A child's perspective

I love that my siblings are growing up and I am able to see God work in their lives and I can get to know them on a deeper level. Katrina and I have been talking more and more and I am finding out that we have more in common than I thought... Katrina is good at hiding her emotions like me and putting on a happy face but we have recently gotten to talk about the pain that we share from losing our sister. We have never talked about this before but it was eye opening to hear what that day was like from her perspective. She was only 8 but remembers more than I expected. The topic came up because she has had to write a series of poems for school and I asked her to read them to me. She said I could share a couple of them so here is her "experience" poem:
Water was splashing as we jumped in the pool
Summer it was, as we had no worries
Up the hill to the familar house we walk
Through the door to see loved ones who dare not talk
Confused with the faces all around
Eyes red filled with tears only staring at the ground

Sobs are heard and pain can be seen
Searching for the reason around the room
Someone stands and begins to speak
The news has made it, crashing in like a wave
A car wreck with three but only two were saved
The impact gets worse throughout the day

A happy family of nine is what we would make
If we weren't one less to make us break
We are here for each other
To comfort no matter what
But there is nothing anyone could say
To make the nightmares go away

Friends!

My childhood friend, Dane, ended up coming to New Orleans for a few days and his fiance, Brinkley, was able to come too. Dane is a brother to me and I could not be any more excited that he is getting married. I am especially excited that he is marrying Brinkley!! She is an amazing person and will continue to have a positive impact on Dane's life. Congrats you two!!

Move over People of Walmart

There's a new time killer in town....

I can't figure out how to make it so you can see the whole thing  but it goes like this:
Joshua: passed the guitar midterm :D

Beatrice: The grade needs to go up! You really don't want to mess with mother nature, now do you. D is not exceptable in your grades. You are a very smart guy. Get motivated

Joshua: Mom thats a smiley face not a d i got an a on the midterm...learn how to freakin read.

Me: And mom....spelling acceptable as "exceptable" is not acceptable. How old are you? Facebook even spell checks for you now. No excuses.

Check out more here.

I survived!

Well, I officially made it through my first Mardi Gras and I am pooped. Over the course of 2 weeks, I went to 19 parades (including the Saints parade) and biked to the French Quarter with friends on Mardi Gras day. We stayed at least a block away from Bourbon St at all times and it was surprisingly PG to PG-13 rated everywhere we went.

Mary Anna and I pulled together an awesome, homemade peacock costume in a week but realized that we need to start planning ahead now for next year. We're thinking lemon wedge, oyster, hot sauce, and beer. :)

Me and my friend Ashley watching the Thoth parade with church family. I love that I am getting to know new friends on deeper levels now.

And SO GLAD to get to experience new things with old friends.

Lombardi Gras

I was seriously offended yesterday by Andrew Perloff, a writer for Sports Illustrated, when he wrote the following ignorant comment in one of his articles:

“Brees and the Saints have bought into this emotional wave and it gave them an edge. But to honestly believe a sports team's success can have a sustainable positive effect on a community seems naïve. Not to dampen the party, but Brees efficiently running the Saints' offense has nothing to do with real urban renewal. How many people's lives is this really going to affect in a meaningful way for more than a few weeks?”

First of all, who do you think you are to shoot down the excitement and emotions that this brings to the people all along the gulf coast? This is the team they have been rooting for and dedicated to for 43 years despite them never having won a championship game. This momentous victory not only comes after a long awaited time and a period of devastation but also on a weekend where the city (black and white alike) have united to elect a new mayor who we hope will bring positive changes and during the first big weekend of Mardi Gras. It brings tears to my eyes when I remember how far things have come in 4 ½ years—from a place of utter devastation to this.

The Saints winning is so much more than just winning the Super Bowl, it symbolizes hope and pride and gives a sense of unity as we are all part of the “Who Dat Nation”. This unity is critical to the city’s continuing recovery. For example, I received this email today from school:

Faculty, Staff & Students,

With the Super Bowl victory in hand, New Orleans has reached this momentous point in its history and recovery. As a key part of this community UNO encourages you to participate in the celebration that has brought us all together like none before. For this reason, the University will be closing at 1PM today. All classes at all locations are cancelled and all are encouraged to go to the parade and take part by supporting the Saints in their victory that symbolizes how far New Orleans has come!

Check out this article for more details of the impact this is having on daily life here. Only in New Orleans can you call your boss to tell him you are not coming in to work and he replies with "Duh". Haha. The culture and atmosphere down here is like no other.

Get Ready Miami

This article is funny but true: read it here. It is somewhat of a warning to Miami and Colts fans of what to expect from their New Orleans visitors. :)

Celebrate Good Times!

As many of you may know, New Orleans has experienced an amazing victory with the Saints going to the Superbowl for their first time EVER--over 40 years without a winning season. It has been incredible to see how something like a winning football season can transform a city. It truly is a picture of heaven.
The night after the Saints won the championship game I went down to Bourbon St to celebrate with my fellow New Orlinians. We drove down Canal st with our hands out the window giving high fives to Saints fans and Vikings fans. Everyone was going crazy! Even with all of the madness, cops noted the following morning that there were no crimes, vandalisms, fights, etc called in that night. Wow! Even today I read an article about how the homicide rate has declined after the Saints started the playoffs. It is speculated that this common purpose of rooting for the Saints and celebrating their victories has had something to do with this but who knows. It is so hard to put into words how this winning has changed New Orleans but I truly believe that it has given the city a goal and a purpose, no matter how cheasy that may sound.

Go Saints! Who Dat!