A Very Lucky Girl

Htown is the best town. Or at least one of the best. As much as I dislike Texas for their disgusting burnt orange team-BOOMER SOONER-I am falling in love with a humid city. The six hour drive is well worth it when I see the skyline appear out of nowhere in my windshield.  My fall break with my father was far too short, but we crammed all kinds of fun into two short days. He made gumbo a few days ago and I thrived on the leftovers as soon as I arrived. The next morning we set up my membership with him at the gym, settled some bank accounts, and watched "Hope Springs" with Meryl Streep after another meal of gumbo. I give it about 3 stars. Wonderful message about pushing through marriage even when it sucks, but about 8 sex scenes too many. It's Murphey's law: if you are watching a movie with a parent, it will depict uncomfortable, cringe-worthy scenes.  On Friday night we dined at Black Walnut and headed to the House of Blues for the Bosom Ball, a breast cancer awarene...

I have a new address. A new place with which to answer the question, "So, where are you from?" Houston is my new home.  My dad and I moved into the new house over the Labor Day weekend. It's in a great location, close to countless yummy places to eat (I think I gained 10 pounds in 3 days), and also near a great running park (in order to counteract those yummy eateries).  Houston is only about an hour and a half away from Beaumont, so I'm looking forward to being so close to Moriah over Christmas break and summer. My elementary school friend, Nick (except now he's Mathison and I keep getting it wrong!), will graduate from Rice in May and he introduced me to a great new church I'm looking forward to attending more often when I come home.  There's a lot of looking forward going on. I can't change the events that brought me to Houston. They are in the past. But over the years and moves, I've become a pro at making the most of where I am, physically ...

I love so very many things about traveling. I love every kind. The kind where you walk somewhere. The kind where you drive to a new state. And especially the kind where you get your wings and fly across state lines.  Airports seem to disintegrate social divides, even with notions of first class and coach. Everyone is on an equal playing field, dependent on the airlines for a schedule. Real life is suspended in an airport terminal. When I flew to Baton Rouge to visit Mimi and Didi, I met the nicest characters on my return flights. One rather large man had the unfortunate privilege of sitting next to me in a middle seat. He wedged himself into the space and I graciously offered him the armrest, but stubbornly held on to my window seat winnings. He made small talk, offering that he was traveling back from a Bachelor party in New Orleans with a large group and had once upon a time wanted to major in English Literature. After take off, I inserted headphones and lost myself in round af...

Let me introduce you to my sister, Moriah Jo Cregor. She is my main gurl. My ride or die. The Anne to my Diana. The rat to my weasel. The sane to my crazy. My junior year prom date (I don't take just ANYBODY to dances). My maid of honor if I ever get hitched (we signed contracts in blood. Okay, red pen). A model snapchatter. A model, in general. A senior year nursing student who undertook the topic of Addison's Disease for her final paper. We've been best friends for 6 years. But it never feels that short.  I told you she was a model! Dillard's prom dress shows are the best runways around in Beaumont, TX. Remember that time we got haircuts at the Galleria during our trip to Houston for our Sweet 16? Remember that time we color coordinated for the Valentine's Dance? Remember those times we showered together after pool adventures? Remember that time Numero Ocho was GREAT at softball? Remember that time we spent break time being silly...

Once upon a time (a week ago), in a city fairly close by (Norman) a girl and a boy woke up at the ungodly hour of 3:15 AM to begin the drive to Galveston, Texas in order to embark upon a dream cruise. Tyler and I met the rest of his family across from Riverwind Casino and fought the urge to get caught up in some wake-up slots. I settled into the front passenger seat as Tyler's brothers, Josh and Chris, slid into the back. I attempted to nap in a few unnatural positions, but to no avail and grew increasingly frustrated. My mood is often directly related to the amount of sunshine in the mornings and the pitch black night sky made Tyler's typically endearing air guitar tendencies begin to grate on my nerves. As the McKee brothers began to quote Arrested Development among each other, I jammed on my headphones and jabbed at the volume to wake up Carly Rae Jepsen. Could I get a girl to call me maybe? I knew the exact moment that we hit Houston, not only because of the HEB on ever...

My trip back to Beaumont brought on a serious case of dejavu. Moriah and her mom met me at Houston Hobby airport and we made the trek back to Beaumont, guided by the light from the oil refinery factories. #homesweethome. We crossed Taylor's Bayou (it's a real place), passed Gator Country, and my old home. The new inhabitants have really let it go. There was a PLASTIC swing set just dangling off one of the frequently tp'd trees while the walkway was nearly invisible through the overgrown bushes. Respectful way to treat my old abode. If they hadn't been obviously home (open garage depicted a mini van holding court) I would have had no qualms about sneaking around back for a quick dip in the delectable pool. On second thought, who knows how many kids have peed in that thing since I've been gone. I woke up on Moriah's floor on Saturday morning and was instantly transported to high school. Was Friday night a football game at Legacy in autumn followed by the typic...

Going to take a week off from blogging. It's vacation time for A Very Lucky Girl. I already watched two gentlemen in front of me on the flight to Houston drink themselves silly in a 45 minute period. I'd almost be impressed if I wasn't judging them (just being honest). I'm languishing in memory lane in Beaumont, Texas for a few days. Woke up to a delicious thunderstorm, and Moriah only 3 feet away. What more could I want? 2 years in a city (can Beaumont be called a city...?) doesn't sound like much, but it revealed some true friendships. The kind that can be maintained with minimal effort, the kind that only change for the better everytime you're together. It's been 2 years since I've last experienced this town. I'm thrilled to see familiar faces and eat Nevrosky's. I'm sure to learn a few lessons on this adventure, and A Very Lucky Girl won't be selfish with new insights. But you'll have to wait a week. XO