October on the Road: Part 1

This month, Nicky and I put some serious mileage on the Corolla. For starters, we made a trip to New Orleans the weekend of the 9th. When we first got to the Big Easy, Nicky took me to lunch for my birthday at Drago's. We were even able to convince our friends John and Cori to meet us in the Crescent City for a N.O. Hornets basketball game that night in the Capital One suite. The next morning, we all met up with our friends Ben and Sarah (who just had their first child, Audrey Katherine, on October 24!) at Cafe du Monde for the traditional beignets and cafe au lait!

The crabcake au gratin will change your life.

Veal Parmesan

Shrimp Stew

The aftermath of bread pudding...

Suite tickets!

Crazy kids from Jackson!

Sarah and Ben = Brand New Parents!

Cannot skip this when you go to N.O.

But the weekend didn't end there! My amazing husband and my two friends, Jamie and Laura, surprised me on Sunday with a visit from Baton Rouge! They brought homemade cupcakes, coke, and popcorn with M&M's! What a special birthday treat!

In the spirit of Halloween...

I enjoy Halloween. Not the scary stuff, just the cute, fun stuff. I like seeing kids dressed up in adorable costumes, and I LOVE the candy! I like the decorations that go along with the holiday, as well, but I have a hard time spending money on home decor that can only be used once a year (my exception to that rule is Christmas!) So, I found a solution to my dilemma: A couple of weeks ago, I was subbing in a second grade classroom. I had to make copies of a workbook page for the students, and I accidentally copied the page twice. We had about 15 minutes to fill at the end of the day, so I passed out the sheets and told them to draw a "Non-scary Halloween picture" on the back of the papers for me so that I could decorate my house with their artwork. As soon as I got home, I hung the drawings from my island. Nothing cheers up a home like children's artwork! And what's even better is that I did not have to pay for Halloween decor!

These are a few of my favorite pumpkins...

Last year, my mom and I went on a search for the movie Hocus Pocus, but we came up empty handed. So this year, I was determined to add it to my DVD collection. Nicky and I searched all over Houma, but it was nowhere to be found. I made a trip to Lafayette this past Monday to see my brother who has an eye injury from baseball practice, and we stopped at Target to see if we would have any luck. Apparently, his eye is still working just fine because he spotted this hard-to-find flick for me just as I was giving up hope! This is my favorite Halloween movie! I remember seeing it for the first time in the theater in Bossier City with my Aunt Robin the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade. 

When I got home from pilates class on Tuesday night, Nicky had the DVD ready to go in the player and a box of my favorite candy waiting for me on the couch!



Sunday Gunday

If you know Nicky, you know that he and his family are big fans of the Second Amendment.  While in Lafayette one weekend, we made our way out to Uncle Jay's farm for a little target practice. However, once we got there, we realized we had no target. Not to worry! I knew there had to be something in my trunk/purse that we could use to improvise...



A roll of butcher paper and a tube of lipstick saved the afternoon!



Prather Brothers



Yes, even I got to shoot.



My heavy heart got me thinking...

This past weekend, four students from Vandebilt Catholic High School were killed in an accident on their way home from the LSU game. Three of the students were 17 years old and one was only 15 years old. One of the boys was the starting quarterback of the football team, one was a safety. One girl was a cheerleader and the other involved in campus ministries. I can not imagine what it is like for the parents of these children. The school, which is about a mile from our home, is absolutely devastated. This tragedy has really touched this small town, and my heart is just so heavy. Their lives were cut so short, and it just seems so unfair. I know that this tragedy is greatly affecting those close to the kids, but it's greatly affecting me - someone who has never even met them. It has me examining my life and what I'm doing with it, because God could call me Home any second. As I was reading through Matthew chapter 22 this morning, I was stopped in my tracks by the following verses:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ' Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."   Matthew 22: 36 - 40

And these verses got me thinking... do the things that fill my heart, life and schedule reflect these commandments? The Creator of the universe and Lover of my soul is telling us to love Him back with our whole beings and to share this love with those around us. It seems like a simple commandment, but time and time again, I am disobedient. Thankfully, God is a God of second chances and forgiveness. But in the midst of this local tragedy, I'm really meditating on what my life is centering upon. I think in times like this, a lot of people start looking at the conditions of their hearts...

Nicky = Awesome

On Monday, I subbed in a 4-year-olds class. It was a lot of fun, but very exhausting. To top things off, I was starting to feel sick...sore throat, achy muscles, etc. Nicky knew I'd headed straight home to take some medicine and a nap. I woke up to find that he had picked up chicken noodle soup and chocolate ice cream for me! And that's not even all. He was also making a casserole so that I wouldn't have to cook for a few days! What a man!

Mexican Cornbread Casserole = Delicious

You can't beat chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and fudge-filled fish!

Tigers and Tailgates and T-shirts! Oh, My!

This past weekend, Nicky and I made our way to Baton Rouge, where the Tigers took on Mississippi State. We were invited to visit a few tailgate tents, and we had a blast!

As we drove through campus to find a parking spot, we passed our awesome church in BR!

One of many...

We scored FREE TICKETS at the last minute!

Tiger Band!

Tiger Stadium

Great seats!

Sea of Gold!

I really love the band...

On Sunday, Nicky worked at the farm, and I made my way back to Baton Rouge for my favorite dinner of the month! Well, we actually did lunch this time, but I got to see some of my favorite girls again. Unfortunately, Jamie, Anna and Lauren couldn't make it, but Jenny, Sarah, Kendra and I had a great time sharing a "Pizzookie" from BJ's and then strolling through the Mall of Louisiana. We made a stop at Storyville, which is an awesome t-shirt company that features local artists. These were the favorites of the day!

Jenny's favorite Tigers shirt

Sarah staying true to her UL roots

Everyone needs a Saints Tee!

Hunting Season

Last weekend, Nicky made his way to the hunting camp in Olla, Louisiana. He was able to capture some images of the landscape, himself working on the tractor, and the tamale pie that he and his friend, Batch, made.


While Nicky was away, I had the house to myself. So, I decided to rent a couple of chick-flicks (who knew that The Last Song was such a tear-jerker!?) and give myself a pedicure. I don't think hunting season will be so bad after all. :)