A Special Anniversary: Ten Years in Houston!
Monday, September 1 will not only have us celebrating our work ethic as a nation, but I will be celebrating ten years of living in Houston. These last ten years have been fast, slow, happy, sad, a whole mixed bag of emotions. And through those ten years, we've been through much, seen a lot, and hoped for the best in life.
How I got to Houston is a story in itself. For three years both my sis Sylvia and I had worked at SWTexas State as academic advisors. But the time came when both of us wanted more money, some growth, and new things. So, we both decided to embark on some major job searches, with the hope of ending up in the Austin area. But a few weeks in, the worse began to occur. First, Sylvia began to have sight problems--some double vision. She figured, she needed some glasses, ordered some and thought that she had taken care of it. A couple more weeks later, during our lunch hour from work, Sylvia noticed he mouth was crooked--the soda she was drinking wasn't really staying in her mouth. She ran to the bathroom and came out and asked, "How does my mouth look?"
That began a few more weeks of visits to the ER, lots of tests, no time for job searches. It was during this time that our sister Toni and her family had moved to Kingwood, TX. With little options for the both of us, and me not wanting to leave Sylvia's side (she had been there for me all my life, it's the least I could do), Toni invited us to Houston. In the mean time, Sylvia received an unofficial pre-diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and underwent some Solumedrol treatments. On the day of her last treatment, and after somewhere in between we had packed our belongings, we moved to Houston. It was September 1, 1998.
It took another six months for Sylvia to get better. In the meantime, I worked with the hopes of landing on my feet. And when Sylvia was given the green light, having no more symptoms of what may have been MS or some other neurological ailment, she went back to work, too.
Since then, even with some personal and professional trials and tribulations, we all were back on our feet. Whether it was working, studying and completing graduate studies, working on campaigns, we felt we had gotten on the right track. At least for me, Houston has been good to me. Of course, much is owed to our sister Toni and brother-in-law Ben for providing a much needed support system as we got to where we are now, whether it was for giving us a roof, or for not minding us raiding their wine cabinets a couple times a week.
In ten years, seven of which have been spent in Kingwood, we have also built an extended family. Of course, because we are Democrats, the first part of our family consisted of the Kingwood Area Democrats. Good people like Susan Gates, Charlene Tanner (our sister!), Gary Binderim, Sue Pilko, Martha Cottingham, Bob and Jenni Strader, Charles Hixon, The Reinemeyers and others have been the best friends we could have ever asked for. Later on, as the club grew, it was Wil Williams, Linda Abdmoulaie, Joe Montemayor, Vernon Reed, Patty Pinkley, our next Tax Assessor-Collector Diane Trautman and the rest of our Democratic crew have been a part of our family. Of course, we weren't the usual Kingwood snobs, we actually made friends in the inner loop, and mostly, because of HCDP and Democratic politics, especially folks like Muriel Stubbs, Pat Day, Leif Hatlen, Mike Kelley, and many more. (If I missed you, I still love you!)
And a few years ago when DC began, I didn't realize I'd be making friends with elected officials--even those that "hated" me upon first reading DC (State Rep. Ana Hernandez), and others who still enjoy challenging me (Sandra), and those who I just love seeing at political victory parties (Joe Montoya) and other readers--even those I have yet to meet. Not to mention all the other friends we've made along the way, like Sylvia and Toni's students! And how can I forget my fellow Houston bloggers: Kuff, Greg, PDiddie, Martha, Coby, and the rest of the gang! Then those the help me keep my radical, lefty side: Edmundo Rocha (XicanoPwr.com), Lorenzo Cano from UH, Mike Espinoza from SEIU, etc.
For these and so many other reasons, I just want to thank everyone in my life for a great ten years in Houston.
How I got to Houston is a story in itself. For three years both my sis Sylvia and I had worked at SWTexas State as academic advisors. But the time came when both of us wanted more money, some growth, and new things. So, we both decided to embark on some major job searches, with the hope of ending up in the Austin area. But a few weeks in, the worse began to occur. First, Sylvia began to have sight problems--some double vision. She figured, she needed some glasses, ordered some and thought that she had taken care of it. A couple more weeks later, during our lunch hour from work, Sylvia noticed he mouth was crooked--the soda she was drinking wasn't really staying in her mouth. She ran to the bathroom and came out and asked, "How does my mouth look?"
That began a few more weeks of visits to the ER, lots of tests, no time for job searches. It was during this time that our sister Toni and her family had moved to Kingwood, TX. With little options for the both of us, and me not wanting to leave Sylvia's side (she had been there for me all my life, it's the least I could do), Toni invited us to Houston. In the mean time, Sylvia received an unofficial pre-diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and underwent some Solumedrol treatments. On the day of her last treatment, and after somewhere in between we had packed our belongings, we moved to Houston. It was September 1, 1998.
It took another six months for Sylvia to get better. In the meantime, I worked with the hopes of landing on my feet. And when Sylvia was given the green light, having no more symptoms of what may have been MS or some other neurological ailment, she went back to work, too.
Since then, even with some personal and professional trials and tribulations, we all were back on our feet. Whether it was working, studying and completing graduate studies, working on campaigns, we felt we had gotten on the right track. At least for me, Houston has been good to me. Of course, much is owed to our sister Toni and brother-in-law Ben for providing a much needed support system as we got to where we are now, whether it was for giving us a roof, or for not minding us raiding their wine cabinets a couple times a week.
In ten years, seven of which have been spent in Kingwood, we have also built an extended family. Of course, because we are Democrats, the first part of our family consisted of the Kingwood Area Democrats. Good people like Susan Gates, Charlene Tanner (our sister!), Gary Binderim, Sue Pilko, Martha Cottingham, Bob and Jenni Strader, Charles Hixon, The Reinemeyers and others have been the best friends we could have ever asked for. Later on, as the club grew, it was Wil Williams, Linda Abdmoulaie, Joe Montemayor, Vernon Reed, Patty Pinkley, our next Tax Assessor-Collector Diane Trautman and the rest of our Democratic crew have been a part of our family. Of course, we weren't the usual Kingwood snobs, we actually made friends in the inner loop, and mostly, because of HCDP and Democratic politics, especially folks like Muriel Stubbs, Pat Day, Leif Hatlen, Mike Kelley, and many more. (If I missed you, I still love you!)
And a few years ago when DC began, I didn't realize I'd be making friends with elected officials--even those that "hated" me upon first reading DC (State Rep. Ana Hernandez), and others who still enjoy challenging me (Sandra), and those who I just love seeing at political victory parties (Joe Montoya) and other readers--even those I have yet to meet. Not to mention all the other friends we've made along the way, like Sylvia and Toni's students! And how can I forget my fellow Houston bloggers: Kuff, Greg, PDiddie, Martha, Coby, and the rest of the gang! Then those the help me keep my radical, lefty side: Edmundo Rocha (XicanoPwr.com), Lorenzo Cano from UH, Mike Espinoza from SEIU, etc.
For these and so many other reasons, I just want to thank everyone in my life for a great ten years in Houston.
posted by Dos Centavos at 8:35 PM
2 Comments:
I love you, Baby Brother! And Sylvia, too!
Houston was good to us. I am proud to report that we are making friends and raising hell in South Denton County; but Houston, and especially Kingwood, will always have a special place in my heart.
sniff, sniff . . . .
Damn you!!! now you made me cry. I am glad to be a part of 'mano as you are a part of mine.
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