Houston has become one of my favorite places to visit. I actually tried to move there last year, but it didn’t work out. Besides the vibe of the city, there’s easy access to several other cities via a few hour drive or flying out of either international airport in the city. But one thing that makes Houston special to me is someone I get to visit with.
One of my closest friends’ daughter lives there. I started visiting Houston with him in 2015 to watch her play basketball, then bring her back to Vegas with us for the holidays. We went to a few of her favorite restaurants and they showed me around some of the big malls before we left town.
Since that first trip, I traveled back to Houston with him to celebrate her 18th birthday, then attend her high school graduation. We always explore something new with each trip. The graduation trip was a huge affair, with the younger children tagging along as well.
We snuck in a trip to the Houston zoo when our flight home got messed up, causing us to have about 6 extra hours in the city. Watching my friend navigate the obstacle taught me a lot about traveling.
Somehow, the littles’ tickets weren’t connected to ours, so they didn’t get checked into the flight. We had to change our flights to the next available, and luckily got a kind airline representative who helped us out with that.
While she got our tickets situated, he booked a rental car and looked up things to do nearby that would keep the kids entertained for the six hours, without costing too much extra. It was a testament of how to take advantage of positive possibilities when faced with difficult obstacles. Instead of getting mad, yelling, or blaming the airline, he simply looked for something else to expose the children to.
Now that the young lady is grown, I come back to town just to visit her and have “girl time.” I was honored to be able to attend her 4D ultrasound with her last year when she was expecting her first baby.
Then another visit to meet the baby when she was 4 months old. And, as I’m writing this, I’m in Houston again for her college graduation party. (Of course visiting the little lady who is 8 months old now is a huge bonus.)
When I was here a few months ago, we went downtown. That included the aquarium, as well as a stop at POST, which boasts a huge food court and rooftop park. The aquarium was the baby’s first big outing, which included a lot of other firsts, such as a carousel ride.
Most of these trips are more about spending time with a couple of people who are very important to me. Though we still manage to sneak in some adventure or something new. We very rarely eat anything I can get at home. And we almost always do something that includes activity or adventure.
This trip will include some shopping and celebrating her accomplishments of double majoring from the University of Houston. Our activities have changed a bit since we have a baby involved. She’s one of the best parts of the trips now, though.
I’m blessed and honored to have this city to visit, explore, and enjoy. And, I’m beyond blessed and honored to be able to spend time with one of my favorite twenty-somethings. And now her little one, and watch both of them continue to grow and blossom, coming into their own.
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