Registry, After-Ike, and More!

Wow, kudos to my mother for catching the typo in the wedding post! Apparently I managed to state that we got married in May, but it's not May yet. So that has been corrected - March 27 is what it now (correctly) reads.

For those of you who grew up playing board games, I apologize. I do not mean to insinuate that board games are irrelevant or intimidating, but growing up with a sister who could take Greek mythology and turn it into a board game that not even the gods could win... well, I prefer Scrabble (or hiding under the bed) to a game of Monopoly. That said, this weekend was full of exciting firsts; our first Easter, our first trip to High Island/Boyscout Woods, a few life birds (none shared), our first look at Bolivar after Ike, and our very first physical wedding gift. Now there are some remarkably dear and wonderful people who have contributed to the "Matt and Heidi" honeymoon, reception plans, you name it.. and now we've got Apples to Apples. My long-lost semi-college friend Chad is a poet/actor who teaches school groups about poetry and has shown up in Texas more in the last 3 years than I've made it to IL or NC. Since he was in Houston over the weekend and knew that I'm a huge fan of Apples to Apples, it worked out nicely that I didn't own the game. He even picked the most eco-friendly wrapping that he could - his arms! Before you cringe, he was holding the box. Very tree-friendly!

That brings us to the official registry. By popular demand (or threat, perhaps?) we've pieced together a registry. The idea is basically that we really don't need much in the way of "things" so much as we'd definitely appreciate sponsorship of the adventures facing us - for example, the condo in FL is an amazing opportunity to explore the Everglades, we just need to get there! Hence the registry promotes gift cards for Southwest Airlines. Of course, at some point Matt and I will actually be living together, but between his collection of kitchen things and my amazing stockpile of mixed linens, we can definitely get by. Also for the "getting by" - we added a "donate" button for the blog! Ideally contributions will help us sustain this blog in terms of practical support, like camera repair for when my camera's preview button finally explodes.

It should be noted that the birding route for Sat/Sun was the I-10 Trinity River rookery to Anahuac NWR to High Island. The evening break was with my dear and wonderful friend, Michael, who no longer lives in IL (he was my escape from campus while I was at Prin), but instead is constantly adventuring about as a guide for Tropical Birding. From High Island, we gawked our way down the peninsula and Yacht Basin Road before having our first Easter lunch together in a quiet, romantic corner of a Galveston Island Taco Bell. Immediately following our table selection, the place was swarmed with screaming children. After hugging my folks in Clear Lake and visiting with some friends that might as well be family, we headed back north and west to Katy, for the visit with Chad and our dear friends/quasi-family, Charmaine and Collins Ganson.

Soon to post:
* Photographic evidence of the Ike-ness and travels.
* Species accounts for weekend sightings & respective life birds.
* Shameless promotion for Tropical Birding.
* More shameless promotion for Tropical Birding.