F**k Cancer

I'm fine and my immediate family/friends are fine but someone I haven't thought about in YEARS isn't.  He is a friend of a friend but when he came visit us we became fast friends.  We probably haven't spoken in 10 years but we keep up with each other through our mutual friend.

He is 1 year older than me (soooo YOUNG!).  He was having abdominal pains.  The docs couldn't pin point the source of the pain.  Things like obstruction, twisted bowel, cyst, etc were thrown out.  Then someone took a closer look at an x-ray and saw something hiding behind his other organs.  He went into emergency surgery because of the location and size.  We are hoping it was caught in time and all will be well but I am so scared for him...for his wife...for his young children. 

I haven't really thought about him in a long while so when I heard this news all the crazy college visits came flooding back.  One in particular has me smiling like an idiot.  So everyone was gone for a break/holiday thing.  There were only a few of us left in the area.  I went home to NOLA to visit the fam.  I got a call from my friend saying his BFF from high school flew in on a whim and they were heading to NOLA.  I was like, here's my momma's address pick me up on the way to town. 

I thought my momma was gonna pass out when they showed up at the door.  I come from a VERY Southern/Sheltered/Catholic family.  My friend and his BFF are Middle Eastern.  I saw no issue but apparently all the stereotypes she'd heard came flying to the surface.  Thankfully she just smiled and was super polite.  (she's fine with it now because well, he is just a normal guy) So off we went to show my new buddy the infamous City of New Orleans.  

We had sooooooooooo much fun.  The best part about being a local is seeing the amazement and wonder through a tourist.  A tourist who isn't acting like a jerk-face but embracing all the uniqueness that is NOLA.  What was funny is my friend was BFF's with my then Boyfriend so they were "protecting" me from being hit on.  They learned the best way to do this was to tell everyone I was their SISTER!  You don't understand how funny this was.  People were like "whaaaa...really?!!?" Think about it.  They are both brown skinned with dark hair and dark eyes.  I am light olive complected with blonde hair and green eyes.  It was hilarious!  It was so fun that the joke has stuck around all these years later.  I still get introduced as the "sister" by my friend and its still flipping hilarious because people don't always cover their "shock" well. 

All silly memories aside, I am worried about my brother from another mother...city...COUNTRY but I am hoping it being caught early, they can get him on the road to recovery quickly.  

Its not like its a mechanical tree tornado, hell bent on killing us...or is it?

So last year we had the saga of Demon Spawn stealing baby Jesus.  This year we have the tale of Speedy protecting me from a tree. 

I personally purchased and decorated the tree...it didn't just suspiciously show up at the door looking pretty. But apparently "trees don't belong inside" is ingrained in Speedy and he is losing his ever loving mind.

I was worried he might pee on it.  Nope he thinks it has murderous intentions.  But since he is part boxer he is 100% goober and its kind of hilarious. 

So we put the tree up to "fall" before we decorated it.  This in and of itself was threatening. 

Speedy:  I don't know who you are or where you came from but I will murder you
Tree: Subtly leans a little to the left
Speedy: OMG its gonna eat me *runs down the hall peeing*
Me: *face palm* God help me.....

Later that evening:
Me: *putting water in the tree stand*
Speedy: Mom.....moooooom!!! Get away from it!!! *growl, growl* 
Me: OMG dog, its just water splashing
Speedy: *nipping at the lower branches* *bark* Run mom, I'll save you!!!
Me: *rolling eyes*

The next day:
Me: *Putting lights around the tree with the hubs* 
Speedy: *tries biting the light strand*
Me: NO!
Speedy: *bark, bark* *growl* *charges tree* Yea, yea you're scared now, aren't ya!!!! *starts to walk away all cocky like*
Tree: Moves because I am touching it
Speedy:  You're on your own woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs into his kennel*
Me: Wow....

Me: *putting pearl strands on the tree* Lalalalala
Speedy: *grabs the pearls and runs* I shall feast on the entrails of my sworn enemy
Me: Ahhhhhhh! No! Bad Dog!
Speedy: *sad face* I just trying to help...MURDER IT!
Tree: Starts to fall over onto me (for some reason the stump is REALLY soft and not holding well)
Speedy: *bark bark bark* Mom, move! MOOOOM!!! *tugging on my leg* *growl* OMG it ate her!  Convict! Convict why aren't you freaking out?!??!
Convict: *yawn* I'm sleeping, go away!
Me: If you nip my leg one more time I am going to murder you!


This Morning:
Speedy: Oh.My.GOOOOOOOD! It has grown balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How come I can't do that!??!?!  *cautiously sniffing ornaments*
Me: Leave it alone dog
Speedy: But mooooooom...Moooooom...LOOK!  It has things I can eat on it!!! *tries to nibble an icicle*
Me: I swear to God dog...if you touch that tree again, I will tan your hide
Speedy: *boops a large white glittery ball with his nose* 
Tree: Drops the ornament onto the rug
Me: *whew*
Speedy: Ahhhhhhh its trying to attack me!!!! Mom run I got this!!!! *growl* *bark bark* *bouncing around from side to side nipping at the tree*
Me: Nooooooooooooooooooooo!  Stop...bad dog...OMG!
Tree: I'm gonna fall over now
Me: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! *jumps over the couch to catch it*
Hubs: WTF is going on in here? *sees me holding the tree up with no gloves* *sees speedy in attack mode* *blinks* Its too early for this crap....
Me: Um a little help please...
Speedy: Die mother f**ker!!!!!!!

So we used fishing line to anchor the tree to the wall.  All is well at the moment...but Speedy still doesn't trust it.  Maybe he knows something we don't...that its a murderous tree sent by Mechanical Santa's to kill us all....too bad I don't have a Doctor to save us...doh!

Challange Accepted

So not long ago a business associate not from around here asked me to describe where I am from without saying where I am from.  That's not easy...well it's not hard either but where do you start.  So I've thought long and hard about it and this is what I came up with.  Some of it is quotes from other places so be assured I am not claiming to have come up with all these, I'm just using some to make a point. 

Hmmm, where do I come from.  Well where I come from we are a Tiger on Saturdays and a Saint on Sundays.  We mind our Ps & Qs and we always say please and thank you.  We say ma'am & sir whether you are 10 or 80. Sunday dinner takes place at 2PM and you better not start before you say grace.  We have Mimis and Pawpaws, Nannys and Parrans.  Y'all is in fact a word and all y'all does make sense.  We have our own language and it is beautiful.  We eat red beans on Mondays and fry just about anything.  You will never find another place that has food like ours.  Each dish is a culinary masterpiece made differently by each person's own bit of lagniappe.  We have a party for every occasion and a parade for every holiday.   We drink a lot and don't always sleep enough but most make sure to go to church on Sundays (before Sunday dinner).  Some of us bleed purple and gold, some black and gold, some both depending on the day and few bleed green and blue (I think).  We sit on the porch and drink sweet ICED tea.  We visit with the neighbors and always ask "how's ya mom and dem?".  We are a Sportman's Paradise and a football fan's...dream.  We are proud of where we are from and want to share it with the world.  Where I come from gets in your blood and never lets go.  You might have to leave but you always, always wanna come back home. 

Think this is a good description of where I am from?  Do you think anyone who didn't know would figure it out?  Well if not *plfeet*.  This video is played at the 2015 LSU home games and gives you a taste of what it is like to be from here.

Tiger Stadium's "Louisianne" Pregame The tribute to Louisiana that plays in Tiger Stadium prior to LSU Football games this season. We love this state and our Tigers!