A Texas Aggie in Kansas

So, my great-aunt and great-uncle are in town tonight to pick up some furniture. They live south of Houston, so I don't get to see them nearly as often as I get to see much of my extended family... maybe once a year, sometimes less often. It's always great when I do see them, though. Jack is a boat pilot, and he is one of my absolute favorite people. He is, somehow, simultaneously one of the rudest and one of the most wonderful men I've ever met. He comes off as very brash and outspoken (probably because, really, he is). But under all that, he's a sweet man who has raised a strong family and who treats my mother, sister, and me with an amazing amount of love. He and his wife, Jere, have a lasting and beautifully straightforward relationship - they tease, challenge, and love one another in a way that I hope to have with my husband (after I find that husband, I guess =)) someday.

All that serious stuff aside, the evening was entertaining. Here are some of the great snippets, showing why my family cracks me up:

(My aunt and uncle were discussing my 30-something cousin's serious girlfriend - the first one he's really ever had for more than a couple of months...)
Jere: "And she's got a sister who just moved to Missouri..."
Jack: "Well, it's her brother."
Jere: "That's right."
Jack: "And it's not Missouri, it's Tennessee"

Jere: "She's not his usual type... she's full-figured, and she's got beautiful red hair."
Jack: "You think it's beautiful? Really?"
Jere: "Yeah, don't you?"
Jack: "No! It's got no shine to it! Look at Audrey. Her hair shines. How do you get it to shine like that?"

...Later tonight, my mom decided to show them pictures of my uncle's new house. If you know my mom, you can guess that her narrating a slideshow would be pretty entertaining. He best part:

Mom: "There are the stairs... and that's an entertainment center, there in the corner... oh, and there are some more stairs. That's the den. Those are their cabinets..."

Anyway, I've got to get to bed - if I'm not up and out of bed by 6:45, Jack has promised to give me an "Aggie wake-up." I don't think I want to find out what that is.