Congrats Christine and Tony!

They're engaged!  We're so happy for you both and look forward to a beautiful spring wedding next year. :-)

Neal looks like a very proud big brother.  :-)

Look at that ring sparkle!  

Dad's Visit

On his way back from a business trip to Atlanta, my dad swung by Houston to hang out with us for the weekend. We had so much fun! Here are some of our memorable moments.

For our first dinner out we took Dad to our favorite local

Mexican restaurant - Las Rosas.  The food is delicious and 

every weekend they have a live band playing.

This is a historic moment:  Dad's first time ever on a bike!

We took him around the neighborhood and he loved it.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has wanted three things:

a Porsche, a red and white '56 Chevi, and a Harley.  This Harley 

store was right up his alley and he had a great time checking out 

the bikes and gear.  To remember our trip to the Harley store, 

he bought himself a Harley hat and he bought Neal and I our 

first Gremlin Bells.  Gremlin Bells are a biker tradition where 

you hang a bell under your bike to ward off bad spirits.  We're

not superstitious like that but thought it would be fun to 

participate in the tradition.  Wherever we ride now, we'll carry 

a little Harley with us.  :-)  

I'm quickly falling in love with Harley myself.  Not only do

they have the cutest biker gear but now I discovered they

have a bike that fits me too!  Uh oh....  :-O

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to venture out

to Kemah - Galveston's bay and boardwalk.  

On his visit, Dad not only went on his first motorcycle ride

but he joined a band too - Rock Band that is.  He held his

own on the mic.

Boys and their toys.  Neal borrowed Tony's jigsaw so that he

could cut down the windshield on his bike.  I love this photo - 

he looks like a man on a mission with a dangerous weapon.

The Stallcop tradition (and quickly becoming the new Bailey

tradition!) is to take advantage of some good ice cream whenever 

possible.  With Dad in town, we just had to make a quick stop at the

gelato shop on the way to the airport.  What a great way to end a trip.

Years ago, after finishing a difficult project at work, my dad

was rewarded with his choice of nice gifts they had for him

to select from.  He chose the Harley Davidson black, leather

jacket.  It was his pride and joy but since he has never owned 

a bike, figured that it should go to someone who could wear

it riding.  This weekend he passed this beautiful coat on to

Neal, who is already enjoying it on rides.  Thanks, again, Dad,

for everything.  We had such a great time with you and we look

forward to our next visit soon!

Lake Tahoe

This week we joined my parents and sister for the annual ski vacation in Lake Tahoe.  The weather was chilly enough to make for fairly good snow conditions and we had clear skies for amazing views. Neal continued to improve his skiing, and after only his second ski trip, is starting to look like an old pro.  We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family.  

View from our room - the face of 

Mt. Heavenly

On our first day out, we took a lunch cruise on the M.S. Dixie II

around the lake.  It was a gorgeous day and we got a nice

view of our surroundings.

Dad loves hanging out with his son-in-law  :-)

The gals

My sister, Ana, is quite the piano player.  

Every year she plays at the resort for fun and 

always has a crowd of admirers.  This year her 

skill grew to a level of professionalism and her 

admirers became paying customers.  She earned

$16 in one night!  She makes me proud. :-)

Family dinner at our favorite Tahoe restaurant -

Villa Roma.

Welcome to Nevada!  Neal, dad, and I making the most of a 

beautiful day, crossing the mountain from California to Nevada.

Here is a view from the gondola.  You can barely make out

the "strip" with the casinos down on the right.

My sister joined us the second day out.  She was the only

brave snowboarder.  :-)

There's Neal - he's a pro!

A trail we took all the way down the mountain

Although we were surrounded by casinos, we preferred to

entertain our kid at heart and play in the arcade.  

They had a fun motorcycle game at the arcade so of course,

we had to try it!  It's so much easier to ride a bike in real

life than to play this game.