The Ultimate GiveAway is Coming!

Who doesn’t like FREE stuff?  I personally love free!  Thrive Church loves free also.  To illustrate Thrive’s belief that “The Best Things in Life are FREE!” they are launching a new series on September 12th called The Ultimate GiveAway.  In case you haven’t heard about this yet, they are giving away $250,000 in FREE prizes during the 3 week series!  You read that right.  Thrive Church is giving away one quarter of a million dollars in free prizes from September 12 through September 26th.  And get this…there’s NO CATCH!  You don’t have to be a member of the church.  You don’t have to have ever gone to a service there before.  You don’t have to ever go to a service there again if you don’t want to.  Here’s the scoop…

Thrive Church has collected donations from local businesses to share with the community.  Every family who attends a service during The Ultimate GiveAway will receive a bag of prizes.  Additionally, drawings will be held for “Big” prizes…things like HD TVs, bicycles, iPads, vacations and even a motorcycle.  All you have to do to be eligible to win is attend one of the services.  Crazy, huh?  Not for Thrive.  

Started in the Spring of 2009, this church likes to do things non-traditionally and out of the ordinary.  Previous speakers include former Major League Baseball player Marlon Anderson and strongman Dennis Rogers (recently featured on the History Channel’s series “Stan Lee’s Superhumans”).  Thrive is non-denominational and come-as-you-are (seriously, you can wear shorts here and it’s really okay).  The music is live and loud with a mix of contemporary Christian, Rock & Pop.  Everyone is welcome regardless of your background or church experience.  And the messages are crafted to be fun, engaging and relevant to everyday life.  According to Pastor Tom Elmore, “The Ultimate GiveAway is about showing people that the best things in life really are free.  And what better way to illustrate that point than to give away a bunch of great free stuff?!”

If you’d like more information about The Ultimate GiveAway or Thrive Church, visit the Thrive website.

(Full Disclosure: we’ve gone to Thrive since it began.  One thing it is not…boring!)

Festival Season is Coming!!!

As we near the end of August each year one thing always springs to mind.  No, I’m not talking about the beginning of the new school year.  I’m looking forward to Festival Season!! 

As the Texas weather begins to cool off just a tad, the local festivals kick into high gear.  These events are the perfect opportunity to grab your family and friends and build some memorable traditions.  We make sure to hit as many of these as we can every year.  What are your favorites?

Katy Rice Harvest Festival – It’s hard to believe that this is the 30th Annual occurrence of this fun event!  They have it all:  craft booths, food, games, rides, entertainment…all right in Historic Downtown Katy!  October 9 – 10, 2010.

Fort Bend County Fair & Rodeo – Entertaining local families since 1933!  The Ft Bend County Fair is 9 days of fun:  carnival rides, nightly rodeos, concerts, livestock shows, art shows, food,…it’s a County Fair!  September 24 – October 2, 2010 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.  Click Here for discount tickets.

Waller County Fair – Katy resides within 3 counties which means that we’re close to 3 County Fairs!  The Waller County Fair has been going strong since 1945.  Rodeos, carnival rides, entertainment, food,…they’ve got it!  Think you’ve got the world’s best BBQ recipe?  Maybe you should enter the BBQ Cookoff.  September 25 – October 2, 2010.

Harris County Fair – The youngest of our 3 local County Fairs, the Harris County Fair is also the shortest in length.  But they pack a lot of stuff into a few days.  Calf scrambles, stick horse races, mutton bustin, livestock shows, and a BBQ Cookoff.  At the Houston Farm & Ranch Club at Bear Creek October 20 – 23, 2010.

Houston Hot Sauce Festival – They say some like it hot.  If that’s you, then check out the 10th Annual Houston Hot Sauce Festival at the Stafford Centre.  This is your chance to sample some of the best, most unusual, and yes in some cases hottest sauces around.  Go early for the best selection and to vote for your favorites.  And the music is pretty good too!    September 18 – 19, 2010

Dewberry Farm – Have you ever been lost in a giant corn maze???  It’s an experience everyone should have at some point in their life.  And thanks to the folks at Dewberry Farm, you don’t have to go far to begin your great corn adventure!  Just West of Katy in Brookshire, Dewberry Farm opens every Fall with tons of activities in addition to their fantasticly humongous cornfield maze.  Check out Golden Goat Bridge, pig races, rubber duck races, and singing chickens.  Blast pumpkins, shoot corn cannons, feed goats, rope calves, enjoy hayrides and mini train rides…there are enough activities here to keep the family busy all day!  The season opens September 25, 2010.

Katy Wine Fest – Wine lovers are represented again this year with the 5th Annual Katy Wine Fest hosted by Rotary Club of Katy Sunrise.  This is a charity event at Agave Road featuring live music, silent and live auctions, great food and, of course, wine tasting.  October 28, 2010.

And the great festivals aren’t just limited to West Houston, Katy and Brookshire!  Art lovers should definitely check out the Bayou City Art Festival (October 9 – 10, 2010) and Galveston’s ARToberFEST (October 16 – 17, 2010).  If you like learning about cultures, the Grand Taiko Concert (September 17 - 18, 2010) and the 32nd Annual Festa Italiana (October 15 – 17, 2010) are for you.  The Wings Over Houston Airshow is always thrilling (October 23 – 24, 2010).  And the Ballunar Liftoff Festival is simply amazing, especially when they light all of the hot air balloons at night (October 29 – 31, 2010).  And last but certainly not least:  No list of Fall Festivals would be complete without including the granddaddy of them all:  the Texas Renaissance Festival (October 9 – November 28, 2010).

There are so many things to do in the coming months that I’m not sure it’s even possible to hit them all!  But I hope you’ll get out there and choose a few to enjoy.  And let us know…which ones are your favorites?  What others should everyone know about?

Weekend GetAways: New Braunfels

Whew!  The last few days have really been scorchers for us!  We had such a great response from our first Weekend GetAways post (Galveston Island), that I thought we’d do another…this time let’s look at a beautiful part of the state full of rivers, shade trees and history…New Braunfels! 

From Katy, head West on I-10 to begin your adventure.  Ask anyone who has lived in our area for a long time, and they probably have fond memories of time spent on the rivers in the New Braunfels area.  The Guadalupe and Comal Rivers offer a refreshing, relaxing escape from a hectic week.  Here are some of our favorites places to go and things to do in this part of Texas…

Mountain Breeze Campground.  Family owned & operated by our long-time friends, Mountain Breeze is located on River Road right on the banks of the Guadalupe River.  Offering cabins, RV sites, and tent camping, these guys are also your full source for tubes and rafts for your trip down the river.  Other amenities include fishing, lighted volleyball & horseshoe pits, and hot water showers.  Their sports bar & grill has a deck overlooking the river.  If you like to camp or you want to float down the Guadalupe…this is your place!

Gruene Hall.  Texas’ oldest dance hall!  Gruene Hall was built in 1878.  The list of entertainers who’ve performed there is like a historical who’s who in Texas music.

The Gristmill River Restaurant.  Located in historic Gruene, next to Gruene Hall, the Gristmill makes its home in what was the boiler room of the old water powered cotton mill built in 1878.  Sitting on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River, this place is a destination of its own…and the food is good too!

Natural Bridge Caverns.  Recognized as a national natural landmark, the caverns were discovered 50 years ago by spelunking college students.  They offer several different types of tours…everything from the popular walking tour, to lantern tours, and even adventure tours.

Schlitterbahn.  No discussion of things to do in New Braunfels is complete without Schlitterbahn!  Featured many times on the Travel Channel, the original Schlitterbahn Waterpark is a true Texas gem.  Launched in 1966 and opened in 1979 by the Henry family, this is the world’s first “water resort”.  Arguably the first family of waterparks, the Henrys created the first surfing ride, the first uphill water coaster, and the first tidal wave river.  Schlitterbahn is still family owned.  The New Braunfels parks now cover 65 acres and include the original section Schlitterbahn West as well as Blastenhoff and Surfenburg at Schlitterbahn East.  And get this…parking is FREE, tubes are FREE, life jackets are FREE and you can bring in your own picnic!

Other family activities in the New Braunfels area include the New Braunfels Railroad Museum, Landa Park (featuring paddle boats, mini golf, mini train rides and walking trails), the City Tube Chute (billed as the longest tube chute in the world) and McKenna Children’s Museum.

And on your way to and from New Braunfels, don’t forget to follow the famous beaver signs to Buc-ee’s on I-10 in Luling…known for their clean restrooms and jerky of all kinds (“except beaver”). 

Safe travels!

Weekend GetAways: Galveston Island

Can you believe we’re already in mid-July?!?  Even though summer is flying by, it’s not too late to take the family on a weekend getaway!  As natives of the area, we grew up visiting our coastal neighbors:  Surfside…Jamaica Beach…and of course, Galveston Island.  Over the years we’ve seen some old friends shut down.  Gone are the days of Sea-A-Rama Marine Park, and a few of our favorites (like Fullen’s Waterwall) were taken out by Hurricane Ike in 2008.  But even as “The Island” works to rebuild following the beating it received from Ike, it remains one of our favorite nearby family getaways.

I’m always surprised by how little some folks around the Katy Area know about Galveston.  In the past 2 weeks, I’ve had this conversation twice!  So why not put it out there for everyone?  The Island is a lot more than beaches!  So if you’re looking for a quick day trip or mini-vacation, here are some Galveston classics you won’t want to miss!

Cafe Michael Burger.  Sitting on the West end, a little past the end of the Seawall, Cafe Michael Burger features awesome gourmet burgers and German food.  It’s an interesting menu combo and it works!

La King’s Confectionary.  Stepping into La King’s is like stepping back in time to the 1920′s.  They make their own candy using century old equipment…very cool.  And their ice cream is phenomenal!!  Located in the historic Strand.  We never miss a stop at La King’s! 

Magic Carpet Mini Golf.  On your way out to Cafe Michael Burger, check out Magic Carpet Mini Golf on the Seawall.  2 18-hole courses with some of the neatest obstacles we’ve ever seen on a putt-putt course!  Outsmart an ostrich, shoot through a cannon…we usually have so much fun here we play both courses. 

Texas Seaport Museum & the 1877 tall ship Elissa.  Next to the Strand, in the shadow of the cruise ships sits the Elissa.  This, my friends, is NOT a replica…she is the real thing built in 1877 and open to tours.  Parts of the museum are still being restored, but rates are discounted.

Seawolf Park.  A favorite from my childhood (we 1st visited shortly after the arrival of the vessels)…Seawolf Park offers tours of a World War II Submarine (the USS CAVALLA) and the USS STEWART…one of only 3 WWII destroyer escorts still in existence. 

Still Rebuilding After Hurricane Ike:  We are anxiously awaiting the reopenings of the Galveston Island Railroad Museum (“the largest railroad museum in the southwest”) and the Galveston Rail Trolleys.  Watch their sites for restoration information.  These are GREAT family activities!

The fun doesn’t stop there!  Galveston has Duck Tours, the Lone Star Flight Museum, the Grand 1894 Opera House, the Moody Mansion, Schlitterbahn, Moody Gardens, and “the oldest continually operating library in Texas”: Rosenberg Library.  And if you’d like to take a longer vacation, Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean sail out of Galveston!  In fact, it was on one of those cruises a few years back that we met Debra, the owner of Cafe Michael Burger…and fittingly enough, we met her when we were assigned to the same table for dinner!

For more info on things to do and places to stay in Galveston, visit Galveston.com and the Galveston Historical Foundation.  So, now you know our favorites?  What are yours?

Profile on Katy Business: Athletic Nation

Travel to the corner of Cinco Ranch Boulevard and Mason Road and you will find Athletic Nation, a full-service fitness and nutrition education facility staffed by experienced, licensed personal trainers who believe in one-on-one attention.  And they have an interesting story on what brought them here…

Will Denyko, Owner: Athletic Nation

Owner Will Denyko is an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Iraq.  His post-military career began in oilfield services during which time he found himself moving through New Mexico, Louisiana and Texas including the Houston area.  It was during this time that Will began to gain weight.  When he had trouble physically fitting into areas that were required for his work on oil rigs, he knew he had to make a change.  Through months of research, Will learned to change his nutritional habits and began to exercise.  As his health and physical appearance improved, friends began to ask him for guidance and advice.  Will saw an opportunity to help others change their lives, and decided to pursue formal education to become a personal trainer. 

While he was working as a professional fitness trainer at a large national gym, Will met fellow trainer (and Mayde Creek alum) Adrian Gonzalez.  Will and Adrian share the belief that working with a personal trainer should be about more than just a 20 or 30 minute appointment running through exercises.  They started Athletic Nation to provide personal attention to each client, to learn their goals and their history in nutrition and fitness…to answer questions and provide guidance…to teach proper form and nutrition.  Denyko and Gonzalez believe that time spent with clients in one-on-one counseling is critical to success.

The Athletic Nation model is based on what Will and Adrian believe are the “3 Keys to Success:  Dedication, Motivation & Determination”…all things that folks tend to apply to the education and

Adrian Gonzalez, General Manager: Athletic Nation

career facets of their lives, but often forget in regard to their health.  So what can you expect when you walk in to Athletic Nation?  personal consultation with a Certified Fitness Professional, nutrition education, fitness assessments, 2-3 weeks of foundation building followed by re-assessments…a full, truly customized fitness program based on mini-goals and progress.

Perhaps Will says it best, “It’s not a body style change, it’s a lifestyle change”.  

Are you ready to change your life?  Athletic Nation is located at 2944 S Mason, Suite F, Katy, TX 77450 (in the Compass Bank strip center at Cinco Ranch Blvd).  Call them at 281.693.3656 or visit their website:  http://www.athleticnationhtx.com.