Texas Tour

Before our Texas Tour, we spent a day at the Masters with our good friends Luke and Meredith Dalzell. Meredith won a lottery for 4 tickets on the Wednesday practice round, and they invited us to join them.  It was awesome.  Pictures really don't do the course justice.  We had a great time with the Dalzell's as always.  Meaghan, our former nanny from North Carolina, came down and stayed with the boys one night, while we went to the Masters.  Meaghan had not seen the boys since they were 18 months old.  She was happy to see them.  She is awesome with the boys and we didn't want to let her go back to North Carolina.  She escaped.

Just telling them how awesome we were playing!

Amen Corner

Meredith, Luke, Megan and Brian at the Masters

We are back from an extended tour of Texas. To quickly sum it, our itinerary included: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Beaumont, Ballinger, and Dallas.  So now an extended version.

We all flew into Houston, where Megan's parents met us at the airport.   They took the boys with them to Beaumont, and Megan and I drove to Austin to visit our good friends Will and Carrie, and their two kids Jett and Lucy.  They cooked us an all Texas meal, including drinks.  Will was unable to have any Keystone, which was hard for him.  We had a great time with them and their kids.  Lucy is 4 and she is sweetheart.  Jett is a week older than CoCo.  I never really understood how wild our boys are until we were around little Jett.  He was so calm, quiet, and sweet!  We were amazed at his lack of interest in breaking everything within his reach.  Don't get me wrong, our boys are sweet, just not in a calm sort of way!

Will, Brian, Megan
Lucy and Jett

This is our group of Tejas friends back in 2005
Ann and Clint Vincent, Carrie and Will Etheredge, Meg and Brian

After spending time with the Etheredges, we stayed a couple of days with Uncle Craig and Aunt Sherry in Lake Travis.  They were kind enough to show us around the area, as we scouted out potential places we may live in the future.  They were able to provide us with some good insight on what to expect in the upcoming years with CoCo.  Craig and Sherry have three boys.  Scott, Kevin, and Kyle.  Scott is one year older than Kevin and Kyle, who are twins.  They can truly empathize with what it is like having multiple toddlers at once.

After Austin, Megan and I drove to San Antonio for my yearly endodontic conference.  We had a great time seeing friends and enjoying all the food and fun the RiverWalk has to offer.  After 5 days in San Antonio, we drove to Beaumont to see Megan's family, and to meet back up with the boys.

We were both very excited about seeing the boys, after a week long separation.  It was a happy reunion!   Their vocabulary had increased significantly in the week we were gone.  Patt (Marmi) and Butch took the boys to Clayton's baseball games, and Cooper went to Clayton's school for lunch.  Butch (aka Pappi) took them for multiple rides on the lawnmower.  Aunt Paige and Cousin Will were there to help and play with the boys all week.  We all celebrated Uncle Wade's birthday at Outback the night before we had to leave.  

CoCo with Pappi and Marmi at Calder Baptist in Beaumont

CoCo at Pappi's dental office in Beaumont

CoCo with Dominoe the rabbit

The boys eating their snack at Marmi and Pappi's house

CoCo with Marmi, Will, and Clayton before Clayton's baseball game

Aunt Paige walking the boys

After a night in Beaumont, we made the 8 hour drive to Ballinger to visit my parents.  We had a good time in Ballinger.  The boys rode the lawnmower with GranStan and played with new toys with GG.  We also visited my grandmother and grandad, Bunka and Jim Bickel.  We had dinner at the Turnrow in Rowena.  The boys got to see some horses and trucks.  Both a big hit.   The visit was short, but we had a great time.

GG and GrandStan with the boys

Cole riding the Buckin Bronco while Cooper adjusts his Cowboy hat

CoCo with Uncle Brad

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Four Generations of Bickels.  Brian and Cooper, GrandStan and Cole, and Jim Bickel

After Ballinger we made the 4 hour drive to Aunt Blythe's and Uncle Fred's house for one final night in Texas.  Blythe is just a few weeks away from her due date.  She is expecting a little baby boy.   Fred and Blythe made an awesome fajita meal as our last dinner in Texas.  We flew home the next day.  The boys were pretty rowdy on the plane ride home, but fortunately we were surrounded by understanding people (mostly grandparents)!

Vacation and Visitors

A lot has happened since I last posted anything.  Megan and I took a much needed trip to St John in the US Virgin Islands.  The island was beautiful and not too crowded.  75% of the island has been set aside as National Park Land, so most of the island is undeveloped.  Meg and I went kayaking/snorkeling on our last full day there.  We saw a number of beautiful fish, as well as some wild donkeys, which apparently are all over the island.  A number of people have asked us if we would return to St John in the future.  I doubt we will for a few different reasons.  Megan and I really enjoy seeing and enjoying new places, so the thought of returning to a destination does not really appeal to us much, knowing that there are so many other beautiful places to see.  Also, for me St John lacks a lot of the culture that I think you get to experience in other places, because it is a US Virgin Island.  This may sound weird, but I felt that it lacked the unpredictability you find in other places such as Mexico.  I'm not talking about the, you may get shot, kind of unpredictability, but the kind where you end up buying an iguana from a random kid on the street, kind.  Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful and safe and predictable.  Many people love that.  We met numerous older couples who had been returning there year after year for 20 plus years.  Because we were fortunate enough to live and travel in Europe, we have really been able to define what we enjoy when we travel.    

Solomon Beach - Only way to get to the beach is by hiking trail or boat.

View from our Room at Estate Lindholm - Highly Recommended

View of Cruz Bay from Estate Lindholm

If anyone is interested in the B&B, you can find some good info at the following link:  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147410-d291427-Reviews-Estate_Lindholm-Cruz_Bay_St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

My mom (GG) and her friend Donna Koehler were kind and gracious enough to come and spend 5 days with the boys so we could get away.  They had a great time with the boys.  Donna had our yard looking beautiful when we returned from our trip!  They took the boys to Cracker Barrell one night for dinner.  They said that while they were eating, someone in the next room was coughing loudly.  So loud that they said it sounded as if the person was choking.  Apparently Cole, who is very good at mimicking, immediately started making the same coughing noise over and over, and he was still doing it when we returned from our trip!  We cannot thank GG and Donna enough for taking such good care of the little guys, and allowing us to take our vacation.  Brett came down for the St Patrick's Day celebration in Savannah.  The next day he took mom and Donna to Charleston, where they enjoyed a couple of days of much needed relaxation, before flying back to Texas.  

GG with the Boys in Savannah

Mom and Donna - Notice how nice Donna had the yard looking.  Thanks Donna!

The day after mom left, Paige and her boys, Will and Clayton, arrived for a 5 day visit.  Megan really enjoyed spending time with her sister and nephews.  The boys and I were able to play some basketball at a local outdoor court.  Paige was sooooooooo excited to see CoCo.  She and Will and Clayton had a blast with the boys.  They all went to Forsyth Park one day, and we all went to Tybee island another day.  The wind was blowing very hard when we got to the beach.  It didn't slow Cole down though.  He quite enjoyed walking into the stiff wind and watching all the kite surfers who were out that day.  Cooper was less enthusiastic about the strong winds.  We had a good meal at AJ's Dockside restaurant.

Paige with Cole at Tybee Beach.  Clayton and Will are playing in the sand.  

Megan with Cooper on a windy day at Tybee Beach.

I just returned from Charleston.  I went up for a day to spend time with Brett.  We pub hopped all around Charleston, and watched a couple of the NCAA tournament games.  We had a really good time just hanging out together.  Neither of us could remember the last time just us two had hung out.  Megan celebrated the birthday of Michelle, one of our good friends here in Savannah.

We really appreciate all the love and support from all our friends and family, who have helped out so much the last few years.

The quote below captures what I desire to experience every time we travel somewhere new.

"Day by day we lose some of our restlessness and absorb some of the spirit of quietude and ease that is in the tranquil atmosphere about us and in the demeanor of the people."

                         -Mark Twain  The Innocents Abroad

More pics of our recent trip and the boys can be found at http://bickel.smugmug.com

Spring has Sprung

Cole taking it all in.

This week was a good week for us and the boys.  Both boys are well on the road to recovery from their latest snotty noses and coughs.  When one gets sick we always know that the other will not be far behind.  We know the course the sickness will take, and in a way this is comforting.  As GI Joe always said, "Knowing is Half the Battle!"

Yesterday we spent much of the day at Forsyth Park having a picnic with some friends.  It was a beautiful day.  Overcast, and not too hot or cold.  Just right.  Rain was in the forecast but we lucked out and stayed dry.  The boys loved being outside.  They love to run free!  We spent much of our time trailing closely behind as they went exploring, always there to keep them from biting small dogs or little girls.  James Shaner (in pic below) and Michelle came over for dinner.  James is an excellent cook, and he prepared a French meal for all of us.  The menu (all prepared from scratch):  French Onion Soup, Scallops, Roasted Beets, Scallops on top of a carrot puree.  It was delectable!

Our friends the Michelle and James Shaner (left) and Mandy Waterman (right).  Mandy's husband Doug is currently deployed to Iraq.

Coop carrying grapes to his new buddy David Muccioli.

Just happened to catch a photo of these guys taking part in a citywide game of "Capture the Flag."  Gotta love Savannah!

 Our spring is quite busy. Meg and I will be taking a five day trip to St John soon.  My mom (GG) will be coming out, along with her friend Donna to watch the boys while we are gone.  We are excited about the trip, but I know it will be tough being away from the little guys for that long.  We are fortunate to have family willing to keep the boys.  Megan's parents will be keeping the boys in April when we attend the American Association of Endodontists Meeting in San Antonio.  We plan on making stops in Austin and Ballinger while in Texas.  It is time for us to start considering places where we will eventually settle down.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  We are going to the Masters in April.  Our friends the Dalzell's scored some tickets, and invited us to come.  We are pumped about this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The rest of the pics from our picnic can be seen on our smugmug site, along with thousands of other photos.  Just look in the feature gallery at  http://bickel.smugmug.com

With all the upcoming St Patrick's Day festivities about to kick off here in Savannah, I figured I would include a photo from St Patty's Day in Dublin in 2007.

St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin
 

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
- Mark Twain Innocents Abroad

Primero

We are fortunate enough to be surrounded (I use the term loosely) by friends and family who truly are interested in our lives, and more specifically the lives of Cooper and Cole and how what they do affects us.  I decided to start this blog to allow those who wish to see more pics, hear more stories, and keep up with Team CoCo, the opportunity to do so.

Grandmother and Dandy (My mom's parents), who are in their mid 80's, recently flew out to visit us and the boys.  They continue to amaze Megan and I with their adventurous spirit.  The boys as always loved the attention, and so did their great-grandparents.  It was sweet to watch the loving give and take of affection between the boys and Dandy and Grandmother.  There were many special moments during their stay.  The morning when the boys raided Dandy's room before he was out of bed, and he insisted that I put them on the bed with him.  I did, and CoCo attacked him with the fervor they are famous for.  Dandy loved it, and was sad when they didn't wake him up the next morning!  Grandmother and I spent over an hour in the backyard with the boys.  She sat in the yard on her walker, and the boys played peacefully together (this is rare) for over an hour, periodically coming over to love on Grandmother.  She soaked it up.  It was a special moment.  I am fortunate to still have all my grandparents, all of whom have met the boys.  They have all influenced my life in different and positive ways, and I love them for that, So THANK YOU Dandy, Grandmother, Jim Bickel, and Bunka.

Boys attacking Dandy in Bed

Special time with Great-Grandmother

Brian, Grandmother, Dandy, Uncle Brett, Megan at the famous Forsyth Fountain

Megan is in Dallas at Blythe's baby shower.  Meg has had a 4 day reprieve from hurricane CoCo, while I have been getting some good Daddy time with the boys.  They are a full time job.  I know what you  are thinking, "how do you have the time to write this blog, and where are the boys?"  NAPTIME!  This is the only time you get a break with these guys.

We went to Forsyth Park yesterday and had a great time.  All the flowers are starting to bloom.  Unfortunately, the boys are allergic to just about everything, including the dogs they insist on petting.  Snotty noses and coughing will be staples of spring for CoCo.  Fortunately we have plenty of Savannah Bee Honey on hand to quell the coughs.

Meg comes home in a few hours, and we will all be ecstatic to see her.  Cooper has been looking for her ever since she left.  They love their mom, and so do I!!!  My flagship blog.  This wasn't so bad.  I hope you all enjoy.  Pic of Forsyth Park down one of our favorite lanes.

Pic at Forsyth Down one of our Favorite Lanes.  We'll call it CoCo Lane!

"Life's a garden, dig it!"