NOLA Pics

Here are some pictures I took around the French Quarter one day when I was feeling artistic.

Home Improvement Projects

Never as easy as one envisions.  I wanted to make our backyard beautiful and that required new grass.  We had one little area planted and Brad suggested it would be a lot easier to just have a pallet of grass delivered to the house to complete the rest of the section I wanted to re-landscape.  I thought that was a great idea - how hard could it be to plant a pallet of St. Augustine.  With Brad in Biloxi I figured I totally had this one under control.  Needless to say, I had no idea just how big an area 450 sq. ft. is when you have to till and remove the existing grass that is at least 4-6 in. deep into the ground.  Project took 5 days of exhausting manual labor - an awesome workout yes, but I finally resorted to renting a gas-powered tiller from Home Depot to help because tilling with our pitchfork was taking forever.  Brad wanted to see progress pictures, so I started taking some about half way into the project.  

Happy 5th Birthday Waylon!

Waylon turns 5 on April 24th.  In honor of his birthday here are some of my favorite pictures!

Mardi Gras 2009

We attended our first Mardi Gras event on Feb. 7th.  We joined the locals in the French Quarter for Krewe du Vieux.  From their website, "It is unique among all Mardi Gras parades in the city because it alone carries on the old traditions of Carnival celebrations, by using decorated mule-drawn floats with satirical themes, accompanied by costumed revelers dancing in the streets to the sounds of jazzy street musicians."  The parade theme this year was "Krewe du Vieux's Stimulus Package."  Since we did not take pictures at this event, use your imagination to figure out what satirical themes were played out in the streets of the French Quarter.  Or you can see pictures here from the Krewe's flickr website.  We had a blast that night!  After the parade we went out to eat and then dancing the night away!

For G-Rated Pics here are some from Krewe of Mid City and Krewe of Thoth on Sunday, February 22, before Fat Tuesday.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

The most beautiful roses ever!  Brad gave these to me for Valentine's Day and I had to post them!  They lasted over a week and opened more each day - some of the biggest roses I have ever seen.

Ski Trip 2009

Brad and I worked on goals a few weeks ago, and one of mine was to write one blog entry at least once a month.  So here I go for February!

The benefit of having a job that requires me to travel about 40 weeks of the year (I hit 37 travel weeks in 2008) is the reward points and miles that I have earned.  Brad was given a week of vacation in January, and since it had been two years since the last time we skied, we really want to go skiing again!  So I called Marriott to find out where we could use my 200,000 points, and there was only one hotel in CO with availability for the week we wanted to ski.  It had happened to be in Beaver Creek!  Sometimes you just have to take what you can get!!!!!

Needless to say we had a blast.  It appeared that the downturn in the economy had affected ski resorts as well because the slopes were empty.  There is a picture of us during lunch at one of the restaurants on the mountain and amazingly enough, there is not a single other person shown in the picture.  With so few skiers, the snow was AMAZING - it snowed almost every night we were there, and we took full advantage to cut fresh tracks in powder up to our ankles.  Brad the "mogul maniac" had us going down double-blacks on our first day.  

I realized this year how extremely fortunate I was to have gone skiing as a kid because I can keep with Brad, and we have so much fun together.  It is incredible to think that I have been skiing for 22 years now!  Wow that makes me sound old!

Auld Lang Syne

After attempting to sing this song each year, I finally decided to look up the words and history.  

Of course, I missed singing it this year.  We did not have plans for New Year's Eve because Brad was on call.  Like clockwork, he was called in at 10:00 pm and did not get home until after midnight.  I fell asleep on the couch with Waylon, and missed the ball drop.  Oh well, there is always next year!  

Auld Lang Syne (English translation - Old Long Ago)

Scottish Poem, written by Robert Burns, 1788

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old times since?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

And surely you'll buy your pint cup!

And surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld land syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; 

But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; 

But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And give us a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

CHORUS