I took Peggy to her very first Mardi Gras Ball last night. The Karnival Krewe de Louisiane apparently lowered their standards and allowed me back into a Mardi Gras ball for the first time in many years. Suckers…

I used to attend balls when I was a teenager living in Louisiana. The Mardi Gras balls are kind of a Louisiana-specific debutante ball, and there is usually a “court” of young girls whose parents paid a lot of money for them to be part of the festivities. The young ladies need escorts, so a teenage dude with a tuxedo can find himself at some pretty good parties. I guess I attended my last ball when I was about fifteen. It’s a little different as an adult, especially when you realize how much the parents are spending for their girls to participate.

As always, Peggy looked amazing and attracted many glances from other attendees. I’m pretty sure most of the looks were of the “What is she doing here with him?” variety, but I’m good with that because, you know, she was there with me. Scoreboard.

The interesting part of this ball is that they had an indoor parade as part of the celebration. Most times the parade is an outdoor event. Since it was 35 degrees outside we were quite pleased that the parade was inside the convention center, though the smell of exhaust fumes hung heavy in the air for a while.

We had a blast with work friends, but Peggy nailed the night with her description — an air-conditioned tailgate party that you have to dress up to attend. Each table provides its own food and drink, so you eat and drink whatever you and your friends bring with you. The best part of the evening is after all the ceremony is over and the band comes out to play. They were awesome so we got some good dancing in before we headed out at a reasonable hour.

I think Peggy might even be OK if this is her last Mardi Gras ball, too. I’m glad she got to attend one, but I am certainly not looking for more balls to attend. In the immortal words of Roger Murtaugh, “I’m getting too old for this…”

Peggy grew up in the Dallas area and I moved there when I was 15. We lived up there until 1995. We don’t talk much about living there since we left so long ago, but we have many close friends that still live in Dallas. One of the hidden blessings of Peggy’s frequent trips to Dallas to be with her mother is that we get to spend time with friends, too.

We have two sets of friends in Dallas that have been very meaningful in our lives. With one of the couples we have spent either New Years or Independence Day together for the past 25 years. With the other we spent Christmas Eve together almostv every year we lived in Katy. This weekend we got to see them both.

JR and Sue have been friends of ours since our children were still babies. They have two sons that are a little younger than Mike, and no matter where we have lived William and David have been among Mike’s closest friends. This weekend David got married, so his wedding was the catalyst for our Dallas visit.

Scott and Amy returned to Dallas from Katy a couple of years ago. Peggy was actually in All-Region Band with both Scott and Amy during high school, but we didn’t really become friends until we all lived in Katy. Since we were all usually involved in the Christmas Eve services at church, we developed a tradition of having dinner together afterward. Scott and Amy have three daughters, the oldest of which is the same age as Mike, so we always have had much in common.

The rehearsal dinner was fun, the wedding was beautiful and it was a great day. Of course, you never get to spend enough time with the parents of the groom, but it was a wonderful time and we saw a lot of old friends.

Then we went and met Scott and Amy for drinks after the wedding celebration was over. It wasn’t Christmas Eve dinner but it was so great to see them and spend some time together.

The best thing about old friends is that when you get together you just pick back up where you left off the last time you saw them. It was a tremendous opportunity to spend some quality time with people we love. And we got to visit with Peggy’s Mom while we were in Dallas.

A great start to the new year.

I run the Regional Office that is in the same town as our Corporate headquarters. It is an odd arrangement because both offices are in the same town but are in separate locations. So, when we have meetings at the Corporate office I “travel” in for the meetings like my counterparts in the other regions.

While I was preparing for our Leadership Conference this week, the CEO called me and asked if I could come into Corporate early and meet with him. I was honored to receive the Leadership Award at last year’s conference, and at this year’s conference I have to make a presentation to this year’s winner — I assumed this was what Rich wanted to talk about. Since Peggy and I just got back from Louisiana on Friday and my boss was not in the office on Monday, I was already planning to get to the Corporate office early today to tell Steve that I am leaving the company.

I showed up at headquarters this morning about an hour before my meeting with the CEO and my boss was not in the office yet. When it was time for the meeting with Rich, Steve had still not arrived, so I went down to meet with Rich.

Rich immediately launched into a conversation about an upcoming project that he wanted me to lead. I felt I had no choice but to break protocol and tell him that I was actually giving my notice to leave the organization. I told him how much I regretted leaving, but the family situation with both my father and my son was just too much to pass up. He was obviously taken by surprise — as I have been by this entire turn of events — but he was exceptionally gracious about everything. I explained to him that I had not been able to have the conversation with Steve or my staff yet, and I asked him for the opportunity to do so before we began our meeting. I told him I would be back in time for my presentation and left to meet with Steve.

Steve was just as surprised and equally gracious. I love working for this company, so the decision to leave has not been made lightly. I told Steve I feared that if the announcement was made at the Leadership Conference then my staff would hear about it before I had the chance to tell them myself. He agreed and told me to go back to my office and notify my team before they could hear it from anyone else.

I’m such a baby. I cried when I told my folks I am leaving. I have poured seven years into this place, and it is emotional for me to leave. I have only been working with this group for about seven months but they have made incredible strides in a short time. It is hard to walk away from something that is working so well.

I went back to the Leadership Conference and made the presentation. When I was finished Rich surprised me by coming up and announcing to everyone that I was leaving and giving me his blessing on the new venture. Yes, I cried again. It is that kind of thing that makes it hard to leave, but I know I am doing the right thing for my family.

This organization will not miss a beat. I will miss them more than they will miss me. I was dreading the conversations I knew I was going to have today, but everyone was so gracious that the day was not nearly as difficult as I expected. But I am exhausted!

I am staying through the end of the month so I will have time to say the rest of the goodbyes. Today was a very necessary start.

People in Texas spend their entire lives wanting the opportunity to live in Austin. Some of them come here for college and enjoy it so much that they want to get back here. Some of them come to visit and think how much fun it would be to live here all the time. Others want a lifelong career lying sideways in the public trough.

Then there is Peggy and me. We have really enjoyed it here and now we are talking about leaving only six months into the adventure. We have the cool apartment, the downsized life, access to all the cool things Austin brings to bear.

This weekend we went and did some of the things we love here in Austin. We took Allie and climbed up to the outlook over the river. We went to the Iguana Grill, one of the few decent restaurants in the area that actually looks out over Lake Travis. Great food, gorgeous sights, even in the midst of the drought.

And we talked. The company in Louisiana wants me to come back to Baton Rouge for another meeting, and this time they want to meet Peggy, too. A supportive spouse is incredibly important in the role I will be filling and they want to make sure Peggy is OK with the move.

Peggy is worried about this development. I am thrilled. She is absolutely my secret weapon — once they meet her there is no way I won’t get the job if I want it. I have always said that she is the most concrete proof of my sales acumen. Like most wonderful women, she really doesn’t know what the fuss is about. It’s part of the reason that everyone who meets her loves her.

Peggy and I were again scheduled to go to Mexico for a week. The company wants to have the meeting while we were planning to be gone. Since that means I will not have to take extra time away from my current job — which is very important to me — Peggy and I altered our plans. We will once again be going to Cajun Mexico for several days, with an important side trip over to Baton Rouge for one of the nights. I’m glad we get to stay at L’Auberge all the time because it really comes in handy when plans change.

We’ll see what happens next. For now we are enjoying Austin for all it’s worth.

When you grow up going to the beach in Alabama and Florida, the beaches in Texas take a little getting used to. I moved to Dallas when I was fifteen, and everybody talked about going to South Padre Island. I had been to Galveston and to Corpus Christi and was not impressed with the beaches, so I was not too interested in going to South Padre, even for Spring Break.

I went back to Louisiana for college and we would travel to Gulf Shores or Destin, the “Redneck Riviera” and the “Emerald Coast”. It wasn’t like I was turning up my nose at South Padre, but I never went.

When Mike was about nine I had a business conference on South Padre Island, so I took Peggy and Mike and made the trip. It really is a beautiful place — at least when Spring Break is not going on. The most memorable thing that happened was watching Peggy and Mike on the beach trying to get back to the hotel with his inflatable boat. I had just gotten to the room and was looking out of the window at the two of them coming back from the beach. A huge gust of wind came up and lifted both of them off the ground. Fortunately, neither of them was injured, and they didn’t lose the boat! 

My company hosted a meeting on South Padre for one of our large customers this week, so Peggy and I returned to the island for the first time in several years. We came down a little early and spent a couple of nights so we could enjoy it without work encumbrances. We are staying right on the water. This is the same time of year that we were here with Mike, which means it is a wonderful view but it is still some kind of windy.

We had a great time the last couple of days exploring the area and seeing all of the things that have changed since our last visit. Two hurricanes hit the island in 2008 causing significant damage. This is our first trip back since the hurricanes, so there have been a lot of changes. A lot of the properties look brand new, some because they are new and others because they required significant repairs after the hurricanes. The builders and planners have done a wonderful job of making the island look great while retaining the original charm of South Padre.

I’ll be working the next two days while Peggy relaxes. She deserves all the relaxation she can get, and this is a beautiful place to do it. We have a dinner tomorrow night that is her only obligation, so she is free to do whatever she wants to do.

Life is always good at the beach.

Today was a true blessing.

The Minnie Pause ladies performed for an amazing crowd at First Baptist Church of Houston. The ladies in the audience were ready to have a good time, and that always gets the cast going. There were a few men there, too, but this was a women’s event and the ladies were fired up about it.

The members of the cast were there long after the show ended taking pictures and sharing with the attendees. It is amazing what will be shared in this environment, and many times the only appropriate response is to stop and pray with someone. It is wonderful to watch, and it really does help. When your message is “Joy 4 Life’s Journey” it is important to embody what you are singing and acting out.

Usually, once the pictures are taken, the cast will change out of their costumes and wigs (you can see why!) before we leave. Today was different, though.

A long-time close friend of ours is dying. He and his wife have had a rough few years. Their son was born with special needs and died a couple of years ago. Rick and Patti were supposed to be able to enjoy some time together after going through that tragedy. Instead, more tragedy has followed. Watching your friend die is tough; watching your spouse die is almost too much to imagine.

Patti has attended several shows, and when we found out Rick was back in the hospital today we decided to go see them. After the show we decided that we would do so in costume. I was sure it would lift Patti’s spirits, and I know Rick well enough to know he would think it was hilarious to see these ladies walk in wearing gaudy makeup and two-foot-high beehive wigs.

The reaction was just what we expected. We visited and talked with Rick and Patti, and then Rick asked if we would sing. The sounds that came out of that hospital room sounded like heaven to me, and we attracted quite a crowd that just wanted to come see and hear what was going on. Rick was moving his lips right along with us, and I know his heart was singing to beat the band.

These kinds of moments are special. This is the heart of what being involved in a ministry is all about, and I am privileged to serve with people who gladly take on the responsibility. Sometimes joy is easy, but often joy is difficult. The joy on Rick’s face today is something that I will remember for a very long time; something that I will remember every time I think of Rick.

We love you, Patti and Rick! God bless every step of your journey.

It’s pronounced like the color.

That’s the first thing you learn when you move to Texas. The Gruene Dance Hall has been operating since the 1870s, and some of the greatest names in Texas music have played there over the years. I saw George Strait there before he was famous, and I saw Pat Green play one of the best shows I have ever seen. You can go any day, but we like to go on Sunday because the shows are usually free.

Gruene is now basically part of the town of New Braunfels, about forty-five miles south of Austin. Peggy likes to go down, look in the shops, eat at the Gristmill and just hang out. Since our Friday night date got interrupted with more important news of our son’s pending nuptials, I decided to take Peggy down to Gruene after church to celebrate in style.

The weather was a little overcast but not too cool for shorts (it is spring in Texas, for goodness’ sakes), and the shops are always too cool. We walked around and listened to the music from the Hall, then we went to eat at the Gristmill. It is right along the river and used to be a working mill, but it is much more popular as a restaurant. You can sit inside or outside if the weather is pretty. Today they weren’t seating people outside. The only problem with sitting inside is you can’t hear the music, but the view of the river and the food are a good consolation prize.

When we were younger Gruene was where we would come to ride inner tubes down the river. When we got a little older we would come to New Braunfels to visit Schlitterbahn with Mike. In this area you can ride the Comal or the Guadalupe River, and the section of the Guadalupe right behind the restaurant is where we used to get out of the river. It was fun sitting here today and reliving some of those memories. It is sometimes hard to believe we have been together for more than thirty-three years to have all of these memories together. I’m counting on at least thirty-three more.

But I am not getting back in that river anytime soon. That water is cold!

Every once in a while you get to do something that is truly memorable.

A couple of years ago we did a Christmas show at the Stafford Opera House in Columbus, Texas. It is a beautifully restored turn-of-the-(last)-century theater that hosts touring plays and musicals each year. We were honored to appear on their stage, and the audience really enjoyed the show. Apparently they enjoyed it enough that the Opera House invited us back to do our “regular” show as part of their season package this year.

There are real benefits to doing the show in a theater. In many of our venues my most important job is figuring out how the stage is going to be set up to accommodate our show and the necessary props. In this theater that is not a problem. Well, maybe the stage is a little too big, but we aren’t going to consider that a problem.

The show tonight was incredible. Frequently our audience is mostly women, which is understandable since we are hired by a lot of women’s groups to come perform for their events. Tonight the audience was basically half female and half male (the makeup of the room, not of the individuals in the room).

I have always said that men enjoy the show at least as much as the women, at least once they get permission from the misses to laugh. Every once in a while one of the men will laugh a little too loud or too long and will get a little side-eye from his neighbor, and we do see an occasional elbow. But most of the time the ladies are laughing too hard to notice what the men are doing. 

Tonight’s audience was ready to have a good time from the jump. Every time we asked for a little audience participation the husbands were encouraging their wives to get up and dance, and several of the men joined the conga line along with their wives. When the show ended we had several of the men tell us they had never had more fun going to a live show, and for the first time I can remember we had as many men as women waiting in line to take pictures with the cast.

It was hard telling everyone goodbye when it was time to leave. Nights like this are so much fun and are why our group is so close-knit.

Laughter is good medicine. We all got a good dose tonight!

One of the things I knew I would miss about leaving Houston is the rodeo. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest rodeo events in the world, and Peggy and I enjoyed it immensely each year.

Now we have moved to Austin, and my company is one of the sponsors of the Austin Rodeo. Of course, it is not nearly as big as the Houston Rodeo, but, hey, this is Texas. So it’s big enough. The rodeo takes place for two weeks every March. The rodeo season kicks off each year with the Rodeo Gala which is a charity fundraiser, art auction, dinner and show. Peggy and I were lucky enough to attend the event tonight.

We got there early so we could walk around the art auction and make our silent auction bids. Some of the pieces were really amazing, and some of them were very rodeo-centric. Fortunately, we were not the winning bidders on any of the pieces on which we had bid. I was relieved. We enjoyed a great dinner with wonderful conversation and then kicked back to be entertained by Gary Allan.

If you don’t know who Gary Allan is you are probably not a country music fan. He has been around for about the last twenty years with plenty of hit songs. He plays a lot in Texas, even though I think he is from California. I don’t hold that against him.

We stayed while Gary played, we danced a little bit, but mostly we just enjoyed the event. I love when Peggy has the opportunity to dress up. I learned a long time ago that the heads aren’t turning to see me, but she never even notices. I do. And I love it.

The rodeo this year has Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson to go along with all of the hot, young country acts. It may not be Houston but I think we are going to enjoy it.

We sure enjoyed tonight…

I’m never quite sure how some traditions get started. I have also noticed that you really only have to do something twice before it becomes a tradition.

Since we moved away from Dallas in 1994, a tradition has developed where we see our close friends, JR and Sue, most years for New Year’s. It actually started when we lived in Dallas because we would usually go out with a group to celebrate New Year’s. Once we moved JR and Sue just liked keeping the tradition going, I guess.

I’m sure the fact that all three of our boys were such close friends had something to do with it, too, but the tradition has continued even now that the kids are grown. We aren’t always able to ring in the new year together, but we try to get together as close to the beginning of the year as we can. This year, they came down to Austin to see the new place and to visit.

Peggy has been scouting out the places she wanted to show off on the initial visit, so we had to go up to Mt. Bonnell for the view over the Colorado River. It really is an impressive sight that is a little surprising since it is almost in the middle of Austin. Here is a picture of Sue and Peggy from the top of Mt. Bonnell:

JR and I were up there, too, but the pictures with all four of us make it impossible to see the view! It was a perfect day to be outside and seeing sights with friends.

The only problem with the visit was that it wasn’t long enough, but we take what we can get. We haven’t lived in the same city for almost twenty years now. We are used to making the most of quick visits whenever we can get them! It is a little easier now that the kids are grown, though.

We don’t get tired of showing people the sights, so come on down to visit! And Happy New Year!