Today was our last full day in Houston, and it was a little slower than the previous days, which was definitely a good thing, as Julie and I are starting to tucker out a bit.  Today we started out at the Ecclesia plant in the Woodlands where Katie and Emily go to church.  It is a very cool church, currently housed in a space rented on Sunday mornings from another church.  They have a separate building that was originally used for just the youth.  The worship was definitely nice and loud and contemporary and the pastor had a good message.

After church we went back to Katie and Emily’s apartment for lunch and some time in the pool.  Trav is nursing a sunburn, so he wanted to wear a T-shirt in the pool to make sure it didn’t get any worse, but he forgot to bring one to their apartment, so he borrowed one from Emily.  His first attempt at finding the correct shirt didn’t go too well.

This will haunt your dreams

Luckily, he found something more appropriate and we got to hang out in the pool and then headed back to the Maddock’s for Tikka Masala – a new recipe recommended by Maggie and Beth, from the Pioneer Woman.  This was a fantastic recipe and is something you should try immediately.  Tonight we are turning in early, as we have a full day of travel back to Stevens Point tomorrow.  I wish we could stay longer….

Today was another packed day in Houston.  We got up and ate breakfast and talked with Joann and Jim for a little while and then met some friends of Emily and Katie (Joe, Allison, Ashley), and Emily’s cousin Shawn and went to downtown Houston for the afternoon.  The first stop was a place called Central Market, where we got an infamous sandwich.  Julie mentioned this same sandwich when she was here in March. Definitely worth the pilgrimage.  This was another crazy cool market with all sorts of specialty foods, including an entire row of olives, and tiny pineapples.

Olives

Mini pineapples

We got our sandwiches, ate them at the store, and then transitioned over to the Fine Art Museum.  At only $7 ($3.50 for students like Trav), it was definitely worth it.  They had tons of historical and regional art, and although Julie and I aren’t exactly art experts, there was new stuff to look at and appreciate, and recognizable artists like Monet and Pollock.  Very cool to see this stuff in person.

There was tons of sculptures from 1000 B.C to 500 A.D., and it was really cool to see art that old.  There was also a ton of religious art from Italy, 1400-1700 or so.  The next picture is extremely sacrilegious, but I just couldn’t resist giving Jesus a high five.  Can’t leave a Savior hanging like that.

I know, I know.....

The artwork was pretty amazing throughout.  I definitely liked the more modern, stylized stuff better than the older art.

"The Elder Sister" Her eyes follow you around the room - creepy...

Keanu, is that you?

Julie liked this one

The art museum is actually stretched between two separate buildings, with an art installation “tunnel” connecting them.

After the art museum, it was back to the Woodlands for a dinner at the Guadalajara.  I had empanadas to start, and beef tacos for the main course.  Julie had an enchilada and a tamale.  All pretty good, with a definite Tex Mex slant to things.

The group at dinner

Trav and Emily at dinner

Empanadas

Tacos

After dinner it was off to the Target parking lot to watch fireworks.  It was kind of weird that everyone sat in the parking lot to watch the show, but it definitely was a good vantage point.  Katie had the best seat in the house.

Preshow entertainment

Katie's seat for the fireworks

Overall another jam packed day.  Kind of went south at the end as Trav, Emily, Katie and Julie watched “One Tree Hill” and I was stuck having to endure it.  I am still bitter, but I consider it payback for the “Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus” debacle.