Here is a picture of my perpetual student at work. Isn't he cute? This photo was actually taken last year, when Hubby Dear was taking several clsses. He doesn't have so many classes now. He's doing rotations, which means he's in an actual hospital learning the practical side of medicine. He still studies all the time, though, and he's gone a lot more. :-(

For more Meet-and-Greet, visit The Natural Mommy.

. . . to my favorite red-haired sister!

Blast. No pictures of us together during her recent visit here. I need to get her to send me some! :-)

As I mentioned before, my sister visited me this past weekend. It was her first time in Houston, and it was wonderful to show her around.

Saturday Stu and I picked her up from the nearby airport, grabbed breakfast at the coolest neighborhood IHop, then headed back home to our apartment for the "grand" tour (All 710 square feet of it!) Stu had to work afterwards, so Julie and I walked on over to CVS and Walgreen's to kill some time. At dinner, we headed out to the Galleria, which is one of the biggest malls in Texas. We at dinner at one of our favorite restaurants: The Cheesecake Factory. A yummy meal was had by all. :-)

Sunday Julie and I headed to the grocery store to pick up supplies for our favorite party snacks in preparation for the Super Bowl. (which was an outstanding game, by the way.) We made our family's traditional Tex-Mex dip and ate that for dinner, along with some homemade Puppy Chow for dessert. We spent the evening relaxing, watching the game, then introducing Julie to House, a favorite show of ours that Julie had never seen before.

On Monday, Stu, Julie, and I toured around my place of work, and she got to meet all my co-workers. After the tour, we took the MetroRail up to the Houston Zoo, where we had a wonderful time seeing all the animals, especially the giraffes and elephants. The lion and tiger exhibits were closed for renovations, however. I wonder if that had anything to do with that tiger attack in San Francisco a few months ago?

Tuesday Stu had to work, so Julie and I slept the morning away before walking up to a nearby shopping center and visiting two really cool stores I had never been to before. One sold British wares, and had the most adorable teapots, as well as all the fixings for a British tea! The other store sold handicrafts from artists in Third World countries, in which they were paid fair wages for their work. There were some beautiful items there. I will definitely have to go back to both! After that, Stu met us and we grabbed some coffee, then headed to the farmers market.

It was an absolutely wonderful weekend, and it was so wonderful to spend time with my sister whom I don't see very often at all. I've been craving more time with my sisters ever since I've moved to Houston, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend time with one of them. Growing up, Julie and I didn't get along very well at times, but this past weekend we were almost like best friends. I feel like I got to know her so much better during her time visiting. If only I could move back to Georgia and see both of them more often!

(Alas, I have no pictures. I always forget to use my camera!)

My parents are coming to visit me in 2 weeks! I'm so excited to see them, since I haven't seen them since my sister's wedding in July. I'm trying to think of some really fun, cheap things to do with them when they are in town. We've already done the usual stuff in Houston during the last few times they were here.

At least they get to meet my kitty for the first time!

Summer to me is many things, but most importantly, it is the time to reconnect with family and rejuvenate after a season of hard work.

One of the highlights of my year is the "tour of the Midwest" with my parents and siblings every summer. Now that I live far from home, I cherish this vacation more than ever. This year, we spent two weeks visiting Indianapolis, Northern Michigan, and Chicago. The first few days I spent with my grandparents in Indy, where my grandmother, an amazing seamstress, taught me some sewing tips. It was wonderful to get to spend time with them, since I only see them once a year. Before we left Indy, we had a bridal shower for my sister, who is getting married in 9 days! Here is a picture with me and my sister, Lauren, at Julie's bridal shower.


After the shower, we headed to Julie's place to see the apartment and meet her puppy. Here's the bride-to-be with her amazingly cute puppy, Holden!


After we left Indiana, we headed north to Traverse City, where we spend a week relaxing and seeing the sights. I always savor this time up north, and the chance to spend time with my parents and siblings. This year, it was just Lauren who could go, but it was still wonderful nonetheless. One of my favorite activities in Michigan is touring Mackinac Island, which is located in between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. Here's my dad and me on the island with Lake Huron in the background.



Not only do I love Michigan for the chance to see family, but it is wonderful to take a break from work and refresh in the beautiful north. I got the opportunity to read and reflect much more than usual, even though we were busy with activities.

After leaving Michigan, we headed to Chicago to see the sights of this great city. We also got to enjoy some amazing food while we were there. Here's my mom one day at dinner.


As much as I enjoy seeing the sights around the Midwest, summer would not be complete without seeing my family.

Jenny, pardon me if I steal your post for a minute!

I was reading my cousin's most recent blog post yesterday, and it tugged at my heart. There was an adorable picture of her twin daughters giving each other a hug.

Jenny's thoughtful response reminded me of my own sister. She's 5 years younger than me, and it hasn't been until recently that we have gotten to be close. The same goes for my younger brother. In many ways, we have been better friends as adults than we were as children.

While in my younger years, I may have wished to be an only child, I do believe my siblings have been a gift from God. Often in our young lives we were all each other had, as we moved from city to city and country to country. We sometimes fought bitterly and other times played lovingly. However, in the end we were family and that transcended all other previous disagreements.

Since I love quotations, here are a few about sisters and the relationships you have with them:

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~Isadora James

I just wanted to encourage everyone to head over to Susan's blog and check out her post about the importance of motherhood. An excerpt:

Women are not specially suited for higher mathematics, though many are gifted in this area, myself included, so the need seemed contrived to me. But women are specially suited for another vocation: motherhood. As my professor told me of the great "need" for women in higher mathematics, I could not help but think, but we need mothers far more!