Space Fish

I had a few adventures this week, including Space Center Houston and fishing at Surfside Beach! I'm going to go ahead and count that as my "vacation" for the summer since I don't forsee my family and I deciding on somewhere to go on vacation (that's another story in itself).

Below are just a few pictures documenting our trips. I went with Sammi and her husband James and our friend Chris.

Sammi and I inside the Saturn V rocket viewing area. Yeah, this is our typical pose... it's what we do.

We all know of my (un)healthy obsession with celebrities, and it never fails that when I go somewhere out of the ordinary (like Space Center) I will see somebody famous. On this trip: Sherry Stringfield, a.k.a. Dr. Susan Lewis from ER. She wasn't very recognizable, which may be why there wasn't a swarm of fans surrounding her. So, the entire tram tour that we were on, Sammi and I "safely stalked" her, trying to figure out if it was indeed Sherry Stringfield. She was with her entire family and some friends, so I didn't really want to bother her with an autograph and a picture (any other occassion, you know I'd be all over a cheesy smile and rubbing elbows with someone from the television). Well, Chris and James got sick of us talking about it, so Chris finally went up to her and asked her if she was on ER. She, of course, said she was. So then I turn to her and say, "I knew it was you! I was just too chicken to say anything." Sherry (oh yes, we're on a first-name basis) BUSTED out laughing. Then we stood side-by-side and watched the launch of the space shuttle (we just happened to be at Space Center on that day... kinda cool, I think). So, we're pretty much old friends by now. :o)

After our celebrity conquest, Sammi and I decided we would commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the Moon with a photo-op with Neil, Buzz, and Michael. Apparently, we went for the "shrug" pose in this one...

The next day we decided to go fishing down and Surfside Beach. Ok, let me preface this by saying: My name is Ashley White, and I'm a non-fisher. (That was your disclaimer, people.) So, you will notice that there really aren't any action shots of me below, and that's ok. You'll get the idea from the ones I've decided to post. :o)

His name is James Saunders, and not only can he catch fish, but he's a mean shark hunter too! Yes, he caught a baby shark. It was pretty awesome, I have to say.

Me with Sammi while she was fishing. I think, at this point, I kept losing my bait to greedy fish, and I felt bad for asking Sammi and Chris to put more bait on my hook, so I just observed the skill of everyone else.

Check out that skill. They all caught one fish (and don't forget about the baby shark).

And then there's me... sans fish. For a while, I was bound and determined to catch a fish, and then I finally realized... yeah, I don't fish. But it was still a fun time! :o)

-Ashley

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having fun BBQing/Fireworking/swimming. My family and I are going to be BBQing in a little while. During the summer, that's pretty much our standard of cooking. I love it.

The 4th of July is also the anniversary of my Mama's death. It was 12 years ago now. Wow, it seems like just yesterday! I loved visiting Mama and Papa in Mississippi. Mama was your typical Southern housewife. Everything was home-cooked: from the rolls, fried okra, and mashed potatoes to the coconut cake (my mom's personal favorite) and peanut butter cookies (my personal favorite), it was always so comforting. You could taste the love. And forget about having the recipes to continue on the traditions: Mama didn't use recipes. They were either memorized or she made them up herself. Amazing! I miss her terribly, but I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories we made. :o)

*******

Yesterday was my first day of house hunting with a realtor. It didn't start off too well- she was 40 minutes late to our appointment. Keep in mind, this was the realtor that was assigned to me through the LampLighterOne Program, so I had never met with her in person. However, once she got there she seemed very professional and like she knew what she was talking about. I don't think the Katy area is her strong-suit.

We looked at 3 houses: 1 one-story and 2 two-stories. They all seemed fairly nice, but like they needed a little bit of work. My favorite was the last house we visited, a two-story. It was vacant, but it looked like they are still in the process of upgrading the whole downstairs. The upstairs DEFINITELY needs new carpet... it's pretty much the grossest thing I've walked on.

But... on Monday I have an appointment with another realtor. She actually lives in my neighborhood and is friends with my parents. I used to babysit her daughters in fact. My dad got in touch with her last week and told her my situation. Come to find out she is VERY familiar with the Katy area. So, she gave me a call and asked me, down to the detail, what I'm looking for in a home, and we are going to house hunt on Monday. I'm really excited to see what she has to show. I hope I find something that's kind of ready to be lived in. I don't want to have to do a whole bunch of work. Cross your fingers!

Well, I'm off to help out in the kitchen! Have a great holiday weekend!

-Ashley