Catching the sunset on Galveston Island, Texas after making the first sales for our business.

It is Day 2 of the Texas Association for Student Special Services Programs (TASSSP) conference in Galveston, Texas and DreamCatcher Curriculum has just sold our first products, only 29 days after scrambling to start our business in time for this event. Walking along the beach on Galveston Island, taking in the gorgeous sunset, hearing the waves splash against the rock pier, the feeling of pure joy is hard to contain. If we didn't have dinner reservations half an hour from now, we would likely be skipping down the shore with our bare feet in the sand. But dinner sounds pretty good given our current famished state. Sitting at the vendor booth all day, we learn for the first time that eating lunch as an exhibitor is complicated. Leaving the table (with products out in the open as part of the display) isn't really possible. Thus we eat little snacks throughout the day and look forward to eating dinner someplace yummy. Tonight, our someplace yummy happens to be Gaido's.

Gaido's is a fresh Gulf seafood restaurant that opened in 1911, located right on the water (on the other side of the road from the beach). They have been serving the freshest of seafood all these years later with family recipes and house-made sauces, seasonings, and desserts. Historic Galveston photos line the walls and the place truly feels like a piece of local history for the island. We settle into our window table and order one of everything off the menu. Kidding! Although in our advanced state of hunger (just this side of "hangry"), we feel a proper feast is due, splitting two different Gulf fish entrees on special (smothered in sauces of Gulf shrimp and crab), along with sides of shrimp "peques" (bacon-wrapped jumbo Gulf shrimp stuffed with jalapeno and cheese). All of that followed by Gaido's famous pecan pie (pecan is the state pie of Texas!) served warm with ice-cream (so famous it ships worldwide and is made nearly nonstop around the Thanksgiving holiday). This place checks all the boxes: delicious, historic, and scenic location. A Galveston must-stop.

Before and after dinner, we take time to explore a few historic Galveston sites. Although we missed open hours for a tour, we couldn't leave the island without laying eyes on the incredibly ornate 1888 Bishop's Palace, cited by the American Institute of Architects as one of America's 100 most important buildings. This mansion is an architectural treasure for Galveston Island, even surviving the devastating hurricane of 1900. The intricate architectural details are stunning, though we didn't tour inside (which didn't stop us from peeking in a window or two). On the corner across the street is the stark white Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which was destroyed in the 1900 storm, but rebuilt in 1904. Like Bishop's Palace, the church is a Texas Historical Landmark. Seeing those alabaster octagonal towers and dome in the evening sunlight set against the deep blue Texas sky... it's a sight to behold, indeed. Plus, the palm trees in the courtyard are a sweet reminder that we're on an island! Our last historic destination this evening is The Grand 1894 Opera House, which is a quick drive-by to glimpse the ornate arched entry. The Opera House miraculously survived the 1900 storm and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One last mention about Galveston history: the seawall. If you read the last blog entry, or know anything about Galveston Island, then you're likely aware of the horrific hurricane/storm that killed 6,000 residents and nearly destroyed the city back in 1900. In an effort to prevent this level of devastation with future storms, Galveston worked from 1902 to 1963 constructing a massive seawall to protect the city from surging Gulf storm water. This monster of a wall is 10 miles long (7 miles of which is on the beach), 17 feet high, and 16 feet thick at its base. The wall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

A section of the Galveston Seawall, which makes for a lovely beach-side trail for bikers, runners, walkers (and tourists!) to stretch their legs and catch a view of the Gulf. Steps lead down to the beach.

Day 3 of TASSSP starts with presenting a conference session, Finding a Creative Spark to Ignite TRIO Curriculum, and we are pleasantly surprised by the number of attendees (additional chairs had to be brought in... we packed the room!). Although told to expect 40 people, we prepared 50 sets of materials and STILL ran out! That didn't stop attendees from standing in the back (without materials), sticking around to hear our presentation, which is well-received, with excellent participation. We even took a few minutes to sneak a peek at our session evaluations and they are glowing with lots of positive feedback. What a relief to have this kind of response! The two of us combined have presented multiple times (at state, regional, and national TRIO conferences) but this is the first time we've presented together, and it truly feels comfortable. As professional colleagues and friends over these many years, this venture is a natural progression of our working compatibility and partnership. Individually, starting a small business may not have been possible, but together? We have accomplished so much! Inexplicable little happenstances continue to intersect perfectly to help this venture along, and that intensifies our devotion to making DreamCatcher work. Even more sales are made today, which provides an epic sense of satisfaction after coming all this way. Tonight we celebrate Texas style. Giddy'up.

Time to kick up our boots and check out the Houston Rodeo, pardner. The world's largest rodeo and livestock show perfectly timed to coincide with our trip to Texas for DreamCatcher. Yee-haw!

After changing into the appropriate attire (denim dresses and boots, ya'll), we took a mosey up the road to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo! We made it in time to walk around a bit, grab a barbecue baked potato (seriously, that's a thing... shredded BBQ brisket piled onto a fully-loaded baked potato with extra BBQ sauce... wooo-weee!), and see the grand opening parade, complete with epic national anthem and fireworks show (for real) inside the NRG Park Stadium in Houston. The events include all the good cowboy (and cowgirl) action you can imagine: barrel racing, bull riding, bareback bronco riding, steer wrestling, roping, mutton busting, and chuck wagon racing. This night had a nasty wagon crash that sent one of the drivers to the hospital and caused a horrific horsey pile-up that had us covering our faces, peeking through fingers, fearful to see the worst. Thankfully, no horses were injured, but it was an unnerving event to witness nonetheless. Houston Rodeo stretches over several weeks and each night features a different country music artist or band to perform. Tonight The Band Perry closed the evening, which was juuuuuust enough country for us (we may be country girls, but country music isn't really our scene). All in all, it was a fantastic conclusion to our Texas adventure. Tomorrow we hit the road for Kansas!

The Stars at Night Are Big and Bright (Deep in the Heart of Texas)