12502 Seattle Slew Dr. • Houston, TX 77065 • (281) 721-9700

December 2013

Rock Creek Apartments StaffAnna Cafagna Community ManagerDaisy Gonzalez Assistant ManagerMartha Torres Leasing ManagerJason Hoang Marketing DirectorAshley Lopez Leasing SpecialistBoyd Simper Leasing SpecialistMary Aragon Leasing Specialist

Office HoursMonday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.Tuesday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.Wednesday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.Thursday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m.Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.Sunday 1–5 p.m.

Happy HolidaysBest wishes this holiday season!

Pet PolicyWe would like to remind everyone

with pets to please dispose of your petwaste properly and keep your petsleashed. Help us keep our communityclean and your neighbors happy!

Keep the HeatConserve energy by closing your

blinds or curtains at night. Warm aircan escape through windows, causingyour heater to work harder than itneeds to.

Annual HolidayDecoration Contest

Fill your patios, doors, windowsand bushes with magical lights andholiday decor. Judging will take placeon the night of Dec. 19, so beprepared!

1st Place Winner - $300 off Rent2nd Place Winner - $150 off Rent3rd Place Winner - $50 off Rent

Annual ResidentHoliday Dinner

This year’s holiday dinner will beon Friday, Dec. 20. It will be at thefront office at 6:30 p.m. Bring anempty stomach and your holiday spirit!

Gingerbread House Contest!Children of Rock Creek! Come test

your skills in a fierce gingerbreadhouse contest!! Starts at 6 p.m. onDec. 23 in the PH II banquet hall.Three winners will be announced atour free breakfast event on Dec. 24.

Prize - $50 gift card per winnerMust be under 18 years of age

to qualify!

Christmas Tree DisposalFor those of you who will be

disposing of Christmas trees, pleasedo not leave them by the dumpster.Please recycle them at the designatedlocations at www.houstontx.gov. If youhave any questions or need helpfinding a location nearest you, pleasecontact the front office.

Refer Your Friends andEarn $300

Tell your friends about us andwhen they move in, we will reward youwith $300 off your next month’s rent.

Happy Holidays (:

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Happy New Year!Whether you choose to frolic with

fellow partiers on crowded streets orsleep through the midnight milestone,New Year’s Eve will be here beforeyou know it. Are you familiar with thefollowing New Year’s trivia?

• Ancient anniversary. The firstrecorded New Year’s celebrationdates back 4,000 years toancient Babylon. In 46 B.C.,Julius Caesar decreed that theyear would start on Jan. 1,establishing what is known asthe Julian calendar.

• Rockin’ revelry. In 1972, DickClark hosted his first “New Year’sRockin’ Eve.” From a rathersmall beginning, the annualprogram has grown to becomethe most-watched New Year’sEve broadcast in the world.

• Brilliant ball. Prior to 1907, NewYorkers celebrated the new yearwith fireworks, but due to a banon the pyrotechnics that year,Times Square celebrationofficials marked the occasion bylowering a ball decorated with100 25-watt light bulbs. Thecurrent ball contains over30,000 lights and weighs morethan 11,000 pounds.

• Sentimental song. Even if youdon’t know the words to “AuldLang Syne,” you’ve probablyhummed or, at least, swayed tothe unofficial New Year’s Evetheme song. Roughly translatingto “times gone by,” the songencourages us to rememberfriends and experiences fromthe past.

“Each age has deemed thenew-born year the fittest time

for festal cheer.”—Sir Walter Scott

Pretty PoinsettiasWith its bright red blooms and

cheerful appearance, the poinsettia isa popular plant during the month ofDecember. Native to Mexico andCentral America, poinsettias wereintroduced to the United States byJoel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist,physician, and the first U.S.ambassador to Mexico. The plant isnamed after him.

The poinsettia is a perennialflowering shrub that grows wild in bothtropical and dry forests. In their native

habitat, they can grow to be more than10 feet tall. The colored petals thatresemble a flower are actuallymodified upper leaves called bracts.The poinsettia’s true flower is its tinyyellow center.

The Aztecs used poinsettia bractsto make a reddish purple dye forfabrics. They also used the sap fromthe leaves to control fevers.

Many people believe thatpoinsettias are highly toxic, butmultiple studies have shown that thisis not true. However, they can causean upset stomach or be a chokinghazard for children or pets.

The poinsettia is the best-sellingpotted plant in the U.S. and Canada.Red remains the most popularcolor of poinsettias, but there aremore than 100 varieties, includingpink, white, yellow, purple andmulticolored versions.

Simmer and ServeWhen it comes to easy meal

preparation, almost nothing beats aslow cooker. From soups to roasts tocobblers, there are an abundance ofslow cooker recipes available. Justadd the ingredients, turn the dial,leave for several hours and comeback to a tasty dish.

Here are a few tips to ensure yourslow cooker success:

Use the right size. Slow cookerscome in a range of sizes, from 1 quartto 8 quarts. Pick the size that’s rightfor you, and choose or adapt recipesaccordingly. For best results, a slowcooker should be between one-halfand two-thirds full.

Prepare. Browning meat andvegetables in a skillet before addingthem to the slow cooker will provide aricher overall flavor. This step is notnecessary, though.

Layer. Root vegetables, such as

potatoes and carrots, cook moreslowly than meat, so they should go atthe bottom of the pot, closest to theheat source.

Set the temperature. Most slowcookers offer low and high heatsettings. Cooking on low takes abouttwice as long as cooking on high.

Leave it alone. Don’t stir thecontents or lift the lid for a peek. Letthe slow cooker do the work, andwhen it’s done, enjoy!

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Sweet DreamsEven though everyone dreams, no

one really knows why. However,understanding how dreams workprovides insight into the meaning andpurpose of our dreams.

Dreams typically occur during REM(rapid eye movement) sleep, when ourbrains are most active. Our longestREM cycle happens right before wewake up and is when most of ourdreams take place.

Most scientists believe that dreamsare influenced by information andimages we gather during the day.During non-REM sleep—called slowwave sleep—the hippocampus feedsimages to the frontal cortex of thebrain. When we switch to REM sleep,the frontal cortex attempts to organizeand make sense of the day’s images.

While we are dreaming,neurotransmitters block signals fromthe brain to the body to prevent usfrom physically acting out our dreams.

Many theories exist regarding whywe dream. Those with a psychologicalperspective think dreams reveal aperson’s desires and motivations.Others believe that dreams help usmanage moods, solve problems andorganize memories. Some saydreams have no purpose at all, whilestill others assert that dreams arenecessary for overall mental,emotional and physical health.

Usually we only remember dreamsthat happen right before we wake up.Waking up naturally, without an alarm,can help us remember dreams better.

Eggs Benedict CasseroleIngredients:• 6 cups French bread, cut

into cubes• 12 large eggs• 1 1/2 cups milk• 3 tablespoons

fresh chives, chopped• 1 teaspoon salt• 2 1/2 teaspoons

Tabasco sauce, divided• 12 ounces Canadian

bacon, chopped• 1 (9-ounce) package

hollandaise sauceDirections:Preheat oven to 350° F.Place French bread cubes in 8-cup

shallow casserole dish. Beat eggs,milk, chives, salt and 2 teaspoonsTabasco sauce in large bowl; stir inCanadian bacon. Pour over breadcubes. Let mixture stand five minutes.Bake 40 minutes or until mixture ispuffed and set.

Meanwhile, prepare hollandaisesauce as package directs. Stir in1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce. Keepwarm until ready to use.

Serve casserole with warmhollandaise sauce.

For more recipes, visitwww.Tabasco.com.

Wit & Wisdom“Peace begins with a smile.”

—Mother Teresa

“Peace is when time doesn’t matteras it passes by.”—Maria Schell

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace.One must believe in it.

And it isn’t enough to believe in it.One must work at it.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

“Imagine all the people living lifein peace.”

—John Lennon

“Peace is not merely a distant goalthat we seek, but a means by which

we arrive at that goal.”—Martin Luther King Jr.

“Be at war with your vices, at peacewith your neighbors, and let everynew year find you a better man.”

—Benjamin Franklin

“Our peace shall stand as firm asrocky mountains.”

—William Shakespeare

“He is happiest, be he king orpeasant, who finds peace

in his home.”—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Success isn’t measured by money orpower or social rank. Success is

measured by your disciplineand inner peace.”

—Mike Ditka

“Here men from the planet Earth firstset foot upon the Moon.

July 1969 A.D. We came in peacefor all mankind.”—Neil Armstrong

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the michelson commitment to service

The Quality of Our Service Is:

For more information about our Michelson apartment communities, visit us at our Web site, www.michelsonrealty.com, or contact the communities by e-mail.

E-mail addresses should be completed with michelsonrealty.com. (example: grandregency@michelsonrealty.com)

ColoradoDenverRetreat at the Park303-331-1600retreat@...

The Flats at Whisper Sky303-222-1380whispersky@...

The Windsor Apartments and Townhomes303-763-9963windsor@...

FloridaJacksonvilleWestridge Apartments904-317-8077westridge@…

OrlandoKnightsbridge atStoneybrook407-482-0700knightsbridge@…

SarasotaTurnbury Parkat Palm Aire941-360-9001turnbury@…

GeorgiaCantonWalden Crossing770-720-7337waldencrossing@…

EvansWalden Glen706-650-3111waldenglen@…

KennesawWalden Ridge678-574-0100waldenridge@…

IllinoisAuroraLegacy at Fox Valley630-375-1300legacy@…

GurneePreserve at Osprey Lake847-623-4280osprey@…

West DundeeVillages at Canterfield847-836-0177canterfield@…

KentuckyLouisvilleFenwick Place Apartments502-491-2299fenwick@…

Terraces at Forest Springs502-243-1213forestsprings@…

MarylandElktonStonegate410-398-4800stonegate@…

MinnesotaWoodburyCity Walk at Woodbury651-730-0329citywalk@…

MissouriBallwinKensington West636-227-2717kensington@…

ClaytonTwo Thirty Building314-726-1444230@…

Kansas CityStonehaven South816-333-5711stonehaven@…

ManchesterOrchard Village636-391-9010orchard@…

St. LouisPark Forest314-351-1021park-forest@…

Southmoor314-843-2233southmoor@…

Whispering Hills314-434-5400whhills@…

NorthCarolinaCaryAmberwood at Lochmere919-233-1010amberwood@…

TennesseeAntiochTimberlake Village615-834-3001timberlake@…

GoodlettsvillePreston Run615-851-7670prestonrun@...

MurfreesboroCarrington Park615-494-0300carringtonpark@…

The Reserve at Harpers Point615-867-4436harperspoint@…

Waterford Place at Innsbrook615-904-7368waterfordplace@…

TexasFort WorthBella Vista817-665-6064bellavista@…

FriscoThe Vineyards972-668-6300vineyards@…

GrapevineMustang Ridge972-906-1919mustangridge@...

HoustonTrails at Rock Creek I & II281-721-9700rockcreek@…

Westchase Creek281-497-6231westchasecreek@...

KatyKingsland Ranch281-599-7200kingsland@...

Mason Park281-492-0405masonpark@...

LewisvilleChapel Hill972-315-9700chapelhill@…

RichmondResidences at Cinco Ranch281-398-1201cincoranch@…

San AntonioBoulder Creek210-558-3123bouldercreek@…

VirginiaVirginia BeachIndian Lakes757-467-9107indian@…

The ability to provideassistance reliably,accurately, and consistently.

A willingness to helppromptly and courteously.

The level of care and individualattention given to each expectation.

A team of professionalsfocused on offering apartmentliving at its best.

That successfulcombination ofknowledge, skill,and hands-onexperience.

December 2013Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Rent Is Due

2 3 4

Rent Is Late

5 6 7

No Trash PickupEvery Friday andSaturday

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Pest Control EveryThursday (UponRequest)

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15 16 Movie Night! 17

Starts at 6 p.m. inthe Theater Room!

18 19 Annual Party 20

Our Annual HolidayDinner will start at6:30 p.m.at the Front office!

21

22 Contest Night! 23

Gingerbread HouseContest Starts at6 p.m. in the PH IIBanquet Hall.

Free Breakfast 24

Fresh hot breakfast,hot cocoa and coffeewill be served in theFront Office at9 a.m.!

Christmas 25

Office Is Closed.

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BI-500 - Trails at Rock Creek - Issue: 12/01/13Viewed: 11/20/13 12:03 PM