Cru Woodlands Wine Bar

We've actually been to Cru in the Woodlands quite a few times & I just haven't had the opportunity to take pictures & gather old photos for the blog. They are located in a great area of the Woodlands- right on the Market Street town square. Perfect for shopping & to people watch at they cruise the strip.

The serve a full menu & have some smaller snacks that they offer. including some great cheese plates. The bar is a great place to sit & I like that you can see all the wines in the cooler on the back wall.

There are a variety of wine flights that they offer & several times a week they have specials/events that add a nice variety. Sign up for their email newsletters to find out about all the fun stuff or see their bars in other cities (Denver, Austin & Dallas).

The restaurant/bar is decorated nicely, with touches of a wine theme all around. The cellar is visible on the wall & they have enlarged wine labels to poster size for the walls. A great bar, usually very busy & very active. It's convenient to meet up here with our friends before or after dinner somewhere else in the Woodlands.



Our first trip was actually last Christmas when we met up with some friends at night & the Christmas decorations added to the ambiance nicely.

And just because the night included some funny stories & I'll always remember being there with these two, I had to put this photo in the post.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: John has had 2 surgeries in 2 days to remove blood clots in his leg and hopefully will come home tomorrow feeling much better.

30th Bash

My 30th birthday came and went with a bang- unfortunately, it's just now making it to the blog. I took the day off work, and I spent a few frantic hours working on the house after my morning run. Hubby took me to The Oceanaire for a delicious meal before heading to the airport....

...to pick up Stephanie! She flew all the way in from Philly to celebrate with me!

H was kind enough to take us out dancing on Washington Ave. and we ended up at Pearl Bar.

It was an interesting night to say the least - I even got my name in lights!

Nothing like dancing with your best friend & the love of my life to make for a wonderful evening.

I've officially known Stephanie for 12 years & we've been friends for over a decade. We've danced in many club across the country through the years ;)



Saturday night we had a small get together at a wine bar for all our friends & family to celebrate both of our birthdays- H was turning 33 on Monday.



Luckily for the gentlemen, they served beer too.



His stories crack everybody up and bring lots of laughter all around.



My husband tells good stories & talks a lot with his hands.



My dad's birthday present was finishing up our kitchen remodeling- it was SOOO good to have it done!



It was great to have all the same friends & family with us from the wedding and everybody enjoying seeing one another.



Lots of smiles all around...



H picked up some scrumptious cakes from Dessert Gallery.



Friday was also Liz & Laura's birthday (plus Liz's daughter Allison & their cousin), so we celebrated all the April birthdays.



It was the perfect evening- a few light snacks, some wonderful bottles of wine and a lot of love in the room.






So this is probably the best part of the night- Mark decided to give us a palm tree for our new house & we were stuck taking it home that evening.



It just really didn't fit too well in H's car with Stephanie in the backseat. We were laughing so hard about the whole situation that there were tears rolling down my eyes.



In addition to the new palm tree, H finally found himself some real boots that he liked. All in all, 30 is wonderful. I've got an amazing husband, wonderful family, great friends, a fabulous job, and a lots of other things in my life that make me happier than I've ever been before. I can't wait to see where the next few years lead my life.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: It's 58 degrees in Santa Barbara this morning & I can't wait to go out for a run.

Crawfish Party

Two weekends ago (see- I'm not THAT far behind on blogging....well, except for February-April!), we hosted our first party at our new house & it was a crawfish boil!



After an absolute deluge on Friday night, it kept raining Saturday morning. The 3 car garage came in handy & we setup one of our camping shelters. Curtis & his buddy John showed up early to get things cooking.



MMMM! Sausage and potatoes....the corn was around somewhere too.



This is what you do when you are in your 30's and own a home- stand around taking about landscaping options!



There were a whole series of hysterical shot & this was the most appropriate one to post.



The lovely ladies were there too...



Making it a full seafood day- Curtis brought oysters to grill & my mom made shrimp & crab gumbo.



These two were extra happy because they heading out for a 7-day cruise the next day!



We set up tables in the garage & invited all of mom's neighbors to come over too.



Mark is a master shucker & was attempting to teach my hubby out to do so...



...without much success!



Luckily, these babies were yummy with melted butter & some cheese!



My husband can't understand why he had no luck! I just love that exasperated expression- I see it often!



Sue brought some delicious desserts.



Thank heavens we'd installed those extra fans in the garage & it stopped raining when cigar time came around.



James is the awesome neighbor!



Hot steaming crawfish...dozens and dozens of pounds of them.



Time to get down to business...I don't eat crawfish very often because I am generally too lazy to peel them, don't like the giant mess & can't get full on those tine guys.



Then rain eventually cleared out and the guys made their cigar circle in the driveway.



Mark retold his engagement story in the Florida Keys- it was priceless.



Matt was trying to remember all the lessons Mark learned from the proposal.



John was just laughing at all the guys mayhem and madness.

When the pineapple shots came out again, we knew it was a great party!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Travelmania- Seattle in June, Philly in July, South Caroline in August, and Mexico in October...can't wait!

Mia's Throne

I was a little nervous about taking Mia camping, but once she learned how to lounge in the chairs...it was all cake!



She always managed to snag the nicest, most comfortable chair.

And then she's position herself to get the maximum sunshine.



She was initially relegated to this little chair before H showed up with the rest of our chairs.



Toes and tail hanging off..it was a wee bit too small.



She only knocked it over (fell off??) a few times before mastering a new, important skill.



She'd get situated just so perfectly and then..



...suddenly be distracted by a bird or a bug and get all catwywompus again.



And finally just went to sleep...



All in all, Mia did great camping! I'm certain Zoe enjoyed spending time alone with my parents and being Mia-free for a few days.

Photos taken ~May 1, 2010 Mia 11 months old

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My first free Saturday in AGES- no hubby, no work, no chores, no parties...just going to relax and get caught up!