- It's the 4th largest city in the U.S. (But you wouldn't realize it....there's so much land down there, it's really spread out unlike NYC) We went to a really fun park in the center of town and enjoyed walking around, having a picnic, taking a train ride and seeing the ducks.
- We learned pretty quickly that everything is bigger in Texas. Our first morning there we went to a natural preserve where we could see alligators in the wild. Unfortunately we didn't see too many alligators, but we saw plenty of other gigantic wildlife which would include mostly huge spiders, ants and snakes. The longhorn cattle was also pretty awesome to see just a bunch of them grazing in a field as you'd drive by. (I really felt like we were in the deep in the heart of Texas when we saw those.) We wanted to see an armadillo while there, but never got the chance. :)
- We loved cheering on our niece Kayla in her soccer games. With Matt being the team's coach, we were able to go to both her practice and game that week. We loved seeing her get so excited and run after the ball. I loved watching the mass of 4 year olds running with the ball and kicking it in every direction. It was especially great to see them get so excited even when they made a score in the wrong goal.
- They definitely know how to do BBQ. Matt took us to their favorite BBQ place in town and it was simply delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. :) I was amazed at all the wild animals hanging on the wall...especially the wild boar.
- "Houston" was the first word that Neil Armstrong spoke when he landed on the moon. We were able to visit the NASA space center. We just happened upon seeing the "Saturn V" space shuttle on our way to some other sights. It was really a neat sight to see and I couldn't believe how big everything was. They actually had to build the building around the space shuttle. It was fun to see the actual space center and how huge the complex is.
- The Gulf of Mexico can be a beautiful sight. We were able to visit the Kemah Boardwalk, right off of the shore and saw lots of fishing and sailing boats in the ocean. It was really a wonderful sight. It's a fun little place with rides and shopping. Matt was telling us how hard this place was hit with hurricane Ike a few years back. With boats being carried a few miles from the shore. It's incredible how much it's been rebuilt. Kayla and I enjoyed eating a messy funnel cake while Stephen and Matt took a ride on the daring roller coaster.
