still haven't found the basement, though. Hmm, maybe you had to have little boys in the mid 80's and watch the movie over and over to get that. Anyway, the girls have it planned out...a quick run through of the Alamo, dinner and some photo ops on San Antonio's beautiful River Walk, and then of course, shopping at Rivercenter Mall. What more could a girl want? Poor Mat. The lone guy in the mix will have to put up with his female cohorts.

By the way, Kayla survived her lasik with flying colors thanks to the medicine bag of drugs she was sent home on. This is not the usual scenario of lasik recipients, as she had a little problem with her cornea that required a different, more invasive procedure. Not to worry, all is good. Her drug induced crazed look has settled down and she is, again, presentable for public appearances. Props to Dr. Mike Mann!

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure ~ Alamo Tour

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Invasion of the Caterpillars

...should be the warning sign posted on Tx 21 heading out of Bastrop. Kayla and I thought our eyes were playing tricks on us when we both spotted a tiny something scurrying across the highway on our road trip to Nacogdoches on Tuesday. I really hesitate to use the word scurry to refer to a caterpillar's gait, but that's exactly what it was doing, along with the hundreds that we saw thereafter. The thought of squishing those little creatures was unnerving for me regardless of how much I loathe fuzzy worms (or nonfuzzy for that matter). Part of me died every time we rolled over one, so I started dodging them. I had to stop that nonsense as there was a motorcyclist in front of us that was surely contemplating calling 911 about the driving impaired wacko behind him. Thank goodness the caterpillar migration finally came to a halt so that I could put my murderous ways behind me.

Of course, we had to pullover to verify what we were actually seeing!

Groovy Grubworm ~ Harlow Wilcox

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Naco Where?

If our whirlwind trip to a friend's college graduation on Friday morning at Texas A&M, followed up with a run to Port Arthur for her crawfish boil, and then back to Austin all in a matter of two days wasn't enough, Kayla and I thought we'd throw in a quick five hour drive to Nacogdoches this morning to visit her impending home. I haven't even gotten out the door and I'm exhausted. Maybe it's all those crepes that Kristi's french friend, Mat, has been serving up. Carbo-loading can make one sluggish, but it sure was delightful getting there. Anyway, we're just going to check out the living situation in what many fondly refer to as Nac-a-no-where before deciding what to pack in our next visit, which will be in a U-Haul truck. Fun, fun. Thanks, Dave. I know how distraught you are missing out on all this while sitting in your 5 star accommodations at the Ritz Carlton in Jakarta. Don't bother arriving in the states until ALL the moving is done! (said with all the civility that I can muster). Rant over. We're outta her. Catch y'all on the flipside.

Sorry, Mat, I couldn't help myself. I had to complete the look :D

On the Road Again ~ Willie Nelson

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Ssssh, No Singing, Please

My Doha peeps are dropping like flies. As the company's projects are coming to fruition, it seems as though a mass exodus is occurring. It's not quite that bad, but the marked out names on our CPChem wives phone list is starting to overtake the unmarked. The latest casualty or winner (however one chooses to see it!) is Gina of Gina and Michael on my blog list. She and her hubby, Michael, and daughter, Kelsey, are set to leave in July, and I wish for them a smooth and easy transition. From all indications of most that have left before us, it is a bittersweet moment when the time arrives. Have I seen it all? Have I traveled everywhere I wanted? Can I live without a nanny? Do I need to purchase one more Persian rug? Was I really supposed to eat camel while I was here? Should I flash a Land Cruiser just once (ok, for the 5th time) before moving on? Can I ever mop a kitchen floor, again, without a man maid? You know, really serious concerns. I often wonder how I'll feel when the time comes for our adventure to end. I have searched for the answers of late, just in case that proverbial fat lady does start singing. Will I be sad, happy, relieved? I can't really be sure, but I'm thinking I'd just like her to keep her pie hole shut, for now, anyway.

A Whole Lot of Leaving ~ Bon Jovi

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I'm Alright

but...

I am under a vicious computer attack that I'm not sure my laptop can survive. Some sort of malicious malware is wreaking havoc on my system making it impossible to open various applications such as skype, tweetdeck, my antivirus program, etc. The only thing I don't have trouble viewing is porn, which has bombarded me for my viewing displeasure. I was contemplating getting a new computer, anyway, but I wanted it to be on my terms, not on some hacking site's whim. Que sera sera, I suppose.

Other than the thief in the night that took over my Internet fun, things are going well, if you don't count my den looking like a Goodwill holding station since Kristi moved back from her college dorm for the summer. The sister and in-laws have gone on their merry way after bestowing a nice visit and congratulatory blessings on Kayla for her college graduation. Now, it's down to Shea visiting from his army post in North Carolina, and Kristi's french beau, Mathieu. Have I mentioned him? That's a whole 'nother story. I also have Kayla staying over so that I can nurse her back to health following her wisdom teeth removal yesterday. Next week, it's her lasik surgery. So much for kickin' back around here. Oh, and Dustin, the keeper of the castle while I'm in Doha, is enjoying the residual effect of a stocked refrigerator while I'm visiting. In other words, the kids are happy, so I'm alright!

I'm Alright ~ Jo Dee Messina

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The Main Event

Congratulations to Kayla upon graduating from St Edward's University in Austin this morning with a degree in Sociology. No rest for the weary, as she's heading on to Stephen F. Austin University to start her new JOB in just a few short weeks. Three down. One to go! Way to go, Sunshine. We love you!

Pictured: Our four kiddos...Kristi, Kayla, Dustin, Shea

Pomp & Circumstance

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Sprint to the Finish

I came, I saw, I almost didn't make it...

As my plane was landing in Houston after the 16 1/2 flight, it hit me that Qatar Airways didn't issue my boarding pass for the next leg of my journey to Austin. Looking at my watch and realizing that my one hour fifteen minute layover had just been whittled down to twenty five minutes, I was going to have to do some pretty fancy moves to make my connection. I still had to deplane, go through customs, pick up my luggage for customs screening, drop it back for reloading, find a Continental ticket counter, get my boarding pass and find my gate...virtually impossible. Let the melt down begin. The travelers ahead me at customs recognized my dilemma and gave me a pass to the front of the line. Awesome. Next stop, luggage pickup with ten minutes to go. Wait on luggage for five minutes, grab it, go to next customs check point and sail through in three minutes. I spy the Continental desk immediately to my right, drop luggage for upload to plane, run to ticket counter 25 meters away. Opt for first class line, since economy line is backed up...surely they'll sense my panic. Tears pop out, as I'm incoherently blurting out my crisis and the jerk face attendant says, "you need to get in the back of that line", without a bit of compassion. Does he not see my tears? Oh yeah, I'm not in Doha, anymore. Welcome to America, the land of EQUAL opportunity. So, I do as I'm told as the waterworks reach full steam. Flight takeoff time passes. I regain my composure and hold my head up and my place in line. I notice that everyone in front of me is being told, "sorry, last flight out tonight, we'll put you up in a hotel". My strength starts wavering, as I do not want to spend the night in Houston with no luggage and being just a thirty minute flight from home. Suddenly a woman at the ticket counter sings out, "anyone going to Austin?!". Knocking three people over to get to her, I'm screaming, "yes, yes, yes!". She tells me I don't need any paperwork and to head to gate E3 and that the plane hasn't left, yet. No paperwork needed? I'll get you back, somehow, jerk face 1st class attendant, but no time now. It's off to sprinting, again, only to be held up for a security checkpoint. For Pete's sake, I just got off a plane and am still in a secured area, seriously? Off with the belt, the shoes, unload the laptop, run everything through the scanner, grab it and now it's full throttle sprint time. Yes, Hertz rental car, OJ style. Mr. Simpson had nothing on me. After running what had to be a mile, I arrive at the gate completely out of breath and pantomiming, "has it already, left?". She says, "it hasn't even arrived, yet". Are you kidding me? All that drama for nothing? Would that little tidbit of info been too much to offer me? Oh well, I got my workout in, didn't miss my flight, and I came, I saw, and I did conquer, after all. Life is good.

The welcoming Texas skies

Theme song from Mission Impossible

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