Party guests at our 10th-anniversary celebration last week got a glimpse of the media spotlight when The Face Exchange took their photos and put them on miniature magnetized Buzz covers to take home.

A good many of the party-goers had been on actual Buzz Magazine covers already, but this version of their magazine pic is better for refrigerator-sticking.

Click on the photo below to start the slide show and see how many of our cover models you know.

“3.95 out of 4.0 in Electrical Engineering, with top grades in Digital Logic Design, Quantum Theory and Advanced Linear Algebra.”

Evidently impressed with the duo’s excellent grades in a tough academic program, and after hearing the university’s own plans for punishment, the district attorney eventually dropped the trespassing charges.

It was a fortunate end to a prolonged ordeal that began with a night of, as Will describes it, “playing charades and not drinking.” But if these two sober science superstars could end up in jail, who couldn’t?

“I guess it could happen to anybody,” Will says.

It doesn't matter how good a person you are if you break the law. (Photo: istockphoto.com/LeggNet)

Of course, not just anybody would try to climb construction towers on the Rice campus with the hope of rappelling down onto a newly constructed dorm.

But whether through college antics, or by speeding or not paying parking tickets, it seems like all it takes is a bad day for someone to end up in jail.

For Will, that bad day was deciding to jump the fence to a construction site and bring his climbing equipment up a multi-story construction tower, all during the Night of Decadence, one of Rice’s largest parties.

“It was NOD so all the police officers would be elsewhere,” Will says.

Unfortunately, Rice had actually hired extra police officers in the wake of the party.

Will and Simon had prepared their climbing equipment, and were about two thirds of the way up the tower before they were spotted.

“We heard a, ‘Stop! Don’t move,’” Will says. “That was not a good feeling.”

It took the police officers a few minutes to realize that the climbers were Rice students and not robbers or even just a pair of raccoons.

But despite the excitement of the moment and the threat of a deathly plummet to the ground, Will and Simon climbed down the tower, short of their goal.

“It was a Texas state trooper who spotted us, who had been hired by Rice,” Will says. “And he asked us very nicely to wait while he called campus police.”

In addition to hiring extra police, Rice had also instructed officers to apprehend anyone found on the construction site that night. So for Will and Simon, who asked that their real names not be used in this story, what could have been a slap on the wrist any other night instead became a trip to Harris County lockup.

A night in jail was anything but how the two wanted to spend their night. After being shuttled around from Rice, to the West University police station, and then to Harris County, they finally had their mug shots taken at 5 a.m.

“We got put in the drunk tank, which is a cold and concrete place,” Will says. “Not very friendly.”

By about 3 p.m., Will had posted a $500 bond and left jail with little to show for his adventure besides a sleepless night, a horrible jailhouse sandwich and a date in court.

“It was unpleasant being arrested,” Will says, reflecting on the night. “Jail sucks, it is cold, and there is no comfortable place to pee or sleep, but that is kinda the point.”

Today, four years later, Simon is getting his doctorate at Stanford, and Will is director of engineering at a tech startup in San Francisco. They were lucky that, after dealing with the dean of judicial affairs, Rice let them graduate.

But on the wrong day, anyone can end up in jail.

Mick,  a current law student who didn’t want his actual name used, learned that lesson the hard way when he arrived early at the Houston Greyhound station a little over two years ago. He was planning on taking the bus back to the University of Texas at Austin after spending a summer break back at home in Bellaire. Like some college students, he smoked marijuana.

Mick had been to the Greyhound station many times and was familiar with the security. Sometimes they checked pockets, other times they used metal-detecting wands, but this time he was early, and there was a new security guard.

“I was actually studying for the LSAT at the time and I had all my study books out, and I thought he was just going to open my bag,” Mick says. But the guard kept searching through his bag until he found a small bit of marijuana.

Something seemingly small, like a prank or a six-pack of unopened beer, can be enough to send you to jail. (Photo: istockphoto.com/AlexRaths)

Mick tried to leave, but the security guard called over a police officer who told Mick that even though he didn’t really want to arrest him, the guard had reported the marijuana and the officer had to do his job.

Mick waited until the early hours of the morning before he was processed at a City of Houston holding cell, passing the time by playing basketball with balled-up toilet paper and giving the ham from his jail-issued sandwich to another prisoner. “I’m a veggie,” Mick says of his vegetarianism. “That guy was thankful.”

But these lighthearted moments were only window dressing for a miserable experience, crowded in a dark, windowless room.

“It is very cold in there,” Mick says. “You have no idea what time it is.”

After several hours, Mick’s name was called by an officer, and he was taken to have his bail set, which ended up at $500. But that was not the end of Mick’s financial outlay for his foolish decision. He ended up having to pay $3,000 in lawyer’s fees.

Fees of $3,000 may seem like overkill for just a few days in court, but, according to local defense attorney Mike Driver, several thousand dollars for possession of marijuana is a pretty average charge.

Not only are there legal fees, but students facing a drug charge also have to deal with the long-term consequences. For example, a drug charge can prevent a student from receiving federal student loans for college.

“The collateral consequences of marijuana are largely unknown to kids and can really ruin their lives,” says Jim Lavine, a Bellaire attorney and former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. “One stupid mistake can make a lifetime of problems.”

Those problems include having a driver’s license revoked, being prevented from renting an apartment, or experiencing difficulty getting a job, Lavine says.

Any other day Mick probably could have gotten past security, but this day his risky decision backfired.

For the next year, Mick was on pretrial diversion, showing up every other month to check in with a probation officer and pass a drug test. This was not a big problem until the final court date. For that final one, Mick had to fly back from the top-ranked law school where he was a student, forcing him to reschedule midterms.

One bad day, and the next year of Mick’s life was spent under the watchful eye of the Harris County judicial system.

But while marijuana may be an illicit drug, it takes only beer to lead those between 18 and 21 to the uncomfortable seat in the back of a police cruiser. They don’t even have to be drinking it to get in trouble, as three friends learned when they were pulled over in Southside Place one weekend.

Jason, a 19-year-old resident of West University who didn’t want his real name used, was driving through Southside Place with a broken taillight and some unopened beer in the car.

“They pulled us over and gave us MIPs.” Jason says.

Simply having beer in the car is enough for police to bring charges for a minor in possession. Because of that, Jason was crammed in the back of a police cruiser along with his friends, driven off to the station as the police towed his car.

What was supposed to be a fun night for a couple of high school seniors became an academic near-death experience. The short drive to the police station was filled with Jason and his friends’ worries that they would face expulsion from school or ejection from student government positions. The best Jason could do was just try to keep his friends from completely breaking down.

“They were worried,” Jason says. “And I was just trying to keep their spirits in check.”

It doesn’t matter whether or not Jason and his friends were actually drinking the beer. Driving with alcohol stored in the car is enough to be charged with a minor in possession.

According to a recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 30 percent of Americans have been arrested at some point by age 23. This may seem like shocking news, especially in the normally peaceful enclaves of Bellaire, West University, Memorial, River Oaks and Tanglewood.

But ask around and you’ll quickly learn: Anyone can end up in jail on a bad day.

They’re all smiles, each wearing fancy cowgirl duds for this photo shoot. What is also clear is that each of them would be just as comfortable in a pair of Wranglers and a T-shirt because this is home and their fellow volunteers are family.

Anyone who knows Debbie Adams, Laura Kent, Pat Mann Phillips, Paula Robinson and Sharleen Walkoviak agrees they are worthy winners of the HLSR’s most prestigious award. All are Trailblazer Honorees, an award bestowed by fellow volunteers on just five women per year who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism.

Sharleen Walkoviak, Paula Robinson, Pat Mann Phillips, Laura Kent and Debbie Adams (from left) won the Houston rodeo’s highest honor for volunteerism. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

One earned an extra honor. Former “First Lady” Paula Robinson (whose husband is a former rodeo chairman) won the Pearl Award, given for bringing something “special.” The honor is a tribute to her leadership on the Ladies Go Texan and Trailblazer (previously known as the Lady’s Season Box) committees. And if that isn’t enough, she and her family have spent the last 24 years saddling up for the Salt Grass Trail Ride.

She still laughs about her rookie volunteer assignment of milking a cow – no small task for someone who calls herself a “city girl.” But a love affair with western heritage and the rodeo’s charitable causes has made the work come easy.

“We do whatever it takes for the kids,” said Paula. “It’s just so rewarding when you hear from these kids who have won scholarships, who tell you how much it meant to them.” The HLSR is one of the world’s largest rodeos, with 26,000 annual volunteers.

These five Trailblazer Honorees are distinguished by their leadership. But you won’t hear this bunch bragging. They’re quick to insist they’re just Texas girls who have never lost that sense of wonder at the live birth of a calf or a scholarship winner saying thank you.

Pat Mann Phillips grew up around a ranch and, when she moved to the city of Houston 11 years ago, she immersed herself into HLSR. As chair of the Tours Committee last year, she estimates, she spent more than 1,200 unpaid hours volunteering. The most gratifying of those hours are spent hosting field trips to the kids’ area, AgVenture.

“I might be back there holding a baby pig or lamb or sticking my hands in the bins with the worms,” said Pat. “But there’s nothing better than watching kids get surprisingly quiet with anticipation in the birthing center. You can hear a pin drop during that first glimpse of a baby calf or piglet being born.”

Laura Kent has spent almost three decades gifting her time to the Swine Auction, Llama, Merchandise and International committees. Her heart, she says, lies with the pigs. But the kids who show their animals are a close second.

“Some of those kids drive hours to get here, and they’re just so thankful to be at the Houston Rodeo,” said Laura. “Some are hard-luck kids, so some of us go out of our way to make sure they get more than the minimum at auction for their animal.”

In 80 years of the HLSR, women have grown into almost half of the volunteer force. Debbie Adams was one of four pioneering women who were the first women to serve on the parade committee 20 years ago. She has since served on the Quarter Horse and Grand Entry committees. But her heartstrings are anchored to the kids with special needs.

“We host 1,800 special-needs kids at the downtown parade. They act like this is the highlight of their year,” said Debbie.

Sharleen Walkoviak is second-year chairman of the Lamb & Goat Auction committee. She led the committee to a new auction record of $1.8 million last year. The showing kids inspired her.

“I had this one volunteer [formerly a youth contestant] come up to me one day and say, ‘I just want to thank you for buying my lamb and goat all these years; otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to go to college,’” said Sharleen.

The enormity of the HLSR army of volunteers made it impossible for even these regular volunteers to all know each other before being plucked out of their committees for their excellence. Now a distinguished sisterhood binds them, made stronger by the irreplaceable satisfaction of helping others.

Lampooning Christmas
Joe Sansone

On a winning kick
Score! The Houston Express 98G White U 14 soccer team won the Houston Youth Soccer Association Division 2 Eastern District playoffs with an undefeated performance in Beaumont. Then they placed third in the South Texas Youth Soccer Association Division 2 state championships in San Marcos. Reece Vanas was team MVP and Julie McLamb most improved player. The team is (pictured, back row, from left) trainer Graham Harrison, Vanas, Julia Moody, Sara Bobb, Jenna Wadman, Amina Matin, Julia Douglas, Lauren Assel, Caroline Sempere, parent coach Randy Sorrels, Julia Tanabe and Shannon Lewis, and (front row, from left) Darby Sorrels, Riley Marsh, McLamb, Christina Whitehouse, Kerrigan Quenemoen and Molly Everett.

Holidays in the sun
Fulkra, Lorraine, Janjay and Justinian Mason spent their holidays in the small West African nation of Liberia, where they registered the Martha M. Wright Foundation to help restore the childhood of ‘tween and teen girls affected by war. The foundation will advocate for 11- to 18-year-old mothers and assist them in continuing their education. Most of the girls were forced to be girl solders and then were preyed upon by older men. Pictured (from left) are Rose, Ester, Bellaire High junior Janjay Mason, Linda and Justinian Mason, a freshman at St. Pius X High.

Reaching new heights
Donald Birnbaum, a senior at Bellaire High School, is flying high after earning the rank of Eagle Scout with St. John the Divine Episcopal Church’s Troop 55. For his Eagle project, Donald repurposed a trail at the Houston Arboretum for visually impaired walkers. Donald and his team moved mulch, drilled 100 three-foot holes for posts, and then reset the mulch around the posts. Donald needed $1,200 for the project and raised more than $2,100, with the extra going to the arboretum for other projects. His work team included Eric Andrade, Mark Bruce, Jack Castellano, George Chen, Zach Hijazi, Howard Kay, Jacob Lodenger, Matt Pace and Tim Vachon, as well as adults Stephen Birnbaum, John Castellano and Ellis Vachon. (Photo: Ashley Hall Photography)

She wants to be a millionaire
Brainy Jan Spreen (pictured at left, with host Meredith Vieira) won $70,600 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Spreen made it to the $100,000 question (“An acronym Hillary Clinton once used to refer to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, MILF, is a rebel organization in what country?”), but out of lifelines and unsure of the answer, she walked away. The answer was The Philippines. (Photo: Courtesy of Valleycrest Productions Ltd.)

Steps toward a cure
Tessa Valente, a fourth grader at Horn Elementary, led her family and friends in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 5K “Say Boo to Diabetes” Walk. Tessa was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in September. “Team Tessa,” which included parents Fred and Karen, sister Marisa and Olivia, and Ella and Cheryl Faust, raised more than $5,000 thanks to generous donations from the Optimist Club of Bellaire, friends and family. Pictured (from left) are Olivia, Marisa, Ella and Tessa.

Horse playing
Alexine Salmons celebrated her seventh birthday with 15 girlfriends by going pony riding, eating cake pops and taking a barn tour at the Sam Houston Equestrian Center. The girls learned to trot and maneuver on horseback. Pictured (from left) are Siobhan Donnelly, Sydney Crick, Olivia Forque, Liron Lutfak, Kylie Carter, Apache the pony, Alexine Salmons, Joy Kimble, Isabella Finch, Keira Bannerman, Kate Deleef, Elizabeth Newhouse, Elizabeth Bell, Maya Sternthal, Blythe Mogil, Callie Hart and Anya Edelman.

Hoops, there it is
The Dream Team basketball team, starring players primarily from The Emery/Weiner School and Trafton Academy, went 4-0 to win the 12U division championship at the Quillian Center Holiday Hoops Tournament. They beat the Bellaire Heat 34-17 in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament. Pictured (from left) is the Dream Team: (back row) coach David Loev, Michael Talisman, Jared Wiesenthal, Nick Reiner, Max Vela and coach Melanee Weiser; (front row) Brandon Roseman, Jordan Loev, Mark Harrison and Sam Weiser.

Check mates
Steven Wolf, Jack Greenberg, Brett Bazarsky, Max Melamed, Koby Sheldon, Eli Cowan and Elijah Costa (pictured, from left) from Beth Yeshurun Day School took third place in their first chess tournament, the T. H. Rogers 2011 Chess Tournament hosted by the Houston Chess Association. Melamed also won second place in individual competition, and Sheldon third. T.H. Rogers won first, and The Village School was second.

Warming the holidays
Erica Bagwell hosted The Children’s Assessment Center Fourth-Annual Friends Guild Holiday Coffee. Guests donated toys and money and shopped. Ornaments for sale were designed by the children and teens served by CAC. The Deborah Colton Gallery provided exquisite artwork, Shamaine Klein Designs brought jewelry, and Carolyn Farb signed her book, Lucas Comes to America, with a portion of all proceeds going to The CAC. Also sipping coffee were (pictured, from left) Mary Moody, CAC executive director Elaine Stolte and Friends Guild president Kim Moody. Other Guild members include Diane Caplan, Maria Bush, Anne Carl, Kimberly DeLape, Deborah Duncan, Tena Faust, Nancy Golden, Ursaline Hamilton, Terry Wayne Jones, Amy M. Lee, Stephen C. Lewis, Lucinda Loya, Christopher Mendel, Bruce Padilla, Stephanie Perkins, Elizabeth Petersen, Susan Plank, Rachel Regan, Megan Sutton-Reed, Alicia Smith and Merele Yarborough. (Photo: Katy Anderson)

Bee Seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and local event announcements to (info@thebuzzmagazines.com) info (at) thebuzzmagazines (dot) com or 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, TX 77401. Items are published on a space-available basis.

Here are some neighbors’ accounts of rocky dating with smooth endings.

Noga and Steve Tobias
Married 25 years this April with three girls (Sharone, Leore and Danielle), all grown or nearly so, Noga and Steve Tobias say although they’re from different cultures and continents (she from Israel, he from Queens, New York), forces stronger than they realized ensured they ended up husband and wife.

Steve and Noga Tobias learned early on that, although they sometimes disagree, their commonalities hold them together. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

Today, Noga, a corporate outreach coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association, and Steve, “an oil-exploration guy,” disagree at times but also share things in common, particularly the monthly radio show they co-host.

Their talk show, called Elusive Commonalities, which normally airs 9:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month on 90.1 KPFT, deals with the Middle East. They interview Israelis, Arabs and Americans and explore common ground.

“While most see only conflict over there,” says Steve, “the two of us see the common ground as well, and we try to share that perspective to a listening audience that more often than not bristles at our insights. I suppose you could say that this show is the political extension of our relationship. Namely, it explores how closeness and tension can and should co-exist in life, in love and in politics.”

Another thing they share in common is a love of books. Steve remembers a moment while dating when Noga said she’d like to share a house with him. “The most romantic thing anyone ever told me while I was single was that she would like to share a library in a house to put both our books,” he says.

She says
“When friends wanted to fix me up with an American who was working in Israel for an oil and gas company, I wasn’t interested,” she says. The two ended up meeting at a party. “Steve is originally from New York, but he had lived in Texas for a while and so was wearing cowboy boots,” she recalls.

A stormy three-year relationship ensued. After breaking up, Steve returned to Houston, and Noga went to Paris to pursue a graduate degree. Eighteen months later, out of the blue, Steve called to say he was passing through Paris. He had gone to trouble to find her, but she was far from gushy. She reluctantly agreed to meet, and the two took a trip to the French countryside. At dinner, they had an argument.

Early in their dating years, Steve and Noga Tobias visit the Negev Desert in Israel.

“He told me about this girl he had met in Texas who was calm and everything not like me. I told him: ‘If you are going to have a life with me, it isn’t going to be boring. We are going to have fights.’ That is when he said he knew he was going to marry me.”

Steve returned to Texas, and Noga sold her TV set to pay for a ticket to visit him. She also went to visit her sister and brother-in-law living in California.

“My sister was pregnant, and they were students with no money, so we went to a used store to look for maternity clothes. I saw a wedding dress hanging there that still had its price tag. I tried it on and it fit perfectly. It cost $25. It was a Jessica McClintock, but what did I know about designers back then? I was reluctant to buy it because Steve hadn’t even proposed, but the saleslady said if he didn’t, I could return it. When I went back to Houston, Steve proposed, and I told him it was a good thing he did, because I already had a dress.”

He says
“Our story is not your typical American romance. I met Noga in Israel, where most everything is more direct and in-your-face. This ties into what Noga must have told you about our evening dinner … in a small town in France.

“We had been having a wonderful time, and then that Mediterranean discordance came out over some trivial thing. In a fit of totally inappropriate honesty, I explained that since we’d been apart for so long, I had been seeing an American girl for a while who was always gentle and sweet, smiling and wonderful, and that a life like that is what I wanted.

It may have taken some effort for Brad Sondock to convince Deborah to date him, but their marriage has stood the test of time. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

“Noga was not impressed, and told me that life with her would always have hills and valleys, and if I wanted plain vanilla, then I should go back to my cowgirl and be gone, or something like that. Of course it was in that moment that I realized that I could never marry anyone else but her, and that I’d known it for years, which is why I was back in France.”

Brad and Deborah Sondock
Married 16 years, with two girls (Ellie and Dina), Brad and Deborah Sondock can now laugh at the events that unfolded before they became a couple.

Not only are they now partners in life, but also in business, as shopping-center developers and brokers. But it took more than five years for the relationship to take off, with Brad in hot pursuit.

“I’ve been a salesman all my life, so I am used to being rejected,” says Brad. “I once made a list of the characteristics of the perfect woman for me. When Deb and I were finally dating, I took that piece of paper and read it to her, not initially telling her what the list was for. She asked me why I was reading her a description of herself.”

He says
Originally, Deborah, who lived in San Francisco, worked for a Houston-based company that hired Brad as a broker. “Sometime in 1988, I was wrongfully blamed for something I didn’t do and they told Deborah to fire me,” Brad says.

That same year, Brad was engaged to another woman. He also attended a national shopping-center convention held annually in Las Vegas and met Deborah, the woman who’d just fired him, at a cocktail party there.

His previous engagement didn’t work out, and the following year, when he ran into Deborah at the same convention, she was disinterested in his advances. Each year, he asked her to have dinner, but she would have none of it.

In 1994 he saw her again at the convention and followed her to a cab, where upon hearing her give the driver her destination, he announced he was also staying there and asked to share her cab. Upon check-in, it appeared the hotel had no record of her reservation, and everything in town was booked.

Then-newlyweds Brad and Deborah Sondock found happiness after a rocky start.

“I turned into Superman. I got her a room in the hotel next door, telling them we were newlyweds starting our honeymoon and they’d messed up our reservation.” They miraculously found a vacant room and even sent a congratulatory basket up. “Of course, after this I would not take a ‘no’ for an answer and she agreed to dinner, and it was somewhat like our first date,” says Brad.

But the next day, Deborah tried to cancel their next date. Brad pretended he hadn’t received her cancellation note that she left at his booth. “We did go out that night, but I smothered her with too much attention and she had had enough of me,” he says.

They went through with plans to spend time at Wet ‘n Wild amusement park, but Brad had pretty much given up. He took her to the airport as planned and, to his astonishment, she asked for a goodbye kiss. He refused, and she turned and went through the door to the plane’s gate.

“Suddenly, I ran to the attendant at the gate entry, gave my wallet to hold and, in a rush, ran down the walkway. I caught up with her and gave her a big smooch.”

The following year, at the same convention and now dating, the couple took a break and again went to Wet ‘n Wild, where Brad proposed to Deborah as they floated down the lazy river. The proposal, complete with 30 heart-shaped balloons, was captured by a camera crew who happened to be at the park, airing it on the evening news.

She says
Deborah explains two reasons she decided to give Brad a chance. “One was, when he finally gave up and I had some room to breathe, it gave me a chance to stop running away from his hot pursuit and reflect on the guy I had gotten to know. I found I was quite interested when he wasn’t all about chasing me,” she says.

Although she was slow to fall for him as a teen, Susan Schneider changed her mind and proposed to Stan Schneider more than 35 years ago. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

Deborah has advice for those in similar situations. “To the aggressor, I would say back off. Don’t smother the object of your admiration. To the pursued, I would say, if the reasons for lack of interest aren’t deal breakers, such as violence or addiction, give second and even third chances. Be patient with chemistry. It may develop if you have a friendship as a basis.”

Susan and Stan Schneider
Susan and Stan Schneider have been married now 35 years and have grown children (Alex and Michael). Susan, an interior and kitchen designer, and Stan, a criminal attorney, say family connections and growing up in a small town in upstate New York made bumping into each other throughout the years less awkward.

“Stan grew up in Schenectady, New York, and my family moved there when I was 11,” says Susan. “We came from similar backgrounds, so all that stuff that people have to get through before they feel comfortable with each other was already there.”

She says
“When I was in ninth grade, and Stan in the 10th, he asked me out on a date. We went out once or twice, but I actually liked his best friend and even went with him to his junior prom,” Susan says.

During their college years, Susan would run into Stan when they were back at home. After graduating from Boston University, Susan was working in Albany, New York, and once when they were both home in the spring, she and Stan went out as friends. He was visiting his parents on a break from his job at a prison in Huntsville, Texas.

“We got along and just continued to keep in touch. We were getting to know each other as adults. I wrote him letters, which he still has today,” she says. “In July of that year, I bumped into Stan’s dad at the allergist and mentioned I’d hoped Stan was coming in to town for the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) as I’d like to see him.”

Susan realizes now that, at that time, these kind of innocent hints of interest were taken more seriously by both of their parents, and perhaps by Stan, than she initially had intended.

After a short engagement, Susan and Stan Schneider got married in July 1976.

“When Stan arrived, I have to say I was grouchy and not very nice to him. I had just finished another relationship and wasn’t very open to another one, but Stan is so sweet. He didn’t let it get to him.”

However, Susan says she recognized that something clicked that week, and that’s “when the relationship felt different. Our phone bills grew as our relationship grew, and by the following spring we knew we wanted to live in the same city. Stan suggested I move to Texas – we could live together, get married, whatever I wanted.”

Susan says she was a product of the ‘70s, “a good feminist who wasn’t looking for a MRS degree.” Thus, Susan admits, their engagement was far from romantic.

“At first I didn’t want to get married, but in the end, I proposed to him. I had gone to a wedding, and the emotion of that made me realize how much I loved him and that I did want to get married. I called Stan up and said, ‘Okay, we can get married.’ He said, ‘Okay,’ and then I said we’d better call our parents and tell them right away or I’d back out of it the next morning.”

He says
“I didn’t know Susan was not interested in seeing me when I went up that time to New York. I still remember what she was wearing that day and how she looked,” Stan says of the time he chose to go to New York after Susan mentioned she’d like to see him, instead of going on the scuba-diving trip he’d planned.

“I saw a bright, intelligent and beautiful woman, and that was Susan,” he says. Stan also vividly recalls the phone call when Susan proposed to him. “She said we should get married, and I said, ‘Sure,’ and was immediately thinking it would be a year or two engagement. When I asked her when she was thinking of doing this, Susan had a different answer, ‘How about July 25th?’ and it was already May.”

Before dialing the phone to propose, Susan had done some research and worked out that her family from the west coast would need to be in New York around that time to attend other events, and it’s seemed a practical choice.

“So we got married,” says Stan, “and will have been married 36 years this upcoming July.”

I always knew I wanted to be a collegiate athlete; however, I never thought it would be playing golf. I began playing when I was 13 with no intention of it being anything more than a hobby. As time went on, my interest in golf grew and became a passion by my sophomore year of high school. For the first 2½ years, I attended St. Agnes Academy and played on its golf team. However, the demands of high school took away time I wanted to use bettering my game. During my junior year, I made one of my most difficult decisions, which was to leave my high school, friends and family behind and pursue my dreams of golf at the Jim McLean Junior Academy in Fort Worth.

Blaise Carabello left her home and school in pursuit of golf excellence, and the sacrifice is paying off.

When I first arrived at the academy, I had to work very hard to get where I needed to be to compete at the collegiate level. Life at the academy is very different, beginning with the housing arrangement. I have four other roommates, and each of our moms stays with us one week out of the month. My typical day begins at 5:30 a.m. on the putting green for some practice before school. At 7 a.m. I head home and get ready, and by 7:30 the van picks me up for an hour-long drive to school. School is from 9 to 11:30, after which all golfers are taken back to the academy for practice. Practice with golf professionals lasts from 1 to 5 p.m., which is followed by more practice on our own and fitness until about 8 p.m. The rest of the night consists of eating dinner, doing homework, and going to bed.

Because of this hard work, I have won three tournaments in the last five months and received a scholarship to play golf at Mississippi State University next year. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me, and I hope to be on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tour one day.

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Previous excursions took the two friends and their families to Italy and France, among other destinations. But when Nancy brought up the idea of an equestrian safari in Africa, Susan balked. She’d always been intrigued by the idea of going on safari – but in a more controlled way.

“I always wanted there to be a heavy-duty vehicle between me and any carnivorous animal,” she recalled, laughing.

Susan Davis rides her mount, Big John, during her first encounter with a family of elephants in the Tuli Block of southeastern Botswana.

Nonetheless Nancy prevailed, and the pair found themselves booking a nine-day border-crossing ride with Equitours, a company they’d used years before on a wilderness trip in Wyoming. And so on a golden September day in 2010, they found themselves on a private reserve in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa, saddling up for the ride of a lifetime.

After 20 years of riding, Susan is quite comfortable in the saddle – but eight 6-hour days on the open savannah and the African bush was like nothing she’d ever experienced.

“Riding here in the States, you go out into an arena, you jump or you do dressage and you’re in one little area, or you do trail rides,” said Susan, whose mare, Seminole, is boarded at Horse and Hound Stables in Pearland. “There, you are very exposed. It makes you think twice about what you’re doing; you’re in an area where anything can happen, very, very quickly.”

The first four days were at Dinaka Game Reserve about three hours from Johannesburg. Here the wide-open Serengeti-like plains lent themselves to long no-holds-barred runs.

“We’d be at a walk most of the time, but several times during the day the head guy would say let’s go for a run – and boy, oh boy, you’re galloping not just for five or 10 minutes, you’re galloping for a long way before you rein in.”

Their guides taught them an important lesson: a grazing animal is a relaxed animal. This lesson would serve them well, and it applied not only to their horses, but to the elephants and rhinos they met along the way as well.

On the first full day of riding, they saw a crash of rhinos grazing in the distance, and their guides angled off toward them.

“They lined up like a row of ballerinas, and we all took turns having our photos taken in front of them,” she recalled. “They were just looking at us and snorting, while the horses happily grazed.”

Soon it was time for the transfer to the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, where they would go on a moving safari, camping out in the bush in upscale tents their support crew would motor ahead and set up for them each night.

Days would find them galloping across the bush or gazing in wonder at wildebeests and zebras, impalas and steenboks, a veritable open-air menagerie. Evenings would find them riding into their well-appointed camp, “sundowner” cocktails ready.

In Botswana the terrain was different, with more trees and undergrowth. Here they found themselves approaching herds of elephants, which had to be treated with caution. The guides were intuitive and knew when it was safe to approach.

“If they turn around and look at you and walk toward you, you can assume they’re asserting their territorial dominance and you want to wander off. You do not want to run, ever,” Susan said. Here in the bush, they could only canter in areas where the guides were reasonably certain there were no large animals.

The horses they rode at both locations were mostly the local Boerperds, bred for stamina and strength, “superbly trained – very calm, willing and athletic. And did they love to run!”

“I’d heard friends say it’s a life-changing experience, and I think it was true,” she said. She was touched by the pride the African people feel for their abundant wildlife and for the care they take in preserving it. She was also moved by the extreme poverty and the peoples’ efforts to rise above it. Above all, though, it was the experience of being on safari.

“It’s like shedding your culture, your heritage, nearly all the amenities of civilization and stepping back in time. People need to go and experience Africa for themselves.”

Packing for Safari: Less is Best

Packing light is essential for any safari, even more so for an equestrian safari. As you prepare to enter the Third World, you might be compelled to pack all the comforts of home so you won’t find yourself without something that you might need. Don’t do it.

In the first place, you don’t know how long or far you might have to carry your own suitcase over terrain unsuitable for wheeled luggage. In the second place, tour staff will have a lot to deal with beside your luggage, and on a mobile safari, every extra pound matters. So only bring what you can fit into one small suitcase or duffel bag.

“No divas allowed,” Buzz traveler Susan Davis warned. “Don’t even think of bringing a hairdryer.”

Bruce Whittaker of African Safari Journals (www.african-safari-journals.com) has put together a first-rate website with a complete packing list and detailed information to help you prepare for any safari.

For equestrian-specific packing information, Darley Newman of Equitrekking Travel has an excellent piece on her blog at www.equitrekkingtravel.com/index.php/blog/entry/packing_blog_post/.

Susan’s packing list for riding gear is included below:

1. Appropriate clothing: Neutral earth colors like olive and khaki are key; black and dark blue can attract biting tsetse flies in some parts of Africa, white gets dirty quickly, and bright colors will make you very conspicuous to wildlife. Think in terms of layers: temperatures can range from blazing hot to surprisingly chilly. Bring rain gear, swimming gear, socks and underwear and a good, breathable hat, ideally with a strap to keep it from flying away in the wind. And don’t worry about dressing up – no one does it.
2. Riding gear:  A helmet, breeches or comfortable riding pants, short riding boots and half chaps and gloves. Tall riding boots are not recommended.
3. Personal items: Travel documents, bug spray, flashlights, sunscreen, sunglasses, camera, batteries, binoculars, flip-flops or sports sandals for around the camp; a lightweight travel towel; biodegradable soap; hand sanitizer; pocket knife; toothbrush and paste; travel-size shampoo; lip balm; razor; feminine-hygiene requirements; pen/pencil and small notebook or journal; string/rope; small compass; earplugs and/or earphones; plastic bags for trash, muddy shoes, etc.; book to read during down time. Check to see what type of electrical adaptor or converter you’ll need to recharge your camera batteries when that is possible.
4. Health and first aid: band-aids and moleskin, vitamins, motion-sickness tablets, antiseptic cream, anti-diarrhea medicine, rehydration salts, allergy medication, enough of any prescribed medication to get you through the trip and copies of your prescriptions. Some people like to bring a basic antibiotic just in case. Malaria medication will probably be necessary where you are going; check with your tour operator to be sure.

Horseback Safari Companies: A Roundup
This is not by any means a complete list, but here are a few to get you started. Study itineraries to get an idea of which one is right for you. You may also wish to request references.

Equitours: Buzz travelers Susan Davis and Nancy Broadbent have used this company for several riding vacations and have been consistently happy with it. With more than 30 years in the business, Equitours calls itself “America’s oldest and largest horseback riding vacation company.” Equitours offers riding tours in 30 countries, including six countries in Africa. The Border Crossing Safari in South Africa and Botswana is now $3,780, with a $640 transfer fee. This tour has a minimum group size of 2 and maximum size of 8. www.ridingtours.com.

Equestrian Safaris: Founded in 1988, this company offers horseback treks in South America and East Africa. Their eight-day Kilimanjaro ride crosses the Tanzanian bush and over into Kenya, so you will need visas for the two countries. Group price varies with number of people; $3,370 for groups of 5-8, up to $8,425 for two riders. Transfers are included. www.safaririding.com.

Redlands Equestrian: This UK-based company offers a unique option: taking your own horse on holiday. (Or you can use the outfitters’ horses.) Besides a variety of UK riding tours, they also offer rides in Africa, Asia, Australia and North and South America. Africa tours include Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia. Their nine-day Big Five Safari tour is comparable to Equitours’ Border Crossing Safari and costs $3,640 plus $494 for transfers. www.redlandsequestrian.com

Equitrekking: Inspired by Darley Newman’s Emmy-winning Equitrekking travel TV show on public television, Equitrekking Travel also features international and U.S.-based trekking vacations. Its 10-day South Africa and Botswana ride has options that range in price from $2,075 (low season, basic accommodations) to $3,028 (high season, upscale accommodations). Transfers not included and also range in price depending on how many are traveling. www.equitrekkingtravel.com

Although it’s the shortest month of the year, February is one long celebration. From the all-American Valentine’s Day to Chinese New Year, there’s something happening all month. But in Houston, two events – Mardi Gras and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – dominate.

Emily and Andrew Webster, who retreated here from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, celebrate their beloved Mardi Gras in a big way.

Former New Orleanians Emily, Ellie and Andrew Webster (from left) host an annual Mardi Gras crawfish boil at their Houston home. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

In New Orleans, they’d kick off the season on Twelfth Night (the 12th day after Christmas) by attending a big ball, thereafter attending many masked balls and eating lots of king cake (a ring-shaped, purple, green and gold cake with a tiny plastic baby tucked inside – whoever gets the baby brings the cake to the next party). There, their celebrations are formal, with men wearing white tie and ladies, long dresses with white gloves.

But in Houston, the party is casual.

Instead of riding in a parade the Saturday before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, the last day of debauchery before the start of Lent), the Websters and their 7-year-old daughter Ellie host a crawfish boil at home.

Andrew boils crawfish in two commercial-sized pots in their backyard – “a big production but lots of fun,” Emily says. To the crawfish, Andrew adds potatoes, corn, sausage, whole artichokes and Cajun seasoning. He sets up long tables outside, lines them with newspaper, and everyone stands around peeling crawfish. (Andrew insists on live crawfish from Airline Seafood. “Ask for ‘jumbo,’ or they’re too puny,” he says.)

Emily supplements with Abita beer, jambalaya, king cake shipped from New Orleans’ Gambino’s Bakery, and red beans made from a “recipe” she gleaned from her grandmother’s housekeeper, who, in her own words, “Never used a real recipe in my whole life.”

Add music – Buckwheat Zydeco, Rockin’ Doopsie and Cowboy Mouth – and the party becomes a “fun day that goes all night.”

(For much of Houston, Mardi Gras! Galveston, Feb. 10-21, is the place to go for parades, parties and concerts. See mardigrasgalveston.com.)

Like Mardi Gras, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a several-weeks-long celebration, with a Texas – and philanthropic – bent. This year’s is Feb. 28-Mar. 18. (See rodeohouston.com.)

Carolyn Faulk has participated in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo since 1978. Her father was on the steer auction committee, and she’d go with him to help.

The saddles that Carolyn Faulk rides on in the Rodeo's Grand Entry are displayed year-round in her dining room. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)

“The best part is working with the kids at an auction,” Carolyn says. “When I see their smiles, I know I’ve done my job, bringing buyers together to give those kids opportunities to go to school.  These kids are taking chances entering their animals. And that’s what life’s all about.”

Every year, Carolyn starts celebrating early, participating in the kickoff Trail Ride and the Rodeo Contestant Hospitality Committee, cooking dinner every night of the rodeo for the cowboys and their families. “We might make lasagna, fried chicken or beans and cornbread,” the lifetime vice-president says.

Carolyn is known for her fried shrimp, and her own recipes for “Secret Shrimp Dip” and “Shrimp Roumalade” are in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook.

“So many people dedicate themselves to this,” she says. “We call it our February-March family.”

Ellie Francisco agrees with Carolyn, saying, “Rodeo is about the kids and changing their lives.” Three years ago, she organized an all-women buying group for the steer auction. “Before, the steer buying auction was all good old boys. Now 20 ladies are there raising money, bidding and making a difference.”

The group, dubbed the Champagne Cowgirls, has contributed more than $400,000 in the past three years. They get together socially through the year to plan bidding strategies, fundraise (they’ve had events at Tootsie’s and barbecues at homes), and, of course, drink champagne.

Up in the sky boxes, parties go on every night. Danielle and John Ellis start inviting people to fill their 18 box seats as early as Jan. 1. They donate their box to charities for auctions and also accommodate celebrities in town who require privacy.

“Experiencing rodeo is often the one request visitors to Houston make,” Danielle says. “Our favorite thing to serve, besides traditional barbecue, is the good old Dome Dog. This is the only time I indulge. When the hosts eat hot dogs, it seems to make it okay for everyone else.

“At least that’s my excuse.”

Recipes

Carolyn’s Secret Shrimp Dip
Carolyn Faulk
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75^th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook

2 packages cream cheese
¼ onion, grated
1 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
Juice from 1 lemon
1 lb. boiled shrimp, peeled and chopped

Whip together cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce.  Fold in chopped shrimp and mix well. Serve with your favorite chips.

Tip: This recipe is best when prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight.

Shrimp Roumalade
Carolyn Faulk
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75^th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook

1 lb. shrimp, boiled and peeled
½ of the “Roumalade” sauce (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup green onions, chopped
½ cup celery, minced

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve over lettuce or with crackers.

“Roumalade” sauce:
2 cups Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 small jar Zatarain’s Creole Mustard (5.25 oz)
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of ½ lemon

Mix all ingredients together and keep refrigerated. Will last three weeks in an airtight container.

Note: This sauce is also perfect for seafood salads.

Norma’s Red Beans
(As told to Emily Webster)

*Salt pork (or pickled pork, if you can find it)
I cup celery, chopped
I cup green onion, chopped
I cup white onion, chopped
1 lb. red beans (preferably Camellia brand), covered in water and soaked for a day, then drained

Dice the salt pork. Sautee the salt pork, celery, green and white onions in a little olive oil.  Add in the soaked beans and add water to cover. Simmer on low for 4 to 5 hours, adding water gradually as it is absorbed.

*Note:  Look for salt pork in the meat section where bacon is typically sold, or ask your butcher for help.

Traditionally in New Orleans, Monday was known as Red Beans Day – the day when women stayed home to do laundry while watching over their red beans while they cooked.

Red Beans and Rice
Emily Webster
The Plantation Cookbook from the Junior League of New Orleans

1 ham bone
1½ cups water
2 teaspoons garlic salt
¼ teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. red beans, washed
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1½ cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
½ lb. ham, cubed
¼ lb. hot sausage, sliced
½ lb. smoked sausage, sliced
2 bay leaves
Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 cups cooked rice

In a large pot or Dutch oven, place ham bone, water, garlic salt, Tabasco, Worcestershire and beans. Cook, uncovered, over low flame. Sauté the celery, onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the oil until transparent. In another pan, sauté ham and sausage; drain. Add cooked meats and seasoning to the bean pot. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper and continue to cook over low flame until beans are soft and creamy (approximately 2 ½ hours). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and add chopped parsley just before serving. For additional thickness, cook longer. Serve over hot, fluffy rice.

Hello. I’m Romo, and I’m a rescue Corgi. My breeding makes me a natural herder, and I like routines and tasks. My favorite thing is mock battles with my master, complete with fake growling and rolling around. I can be a little bossy, such as when I tell my family they’re staying up past bedtime, or when there are too many loud kids in the playroom. I round ‘em up and bark my warning. I can pretty much catch any snack or ball in the air. I’m planning to learn to do the same with Frisbees, since I’m also a fast runner, especially for my stature. My only dislikes are walking on wet grass and scary thunder. When my family is sitting on the couch, I love to curl up next to their feet, but I’ll get on my master’s lap if he begs me. Say, “Hi, Romo!” if you see me walking in the neighborhood.

Got a cute canine or a photogenic feline? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to (info@thebuzzmagazines.com) info (at) thebuzzmagazines (dot) com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, TX 77401. Featured pets receive two passes to Rover Oaks Pet Resort. Each pass can be redeemed for one day of boarding, four extra playtimes or one day in Doggy Day Camp (for approved pets).

I entered the world of drawing when I was 6. Many things inspire me to draw today. Ever since I saw the movie The Chronicles of Narnia, I have loved fantasy creatures. Likewise, superheroes have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. More recently, I have been impressed by the details of Marvel and DC Comics character drawings. My preferred drawing style is cartoons.

George Jordan says drawing helps him express feelings of freedom.

My passion for drawing took a new turn when I began attending West University Elementary in first grade; everything was unfamiliar. I did not have the courage to make friends and focused only on class work. At school there was a bookmark contest, with two winners to be chosen for each grade level. I was so excited to finally have a chance to show my passion to my school. When I arrived home I started working on my bookmark. After I finished I turned in the bookmark and waited. A week later I was announced as one of the bookmark winners in the first grade. As a result, my bookmark was sold at Barnes and Noble.

I love to draw, but for many reasons. Drawing is a way for me to express my feeling of freedom. This allows me to draw whatever I want, in any style. All I have to do is bring a sketch book with me wherever I go and I can draw anywhere.

Yes, I love drawing, but I recognize it might not pay my bills when I grow up. For my career I have several things I am interested in doing for a living. I’m thinking of being a lawyer like my father since I’m good at arguing with facts. I’m also interested in being an architect because I sometimes like to draw buildings.

Drawing is a special hobby. It is one that I must practice to master, and one that I will continue.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to (info@thebuzzmagazines.com) info (at) thebuzzmagazines (dot) com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, TX 77401.