AM Flights Hate Me

As many of you may know, I missed my 6:00am flight home on Saturday and was pushed to the 12:45 departure. I accidentally set my alarm for 4:30 PM instead of AM. Sigh. This is the second early flight I have managed to miss. Perhaps it is the universe's way of telling me what I already suspected: I am not a morning person and should not attempt to schedule anything before mid-morning! I did eventually make it home and enjoyed a lovely 48 hours of family time.

I visited with my grandparents, hung out with my brother, rummaged through some boxes of keepsakes, flipped through my old scrapbooks, loved on my dog and cat, had an impromptu family get-together on Memorial Day, and spent some time with my folks. 

I love out-of-airplane-window pictures :)

Now its back to reality and really hot weather!

Put A Smile On Your Face

Things that make my happy:

• Belting out songs in the car (preferably while driving on the interstate so that I'm not stopping frequently and people don't notice me using my fist as a microphone)
• Freshly painted nails
• Sitting down to flip through my latest issues of Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and Gardens & Guns
• Going on cinematic adventures: especially to see good chick flicks and comedies
• Watching guilty pleasure shows (i.e. Glee, Jersey Shore, etc.)
• Exploring vintage and antique shops
• Receiving hand written notes in the mail
• Cruising through town with the windows down on a beautiful day
• The smell of my new Sunshine by Gap perfume

And Action!

Friday night Michelle and Brie had a few of their film friends over and shot a short movie in our living room. They worked on it until 4:00 in the morning and I stayed up to see all of the magic happen! As someone who is not in the film industry it was an interesting process to witness. 

Michelle operated the camera and Brie played the leading lady

There were two other actors in the film along with Brie and she axes them both! 

*insert evil laugh*

Brie was not only an actor, but also the special effects make-up artist! 

 I didn't just stand around taking pictures like an amateur paparazzi, I helped out where I could and they may even note me in the credits! Hahaha! I can't wait to see the finished product once Michelle is done with the editing. I believe their goal is to enter it into various film festivals around! Twas a different way to spend my evening for sure!

What's New Pussycat?

• After 6+ years I have retired my primary purse after purchasing a new pretty black bag from Fossil
• Though I have not tried it yet, I purchased a bottle of Pinnacle's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Vodka...any mixer suggestions or reviews are appreciated
• Soon I should be moved into a new office at work. I am looking forward to not having my back to everything as that is one of my biggest pet peeves in life.
• I started re-watching American Horror Story the other night. I can't wait to see what they are going to do with the next season!
• The Avengers = funny/entertaining
• Dark Shadows = not so much

Saints Softball

Yes, you read correctly. Saints Softball. Not football. Yesterday afternoon I watched The Saints defense play a charity softball game against their offense. It was fun! They started with a home run derby before beginning the abbreviated game. While they were no MLB team, I suppose most athletes are decent at sports in general so there were lots of runs scored throughout the night.

The proceeds from the evening went to the Heath Evans Foundation that works with victims of childhood sexual abuse. 

Unfortunately Drew Brees (as well as a few other key players) were not part of the charity game. My guess is that Drew was absent due to the fact that he has yet to be signed to the team (?!?!)

Jazz Fest Time

Following in last year's style, I made it to the very last day of Jazz Fest. There wasn't any major act playing that I was dying to see (though, I suppose the Foo Fighters were the "big name" of the day) which made going with everyone else's flow easier. AV, Evan, and I headed over bright and early with our hats/visors, chairs, and of course, tickets and met up with others. 

Crawfish Bread!! I fell in love with this yummy treat last year at Jazz Fest, so of course I had to get one again this year!  The only other time I have had the pleasure of eating this heavenly culinary creation was at French Quarter Festival this year. SOOOO good!!

Justine, Mara, and Evan in the "Jazz Tent" getting some much needed relief from the sun!

AV and I soaked up some sun at the "Acura Stage" while listening to Galactic perform.

For the occasion I purchased a floppity hat :) 

I took a similar picture last year at the end of the day...my feet were quite dirty again 

Despite the fact that I applied sun screen (as did everyone else I was hanging out with) I managed to get rather sun burnt! My shoulders, upper back, and knee caps were super sore for about three days after the festivities had ended and I am now almost completely peeled! 

Another NOLA Festival come and gone.

Knives Cut

One night while Judy & Dale were in town I decided to make jambalaya and have them over to my house for dinner. Prior to beginning chopping everything for the recipe I opted to sharpen the knife I was going to be using. While cutting the tasso pork I slipped and sliced my finger. Sad face.

It did not hurt when I cut myself, but it bled a lot. When I told Tariq about my kitchen misfortune he said that I must have done a good job sharpening the knife because if it were dull it would have hurt when it met my flesh!

Centreville, Mississippi: A Day Trip

This past Wednesday I went on a day trip to Centreville, Mississippi with Judy & Dale to visit the Camp Van Dorn World War II Museum. In 1944 my Granddaddy, Judy's dad, was stationed here before going oversees. During his time in the deep South my Grandmaw joined him and they were married in one of the chapels on the camp's grounds. 

Centreville is an old small town right inside the Mississippi border that appeared to have one main street and zero stop lights.

Outside the museum that was dedicated in 2005

 Inside the small museum they have collected an impressive amount of artifacts and pictures.

Judy, Dale, and our spunky 86-year-old tour guide Emma Zell Knighton who grew up in Centreville and holds a lifetime worth of knowledge about the camp and surrounding area

Camp Van Dorn could accommodate over 40,000 enlisted men in its hay day. In this photo hanging on the wall of the 1282 Engineering Corp, my Granddaddy is the third one from the left, second row from the top.

Nice colorful post card on display

 A pretty gal sitting on a beach with the caption "ANTICIPATION". I suppose this post card was to motivate the men and keep morale up?

 More artifacts on display

We spent a good bit of time looking at everything and listening to Emma Zell as well as a few other ladies who volunteer at the museum tell us their personal knowledge of the camp. After we had soaked everything in, Mrs. Knighton took us on a personal tour of the area in her car. The camp which encompassed nearly 42,000 acres has not existed for decades, but she was able to show us where things used to be as she drove up and down little back roads. 


It was nice to step back in time for a few hours and get a glimpse into how life was for my grandparents when they got married. I am glad that I went on this day trip with Judy & Dale!