Pledge to the flags

Now that the girls are attending an american school they are also participating in all the american routines.  One of them is the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.

'I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.'

I don't know if this is the case in all of the states but here in Texas they are very proud and therefore there is also a Pledge for the Texas flag!

'Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.'

Pumpkin carving

Halloween wouldn't be complete without a carved pumpkin, so this weekend both girls picked one out at the supermarket.  After deciding on templates we set to work.  First we had to clean the insides of the pumpkins and take all the yucky stuff out.  Then the girls transferred their chosen templates onto the pumpkins. With a little saw they then cut out all the part and Thijs did the final touch by drilling out the eyes. (let's just hope they keep for another week till Halloween)

Well done girls.  I think it is a pretty good result for a first pumpkin!

and just for fun, a little one that I made myself

We've been boo-ed!

A few nights ago the doorbell rang.  When Thijs en Floortje opened the door there was no one there except this pumpkin filled with Halloween goodies and the note shown below. 

It turned out we had been Boo-ed!  The note says that you have to continue the booing by delivering a Halloween treat to two of your neighbors the next night.

Which of course we did!!! What a nice tradition! 

What the ....?

Can you imagine my surprise when I found this message in my mailbox last night!

I have no idea how and why this person decided to follow me as I am definitely not a Perry supporter.  Needless to say, I figured out how to use the Twitter 'block' option and applied it (however might be funny to follow back just to see what rubbish they will tweet)!

Houston Aquarium

One of the nicest things about moving to a new city is exploring all the new places.  After a nice breakfast in an outside garden we went to the Downtown Aquarium in Houston on Sunday.

Not as impressive as the Atlantis or Dubai Mall aquarium but a nice afternoon nonetheless.

Marathon Kids

The girls have signed up for Marathon Kids.   This is a program where kids agree to walk 26.2 miles (a full marathon) in parts between now and April.  It is designed to make kids aware that exercising and healthy eating are important.  Last Sunday we joined the kick off here in Cinco Ranch, not far from our house.  It was a beautiful morning with no wind at all and as we were walking around the lake this hot air balloon just hovered over our heads.

Rules and warnings

And another funny one I came across

Rules And Warnings For Yankees

• If yew forget ah Texan's name, refer tew him as "Bubba". Yew'll have ah 75% chance of being right!
• Jus' because yew can drive in thuh snow and ice ain't gonna mean we can. Stay home thuh two days of thuh year it snows.
• Don't be surprised tew find movie rentals, hamburgers and bait in thuh same store.
• Save all manner of bacon grease. Yew will find out why below!
• If it ain't fried in bacon grease, barbequed or grilled, it ain't worth eatin'!
• Remember: "Y'all" is singular, "All Y'all" is plural and "All Y'all's" is plural possessive.
• Get used tew hearing, "Y'all ain't frum 'round heah, are yew?"
• There ain't nuthin' sillier than ah Yankee imitating ah Texas accent, unless it's ah Texan imitating ah Boston accent.
• Folks walk ah lil' slower heah!
• Don't be worried if yew don't understand folks down heah. They ain't gonna understand yew either!
• Thuh "He Needed Killin'" defense is valid down heah!
• If attending ah funeral in Texas, remember, we stay until thuh last shovel of dirt is thrown on and thuh tent is torn down.
• Yew can ask a Texan for directions, but unless yew already know the positions of key hills, trees and rocks, y'all are ah whole lot better off trying tew find it yerself.
• Most Texans dew not use turn signals and they ignore folks who dew. In fact, if yew see ah turn signal blinking on ah car wuth ah Texas license plate, yew may rest assured that it was on when thuh car was purchased!

Texas temperatures

Although the temperatures have really dropped in the last few weeks and the weather is beautiful at the moment I didn't want to keep this from you.

I believe I have put a similar posting on this blog about Dubai temperatures but I love how this list of things boils down (excuse the pun) to the same idea but with a Texas twist!

You Know You're In Texas In July When

• The birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of  the ground.
• The trees are whistling for the dogs.
• The best parking place is determined by shade instead  of distance.
• Hot water now comes out of both taps.
• You can make sun tea instantly.
• You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron!
• The temperature drops below 95 and you feel a little chilly.
• You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
• Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cooked to death?"
• You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
• The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.
• Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs.
• The cows are giving evaporated milk.

Texas Barbeque

The last night my parents were here Thijs decided he wanted to treat them to some real Texas barbeque.  After some searching on the internet, reading reviews and writing down addresses we set off to Rosenberg.  While driving we realized that you don't have to go far outside of Houston to experience the real Texas!  The first place we came to was a wooden shack with lots of pick-ups in front.  Unfortunately (or maybe not!) the place was closed on Sunday.  Up to the next address then (see pictures below).  Also closed on Sunday (still not very sad about it)!  I guess they expect you to cook your own dinner here on Sunday night.

After an hour's drive we ended up in a new restaurant in Fulshear, just 5 minutes from our house.  It is called 'Dekker's Mesquite Grill'.  At the end of the evening we found out that a dutch guy (Ton Dekker from Bergen aan Zee), who has been in Texas for the last 20 years, had just started up this place.  We spoke to Ton (Anthony for the locals) for a bit and promised him we'd be back!

Funny how the evening had such an unexpected ending

Rainbow from the deck of 'Dekker's Mesquite Grill'

Golf in Las Vegas

A few weeks ago Thijs flew to Las Vegas for the American version of the 'Excalibur Open'.  Specially organized for the Excalibur guys residing in the USA, Peter, Frank, Harjan and Thijs.

Below some pictures of the weekend.  No casino pictures but I did hear that some time was spent at the black jack tables :)

While at the airport on his way back Thijs noticed the advertisement below!

Butterfly garden

A few weeks ago we went for a visit to the Butterfly Garden in Houston Museum of Natural Science.  First you walk through an exibition.  Just before you enter the garden there are boxes on the wall with all kinds of different cocoons and in it you can actually see the butterflies crawl out, an amazing sight!  We also had no idea that all the cocoons could look so different and beautiful!

 I think the butterflies like the shampoo I use as they were very much attracted to my hair.

Soccer team pictures

Famke's 'Bobcats'

Floortje's 'Purple Panthers'

Soccer practice with opa

'Klussen'

A move is always accompanied by a (read several) trip to IKEA.

We have found a great helper in Famke who loves putting the things together and is great at reading the instructions!

Neighbors Night Out

Last night I was at an information evening at school.  After the event I cycled home and just around the corner from our house several people were outside on a driveway.  They called out to me to stop and have a hot dog with them.  Little did I know, but apparently yesterday was 'Meet the Neighbors' night in Texas.

Yvette and her husband had set up a table with cookies, hot dogs and drinks.  After a short talk I continued my journey with 4 chocolate chip cookies and 4 hot dogs in a bun! What a nice initiative!

Pink

October is breast cancer awareness month in the US.  A great initiative that is embraced in all parts of life.  THe NFL football teams are all wearing a lot of pink, there are runs and events all over the country.  

Of course there is a lot of pink merchandise that can be bought as well.  Below some images from the folder of one of the big sports shops.

Cool!  I would love to have a pink tennis rackets and balls.

Wow!  They even have pink fishing rods and tackle boxes!

Mmmm, not so sure about the pink handgun, rifle case and hunting knife though.