"Our little pet" or "Budhist Tender" or "Why?"

The other day I almost had a heart attack. Mock me if you will, but I've never lived in Texas. This little fellow/gal is HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE to me!!!

Being the peaceful person I am, I didn't kill it. I asked Jody to, but he wouldn't. So there it sits in our lavender. According to a google search we think it's Argiope Aurantia, "harmless"... bites compared to bee stings.

Fun times. It just stays in the same spot. Which is good. Not too hyper. But I'm thinking I'm going to have my dad capture it and release it into the wild somewhere. Dad? You game??