Orange Streak
We are very proud of our home-town team the Houston Dynamo. Traveling across Europe this Winter and Spring watching matches was a special treat for us but we knew that getting home and seeing the Dynamo would make for another great summer here in Houston. Our friend Allen, a Swansea native, taught us a valuable lesson about football on our travels. You can really never have as gratifying a relationship than that which comes with supporting your home-town team and those feelings came right to the surface when we traveled to Dallas last Fall to see the Dynamo win the MLS Cup. And although we each support Swansea City FC in Britain, we were anxious to get back home and watch the Dynamo defend their MLS Championship.
Our first match of the season came on June 3rd against our in-state rivals FC Dallas, a match the Dynamo won 2-1. And since we've arrived back stateside,the Dynamo have won 5 consecutive matches in spite of being without top players Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario who have been away on international duty with the US (Clark and Ching) and Canada (De Rosario). If only we had this effect on Swansea City they may have made it to the playoffs and be standing at the door of the Premiership for the first time since 1983-84.

Somewhere In-Between Depression and Apathy
When we left for Wales last December, we knew we'd miss out on quite a few movies we'd want to see. Not that we couldn't go to movies while in Swansea, we just had better things to do. So when we got back stateside, we were excited about renewing our Netflix subscription and getting stuck in watching movies.
Exciting, right!? We thought so.
Well, for some reason our list has looked like this: The Departed, Last King of Scotland, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Apocalypto, and Blood Diamond. To say the least we are a bit shattered in the mind. I could take time to count the death that came from these movies but I don't want to dedicate that kind of time to such an end. Although I can tell you that we have reached a new low in the house, such a low that we may need a Reno 911: Miami-type movie to straighten us out. Watching The Chronicles of Narnia was a good start, but even that movie had its moments. Not to mention that we've concluded that Hollywood is more interested in selling you stars than selling you good stories.
Jackass 2 has been moved to the top of the queue.

We Are So Boring
There is a calmness about life in the suburbs, a boring calmness that is ironically unsettling. Homebodies is a word that could apply to us, but boring is how we feel. A big television to suck away all energy we have left after a work day and to take your whole Sunday away watching the 107th installment of the US Open. I guess its all worth it when you get to spend the time with loved ones, and it was raining most of the day Sunday so thats a good excuse. But we look around the house and its dog, cats, trash day is Wednesday, lawn mowing once a week...such an order to things, an almost crippling order. We miss the waking up on Saturday and looking at each other saying, "Brecon Beacons today," or "walk on Swansea Bay?"

Barker Street Gourmet Dog Bakery and Boutique
I've been working lately on getting things going on my new business venture, Good Neighbor Pet Sitting (link on the right side of the page), and I've met some nice people and found some great local businesses while making my rounds through the neighborhoods. A great place I discovered was Barker Street Gourmet Dog Bakery and Boutique.
Ever thought of how bored your dog must be with the bland and tasteless treats they've been eating? Frank and Jay over at Barker Street Bakery did, and started a doggy bakehouse and confectionery worthy our own finicky sweet tooth. They also have a colorful selection of accessories for the most discriminating dog lover. They have it all!
Another business right here in The Woodlands that cares deeply about your pets diet, Barkers Street Dog Bakery and Boutique is located at 442 Sawdust Road in the same shopping center as the VCA Woodlands Animal Hospital. Stop in and get that delicious cannoli you know your pooch has been craving, Trigger loved his!

A Great Wiikend
Armando and Rebecca made our weekend extra special by coming all the way from Pennsylvania for a visit we wished would never end. We spent our days catching up on our busy lives we've made since we last saw each other and found some time to reacquaint ourselves with our grill along the way.
Dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant Teotihuacan was the first order of business with good margaritas, flameados, burritos, enchiladas and salsas making the perfect beginning to the weekend. Drinks at another Heights favorite, Onion Creek, were a nice way for A&R to spend some time with some of our other Houston friends before we disappeared to The Woodlands for a while.
Saturday was a day in for us here at home, with a big breakfast to keep us energized through a day spent playing the incredibly fun Nintendo Wii. A early dinner of grilled burgers and kebabs followed by Blue-Bell's Homemade Vanilla ice cream and cookies put us in the mood to relax and watch a movie.
Sunday was Dynamo Sunday. Another meal with memorable significance, Whataburger's breakfast taquitos, was enjoyed prior to a grand day out of tailgating, grilling, drinking and parking lot soccer. The match itself was a fine way to get back into the grove here at home and in spite of a good start the Dynamo went down early. Ricardo Clark inspired a return to form with a goal and an assist to snatch a victory over their in-state rivals FC Dallas. It was a hot day in Houston but winning has a way of cooling you off during these dog days of summer.
Sadly we had to say goodbye to our good friends, full of hope for another time we might have the opportunity to see them again. A great weekend with great friends, who could ask for more?