It was eight years ago today that I moved to Houston. In honor of that, and continuing my series of lists started long ago and finally annotated and published, here are what I think are the top 10 events that defined our 7 1/2 year stay in Houston, in no particular order. Note: the nature of a list like this seems to skew it toward the dramatic, and by extension tragic, but that is not in any way indicative about how I feel about my time in Houston. I really grew to love that city, and miss it. On to the list!

1. Tropical Storm Allison – 2001 This was my first (and hopefully last) time waking up in a disaster area. The anxiety caused by watching the water rise during the night followed by the shear awe of the devastation the next day was almost overwhelming. We were very fortunate, others weren’t.
2. Hurricane Rita – 2005 I can still feel the fear triggered by the satellite images of this monstrous storm headed right toward Houston … the reports that the hurricane was a Cat 5 … the frenzy of boarding up the house … and the anticipated loss of Galveston, which looked to be a goner, fear intensified by the recent impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Rita made me appreciate the value of having good, close neighbors who will help each other in the face of bad things, be it nailing plywood, handing out popsicles, arming the neighbors or having drinks together after a long day’s labor. I kept that in mind while choosing a neighborhood in Dallas. Again, we were very fortunate, others weren’t.
3. Hurricane Katrina – 2005 More specifically, the influx of thousands of New Orleans residents into Houston, the response of Houstonians, and the continuing social impact (crime, the controversy of long-term financial support, and some really cool new “evacuee” friends).
4. 9-11 – 2001 Obviously this would have been on the list no matter where we were living, but it is a defining moment nevertheless. Elements specific to my experience in Houston were the fact that I was working in a prominent skyscraper at the time, and our proximity to a military airfield meant there were a lot of disconcerting warplanes flying around. Also, for months I couldn’t glance at the Houston skyline during my morning drive to work without scanning for planes or smoke.
5. Snow on Christmas Eve – 2004 In Houston! I still can’t believe this happened.
6. Home tour – 2002 When we met one of our new neighbors in Dallas, she said “Now you know, you’re going to be asked to be on the (Swiss Avenue Historic District) home tour.” If that happens, I don’t know how I’ll react. On the one hand, being on the Heights Home Tour was a lot of work. On the other hand, it motivated us to make a lot of improvements to our house which ultimately helped us sell it, and I am proud that we did it. We’ll see.
7. Erica moving in with us – 2004 This had a huge impact on all of us, not only in the year Erica actually lived in our house and attended high school, but also in leading to her choice of the University of Texas for college and spending more of her vacation time with us than she used to due to proximity. It has also significantly strengthened her relationship with Ed, an effect that will no doubt last a lifetime.
8. Williams Tower Climber – 2002 The tragic fall (or jump, depending on whom you talked to) of Ryan Hartley from the 26th floor of the Williams Tower made me feel differently about the beautiful building I worked in for nearly five of my years in Houston. I am glad I did not witness the fall, but I am sorry I saw the aftermath. This was also my first (and hopefully last) time meeting with a grief counselor, recommended for managers of employees who had witnessed the incident as one of mine had.
9. Space shuttle Columbia demise – 2003 One thing I miss about Houston is the steady stream of astronauts that were trotted out at events to wave, sign autographs, or just be. NASA is a big part of Houston, and the Columbia accident really brought that home. And to top it off, it happened near Houston.
10. Dewey and Lizzie – 2001, 2003 I am writing this with former resident of the Houston SPCA shelter Lizzie purring in my lap. Our little native Houstonians are welcome Houston souvenirs.