I’m going to give you a recap of my Houston trip—not exactly a blow-by-blow, but a sort of recap, since I like to read people’s travel recaps and I figure other people do too. And of course this is the best way to share photos. :)

So I got to Houston on the 29th, the day before Patty’s first birthday! Fortunately my flight was on time for takeoff, but we did have to go around Houston to avoid some rain and ended up flying over the Gulf Coast and then back up

Everyone was on hand to meet me at Carousel 12 and I was excited—and so were they!

Patty, fortunately, did not cry when she met me (great relief). Instead she studied me very intently. You could see the wheels turning in her little head, but then it clicked (Oh wait, I’ve seen this person on the phone….I know this voice….) and she smiled and giggled for me.

Dinner was at Matt (Patty’s dad)’s parents house that night—pizza and garlic knots for all!

Here’s a cast of characters for the trip:

Diane—my cousin, who is 6 months younger than me and shares a birthday with my sister and one other cousin of ours, Jill. Her father (John) is my mom’s older brother. (he’s number 2 out of the 8 kids).

Matt—her husband, whom she met at Notre Dame. He’s a CPA and a member of the Texas State Guard.

Susie—oldest of the 5 kids. She’s 12.

Bridget—second kid, age 9

Frankie—third kid, age 6 (he’ll be 7 next month)

Johnny—fourth kid, age 3

Patty—fifth kid, just turned one (we know Patty, right?)

Beppo and Wilma—the cats