Laura Royer

C Y P R E S S P R O F I L E

By Patricia Hudson

I first met Laura several years ago, through a partnership between the Cy-Fair Women’s Club and Cy-Fair Helping Hands, the non-profit organization of which I serve as one of the

Executive Directors. As President of CFWC, Laura impressed me with her leadership, positivity, and warmth. Dedicated to her family, work, and personal causes, she is a Cypress resident worthy of note. Husband’s Name: Shawn

When/Where did y ou meet? We met through mutual friends, watching football at Buffalo Wild Wings. We both knew within a few weeks that we’d be t ogether.

Where did you get married? We eloped with the blessings of our families. A family friend blessed us with the use of their beautiful home in South Fork, Colorado. We were married in the snow, on the banks of the Rio Grande River, surrounded by mountains.

Employment: Shawn and I hav e been self-employed since 2007. We are owners of Houston Permit S ervice.

Photo Credit: Patricia Hudson

How long have you lived in Cypress? Shawn went to CyCreek High School, and has lived in the area most of his life. I grew up in Tomball, went to Tomball High School, and have lived in the Cypress area for 11 years. Children? We have one son, Trent, age 9. He will be

starting the 4th grade at Swenke Elementary next school year. He loves science, Lone Star Express Baseball, and fishing. (Note: While Trent normally plays catcher or third base, he recently pitched a perfect game in Game 1 of the World Series 2020 at Farm League Park in Klein). Family Time: It usually involves baseball, swimming, boating, and lake life. Lake Striker, a hidden gem in east Texas, is our favorite destination.

Favorite Causes: Cy-Fair Women’s C lub, (Board member for 6 years, 2 years as President, due to term limits, and served as Chairperson for Shop ‘Til You Drop, our annual fundraiser); Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo,(Shawn has been on Top Hand Cookers for 24 years, and a Rodeo member since 2010. He is the Vice Chairman of the School Art Auction Committee and on the Calf Scramble Donors’ Committee. I h ave been on the Area Go-Texan Committee, Horticulture, and the S ouvenir Program Committee); and Cy-Fair Helping Hands, (Donor and Community Pantry volunteer).

Covid-19 Reflections

15 weeks since Trent has been in a classroom.

100 days since the pandemic reached Houston. So much has happened in the last 100 days. Sickness, death, job losses, shortages, ventilators, masks... and now, protests, riots, division. My family has learned so much in the last 100 days. We’ve spent time worrying, praying, hoping and watching the world around us. I think about the things we, as a society, a re failing, and where we are doing well. I think about how I want my son raised, what I want him t o know and understand, and what I hope he never will. I think about my Grandparents more, how they lived, lessons we were taught from their hardships growing up. I remember my Greek Grandmother never owning paper towels or any disposable items. Everything was used, washed, and used again. Food was made at h ome, never in a res taurant. I remember eating fresh garden vegetables from my Cajun Great Grandmother’s garden, figs off of the neighbor’s tree, and fresh meat from whatever was hunted or caught that day. I wonder how my Italian Grandfather felt growing up in Chicago in the 1930’s and 40’s with a Mom that didn’t speak English, and a Father that had abandoned them? How did he feel joining the Air Force at 17 and being shipped off t o Korea? My Mom’s parents were self-employed most of my life. They had failures and successes in their businesses, but always lead with integrity. My Mom and Dad sold off everything they owned and moved across the country to start over when the economy

crashed in their town. It takes guts to pack it up, sell it all off, and move where no one knows your name, especially with a two-year-old and another on the way. Phone calls were long distance and expensive, no face time, no zoom. They were all so different, but all had one thing in common. Work hard, only buy what you need, and appreciate what you have. My Mom told me once that when she was growing u p, it was frowned upon to liv e a lifestyle of excess. Now, we live in a world where it is celebrated. We, as a family, fight this battle on a daily basis. It’s so easy to “add to cart” online and eat out every night. But we are working on it.

The last 100 days have helped re-focus our priorities as a family. As I sit here typing, Trent is reading his book to earn video game time later. After 2-1/2 years of him asking, I finally let him download F ortnite, an online game. We talked about how much time he wants to spend playing it, and how many fun things he has done in the last 2-1/2 years instead of playing a video game. I want him to understand how precious is time. During this 15+ weeks, Trent has spent his days fishing and playing with friends while we were at home. We’ve spent weeks at our lake ho use fishing, boating, building campfires and c ooking. We are lucky in that Shawn can work from anywhere, hasn’t had to release anyone, and is still in business. We spend day after day in the swimming pool, and have had some great cookouts with the neighbors. All in all, we are very lucky, and we know it. Life is short, the economy is unstable and society is fragile. We still choose to look up to God for his guidanc e and walk in faith.