Tag Archives: astros

Five Things: 3DCAMP, Hummingbird, Eclipse, Whole Foods, Quilt

By Chris | Published October 5, 2012

1. 3DCAMP- Last Saturday was 3DCAMP! I’ve shared a lot about how we’ve been helping them out with a logo design and marketing and how they were on the news. But seriously the event went splendidly. And it was incredibly fascinating to see all the vendors and have chats with folks making strides in 3D technology and using it daily in their work. Most people don’t know that you can print 3D objects in metal and glass and plastic and all sorts of substances. I feel like all that may be better shared in it’s own post but I just can not share enough about how great 3DCAMP 2012 went, with all the sponsors, vendors, volunteers, committee members and attendees working together it was a great conference. I can’t wait until next year.

3d printed keychains

3D Printed Keychains

2. Hummingbird- It’s hummingbird season here in Houston and I’ve been seeing them in droves. I hung a home made hummingbird feeder (wine bottle, plus feeder stopper, plus wire) right outside my office window so I could watch them and sneak photos. Here’s my favorite.

hummingbird houston

Shot with my Canon

3. Eclipse- Last Sunday we took a private tour of Minute Maid Stadium (where the Houston Astros play). Yes I am a huge fan. Yes I realize they may have just played their worst season ever. Still, I love them. They’re my team. And there are lots of changes coming- switching to the American League, new owner, new GM, lots of new blood. It’s going to be an interesting season. Anywho…whenever I visit a stadium I take a feet shot right off the grass. This shot however had a bit of a baby bump eclipse in it. It wasn’t intended but it makes me smile because it’s where we are in life right now. AND our kid was in the Astros stadium first so it has to be an Astros fan. Not a Phillies fan, much to Bill’s dismay.

At Minute Maid Park

4. Whole Foods- Months ago, probably over a year ago I wrote about Trader Joe’s coming to the Woodlands. I may have mentioned how dumb it was that Whole Foods had zero plans to expand out this direction (Woodlands, Spring, Tomball) but were instead going to build in the Katy area. I projected that Trader Joe’s was going to steal a lot of the market share out this way. Well guess who is NOW building a location out this way…Whole Foods. What’s excellent is that it’s 5 minutes from my house (literally just down the road) and will actually become my closest grocery store. I’d like to think that they read my post and chose a location close to me just to make me smile. So welcome to the area Whole Foods, it’s about time, we’ve been waiting.

Note: According to the Houston Chronicle the store will be 40,000 square feet and is slated to open sometime in 2014.

Whole Foods' New Location

The Sign I Spotted Announcing Their Arrival

5. Quilt- The baby quilt is coming together, the top is 1/3 of the way done and I’m hoping to knock out the rest of it sometime this weekend. Here’s to sewing!

 

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The Photography Chronicles ~ 31

By Chris | Published July 5, 2011

I think this is just far too fantastic for me to comment.

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Anniversary Weekend~Part Uno

By Chris | Published May 7, 2011

Bill and I just had our second anniversary and since we never really went on a honey moon and we didn’t do much for our first anniversary (we had just purchased a house) we decided to do it big without braking the bank. Got a hotel downtown, took only public transportation (which I had never utilized in this city, more to come on that), planned awesome artistic and cultured outings, and truly adventured. Did I mention we never left Houston? Yeah. It was AWESOME!

Our anniversary gift to each other were a pair of Toms each, and a pair for two children. Toms were once on my Friday Flights list, but my awesome husband got a pair for me for Christmas and I dare say I’ve almost worn them out. Not only are they the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn but they give a pair to a kid in need for every pair you buy. Anywho, it was a great gift.

Now the public transport, Houston has a fairly limited rail system, however if you’re just traveling downtown and the surrounding areas its pretty great. To compensate for the lack of rails there is a very impressive bus system, which I knew little to nothing about before this trip. Well, I did know that if you’re driving you should pretty much avoid the busses at all costs. I was SO impressed with it all, busses and trains were all clean and it was insanely simple to navigate.

Husband pic! (and he says I never take pictures of him!!) We went to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (see the tiny orange sticker on his shirt). I know this museum like the back of my hand, I absolutely love it. They had an Impressionist exhibit (my favorite era of paintings) which we got discounted tickets on groupon for. It was wonderful.

Then it was Astros game time! Bill and I got to know each other while going to our college’s baseball games. We both just LOVE the game and everything that goes along with it, so it was only fitting that we go to a game over our anniversary weekend.

They’ve made some changes to the stadium since last year, the largest one…El Grande, the new scoreboard/monster HD TV. Its nuts.

Taco Bell sauce races. Love!

Seriously, look at his body, it looks broken! I am amazed. Ok so the next part of the game…There was this Padres fan sitting next to us and he started off just a tad toasted. He was a nice guy, chit chatted with us, pretty loud when it came to cheering, not in an annoying way, but in a funny way. So he killed about four more giant beers and ever so slowly drifted off into a deep comatose type drunken slumber. His friend (the guy laughing on the left side of the pic) was gone for a while at which point our entire section began to laugh hysterically and take pictures of him. As you can see here, several people posed with him. Quality entertainment (especially because the Astros were loosing).

Afterwards Bill offered to help the guy’s friend get drunk guy out of the stadium and to their car (I feel I must make note that the friend of the guy was very sober and fine to drive, had he not been I would have called them a cab). This was interesting, the drunk guy could not stand flat on his feet much less walk. Once outside the stadium the friend had to help stop a public urination episode. Then drunk guy, who remember can barely walk, gets mad that his friend won’t let him use the facilities outdoors shakes off the friend and Bill (who is stabilizing him from his back) and begins to run, full force mind you away from us in a perfect. straight. line. It was amazing. Then he stopped and danced around, clapping in the air for us. The friend thanked us profusely for helping him and they went on their way.

And that was day one of our anniversary weekend. :)

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The Photography Chronicles ~ 21

By Chris | Published March 31, 2011

So in honor of Baseball season officially starting today I thought I’d share this pic from back in the day when Lidge pitched for Houston. Sigh, that was a good time. Still, I’m pumped about the new season. A young team means new players with a lot of determination and drive to play hard. Not that older players don’t have that drive, just exciting. EEEEEeeeeeEEEEEE!!!

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The Photography Chronicles ~ 7

By Chris | Published December 15, 2010

59 Diner, Photo Booths, Peep-Toe Flats, and diamonds they all relate in my book. This was the day Bill proposed to me, at 59 Diner, in a photo booth, while I was wearing my favorite black peep-toe flats, with a big diamond. I have a romantic love of photo booths so it was only fitting that he proposed there. We also had a photo booth at our wedding, which I wrote about in this earlier post. This was one of my most favorite days. It was Bill’s first time in Houston and I spent the day taking him to all of my favorite places: the Museum of Fine Art, Nundini Italian Imports, The Book Stop on Alabama…and later that night, after the proposal we went to an Astros game. It was a perfect day.

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I Love the Astros and I Always Will

By Chris | Published September 3, 2010

I am not a fair weather fan.

Not in the slightest.

I L. O. V. E. the game of baseball. To those who claim its slow, PSHHH to you. Its called enjoyable. Relax a little. And to those who say football is better. You must be kidding. Baseball is America’s favorite pasttime (or at least it was). Remember that song, “Take me out to the ball game…” peanuts, cracker jacks…come on you have to love that stuff. Unless you have a peanut allergy. In which case you should get a pretzel.

Last week my husband (a die hard Phillies fan) and I were in Philadelphia visiting his family. The Astros happened to be playing the Phillies in a four game series. Did we go? Of course. His pop scored club level seats for the four of us (number four would be Bill’s mom). And yes I dressed completely in Astros’ gear from head to toe.

I am brave, I am loud, I am Astros fan.

If you know anything about Philadelphia, you know that the liberty bell lives there and Philadelphia fans are crazy. They once booed and threw snowballs at a man dressed like santa at a Eagles game. I was at a Phillies/Orioles game last season and the Orioles’ mascot came out onto the field, people threw full beer bottles at him from the third deck! If their teams aren’t playing well, they will boo them. Needless to say, I was a smidge frightened.

I was one Astros fan among 45,000 Phillies fans.

And the Astros were winning, you can see the fans in the back ground, staring me down in anger.

There is also nothing more just…odd than being the only one cheering for a team in a place that large and with that many people. Seriously, I was alone. Phil’s games had been sold out for weeks, and lets face it there aren’t many people who aren’t from Houston and love the Astros.

We tried really hard to get on the mega TV, we even made a sign that said “House Divided”. But the camera man refused to film me because I had too many Astros logos on. In retrospect it was probably for my own protection.

The next inning the security guy, who I’d been playfully bantering back and forth with came down and said, “Do you know who the Astros’ GM is?” I said, “Yeah, Ed Wade, your old GM.” He says, “Well he wanted me to give you this.” Apparently Ed Wade’s box wasn’t too far from where we were sitting and he’d heard me yelling and screaming for the Astros all night. He’d also seen what went down with the camera man. So he gave me this Astros commemorative coin. I looked up towards his box, he waved at me, I waved back and said thank you.

Sorry this is such a horrid photo, I took it with my iphone the day of the game.

So thats my story, it was basically one of my favorite Astros’ fan moments. More photos of the game are below. I’ll also be posting some more about the Philly trip. Photos from the Museum of Fine Art, etc. <3

The kid without the hat caught a foul ball that may have hit me in the face if he hadn’t. Though had he not caught it, I would have. Either way my face was safe.

The club level of the Phil’s stadium has really cool memorabilia in it. With every model anything that we find, we like to imagine its a tiny world and that Bill is a giant.

That ball is hit friends.

Sit amazed at the pitching arm.

I should also note that the Astros, after 16 innings, won this game, as well as all four games of the series. I like to think that I had a hand in that win. :)

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Astros v Phillies

By Chris | Published April 19, 2010

I must first start out by saying that yes I realize the Astros are currently 3-9. I also am aware that they are in last place in our division. I know we’ve never won a world series, and we’re not what you’d call a overall popular team. But we did go to the world series once. And we’re not worst in baseball right now (sorry Baltimore), and we did just win our first series of the season against the Cubs who are third in our division. And you could probably tell, I’m pretty die hard. I love the game, and especially this team. As I mentioned Before, Bill and I got awesome tickets (1oth row behind the Astros’ dugout) from my dad for the third game in a series against the Phillies. And it was AWESOME.

I must also note that as much of an Astros fan as I am with my signed memorabilia, original throwback sweatshirt, etc., my husband is equally if not more so a Phillies fan. So this was a pretty big game for us.

I’d also like to note that historically, even though statistically the Phillies are more often than not a better team (I reiterate, statistically) than the Astros, we usually beat them, at home or away. This year was not the case. The Sunday game was a very thrilling and exciting battle of the Roys (Oswalt and Halladay) and it was incredible.

Game day is not complete without a ball park hot dog (used to be called Dome Dogs when the ‘Stros played in the AstroDome).

Bill got the ball he stole from the batting practice area in the Phillies Park (we did a tour last summer) signed by some of the Phillies players.

I <3 this picture to no end. Bill’s favorite player is Chase Utley, not that you can tell in this tiny version, but Utley is up to bat.

Pretty much the best thing ever.

Like I said my dad (also an Astros fan) got us the tickets, he and his girlfriend Christine came too! I think I have a picture of my dad and I like this from every game we’ve been to together.

I wish I could throw with that kind of power.

This is Drayton McLane, Jr. the owner of the Astros (if you wiki him there is a picture of him with the gentleman in the photo below from this very game.) I would really like Mr. McLane to fire our GM.

Yes, thats President Bush (H.W.). He lives here in Houston and frequents the Astros and Rockets games. I SO wish I could have gotten a picture with him, but there was quite a crowd.

This guy was parked next to us when we left the game. He really should clean his truck.

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