Intown

november + december 2021

Johnny Carrabba 35 Years Now and Then

Holiday Events Return To Full Swing MFAH Welcomes 106 Most Significant Paintings Our Fight on Plight Teaching Kids About Money Matt Schaub on Texans houstonintown.com

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Publisher’s Letter

The Fight on Plight

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owhere in Houston is there more evidence of what money can do to improve an area’s future than on our beloved “Boulevard.” That’s the same Post Oak Boulevard that will soon light up the city Thanksgiving weekend with its modern technological marvel of Holiday lights. The same beautifully landscaped flowering esplanade is heavily funded year-round by the Uptown TIRZ (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone).

Most of our city and county officials focused on keeping people safe without completely shutting down the economy during the pandemic. On this front, I think Houston did pretty well. More recently, however, crime has spiked to levels not seen before the lockdowns. It is a consensus that a team or an organization is only as good as its weakest link. Houston and the County’s commission led by Lina Hidalgo voiced that “too often blighted buildings, dark streets, unsafe and abandoned structures serve as incubators of crime.”

Ms. Hidalgo and Harris County Commissioners court put their money where their mouth is by both Republicans and Democrats unanimously approving $50 million to fight crime through planting trees, improving sidewalks, and adding streetlights in distressed neighborhoods. A unanimous decision for the people is why I like local government and why it functions so well compared to state and federal governing. Politics seem to always get in the way at the state or federal level and block progress.

The state’s newly passed bond laws make it harder to be released on bail if you are already out on bail.

Proponents say the law will help to keep violent offenders off the streets. Opponents say it will create additional hardships for some offenders, particularly those of limited financial means.

“There are people that should not be in the community. They should not be given a personal recognizance bond,” said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Texas Senate District 7.

However, people could still be released if they have the money to pay.

“Cash bail has nothing to do with public safety. All it means is that if you have resources, you have money, you can pay your way out of custody, and if you’re poor, you sit in jail,” said Carson White, staff attorney with Texas Appleseed.

Critics of the bill say it will disproportionately impact people from low-income and marginalized backgrounds.

Government improving the lives and safety of all people is always a work in progress.

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6 | Intown | November + December 2021

One City Block - Piney Point

Coming Soon!

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Mariana Saldana Broker Associate

(832) 338-4040 www.uptownrealestategroup.com

EVENTS

Uptown Holiday Lighting Festivities

T

he iconic Houston family tradition, the 33rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting, will take place on Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 25th. The holiday season will officially begin with the illumination of Uptown’s 300 custom, 20-ft. holiday trees along Post Oak Boulevard from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue.

This FREE family event features festive holiday shopping and treats, unique street entertainment and the sights and sounds of the holiday season, along with a special appearance from Santa. The party kicks off at 4pm and following the ceremonial lighting of Uptown’s holiday trees, the evening will culminate with an exhilarating fireworks extravaganza followed by a dazzling light show.

For more information visit www.uptown-houston.com and follow Uptown Houston on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @Uptown-Houston.

GIVE THEM SOMETHING NICE.

Holiday Lights at Eastern Glades

H

SEE HOW NAUGHTY IT GETS. The Eugene’s Gulf Coast Holiday Gift Card is the delicious gift everyone on your holiday list will be elated to receive: To purchase Holiday Gift Cards go to: EugenesHouston.com To make Lunch or Dinner Reservations go to: EugenesHouston.com/reservations or call 713.807.8883

1985 Welch Street Houston, Texas 77019 Open Monday thru Saturday: Lunch 11:00am to 2:30pm | Dinner 4:00pm to 10:00pm Open Saturday 11:00am to 10:00pm | Saturday Brunch 11:00am to 3:00pm | Closed Sunday

| Intown | November | Intown | March ++ April 8 14 December 2021 2021

oliday Lights in Clay Family Eastern Glades presented

by Green Mountain Energy returns to Memorial Park for its second year! Houstonians are invited to enjoy festive decorations and dazzling light displays from December 4, 2021, through January 3, 2022.

The outdoor holiday wonderland will feature oversized ornaments, tinsel-wrapped light poles, and colorful tree lights. This year, the holiday light display will make its way around the Eastern Glades’ entire half-mile Promenade natural surface pedestrian path encircling nine acres of open space, native plantings and habitat. Food trucks will be available for guests to enjoy on the weekends.

Green Mountain Energy, the nation’s longest serving renewable energy retailer, is excited to team up with The Memorial Park Conservancy, an organization with a shared commitment for promoting conservation and sustainability in our community. To make the holidays even greener at the Park, @GreenMtnEnergy is making the event carbon neutral by matching the electricity used with renewable energy credits.

Val Arbona

REALTOR, CLHMS, CRS

RE/MAX Vintage (713) 562-4903 valarbona.com

David Michael Young

Mariana Saldana

Carrie Ousley

Compass RE Texas

Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan

Luxury Home Insurance

Broker Associate, CLHMS, CNE, GREEN

(713) 320-6453 www.youngrealtyhouston.com

Broker Associate

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CIC, CISR

(281) 224-0762 www.carrieousley.com

Real Estate Professionals Serving the Houston Luxury Home Community w w w. g r e a t e r h o u s t o n l u x u r y. c o m

Genevieve Rowland

REALTOR, MCNE, CLHMS Multimillion Dollar Producer, ILHM

Keller Williams Memorial

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Dan Monson

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Sente Mortgage

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Joanne Naponic Broker/Owner

Naponic Properties

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List Price $1,495,000 | MLS# 83962829

Large open living areas with modern, clean finishes, high ceilings, tons of natural light, hardwoods throughout. First floor includes primary bedroom, gourmet kitchen, study, wine grotto, utility / mud room & butler’s pantry. Second floor has 3 bedrooms, gameroom, den and computer nook. Garage apt has full bath, kitchen and W/D. David M. Young | Compass RE Texas | 713-320-6453

8 | Intown | September + October 2021

(713) 515-3805 JoanneNaponicProperties.com

Marilyn Arendt Broker - Owner

Marilyn Arendt Properties (281) 433-9113 mma@castle2sell.com

Barbara Kobza

Realtor, CLHMS, Million Dollar Guild

Keller Williams Premier Realty

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James Selig

Broker Associate, CLHMS, CRS

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Donielle (Don) Davis Designated Broker

Don Davis Luxe Realty

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Modern/Contemporary 4 story home in Museum District with Downtown views. Oak wood and stained concrete floors - no carpet. High ceilings. Gourmet island kitchen with stainless steel Bosch appliance package. Gameroom on 4th floor has full bath and two large terraces - one has Downtown views and water/gas connections.

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FOOD

Carrabba’s The Original Feeding Houston since 1986

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he original Carrabba’s, on Kirby Drive, turns 35 this December.

That’s three and a half decades, which is a long life in the restaurant business. And John Charles Carrabba III, better known to all of Houston as Johnny Carrabba, has not only managed to survive, but to thrive, and expand, even during a pandemic.

The Carrabbas family, and their cousins the Mandolas, have been in the business of feeding folks for decades.

“I grew up in the East End of Houston, working at my grandparents and later, my parents’ grocery store,” Carrabba says. “Our customers ran tabs that they paid when they got paid. You learn how to be part of a community, and that’s been key to my success.”

But the grocery store wasn’t his dream, opening a restaurant was. In 1986, he and his uncle Damian Mandola, opened the original Carrabba’s. They soon opened a second location at Voss and Woodway, and in 1993, formed a joint partnership with then Outback 12 | Intown | November + December 2021

By Marene Gustin

“I had a panic attack, my main goal was to keep my employees going, I have about 110 who have been with me for 15 years or longer and six that have been with me since day one.”

— Johnny Carrabba Steakhouse, Inc. (now Bloomin’ Brands) and Carrabba’s Italian Grill was formed.

The chain has eateries not only across the country, but also in Canada and Brazil.

Carrabba kept ownership of the two original locations. And, with an eye towards the future, built a multi-level parking lot on some property he owned across the street, then in 2012 opened Mia’s, a fast casual eatery focusing on family Texas food, and then he decided to rebuild the original Carrabba’s from

the ground up, and then built Grace’s — an ode to his grandmother, to which he attributes the successes of the Mandolas and Carrabba’s food empires to — to create an eating empire along several blocks of Kirby Drive.

He then partnered with George Joseph to buy Common Bond bistros and bakeries in 2016 but sold his share in 2018 as the business began to expand.

“I just didn’t want to have any partners anymore,” he says. “I’m a guy who likes to hang out in his restaurants and mingle with the employees and customers. I don’t like board meetings and all of that.” A decision that also spawned his sale of his interest in the Carrabba’s Italian Grill chain just four months ago.

The Mia’s concept was doing so well that he concentrated on expanding those, but that’s when COVID-19 came calling in Texas.

“I felt threatened during the shutdown,” he admits. “I had a panic attack, my main goal was to keep my employees going, I have about 110 who have been

with me for 15 years or longer and six that have been with me since day one.

“I have to thank Houston for supporting me during that, we had longtime customers who would drop off $1,000 checks for the employees, they knew they weren’t getting tips during the shutdown, and they wanted to help them.”

The other thing that kept the Carrabba family business afloat, was take out. As other restaurants were pivoting to take out and delivery during the shutdown, he had already mastered the concept.

“Back in 1995 I saw the dynamics of dining changing,” Carrabba says. “Parents were working, kids had Little League and other activities, and they wanted family dinners but didn’t have time to cook a big meal.

“Chris Sullivan of Outback Steakhouse told me I needed to do more take out. That’s when we started doing take out on a large scale, with delivery right to your car. So, when COVID hit, we were already set up for that business.”

When the lockdown was over, and the vaccine arrived, more people began dining out again. He added two new Mia’s locations — totally six now — but there was another problem.

“The last one (in Cypress) sat empty for two months because I couldn’t get employees,” he says. “I finally started offering hiring bonuses.

But I could still use another 60 or 70 employees for all of my restaurants.”

He feels very fortunate that his family business survived when so many restaurants didn’t.

“I’m just a neighborhood, family guy,” he says.

His mother Rosie is at the Voss location almost every day, and his dad, known as Mr. C., hangs out at the Kirby location of Carrabba’s, while his son, Johnny IV, is learning the business from the ground up working in the Johnny Carrabba Family Restaurant company. Daughter Mia is still in college, so he says he’ll wait and see what she decides to do.

Family, longtime employees, and fourth-generation customers, are what keeps him successful. So, what does the future hold for Johnny Carrabba?

“I think I’m going to need to take a week off,” he muses. “I’m at the stage where I’m doing a lot of soul searching about what I want to do next and what the rest of my career will look like.”

But it’s doubtful that he will ever stop showing up at the original Carrabba’s to shake hands with customers, and chat up employees, all while keeping an eye on the food that Houston loves to eat.

November + December 2021

| Intown |13

Incomparable Impressionism Coming to MFAH

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Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dance at Bougival, 1883, oil on canvas, Picture Fund.

Claude Monet, The Water Lily Pond, 1900, oil on canvas, given in memory of Governor Alvan T. Fuller by the Fuller Foundation.

14 | Intown | November + December 2021

By Virginia Billeaud Anderson

raveling in Italy and missing Montmartre, Renoir said he’d choose the ugliest Parisian girl over the most beautiful Italian. His paintings however indicate otherwise. Lise, who modeled for over twenty of them, was stunning. Suzanne and Aline were no slouches either. It’s not certain which posed for “Dance at Bougival.” The painted figure resembles both Suzanne and Aline. Renoir may have combined the features of both women.

What is certain is that without entirely abandoning line and form, Pierre-Auguste Renoir used luminous color and skittery brushstrokes to render the nearly life-size dancing figures in the Impres- on the other hand plunged in. And sionist style. Following a new sensi- knocked the traditional idea of a nude bility, artists were experimenting with as a naked pagan goddess on its ear. technique and subject matter. Thus, Manet’s nude in “Déjeuner sur l’herRenoir churned-out a color and light be,” called “vulgar” when exhibited, filled depiction of a gussied-up pro- stares defiantly at the viewer. More vincial couple shaking a leg with café provocative, the nude in “Olympia” patrons drinking in the background glares comfortably reclined with her and matchsticks under foot. Muse- hand over her crotch. Today, these are um of Fine Arts, Boston which owns priceless masterworks, too precious to “Dance at Bougival” weighed in on travel, considered steppingstones to its steamy undercurrent. “The touch modern art. Victorine Meurent modof their gloveless hands, their flushed eled for both. Manet painted Victocheeks and intimate proximity, sug- rine eight times between 1862 and gest a sensuous subtext to this scene.”

1874. The exhibition features two Hot! It landed in Houston. On paintings Manet made of Victorine.

November 14, 2021, Museum of Fine One is a straight-forward portrait in Arts, Houston opens “Incomparable which Victorine wears the black neck Impressionism from the Museum of ribbon worn by the nude in “OlymFine Arts, Boston,” an exhibition of pia.” In the other, Victorine is a street 106 of the Boston museum’s most sig- musician departing a café, carrying a nificant paintings and works on pa- guitar, and eating cherries. Street muper, through March 27, 2022. Nine- sicians at sleazy cafés were unknown ty-one paintings and fifteen prints in academic art. Manet, not an Imdating from 1830 to 1900 chart de- pressionist, reinforced for the Impresvelopments in French art, in which sionists modern edgy subject matter.

Barbizon, Impressionist and Post-imCurators selected works to demonpressionist artists made innovations strate influence, friendships, and colin handling and radical subject matter laborations. Eugéne Boudin’s fourteen to represent nature and contemporary marine paintings vividly exemplify urban life. these ties. Called an “immediate preIf as Professor Jack Flam told us, cursor of Impressionism,” Boudin Paul Cézanne had an “aversion to” parlayed penetrating observations using nude models, Édouard Manet of shorelines and harbors around La Havre into brilliantly executed All iImages courtesy of the Museum of Fine portrayals of sunlight, atmosphere, Arts, Boston, Picture Fund. © Museum of waves, and boats, registering changes Fine Arts, Boston / All Rights Reserved in hours and seasons. Not an Impres-

WORTHWHILE CONVERSATIONS

BETTING ON THE WRONG TEAM… DOES YOUR WEALTH MANAGER HAVE THE RIGHT PLAYERS?

Chairman & CEO, J. Harold Williams, CPA/PFS, CFP®, discusses the importance of having a team of experienced individuals to offer client-centered advice with Wealth Advisor, Lantz Bowman, CFP®.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN -- “THE RIGHT PLAYERS?” A recent industry survey of the top 50 independent broker-dealers highlighted the number of CFP® practitioners relative to the total licensed brokers (those selling products or giving advice) at these firms. The percentage was under 25% for most, far below our number at L&W (70%+). The majority of our advisors have multiple credentials, including CPA, JD, and other advanced designations.

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Paul Cézanne, Fruit and a Jug on a Table, c. 1890–94, oil on canvas, bequest of John T. Spaulding.

Edgar Degas, Racehorses at Longchamp, 1871, possibly reworked in 1874, oil on canvas, S. A. Denio Collection—Sylvanus Adams Denio Fund and General Income.

sionist, Boudin was Monet’s teacher. He hammered Monet to closely observe nature and see its beauty. At Boudin’s encouragement, Monet painted “directly on the spot.” Which led to experiments in capturing impressions of color and light, exemplified by the show’s Impressionist-style haystack. The haystack series typifies Monet’s distillation of mundane objects at different moments, to record momentary fleeting impressions. The show includes a painting from Monet’s waterlilies series. Monet balked at leaving Giverny, nevertheless visited Venice to please his wife. He was determined not to work, yet the view of the Grand Canal and dome of Santa Maria della Salute from his hotel balcony was irresistible. The exhibit’s Venice canal scene shows loosely brushed light-splattered architecture and light-reflected ripely water.

Not an Impressionist, Henri Fantin-Latour made portraits of Impressionists. Fantin seems to have admired Manet, he copied “Olympia.” It is significant that Fantin introduced Impressionist Berthe Morisot to Manet, through whom she met Degas. Through Fantin, Morisot met Monet. The show’s four stiff-lifes by Fantin are not avant-garde subject matter, nevertheless his Chardin-inspired compositional arrangements feel timeless. Pulling from the observed natural world, he finagled a painterly approach with breathtakingly seductive color and texture. For Fantin, still-life was lucrative. Why change?

16 | Intown | November + December 2021

Gustave Courbet similarly raked in the bucks with floral still-lifes. He claimed to be “coining money out of flowers.” Not an Impressionist, Courbet’s unsentimental narratives of ragged peasants made him a guru of 19th century Realism. Courbet questioned Manet’s modeling of the nude in “Olympia.” He found the “Queen of Spades” too flat.

But Courbet himself experimented with wide patches of paint. The show’s “Hollyhocks in a Copper Bowl,” has large flat passages, and areas of thick paint. The impasto’s abstract quality looks ahead to Modernism.

It was Cézanne who radically transformed the still-life genre. An original Impressionist who worked alongside Pissarro, in the end Cézanne abandoned Impressionism and conducted revolutionary experiments with still-life, land-

Edouard Manet, Victorine Meurent, c. 1862, oil on canvas, gift of Richard C. Paine in memory of his father, Robert Treat Paine 2nd.

scape and human figures. The tilted tabletop in “Fruit and a Jug on a Table” lands us in new territory. Distorted forms, skewed perspective and unnatural color tones pave the way for newfangled developments like Cubist fracturing and planar variations, and Matisse’s expressive coloring. Cézanne ushers in modern art.

The show has eleven depictions of modern urban life by Impressionist Edgar Degas. I suggest you enjoy these, then grab the catalogue for the 2016 exhibition “Degas: A New Vision” by MFAH’s Gary Tinterow and Henri Loyrette, former director of the Louvre and of Musée d’Orsay. Its an exhaustive, exceedingly informative description of Degas’ art, which clarifies his interest in women in tubs, exhausted laundresses. or the exhibited horse races at Longchamps.

Alfred Sisley never deviated from the Impressionist style. The show features four paintings by Sisley. Sisley painted with Monet, Renoir, and Bazille in the Forest of Fontainebleau, near the village of Barbizon, guided by Barbizon landscapists. I once rode through the forest to see if those limestone boulders in their paintings were real. Bingo. Remnants from a geologic era when the forest was under water. If I could afford one of the paintings, it would be a landscape by Charles Daubigny. “Road Through the Forest” reveals Daubigny’s unmitigated proficiency at illustrating nature. Monet owned a Daubigny.

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The

Interview with

M

matt Schaub

att Schaub is a former Pro Bowl quarterback for the Houston Texans and led the NFL in passing back in 2009. He played 17 seasons in the NFL and seven of those were in Houston. He played college football at the University of Virginia where he was 2002 ACC Player of the Year.

Jake Asman: We waste no time as we introduce our next guest, former Texans Pro Bowl quarterback, Matt Schaub.

Matt, it’s Jake, BK, and Cody, appreciate you making some time for us here on a Friday and hope all is well on your end.

Matt Schaub: Hey, thanks for having me, guys. Glad to be here.

Cody Stoots: David Kelley after a recent game was talking about the game and maybe they kept sort of the training wheels on, for lack of a better term, on Davis Mills a little bit longer than they should have as a quarterback. How frustrating it is at the QB spot, sometimes you’re like, let me go out there and sling this thing a little bit.

Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s definitely tough, I mean, you know, it’s also hard as a coach when you have to manage a situation where you have a guy who hasn’t played, and is fresh out of college. But at the same time, you’re a football player that’s played a lot of football so you’re not a stranger to throwing the football and going through progressions. OK, here’s my play: what are my coverage indicators and where the football can go? Take the snap. Okay, confirm those things and then make a decision. Is that number one or number two and get the ball out your hand on time. And all the while not keeping things within ten yards on a scrimmage, You’ve got to give them an opportunity just to loosen those things up and show you’re going to go and attack them.

Brad Kellner: Matt, If I’m not mistaken, you had a total of two starts in your first three years in the league and you ended up having a really good career. Obviously, you look at a guy like Tom Brady who didn’t start right away. Hall of Fame career. Patrick Mahomes, maybe the best quarterback in football right now, didn’t start right away. In a perfect world, would you like your quarterback to rest, maybe sit and learn a little bit from the sideline before being thrust into the action?

Matt Schaub: You know, that’s it, every situation is different, every player, every, you know, staff, everyone has their own philosophies and everyone needs to be treated somewhat differently. Are you coming into a team that has a top 10 defense, a top rushing offense view How is your team built?

What’s around you? You know, how is your play caller, you know, taking care of you, but all at the same time, understanding you as a player. what your strengths are playing to those strengths, Peyton Manning wasn’t so lucky and fortu18 | Intown | November + December 2021

GAME

nate in his first year in the league. Look, what happens now?

Sometimes it’s good to have those storms and you’re hardened and callous to those tough situations and that adversity. But not everyone can weather that storm who who has that mental capacity and mental toughness to do that Jake Asman: Matt, what do you remember about your first start? Because, of course, Davis Mills had to be thinking a lot of different things on three days’ notice that he was starting his first game.

Matt Schaub: Yeah, it’s tough when things kind of happen that quickly. So having to get ready with minimal full speed reps for a young quarterback, It’s hard to translate over to game planning throughout the course of a week. You know what you’re working on, the game management side of it and situational football. And so to just get thrown in there.

That can be a lot for a rookie quarterback. And you know, for

me, my first start, I got one at the end of my rookie year with the Falcons. We had secured our playoff seeding and so they rested Mike Vick and I was able to get a start against the New Orleans Saints that year. It didn’t go well. We lost the game, but it was something I learned from and I was able to grow from it. So I think that the important thing is to keep going and keep things in perspective and stay within yourself.

Jake Asman: Matt, looking back to your career with the Texans, you were here seven years. You were a part of some really good Texans teams. What’s the thing that stands out the most?

Matt Schaub: You know, I think all encompassing turning the Texans into a winner, you know? You know, winning the division championship for the first time back to back years in 11 and 12, you know, turning that organization from one that had been struggling into one that was to be reckoned with and was a force in the AFC South.

And you know, that was something that

was a goal when I got there, you know, to turn into a playoff team, and win the division. We were able to do that. And, you know, that was something that you know, I always take pride in.

Brad Kellner: Matt, you brought up Andre Johnson who was a big part of the 2011 team, the 2012 team and a lot of your career down here in Houston.

Do you think he is a first ballot Hall of Famer?

Jake Asman: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I don’t get a vote, unfortunately, but Dre definitely deserves it. And you know how those things work, sometimes with how long some guys wait. You know he’s going to get in, but he should be a sure fire first ballot. But you know, we’ll see how the voters, you know, vote. But one way or another, he’s going to get in. No question about it.

Jake Asman: Do you have a favorite story from playing for Gary Kubiak?

Matt Schaub: We saw the game through such a similar lens that we just, you know, we related really well to one

another. As you know one thing with Kube is his playbook from week to week was so large after having played for some other teams, you know, our game plans are probably twice as big with Gary But for me, just being a guy that was programmed to memorize the game plan, so Kube would come in and he would have a list of 20 questions that he wanted to know about from the quarterback. And he would go through every short yardage on third down and Red Zone Pass play.

And you’d have to memorize the formation, give them the formation, give them your read, give them your coverage tips.

You stressed but when that meeting was over it was such a relief like I could take a breath of fresh air and, OK, now we can just go play the damn game. So that was the hardest part of the week.

Jake Asman: Certainly, you’re well appreciated by Texans fans and thanks again for coming on.

Matt Schaub: Thanks for having me on, guys. Appreciate it.

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Financial

FOCUS

MONEY LESSONS Teaching kids about money

I

f you are a parent or grandparent, it may give you pause to know that research shows children tend to copy their parents’ habits and attitudes about money. Are you passing on good money skills to the children in your life?

By Evans Attwell Senior Vice President Frost Bank

20 | Intown | November + December 2021

Although many parents are diligent about teaching safety and good manners, too often money skills are a blind spot. To be sure, in some families, money is an uncomfortable, even taboo, topic. Many other parents simply don’t talk about money with their children because they don’t know where to start or they expect their children’s school to do the job. Still, what parents say and do is the single biggest influence on their how their children will deal with money.

So, how do you help your children become financially savvy, responsible and eventually capable of being independent?

For starters, say the experts, unlike a birds-and-bees or don’t-do-drugs talk, money skills must be methodically taught to kids, experienced hands-on and modeled daily by parents.

START EARLY Some research suggests that lifetime money habits are set by the age of seven, and assuming that is true, starting money lessons early—as soon as your child can count—is important. But, say early childhood experts, treating your young child like a miniature adult is a mistake. To make an impression that sticks, you’ll want to find fun, meaningful and

Would you like to talk to a financial professional?

Contact Evans at 713.388.1367 or evans.attwell@frostbank.com.

Investment and insurance products are not FDIC insured, are not bank guaranteed, and may lose value.

Brokerage services offered through Frost Brokerage Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, and investment advisory services offered through Frost Investment Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Both companies are subsidiaries of Frost Bank.

Investment management services, financial planning and trust services are offered through Frost Wealth Advisors of Frost Bank.

age appropriate ways to start and expand your child’s money education. As just one example for preschoolers, you might work the idea of money into their imaginary games, such as playing pretend restaurant or pretend shopping.

SHOW THEM THE WAY Because you are your children’s most influential teacher, your actions have the most power to help or hurt. Remember that children tend to mimic what you do even more than what you say, and

they are always watching and learning, even when your actions don’t match your words.

ALLOW THEM TO MAKE MISTAKES Although it’s important to give your children advice and guidance, it’s equally important to allow them to make some of their own decisions about money— good and bad. Even by taking responsibility for small amounts of real money, children learn powerful lessons from

Additionally, insurance products are offered through Frost Insurance.

Deposit and loan products are offered through Frost Bank, Member FDIC. Frost does not provide legal or tax advice. Please seek legal or tax advice from legal and/or tax professionals.

personal experience, perhaps even more from mistakes.

Need a little coaching of your own?

Look for resources online and in print that offer creative, age-appropriate ideas for teaching money skills to children.

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November + December 2021

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Arts +

Intown’s Classical Music Critic, the Hon. Philip Berquist

EVENTS

Honorary Consul of the Republic of Croatia for Texas

Holiday Cultural Events

Artupdate houston published every two weeks by houstonintown. Go to website and sign up for newsletter to receive free update.

THEATER

A.D. PLAYERS

The Christmas Shoes

Nov. 24 through Dec.23 ALLEY THEATRE

A Christmas Carol

Nov. 19 through Dec. 29

Broadway Across America Hobby Center

Tootsie

November 16 through 21

Match

A Little House Christmas Nov. 7 through Dec. 18

Stages Repertory Theatre

Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold November 26 through December 31

The Ensemble Theater

Motown Christmas

Nov. 18 through Dec. 26

Theatre Under the Stars

The Little Mermaid

Dec. 7 through 24

It is time to list the major cultural events in Houston for the holiday months of November and December 2021. Let’s begin.

Houston Ballet Opening night is November 26, 2021, and marks the return of the annual favorite, “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky. There will be 31 performances of the holiday classic which will conclude with a 2 pm matinee on Christmas Eve. Due to the pandemic, this family jewel was not presented in 2020. All performances are back at the Brown Theater of the Wortham Theater Center. Ticket prices range from $35 to $158. For ticket purchases go to www.houstonballet.org or call 888.684.3582.

Houston Grand Opera Also returning to the Brown Theater at the Wortham Theater Center is HGO and their opening presentation of “Carmen” by Bizet. There are six performances of this “contemporary” production. Ticket prices range from $20 to $210. Tickets are available at the HGO Box Office at 550 Prairie. The email address is customercare@hgo.org, and the website is www.HGO.org. Or call 713.228.6737.

The dates and times of the remaining four November performances are as follow: Wednesday, 3 November, 7:30 pm; Friday, 5 November, 7:30 pm; Saturday 6 November, 7:30 pm; Sunday, 6 November, matinee, 2:00 pm.

Houston Symphony Orchestra HSO performs at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street. HSO provides a wide variety of performance series and the November and December schedules are as follow: • “Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Songbook” The music of one of the most influential musicians

22 | Intown | November + December 2021

of jazz. Steven Reineke conducts the Houston POPS Orchestra with Byron Stripling on trumpet. Friday, 5 November, 8:00pm; Saturday, 6 November, 8:00pm; Sunday, 7 November, matinee, 2:30:pm.

• “Hélène Grimaud Plays Ravel” I have not yet seen Ms Grimaud perform, but I will not miss this opportunity. Her recordings are exquisite and she is a major talent at the piano. Friday, 19 November, 8:00pm; Saturday, 20 November, 8:00pm; Sunday, 21 November, matinee, 2:30pm.

• “Thanksgiving Weekend: Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty” Fabien Gabel conducts, Simone Lamsma, violin, music of Bruch, Humperdinck, and Tchaikovsky. Friday, 26 November, 8:00pm; Saturday, 27 November, 8:00pm; Sunday, 28 November, matinee, 2:30pm.

• “Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Gil Shazam” HSO Music Director, in his last season, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, concurs and the brilliant Gil Shazam, violin performs music of Barber and Tchaikovsky.

Friday, 3 December, 8:00pm; Saturday, 5 December, 8:00pm; Sunday, 6 December, matinee, 2:30pm.

• “Musical Treats from The Nutcracker - for Kids!

Saturday, 4 December, special morning times, 10:00 am, and 11:30 am.

• “Handel’s Messiah” Friday, 10 December, 8:00pm; Saturday, 11 December, 8:00pm; Sunday, 12 December, matinee, 2:30pm.

• “Very Merry Pops” Saturday, 18 December, matinee, 2:30 pm, & 8:00 pm.

Well, that is the schedule for our three major arts presenters.

For tickets to HSO, Box Office, 713.224.7575.

Let me hear from you, classicalmusicberquist@ gmail.com Happy Holidays!

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