October 2020 Volume 2, Issue 4
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October & November ~ Cafe Sol ~
Tuesdays 12 noon - 11 p.m. Taco Tuesdays
Tuesdays just got a lot better. Be sure to come by and enjoy: *$2 off menu Tacos *$4 Frozen Margaritas *offer valid from OPEN to CLOSE
Wednesdays 12 noon - 11 p.m. Wing Wednesdays
Daily Happy Hour Specials 3p.m. - 6p.m. Join Cafe Sol every Wednesday and enjoy BONE OUT WINGS at .60¢ a piece (minimum order of 10 wings)
Fridays 12 noon - 11 p.m. Family and Friend Special
Come and pick up a deal you can’t beat! $22 - 2 pizzas & 6 wings Call to place your pick-up order 346.816.7202
~ Virtual Book Club ~ Sundays 10 - 11 a.m. - ONLINE
Discussions online. Join at any time! Email michelle@meridianatexas.com for details.
~ Camp Gladiator Work Out ~ Mon., Tues., & Thurs., 5 a.m. - ONLINE Tues. & Thurs., 5:30 / 6:45 p.m. - ONLINE
~ Kieler Fitness ~
Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. - Oasis Village Lawn Saturdays 8:30 a.m. - Oasis Village Lawn
We are excited to offer a full body, challenging workout by Kieler Fitness. Open to all fitness levels! Geared to motivate you along the way! Equipment is minimum to none!
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Family Fishing Derby Sat., Aug. 15 • Family • • Fun • • Food • • Prizes •
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LIFESTYLE
Families and friends enjoy the day by the water The families of Meridiana came out on Saturday, August 15 to compete in the Family Fishing Derby. The family that caught the most fish won a $50 gift card to Pro Bass Fishing Shop. Families caught small mouth bass, blue gills, perch and catfish. The biggest “fish” of the day,
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1ST PLACE WINNERS Caught 15 Fish
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was actually a turtle and as you’ve probably guessed, that’s the one that got away. The resident anglers used rubber bait, hotdogs, worms and corn. The students from the Manvel High School Fishing team used corn and walked away empty handed. However, those using worms seemed to have had the best luck. The Fishing Derby provided a fun familyand-friends outing and was a great event for social distancing, too. The ponds of Meridiana were stocked with fish from Gulf Coast Wildlife back in March. 2ND PLACE WINNERS Caught 9 Fish
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Father and Son Team
Fishing Makes A Hot Day Seem Alright
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Nacho Nachos pulled up in their food truck just in time for lunch.
We Welcome All Residents To Join In On The Fun!
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Meridiana donates $8,000 for Meridiana Elementary supplies Just in time for the new school year, Meridiana donated $8,000 to its onsite Alvin ISD school, Meridiana Elementary, for the purchase of classroom supplies to support elementary education. The funds will be divided among the school’s teachers and staff for items ranging from storage bins and baskets to Kleenex and hand sanitizer for the school year, according to Julie Weiss, principal of Meridiana Elementary.
Local Business DIRECTORY New to the area? Need help around the house? The Local Business Directory has proven beneficial in connecting the community with businesses who provide much needed services. “It’s reassuring to know who to call.”
Meridiana’s Welcome Center staff presents Julie Weiss, principal of the community’s onsite Meridiana Elementary (second from left), with a donation to purchase classroom supplies for the upcoming school year
“While our school is well supported, we always appreciate the opportunity to have more resources for our teachers and students, especially during these uncertain times,” says Weiss. Located at 9815 Meridiana Parkway, Meridiana’s onsite elementary is adjacent to the community’s Oasis Village and just down the street from its neighborhoods. The community is dedicated to education and features a variety of outdoor learning labs where residents learn about the constellations, sound waves and other principles of science. Meridiana is also home to Alvin ISD’s new Jackie Doucet Caffey Junior High School, opening in fall 2021. Iowa Colony High School will open adjacent to the community in fall 2022. When the new schools open, Meridiana will be the only Texas 288 community of new homes with all three levels of education within or adjacent to the community. “I’ve been with Alvin ISD for 25 years and I have never experienced a community like Meridiana that has helped out a school like this,” says Pam Taylor, office staff member at Meridiana Elementary. “They have given and done so much for our school, kids, parents, and ourselves in the past four years and they are still giving.”
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Little League fields open Four new Little League baseball fields are now open in Iowa Colony City Park at Meridiana, part of more than 100 acres of city
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parkland, playgrounds, open green space, multi-purpose fields and volleyball courts donated and built by Meridiana, the community of new homes at Texas 288 and Meridiana Parkway. The second phase of the park involved a funding partnership between the City of Iowa Colony, Meridiana and the Manvel-Iowa Colony Lions Club. The partnership allowed Meridiana to build four all-grass fields with dirt infields adjacent to the community’s Oasis Village at 4003 Meridiana Parkway. Located at the newly named Lions Ball Park, each of the four fenced fields were built to Little League standards with bleacher seating behind their respective home plates. The fields also are walking distance to Café Sol, Meridiana’s onsite restaurant offering lunch and dinner entrees, burgers and sandwiches, pizzas from a wood-burning oven, soups, salads, starters and housemade desserts. “The members, past and present, of the Manvel-Iowa Colony Lions Club are elated to achieve our promise of providing these ball fields for our local children. Through many years of the club’s hard work and the generous support of our sponsors and community, we have accomplished a dream come true,“ says Tom Amundsen, president of the Manvel-Iowa Colony Lions Club. “Most of us have fond memories of growing up playing Little League,” he adds. “We are delighted to provide funding for this project and give children in the area the opportunity to enjoy the same wonderful experiences.” In addition to Meridiana providing funds for the ballfields, the Manvel-Iowa Colony Lions Club contributed $350,000 to build the fields, the result of fundraisers held over the past several years. The four fields are open to the public, however a permit must be secured from the City of Iowa Colony for group or league play. To reserve one of the fields at Lions Club Ball Park, go to www. cityofiowacolony.com.
Meridiana to open active-adult neighborhood Meridiana will open a new, active-adult enclave of single-family homes, the first along the Texas 288 corridor, as the award-winning community minutes from Alvin, Manvel and Pearland continues to add new homes for all stages of life.
Located off Meridiana Parkway less than two miles from Highway 6, the gated Serenity at Meridiana section will feature 144 homesites, its own clubhouse, pool and other fitness and recreation features. Maintenance items included in the section’s HOA fees are front yard grass mowing and edging, termite treatment and exterior pest control, lawn fertilization and weed control and front yard flowers and shrubs in select areas. The new section also will be staffed with its own dedicated Lifestyle Director to plan events for residents in the neighborhood. Additionally,
Serenity at Meridiana residents will have access to the master-planned community’s waterfront Oasis Village featuring Café Sol, family pool and cabanas, lap pool and central lawn. New homes in Serenity at Meridiana are expected to range from the upper $200’s to the upper $400s with its first model home scheduled to open by Spring 2021. Pre-sales are expected to start in October. “With larger single-family homes, luxury townhomes and now a section for active adults, Meridiana offers a new home choice for any buyer,” explains Matt Lawson, vice president of Rise Communities. Lawson adds he expects the new active-adult neighborhood to be a popular option for current Meridiana residents who will be looking to downsize in the years to come and still enjoy quality-built homes. The 2017-2018 GHBA Community of the Year, Meridiana presents the finest in new homes by the area’s leading builders from the low $200s to the $600s. Residents enjoy over 100+ acres of parks and 20+ miles of trails. The community’s parks include basketball/volleyball/tennis courts, splash pads, baseball/soccer/football fields, and a 23-acre lake for catch-and-release fishing, kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. The community also hosts farmer’s markets and movie nights, craft nights, wine tastings and live music on the lawn.
Birthday Photos Email to: officemanager@alvinsun.net Deadline for Next Publication Oct. 31, 2020
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Meridiana Elementary First Day Of Kindergarten
Kindergarten students were welcomed back to school on September 8th. No Tears! Great job Moms and Dads!
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COLUMNIST
Marinate in the Word of God by Brenda Groves
Brenda Groves A few weeks ago I cooked a Pork tenderloin roast. I had never made this cut of meat before. I put it in the slow cooker and that evening I was quite surprised how delicious it had turned out. Well, this past weekend I decided to make another one. I selected the exact same type of pork roast. And by memory I tried to duplicate how I had prepared it. I recalled pouring a small mixture of water with a few other liquid flavors over it and sprinkling some spices. We wanted to eat a little earlier so I set the slow cooker for six hours, said a quick prayer and walked away. But this time the results were not the same. Oh, it looked just as tasty as the other one, but the inside was dry and brittle, no rich flavor in every bite like the first roast. A bit disappointed I quickly chopped it up and combined it with a few cups of the leftover broth. Better.
But still not even close to the first one. I questioned how could it be so dry sitting in the middle of water? Now, over the years I’ve learned to talk to the Lord about everything. Even about why a roast was dry. I got my answer and much more! The Holy Spirit reminded me that I had prepared the first roast the night before, carefully rubbing it with oil and spices, placed it in a Ziplock bag to let it marinate over night. And I had cooked it for 8 hours- very low and slow. Then the Lord asked me something as He softly spoke to my heart. “Brenda, how can some people sit in My presence surrounded by love and look well on the outside but on the inside they are brittle and dry?” Without speaking a word I answered Him. “Because they haven’t prepared their heart Lord,” I replied. “They haven’t taken the time to soak in Your presence. To allow your love to pour over them and meditate on your word, giving it time to soak in.” Immediately I thought about my own heart. He is a personal God and He is concerned about our relationship. How I was relating to Him, receiving and responding to His love. His Holy Spirit living in me is alive and well. But my mind has been elsewhere, busy with work
again and just the cares of this world. My heart can become dry and brittle. It can become hardened in areas. There is a difference between tough and strong. You can be tenderhearted and your heart can be strengthened in the Lord — both at the same time. But how rich is the flavor of His word. Taste is a way of defining His presence that we don’t often think about. But lately I’ve been thinking about how taste and the Holy Spirit go together.
In Psalm 34:8 it is written that we should “taste and see that the Lord is good.” I’ve also found inspiration in Psalm 119, specifically verse 103, where the Word of the Lord is called, “sweeter than honey.”
BRENDA GROVES can be contacted via email at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
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The Postscript by Carrie Classon
Reading to Lori
Carrie Classon I’ve been reading to Lori. Lori is my husband, Peter’s, older sister. She has cancer and has been battling it for a while now. She uses oxygen to help out and catching this virus would be terrible for her, so Peter and I are extra careful, in large part because I’d like to keep reading to Lori. I’ve been writing a novel. It’s the first time I’ve written fiction, so I honestly don’t have any idea what I’m doing. It’s the sort of thing a person learns how to do by doing -- and so I’ve been doing it, pretty much alone, since the end of January. Except that, sometime in there, I started reading it to Lori. Peter has been cooking. Peter is an excellent cook. I strongly recommend, if you are a writer and it’s not too late, you marry someone who cooks because sometimes I get so wrapped up in my imaginary little world, I forget about cooking meals and, when I come downstairs, Peter always has a pot of something on the stove. He’s good about things like that and, since about the
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first of the year, Peter has been bringing food to Lori. Unlike me, Lori has a good excuse not to be cooking. She’s not always hungry and her diet is restricted and sometimes, she just doesn’t have the energy to think about making food. Peter brings over food and when he does, I read. As this virus has stretched on, these days of reading have become more important to me and, I suspect, to all of us. Sometimes I dress up a little. It feels good to put on a sundress for a change. We sit outside on opposite sides of her deck. Lori’s husband, Robert, puts Peter’s food in the fridge, and we find out how Lori’s been feeling and what treatments she’s been on most recently. “Shelley called,” Lori will say. And she’ll tell us about phone calls she’s had from family. Then the conversation sort of winds down because, let’s face it, none of us are doing much
these days. That’s when I’ll read a chapter or two. Sometimes the neighbor mows the lawn and I have to speak up. Sometimes we get some competition from ravens squawking in the trees. Occasionally, a little rain comes in. Lori and Robert sit under the patio umbrella and Peter and I sit under the overhang of the house. We let the rain pass and I keep reading. Lori laughs out loud -- which makes me happy. She laughs at both the funny and the gruesome parts. When I am finished, she and Robert ask questions and Robert (who is not generally a fiction reader) asks some excellent ones. We leave before it gets too late. I have a hike to take. Lori gets tired. Robert needs to heat up whatever Peter has brought for dinner. And when I get home, I always feel better than when I left.
I’ve come to think of the little gatherings on Lori’s deck as a sort of distillation of everything we need as humans. We need nutritious food and we need to sit together and we need to share stories. And we need to laugh. We need to laugh a lot more than we have recently. Over the next few days, I write a little more and Peter keeps on cooking, and we keep in touch with Lori by sending a text or two. Then Peter will ask, “When would you like to read to Lori?” “Anytime,” I say. “Any day that works for her.” Till next time, Carrie Carrie Classon’s memoir is called, “Blue Yarn.” Learn more at CarrieClasson.com.
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