Howdy From Houston!

Hello, Friends and Family. We are so sorry it has taken us almost two months to post an update on the blog, so please forgive the long post, as we have a lot to share from the past two months.

From the previous post of “Boxes and More Boxes”, we moved all those boxes from our beloved home in Allen, TX to our new beloved home in Spring, TX. After a few headaches that Julie had to endure while I was already in Houston starting work, our realtors, Sherry Ellis with Keller Williams and Judy Stevens with Coldwell Banker United, made the process as smooth as it could be, and now, despite missing everyone in Dallas, we are excited about Houston. We welcome Joe and Stacy, the purchasers of our former home, to Allen, TX and hope they enjoy their new home. As far as our new home, the move went well, and of course, leave it to Julie (and our moms who worked so diligently; THANK YOU!), by the end of the first weekend, most of all those boxes were unpacked. Julie’s sister, Teresa, even commented on Day 2 when they came to visit it didn’t look like we just moved in.

After all the unpacking was done, and our existing furniture didn’t fit upstairs as we had thought, we had to rethink our plan and ended up buying all kinds of new furniture (Fun, fun…..). Included in that purchase was a new plasma tv and a Playstation 3 (mostly for blu-ray capabilities), where we can watch the Texans games, I mean Cowboys…hmmm, I’m confused now. We are for the most part all moved in, just have to hang a few pictures and things on the wall. But we were thinking of having a house-warming party sometime in July. Our home is part of a new neighborhood under development, called the Falls at Imperial Oaks (http://www.fallsatimperialoaks.com/). We are in a sub-section called Mallard’s Cove (no duck-hunting allowed; I asked) which will be built out in two years and contain 100 homes. We absolutely love our neighbors, and neighborhood, and we have unofficially been named the welcoming committee, as we took cup cakes to just about every neighbor (but got to keep some for ourselves too). There are a few of us that have gotten together regularly on the weekends for movie night and dessert or just to hang out during the week. We have seen and hung out with our neighbors more here in one month than in four years in Dallas, which we have really enjoyed!

It has also been nice to live much closer to our family! We can get together during the week for dinner or just drop by to hang out. A few weeks ago we found out that my brother-in-law, Chad, got accepted to Duke University in Durham, NC for a graduate degree(s) in Divinity. He will get a second masters degree, and then plans on going straight through for a doctorate degree. Here is a picture from our celebratory dinner. Congratulations Chad on all your hard work!

It was a special Father’s Day this year since we got to spend it with both of our Dads! Here are a few pictures from Father’s Day….

Joe Hynes & Carl Cooper

Uncle Allen and Cooper playing catch.

Cooper threw the ball so hard he spun around.

Grandpa, Cooper, and Teresa making their icecram sundaes.

We have had some good times with friends and family, just going out and hanging out, going to Astros games (have been to two this year so far), and the A&M/Rice super-regional baseball game (unfortunately, A&M lost and Rice went to the CWS). Here are some pictures of the Astros game we went to with Jennifer and Cole. Did I mention we saw a Grand Slam?! That was pretty sweet!

Allen & Julie

Jennifer and Cole

(Congrats on your engagement!)

I have now been at North Houston Bank for about two months now and things are going well. I help in the underwriting and production of new commercial real estate loans. The real estate industry, financial industry in general, is still trying to work its way out of the current economic times. It is uncertain how long the current cycle will last, but things at the bank are going well. Julie started a new job last week with Reliant Energy in their corporate office downtown as a Recruiting Coordinator. It is a contract-full time position for a 90-120 day period. But so far, so good. She absolutely loves it and loves the people and culture there. And the best part is her office building is just a couple blocks from mine, so we ride to work together. I have to get used to no more Mike and Mike in the Morning (just kidding), but it is good, and not to mention saves on the gas in this crazy time. One other nice perk is we found a gym that is between our offices. So after work we meet at the gym and then head home after the traffic dies down. It is a great convenience to have!

As always, please continue to pray for the Smith Family (http://smithscooptexas.blogspot.com/). They are in Houston for radiation and other treatments for Gavin. Julie and I went to see them on Tuesday and had a great visit. Gavin was in good spirits and was so happy playing with his toy garbage truck while we made trash by ripping up the tissue paper. We are always thinking of you guys, and if there is ever anything you need, remember Julie and I work just ten minutes from the medical center, and can bring anything you need. We love you!

Next week we will have an exciting post as we await the arrival of our nephew Noah! Julie’s sister, Angie, and her husband, Ben, live in Sarasota, FL, and will be going to the hospital on Monday to be induced. We are so excited for you guys and can’t wait to meet Noah!
Again, sorry it has taken so long to post, and sorry this blog is so long. But we are doing well in Houston, and miss everyone in Dallas. May God Bless you and your family! We love you!