River Weekend

This past weekend I brought a big group of friends to my parent’s river house in Concan, TX, which is close to Garner State Park (about 3 miles away).  I am still friends with some people in my old church’s single’s group so I invited them along.  Some of my friends were trying to make it, but they couldn’t get off of work at the last minute. :/  It was still fun though.

Every other Friday at work is a ½ day so I got off at 12 pm and headed to my house to pack my car.  I had to stop to get cash out and pick up something for lunch.  Everyone was in charge of bringing their own food for the weekend, so when I stopped to get lunch on Friday, I also picked up lunch for Saturday.  A woman named Robin was carpooling with me and she got to my house around 1 pm.  I didn’t know her very well-I had only met her once-so we talked about random stuff the entire trip up there.

We stopped at Buc-ee’s on the way (of course!) and got to Concan about 5:30 pm.  My aunt and uncle were at the cabin when we got there and stayed the night too.  I was glad they were there because we had to set up the hammocks and stuff.  So much easier with help!  They left early on Saturday to go hiking in Lost Maples park.

Everyone else got there between 7 and 11 pm.  We originally were going to have some people stay in tents, but we had just enough beds and blow up mattress to sleep all 14 of us inside without a problem.  I <3 air conditioners! :)    The next morning we had breakfast tacos and set out for Garner State Park to hike up Old Baldy.  

On the way we stopped at the sign at the entrance and took pictures.  It is a tradition that we take at least one jumping picture by the sign each time I go.  #fun

We started our hike around 10 am and made it to the top in about an hour and a half.  On the way we stopped at a cave and everyone got a blast of cool air.  We had three teenagers with us so we stopped a few times to rest.

We got to the top of the mountain (hill?) and took pictures.  We are strong!

After we got back from hiking we ate lunch and they got ready to go tubing down the river.  I didn’t go tubing with them because I have been there, done that so many times.  I knew that the river would be really low and I always hated having to walk most of the way.  I was not interested in doing that so I stayed behind with a float and some wine.  Everyone got back all sunburned and tired around 5 pm and we started cooking dinner.   

We had tons and tons of BBQ and watermelon before we got ready for the dance inside the park.

We set up our lawn chairs at the edge of the dance floor and just watched everyone dance.  The teenagers in the group loved the dance, but as an adult it’s kind of lame.  LOL. I remember thinking it was so cool when I was a kid.  Oh well, next time we will stay at the house and eat s’mores or hang by the river.

The next morning we got up, ate breakfast, packed up the cars, cleaned the house and headed to by some souvenirs.  My favorite place to get souvenirs in Concan is a store called Frio’s Dry Fifty.  The store has so many cute souvenirs and yard items that you want to buy them all.  Plus, there are tons of flamingo items for sale.  <-- I can’t wait til I buy a house to put flamingo stuff in the backyard, I will have to go shopping there when the time comes.

While we were waiting for everyone to finish shopping, I got an iced coffee and sat outside under the coolest set of chairs!  I want one of these!!

We headed home and stopped in a few little shops on the way home, plus Buc-ee’s of course!  I got home to an adorable cat that needed lots of attention.  It was a super fun weekend!

Jabba’s New Diet

Everyone knows Jabba is a bit ‘fluffy’.  Obviously Jabba likes to eat, a lot.  Well last weekend Jabba started eating about half of his normal food.  When I would get home for the day, he would still have tons of kibbles in his bowl that he didn’t eat.  My kid is an eater so I knew he was getting sick.  About two weeks before I left for Africa, the same thing happened and I had to take him to the emergency vet.  

(New diet Day 1 and not in a good mood)

So on Saturday or Sunday when he stopped eating, I just hoped and prayed that he would get better and not throw up like last time.  On Tuesday though he threw up about 10 pm and I knew it was time to go back to the vet.  The next morning I took him to the vet’s office at 7:30 am before I headed in to work. I was hoping that they would see him right away, but it turns out that even though the vet’s office opens right at 7 am, he actual vet does not get there until 9 am.  I was debating whether or not I should just go home until 9 am and then take him, but I made the decision to leave him there and just call to check on him when the vet got there.  It was so heartbreaking to leave him there in a cage; I just knew that he was having flashbacks to when he was left at the shelter by his last owner. :/  Luckily there was a large (double) cage that he could rest in, instead of being cramped up in a small (regular) cage.  He refused to look at me the entire time I was there, I hoped he didn’t think he was being given up!  Heartbreaking! I think the nurses thought I was crazy. LOL.

So I called back around 9:30 am and they said that the doctor was just now checking up on him.  The doctor told me that they needed to run some blood work on him and also give him fluids so he wouldn’t get dehydrated.   Let me tell you, vet bills are expensive!  Jabba is worth it though, I don’t know what I would do without him.  

The next day she called me back to say that Jabba’ triglycerides were in the 300’s (normal is 100-150 for cats) and he has IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).  The triglyceride problem will hopefully be fixed with his weight loss, but the IBS will be a reoccurring problem.  The vet said that the IBS might be lessened with weight loss, but we will have to wait and see. 

When I picked up Jabba from the vet that afternoon around 1:30 pm, she had told me to stay and watch him for a few hours to make sure he didn’t throw up again.  He got home and I let him out of the cage, but he didn’t want anything to do with me.  I tried to sit by him once and all he did was get up and walk away.  Then I layed down by him, but he just looked at me and ‘meowed’ and walked away again.  He was not happy with me. Oh and he was also limping from where they took the blood out.  <--That was sad but I am hoping that he just has a flair for the dramatic and wanted to make me feel bad about getting tests done.

So, Jabba’s new diet.  They gave me a new food (dry and wet) to give him each day with very strict instructions on how much he is allowed to eat.  Normally he is my 5:11 am alarm clock each morning and he eats wet/dry food, and then at night he gets  a few kibbles.  That is his routine, and you don’t mess with Jabba’s routine.  He is allowed one scoop of wet food a day and 1 cup of dry food a day, so I give him ¾ cup in the morning with the wet food and ¼ at night.  I am already seeing a difference in his weight.  We have an appointment to see how well the new diet is working in a few weeks.

I was afraid that he wouldn't like his new food or treats since he is so picky.  He will only eat fish flavored wet food and catnip flavored treats.  I don't know if it tastes good or if he is just super hungry, but he is eating all of it!  Fingers crossed it will work.  I love having a big fluffy cat, but I want Jabba around for awhile so his health is my main concern.  He will still be super cute at 20 lbs.  <--The vet said that 20 lbs will be his weight loss max, he will be a boney cat at 20 lbs!

Look!  The treats are in the shape of little hearts!!  So cute.

Cape, Wig or Mustache Pub Crawl

On Friday night I went to a pub crawl sponsored by Yelp that benefited the Houston Food Bank.  Everyone going must donate 5 canned food items and either wear a cape, mustache or wig.  I choose a mustache.  You might just happen to notice that a Pub Crawl is a Bucket List item.  Whoo-hoo.

The pub crawl started at 6:30 at the Capital Bar in Midtown.  I drove with my friend Colleen and also met my friend Jill up there.  I had a margarita at the Capital, socialized a bit and then headed to the next stop on the crawl.

The next stop was The Drinkery. The Drinkery and the Capital Bar are a bit far from each other so we took the Wave to get us there.  It is $6 for us to ride it all night and a very practical purchase.  The Wav had music playing and nice seats to sit in.  Try the Wave next time you go bar hopping  (or crawling).  Since I had a margarita at the first stop, I was able to get a Bud Light Lime  (or two) at The Drinkery, after all its “Liquor before Beer you are in the clear”. :)  I hadn’t seen Jill in forever so we hung out most of the night catching up.  Mustache’s!!!

Next stop, Dogwood!  Dogwood is super close to the Drinkery so we just walked there.  I didn’t know this, but apparently some guy that was on the Bachelor owns that bar.  No, we didn’t see him.  I don’t watch that show so I couldn’t tell you who he was or what his name is, but I did learn that he owns (or at least co-owns) it.  Dogwood was a very nice bar with a great patio upstairs.  We met a few guys at Dogwood and ended up hanging with them the rest of the night. 

Little Woodrow’s was next and we stayed there chatting for awhile.  We were in the bar area getting drinks (Flamingo Sunrise for me-I was done drinking) when two young 24ish guys came up to us.  They were both new in town (as in a week) so we chatted with them for awhile.  They offered to buy us a drink and tried to pick us up, but that is NOT going to happen.  I like my guys a bit older thank you.  #30andoverplease. Haha.  They were sweet, but way too young.  I have been told I only looked 26 (several times) recently, so maybe they thought I was younger than I am. 

The Wave took awhile to come back and pick us up, but the ride to the next location was fun. The bus was packed, but we arrived at the last bar, Nouveau Art Bar safely.  Jill left us then to head home (her other friends left when we got to Little Woodrow’s) and I went looking for Colleen.  I was really ready to go by then too, so as soon as I got there I asked Colleen to leave.  I should have driven myself because I knew that I would be ready to go before everyone else (but it was late!), but Colleen agreed to head home too. 

I got home around 12:30 am after a long, pub filled night.  I really had fun and maybe next year I will do it again.  I am not really a fan of going out to bars/clubs, but this one was for charity and I have always wanted to do a pub crawl.  Bucket list item-check!

Dixie's Tupperware Party

Last Thursday a group of friends went to a performance at the Hobby Center called “Dixie’s Tupperware Party.”  DTP is a real Tupperware party that you can order products that are shown by a man in drag named ‘Dixie’.

We met at 5:30 pm to eat dinner at Damien’s Cucina in the Midtown area.  I got there before everyone else and played on my tablet while I was waiting.  There were about 10 of us and we had to be on the free shuttle bus by 7 pm to get to the theater on time.  Damien’s was fabulous; I would absolutely recommend going there anytime, or for a dinner before a play.

Dixie came on stage in a blue dress with hooker heels and Texas size hair.  Dixie is a fast talking girl from the trailer parks of Alabama, who was forced to get a job by her parole officer in order to get her three kids back.  There was a crystal like bowl on the table of the parole officers desk and she was inspired to become a Tupperware sales(wo)man.  Moving up the ranks quickly, Dixie became Tupperware’s #1 sales (wo)man.

Dixie drank from her favorite cup that had a spill proof lid so she wouldn’t spill her wine (she drank actual wine on stage).  The show was hilarious!  We got to see her favorite products including a chip and dip set that the dip bowl rests inside the chip bowl for your cheese or your “Gawn, Gawn, Guantanamo”.  Dixie has a bit of trouble saying words like ‘guacamole’. :)

The show was a bit on the sexual side of things.  There were some very inappropriate jokes (that made you crack up) that were not very PC, but it was all in fun.  Trust me, if you name gets called for a giveaway, DON’T GO ON STAGE!   Everyone gets a nametag when you go in the theater with a number on it, if your number gets called you get to go onstage and she gives you a giveaway.  The giveaways are typical Tupperware products (miniature size) but you have to do/say stuff that would have embarrassed me!   It’s all in good fun though, just go with an open mind.

 

After the show you could purchase real Tupperware products and take pictures with Dixie herself.   Our shuttle was leaving so I had to take a quick picture and leave.  Apparently the top three sales(wo)men in the company are all men in drag who drive around the country selling products.  From what I hear, it’s hundreds of thousands each year.  Great job ladies, umm gentlemen, umm Tupperware person!