The Friday Five, 11/1/24: 5 things I've been up to this week

We are somehow already in NOVEMBER, and the weather is reflecting it: yesterday I think it was around 70-75 degrees, which is unusual for October, and today the high is 56 (brr). 

Fire Whip show at TX Ren Fest

What I've been up to this week:

1. Traveling to Houston, TX. This was our third year making this trip—the first year, we were dating, the second year, my husband and I were engaged, and this year we are newlyweds! (and no, this was not our honeymoon ... that's still TBD) 
   We arrived on Saturday and grabbed lunch, and then drove to my husband's friend's house, where we stayed the night with him and his girlfriend, who were great hosts. He cooked us a brisket for dinner, and then on Sunday, we all went to the Texas Renaissance Festival (more on that below), for my 3rd year there, which is always a lot of fun. 
   On Monday, we did the Houston Aquarium and dinner at Taste of Texas, which is always a treat, and on Tuesday we did a quick lunch and then had to head to the airport (only a 3-night trip). 
2. Texas Renaissance Festival. And yes, before you ask, it's THAT RenFest, the one recently documented in HBO Max's Ren Faire, which was wild; IMO a lot of it was overdramatized but I still enjoyed it. This is my 3rd year going to TRF—the first two years it was as media, unfortunately this year they did not approve my application so we had to pay for tickets. It's always super fun and there is a lot to see, do, and eat, although this year I only had pierogies, a bit of kielbasa, and a cheesecake slice on a stick (yum), plus a lot of mead. Don't forget to stay for the fire show and fireworks at dusk, also. The theme last weekend was Halloween, so it was fun but a little unusual to see people dressed up in Halloween costumes there; generally it's more renaissance-style clothing. 
3. Dining out. Our first meal in Houston was at Lupe Tortilla, which we had a few years ago but this was a different location; we ordered the tableside guac again though, which was great, and also beef fajitas, which you order by the pound (or half-pound). At RenFest, we surprisingly didn't eat that much, that Sunday, and on Monday, we had lunch at BB's, a Cajun place, and dinner at Taste of Texas. I highly recommend Taste of Texas—from start to finish it's always a fabulous experience, and they let you choose your own steak in the butcher shop area in the back, which is also unusual. Make sure to let them know if you're dining there for a special occasion, too, because they will take your photo and give it to you as a keepsake to take home; we now have three years of photos from them!
   On Tuesday, right before the airport, we had lunch at Freddy's, which is a chain, but it was my first time there. I had a smashburger and cheese curds, and IMO it gives Culver's (my fave fast food) a run for its money, although Freddy's needs to have pretzel bites to be fully comparable.
4. Houston Aquarium. This was our first time there, although we had been to the one in Kemah, which is similar—they're both owned by Landry's, which is actually a restaurant group (they own Morton's in the Detroit area). Both locations have a restaurant that you can dine in—we dined at the one in Kemah, and my husband went to a friend's wedding at the Houston one a few years back too. I believe aquarium admission was about $16.99 each, and we spent about 2 hours there, including a bit in the gift shop and also petting stingrays, which is included in the ticket, so I didn't think that was a bad deal (however, parking was $15...). 
5. Avoiding election mail. Regardless of whom you're voting for, I think we can all agree that there's been TOO much election mail and texts—I normally vote via absentee, but the ballot I received had my maiden name on it (I've already legally changed it to my new married name), so I am going to go in-person for the first time in years and vote this Tuesday. However, I am tired of all the mail, including some handwritten postcards, which was interesting.

Jellyfish at the Houston Aquarium