The Lonestar State

As much as I've traveled around this great country of ours, I had never really experienced Texas.

Yes, I've had layovers in the DFW airport, but we all know that doesn't count.

And yes, I did the Longhorn 1/2 Ironman in Austin, Texas (see my blogpost here), but I was on my own and most of what I did was focused on my race.

So this time I went to Houston and spent time with my friends Sarah and Clint and their family. True Texans, and just as kind and generous as Texans are rumored to be.

First fun experience was seeing downtown Houston, eating dinner, and going to a Rockets game.

We saw a barn-burner, and the Hornets eventually beat the local team in overtime, but we enjoyed the whole thing!

The we met up with more friends for some lounging and then clubbing. Apparently, the night scene is pretty localized to one street, so that was definitely the place to be.

Here's Clint (right) with friends at our first stop.

Sarah gettin' her cute smile on with some of the other gals.

If I were being as wacky and exuberant as Sarah and Clint in the pic above, then this picture would be a good representation of how much fun we all had during my time in Houston.

We hit up several places during the night, including a legit dance club (think minimal lighting, loud DJ music, and a disco ball) and a country dance (full-on barn-style, and they definitely played "Footloose"). The Houston night scene, though not massive, has some very good spots. Or maybe it was just the great people I was with. Either way, I'm good with it.

As we were heading over to chill with the whole family, we drove past Sarah's favorite ice cream shop: Tutti Frutti. It's one of those shops where you get to put on whatever toppings you want, and you pay by weight. So tasty!

We met up with the friends to go see "Black Swan" movie (featuring Natalie Portman--so hot), and that provided excellent fodder for stimulating conversation for all of us over dinner and in the hot tub back at the parentals' later.

After a really good church service on Sunday, the family took me to try some authentic Texas BBQ, and let me just say, it did not disappoint. I'm a believer now.

Thanks to Sarah and Clint and the whole family for taking care of me and showing me such a great time in the Houston area! You've done your state a great service by being wonderful ambassadors!