25 highlights of my vacation

It had been nearly four years since I had been to Louisiana to see my mom's family. My mom is one of nine so my family is HUGE and I used to LOVE going there as a kid. I have brought Matt back a few times and Lauren twice and Jamie once. This time I went without them-mainly due to cost. There was a LOT that of on my trip. Here are a few highlights:

#25. I had no idea how much I would miss these guys while I was gone. This is my little slice of heaven. I also had no idea how much they missed ME!
#24. The airport in Louisiana was advertising that they will start having flights from Lafayette to Vegas-straight....woo hoo!!

#23. Families are always growing. I got to meet the newest members to the "Duplantis" clan. I got meet my cousin Megan's husband-Tyson. I didn't get a picture of him-dang it. I tried so hard to get lots of pictures! I got to meet my cousin Steven and my cousin Jacob's DARLING little girls-Molly and Josie.
I got to meet my cousin Lexie's boyfriend-Ray. She caught the bouquet....so...maybe their wedding might be the next one I make it down for!
I also got to meet my cousin Lindsay's son-Austin. He looks so much like my Uncle Keith (my mom's second youngest brother).
I also got to meet my cousin Lanie's boyfriend Austin....but dang it-I missed his picture too! Next time I am there I will get to meet their baby-Collin. I am secretly hoping he will be born on my birthday-come on NOVEMBER 26!!!

#22. I CAN and DID make it 5 whole days WITHOUT Facebook. I felt a little behind-BUT I did survive.

#21. Vacations are always a little bit better than you THINK they will be. One of the best things about this trip was the surprise waiting for me at the airport...MY COUSIN LACY. Honestly I think I met her in person ONCE in 1994....because she lives in Mississippi. However, I've always felt like I knew her-because we ARE family. Also-I got updates from my Aunt Ellen and Facebook helps me keep tabs on everyone. Well...it was great to get to know her-and be roommates at my Aunt's house.
She is smart, sweet, beautiful, humble, oh I just LOVE her!
She is the daughter of my mom's second oldest brother, Phil. Oh-I learned that there is a difference between a Mississippi accent and a Louisiana accent. They sound the same to me-but everyone else pointed out and I was shocked.

#20. They KNOW how to have a wedding. My first, um, 5 or so weddings were in Louisiana-my mom was the oldest of 9-so I had a lot of weddings to attend as a kid. Anyway, my first wedding in Utah I found to be a bit of a snoozer. It was nice to be back in Louisiana and see a real PARTY of a wedding. Lots of bridesmaids, lots of hair, lots of makeup-everyone looked beautiful. I don't get to go to many Catholic weddings, so this was very nice....
They also have huge receptions with lots of dancing. WOOT WOOT go Megan! Megan is my cousin-my mom's sister Vicki's daughter AND sister of the bride.
My beautiful cousin Margo-in a gorgeous strapless dress. I WISH I would have gotten married in this dress-I loved it! It is another something you don't see in Utah, very often.
#19. It has been almost 6 months since I lost my dog Pepper and almost 5 years since I lost my dog Dixie and I realized that I miss having a dog SOOO much. My Aunt Anita has 3 dogs and I loved being around dogs again. This one...Cameaux..pronounced CAM-OH-reminded me of Dixie. I think I want a dog just like her when we decide to get another dog-she is a Brittany Spaniel. Such a sweetie...
#18. It is nice to be around people who know what "Godparents" are!!! Godparents are special people in our (Catholic) lives, a reason to have "favorites" and to be the "favorite" and have no one question the special treatment! They are your extra guardians. Here are my Godparents...my mom's sister Vicky (with her granddaughter-Ella).
And here is me with my "Godfather" Farron-Vicky's husband. Down south they call them your "Nanny" and "Parran". I wish everyone got to experience these relationships!!!
#17. It is SOOO much funner to gamble when you are WINNING! On Sunday afternoon I got to go to the casino with my three Aunts (Aunt Anita and Aunt Kathy-two of my mom's sisters) and my Aunt Bonnie (my Uncle Jed's wife). I was so lucky to get to hang out with these three ladies-maybe that is why I kept winning! I enjoyed a $2 hot dog with my Aunt Bonnie-our one-on-one time...I wish I woulda got a picture of us! Anita and Kathy are the pros and they are big winners! It was so much fun and probably the first time I gambled for 7 hours and stayed even! This picture was taken from my phone (I was waiting for them to come and yell at me)..the penny machines were good to me. Tee hee hee.
#16. My Aunt Anita is just plain WONDERFUL. She is my mom's baby sister-and not really that much older than me. A long time ago-when my sister Ashley was born she moved to Utah for almost 2 years, sadly for us-she moved back to Louisiana. It had been SOOO great to have her around! I always have felt super close to her. She regularly visits us in Utah and I can't get enough of her. She was such a great host to me! She is such a great planner-she is a take-charge person and she always knows what to do. She tells it like it is and has the BEST laugh on the planet. I could go on and on..... something that made me giggle on this trip was everytime she said "GAWL" it is the LONGEST word in the Cajun language. It is signature Nita FOR SURE. Oh and her daughter Lanie is just a big old sweetheart with the coolest deep raspiest voice-I love it.
OH AND my Aunt Kathy is the SUPERHUMAN one. I think I came to the conclusion on this trip that the only way she can do ALL that she does is that she must not sleep! My Aunt Kathy is the next born after my mom...she is EXACTLY the same age as my mom-they are born on the same day one year apart! She reminds me so much of my mom! When I would visit during the summers as a kid-I practically LIVED at their house! She has 4 kids and I was close to ALL of them. She is such a good cook-she seems to whip everything out with the greatest of ease. She is such a great provider and a true giver. I WISH I could be her!
Lanie and I....
#15. I love the way the talk there! They use the word "y'all" for everything and they use it multiple times in a sentence. I love their accent. It is so comforting to me. Sometimes I have to ask "what"? because I don't understand what they are saying. Everyone is so friendly there-even the strangers...that is why they call it "Southern Hospitality". They must think us northerners are big old jerks...for real yo!

#14. I missed my grandparents sooo much! Down in Louisiana everyone calls their grandmas "Maw-Maw" and their grandpas "Paw-Paw". My favorite memory of Paw-Paw was seeing him in his Saints jersey. He was SOO cute! I didn't know this-but my brother sent him this jersey and he wears it EVERY Sunday. If the Saints play on Monday-he makes them wash it on Sunday so he can wear it again on Monday.
He was definitely a little slower and a little quieter than when I saw him last. But he seemed happy and content. My trip was too short-I coulda spent a week just hanging out with them!!! I did manage to see them everyday of my trip. It made me happy happy happy! Saying goodbye to them was the hardest thing I had to do. I hate leaving and not knowing when I will be back.
#13. It was great to be there for the FIRST time ever on Maw-Maw's birthday. She was cracking me up...she changed the "81" to "18" and when someone gave her some undergarments as a gift-she was swinging that brazier in the air. Never too old to be fiesty. When she was 18, she lost her arm in an accident-but that never stopped her. She raised 9 kids-and now has something like 35 grandkids and like 26 great-grandkids. Grandkids from age 38 down to 11 and Great-Grandkids from age 21 down to 2 in the oven! I loved having a HUGE family and feel a bit sad that my family won't be big and crazy like that!
#12. For the FIRST time in the TEN years that I have been a Manager at work....I didn't even THINK about work!! I wasn't stressed before OR after my vacation-SO AWESOME!

#11. Every now and then I realize how old I am-and how "un-hip" I am. At the wedding-I didn't dance AT ALL...a FIRST for me. I didn't know ANY of the line dances they did. There was this new one, well-new to me, called "The WOP". When I got home I watched videos of others doing it so I could learn-I am such a geek. Here is shot of two girls doing my favorite move "play dead like". So funny.
#10. Being told that I am the one that talks funny. Really?! Tee hee hee. I don't think that I have an accent at all....

#9. I just have to say that my trip wasn't quite the same without seeing a few of my normal favorites: My Aunt Laura's sister-Nancy, my cousin Jennifer, my cousin Melanie, my cousins Travis, Pat and Dustin...(and Lindsay and Heather)! It was too short to fit everyone in-especially with a few living away from New Iberia.

#8. I love the traditions. Every visit-including the ones with Matt always has "cousin movie night". This time was no exception. My cousin Jacob-the organizer-got his wife Tierra and my cousin Farrah to come out and see "The Thing" even though we girls wanted to see "Footloose" it was so much fun! Farrah hates scary movies and covered her eyes during most of the movie-which just made me laugh and scream at the same time. I am so lucky to have so many cousins as FRIENDS!!!
#7. Speaking of cousins...I am so proud of my many cousins and of their accomplished spouses. Most of my cousins are teachers, I have a bunch that work for the ambulance, I have a few that have married doctors and lawyers, there is one that owns their own business, I am so proud of all of them-proud to call them mine.

#6. The food is ALWAYS a highlight there. I could have taken a picture at EVERY meal. When my plane landed in Atlanta-the first thing I did was get me some Popeyes fried chicken! I love their chicken and their mashed potatoes and their melt in your mouth bisquits! I had it one more time in Louisiana as well. The seafood is SOOOO good there. Shrimp is good in Utah but it is so tender and soft and good in Louisiana. I tried to get as much seafood in as possible, yummo!
(my Aunt Kathy's Shrimp Fettuccinni)....so good!
#5. Over the last few years I have realized that my cousin Nicki is my "twin". We have so much in common and seem to have the same things happen to us at the same time-hard to explain-but I have been lucky to get closer to her and it was great to have a Sushi night. Her husband agreed to come even though he hates Sushi (thanks Josh), my cousin Matt and his wife Lynn and my cousin Steven (who is recently slimmer) also came and it was great to spend some time with them. Steven even tried Sushi for the first time and I am so mad I didn't get a picture of the awesome roll he had..a LOBSTER roll...he gave me two of his pieces and it was SOOO good.
What a good looking bunch we are...do we look related? Our moms are sisters! Well, I spent the night with Nicki in her gorgeous new house and we stayed up until 4 am talking-until I didn't have a voice anymore!
#4. I wish I had gotten a picture of this...but as I was going to the airport-we drove past some prisoners working on the side of the road. They were in black and white striped clothes-and I could be imagining this but there might have been handcuffs or chains-but it was JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES!!!

#3. My youngest cousin Maddie told me I reminded her of my Aunt Laura's sister-Nancy. I took that as such a great compliment because I have always thought Nancy was so beautiful. Here is my Uncle Paul (my mom's youngest brother), my Aunt Laura and Maddie.
And me and their other daughter-Lexie-who is going to school to be a DOCTOR!
#2. In my grandparents bedroom is the senior picture of all nine of their kids. I love to go into their room and stare at the most beautiful picture of my mom-EVER. She still has that beautiful hair. People tell me I look like her...but I don't see it....I am not that pretty!
#1. If you couldn't tell by now...the highlight of my trip was seeing my wonderful family. I am so blessed to have so many people in this world to be related to. I hate having to live so far away from them...but it has always made for a special place to visit!
I have wonderful grandparents who are loving and generous. They are inspirations for overcoming obstacles, working hard, being dedicated and loving and giving unconditionally..all with humor and grace.
Dorris and John...together 60 years...amazing!

Okay-anyone who knows me knows that I have a big mouth-so I am going to say this and it might offend some, that isn't my intention. The hardest thing about this visit was seeing how some people in the family have become distant. There have been quarrels that have separated them. I am not 100% sure of the reasons-but I want to grab them my the neck and shake them and open their eyes. They are SOOO lucky to have such a wonderful family around them and to have them in the same city! I don't think that they realize what a blessing it is to have what they have-it is something I have NEVER had. I really hope that they can appreciate that and do their best to apologize or to forgive and to move on. I hope that they can be the bigger people and reach out to make amends-no matter the reason or who is to blame. Family is family and the love should be unconditional. I really hope that things can get back to the way they used to be. I hope that they can, like me, see that the best happiness in the entire world is being around family-FRIENDS too! I hope that everyone will make extra visits to see Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw-it is another blessing that some take for granted. They get so happy to see us and life is so short-you never know when your visit could be the last. Okay, that is me on my soapbox. The end.

My Shopping List

I was off on Thursday.  Maybe Lauren knew I was off and decided to make me a shopping list.  Although her spelling and handwriting are much improved....this "list" still made me giggle. 

I like how among ALL of this mainly healthy food is a stealthily placed "Dark Cholte Bar".  FYI:  I bought every last thing on this list.  Even "a new cat coller"...at a steal for $2.39.  I think my favorite is "qu-come Ber"....ya know..cucumber! I sure love that little girl...and I love that this list was created with a grape scented marker, mmmm.

What I've Been Doing This Summer...

I have enjoyed my last few months working the day shift....every night it seems like we are running to some game or some type of practice. It has made me proud to see how much my kids have improved in their sports from Spring to Fall and even the start of the season to the end of the season.  There may have been a lot of digging in the dirt, some flops on the grass, a few tears, but also a LOT of fun!

 Jamie's T-Ball Team, "The Rockstars".  His head Coach was Cheyenne.  The Coaches were so great and really helped Jamie improve.  By the end of the season Jamie was hitting off pitches instead of off the Tee.  He was so cute running around the bases, bending his knees at the plate like a real player and giving us thumbs up during the game.  He loves sports and I love seeing the joy in his eyes!

 Lauren's Coach Pitch Team "The Bees".  Lauren begged to play after watching Jamie play in the Spring.  I think she thought she'd be playing Tee Ball too.  She had a lot to learn but her Coach, Jared Morgan was very patient and very encouraging with her.  Actually all three of her Coaches were great!  She was so determined to hit the ball and would almost cry (okay-she did cry) whenever she struck out.  Playing the field wasn't really her thing and she could often be seen twirling and/or playing in the dirt.  She took a ball to the head and a bat to the chest-but she is one determined and tough little girl.  The sweetest thing was the pizza party the Coaches threw after the last game.  It was great to see Lauren alongside her team.  Sports to me is about playing a game but also making friends and Lauren made some great ones!

 Lauren also played Soccer in the Fall.  Her Coach was Tami Wiggins.  They were the "Blue Sharks".  Lauren was a bit upset that she had practice for Baseball AND Soccer and Jamie just got to play his games.  But the practices really helped improve her skills and Jamie and I had some one-on-one time as we watched her practice.  Tami was very competitive and she yelled a lot (which I personally loved).  By the end of the season Lauren had scored her first goal and was showing an aggressive side that I have never seen.  She went from watching for butterflies to her Coach saying to her "you are really impressing me today"-(almost brought tears to my eyes).  She is a fast runner and is getting less afraid of the ball with every game, as a High School player myself, I really hope she wants to stick to it.

Matt gave me the OK to put BOTH the kids in Soccer, Baseball, AND Dance.  Jamie had done so well in Tee Ball that I was curious to see how he would do with Soccer.  Day one he was a little shy, but a little Manuel Deegan Jr. grabbed Jamie by the hand and they were off and running.  Jamie's Coach was Manuel Deegan Sr. and after meeting them we seemed to run into them everywhere we went.  I loved watching Jamie play as I was pretty much laughing the ENTIRE time.  The picture above illustrates how crazy it was to watch these "babies" play.  Most of them were wandering off the field, or playing in the grass, or running the wrong way, poor Coach Deegan trying to keep 5 on the field!  I have to say Jamie was one of the stars, which wasn't hard to do.  He scored multiple goals each game, he purposely fell down almost constantly each game, would often dribble the ball and accidentally leave it behind, and only a few times did he touch the ball with his hands (without being called).  He makes my heart proud and I can't wait to see him play his sports next year.

So, that about sums up my summer.  It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work.  Matt will start having the kids each night as of October 1 and I think it is a good thing that he only has to run them around one night a week, to dance class.  Lauren is in tap, jazz, and ballet and Jamie is in breakdancing.  I know that being active in sports helped me meet friends, gain confidence and stay out of trouble...I hope it works the same way for my monkeys.

Jamie's First Day of Pre-School

I was so excited to get a coveted spot at the Pre-School at Lauren's Elementary! It was the EXACT time that we needed as well! Jamie was SOOO ready to start school and he couldn't wait. He was a great poser for the usual first day of school pictures-after sitting back and watching his sister have a turn for the pas three years.

It is hard for me to say no to those big ol brown eyes!

He was so excited for his new backpack...Transformers..with "Umblebee" and "Optimus Prime".

Since he goes from 1210-310 Monday-Thursday...it was BRIGHT outside.

Trying to be a "CHEESER".

My baby is no longer a baby! He looks so grown up! I am so proud of him.

Siblings and friends (most of the time).

I am so thrilled with his school so far. He has 4 teachers for 16 students! Two regular teachers plus a Speech Therapist and a Special Ed teacher. He loves school and his new friends. I have peeked at him when he didn't know it and I was pleased to see him following directions like a true gentleman! I am so happy to have this sweet little boy in my life.

Post 12

Post 12: My highs and lows over the past year...September 2010-September 2011

Lows:

Gaining ALL the weight back that I had lost...and then some!

Going back to the day shift at work, ugh.

Having to go through SOO many changes at work.

Losing an award (by one spot) at work that I thought I had in the bag.

Losing a friendship with someone I thought was my best friend.

The declining health of both sets of my grandparents.

Kristen quiting Discover Card

Seeing some close family memebers go through some rough times, it hurts my heart to see people I love suffer. 
AND the most tragic, losing my constant companion of 16 years, my dog Pepper.

Highs:

Getting an RV and taking it out twice.

Taking the kids to Disneyland for their first time

Having my team end #1 twice this year-they were very hard earned wins!

Getting Jamie potty trained, watching him play soccer and T-Ball-it is a riot. ALSO him starting Pre-school-he is getting so big.

Having Lauren become such a proficient reader and speller.

Matt getting a promotion.

Booking a long awaited trip to see my grandparents and family in Louisiana.

Finding the joy of reading again (thanks Misty!)
Hearing that I will get to go back to the night shift again, woo hoo!

Post 11

Post 11: A place I'd like to visit!

I really don't like to be around a lot of people, so it might surprise some people to find out that a place I'd like to visit is Tokyo, Japan.

I just think it is a really cool place to go. Plus I hear the Japanese people are really nice...AND I think it would just HAVE to be the best sushi ever!

I don't know when I'll go or if I will ever make it there...I guess I will have plenty of years to try to learn the Japanese language.

For now, I will just look at these pictures in awe!

What a cool place!

Attention any gardeners!

About 2 years ago Matt told me that he wanted to start a compost pile. He told me to collect anything organic for the pile. So, slowly for the past 2 years, non-shalantly we have started a little pile in the corner of our backyard. (can you see the avocado peels that have yet to decompose?). Anyway, recently much to my surprise our compost pile began to grow, um, SOMETHING!

I have never had a garden, and had intended to start one this year-but we never got around to it. So, this is my new little accidental garden. I think with all the rain this year-these little fellas were able to grow.

The problem is.....I have no idea what I am growing! So-if there are any of you experts out there who know what this is. Please share!

I was sort of thinking pumpkins, or cucumber, or maybe squash. We have put literally every single fruit and vegetable in this pile.

Whatever is growing-there are quite a few of them!

Heart shaped leaves. They are a little dirty due to the recent windstorm.

They have these long whispy tendrils and stems with prickles.

Now I can't believe I am sharing this picture. BUT for all of you smart-alecs out there who say I am just growing weeds in my compost pile...here are my REAL weeds in the corner and they look NOTHING like my compost surprise.

I thought since I was snapping shots, I would share what Matt has been up to. He wants to make a patio that would come right out of our basement-so he is digging up the dirt. He has spent many hours a day on this little project. Check out his progress!

Here is the other side of the steps. A shot from afar. I can't wait to see what it will look like when he is done. The plan is to expand the deck that comes out from upstairs and it will serve as shelter for the bottom patio. It will be a nice cool place to hang out in the summer.

I have not abandoned the journey: Post 10

Life has been a bit busier lately-but I have not forgotten my blog-nor the 30 "day", er "post" quest. I have been giving it a lot of thought and as with most of these posts I am putting my own spin on it.

Post 10: Bullet your entire day. (First the REAL one, then my IDEAL one).

*Alarm goes off at 445 am. I am bitter everyday about having to get up at this insane hour, I snooze until 5 am. I groggily and slowly get myself somewhat presentable.
*530 another alarm goes off telling me I got 10 minutes to leave, I start moving faster-I throw together some fruits and veggies to snack on along with my iced water and head out, I love my 5 minute drive.
*545 am I arrive at work-I tell everyone "hello" in my nicest "I am not a morning person" voice. Luckily 2/3rds of my team work remotely from home and they don't see how crabby I am as I just instant message them a cheerful "Good morning, today is gonna be great" first thing.
*The day flies by and I am busy all day answering questions, solving problems, taking an occassional supervisor call, I attend lots of meetings (ugh) and I do some coaching with my team members, listening to calls and helping to make my team the best they can be (oh crap is it 12 already?) my team leaves at 12 and I never get as much done as I wish that I could (double ugh.)
*12 should be lunchtime instead there is almost always a meeting...and after that I spend the rest of my day trying frantically to document what I did all day and try to get some other busywork done. (crap is it 3 already, I shoulda left at 230)! I still haven't eaten lunch.
*Panic attack at 3 pm because I am late and I didn't get HALF as much done as I wanted to, I more frantically try to finish anything CRUCIAL before it is time to leave.
*ACTUALLY leave closer to 400 pm and thank goodness again that I am only 5 minutes from home. I stop at the neighbors to get Laurens. We visit for a minute-I love the Middleton family, they are lifesavers.
*430pm leave the Middletons to get Jamie-RIGHT when traffic is getting bad. I test Lauren on her spelling and have her do her 20 minutes of reading IN the car after she tells me about her day, I enjoy the slim one-on-one time we get.
*500 get to my parents house. Jamie is happy to see me and so is my parent's dog-Frank. I love to see my parents everyday and that Jamie gets to spend so much time with them. I visit with them for a while and then about 6pm we finally make our way out the door.
*630pm we are on the way home, I debate for a minute what to do about dinner and decide that McDonalds sounds good, I am STARVING.
*7pm we are home, we watch a bit of TV, as we hurry and eat, then hurry and clean up and hurry and get everyone bathed. Hurry and do some laundry and hurry and get ready for bed, clothes laid out (crap-how is it 9pm already?!)
*10pm get in bed RIGHT as Matt is walking through the door...we try to visit for a few minutes while trying to herd the children back into their bedrooms-why is their routine like a 25 step process?
*12am FINALLY crash-fall asleep after playing on the computer for a few minutes, er, an hour. CRAP midnight sure comes quickly!

Okay, that is my REALITY on most days and that kinda sucks, so here is my ideal day!

*445am my alarm goes off, I am wide awake and totally ready to rock the day. I have plenty of time to get ready appropriately and to pack a nice healthy lunch.
*530am I leave for work and arrive early. The day is super productive and I get everything I want to get done accomplished. My team does really well and they are all happy and there is NO drama and no unproductive meetings.
*12pm with most of my work done I eat lunch with my bestie Melissa
*I spend the rest of the afternoon getting ahead on my work and leave at 215 = 8 hours only.
*I come home and change into workout clothes and hurry and check my e-mail and Facebook.
*300 I head out the door and WALK to get Lauren from school with my neighbor April Middleton.
*345 Lauren and I arrive home and head out to get Jamie-traffic this hour is much better.
*415 arrive at my mom and dad's. We visit for a while.
*500 arrive at home and the kids and I do homework and housework casually along with a bit more working out. I fix a nice healthy dinner that tastes good and that the kids like.
*700 bath time, story time, and even some playing time. I have some time to work on some jewelry or craft, or even blog.
*900 kids in bed easily and happily (in their clean rooms-it is MY ideal I can dream big).
*905 Matt comes home and we get some quality time
*1000 I am in bed asleep, happy and content

That doesn't sound too hard!?! I wonder why I fail to make that happen everyday..... Well, I will make a new goal to work towards the ideal. :)