"I've Learned"

This is a forward from my dad. You'd have to know how un-sentimental my dad tries to appear to appreciate the fact that this came from him. He's a puppy dog in grizzly bear clothing, if you will.

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I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned..... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned..... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.....That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.


"Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how you dance in the rain"

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Have a great weekend!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM NEW ORLEANS IF...

(I totally ripped this off from a facebook group I joined)
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You've never heard of a dry county.

You don't know what a county is.

When you hear gambling is illegal in some other states and are surprised.

You know the 12 Yats of Christmas by heart.

You know what Schwegman's is.

When you know what "LAGNIAPPE" and "LAISSEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER" mean.

When you go away for college, and when you tell people where you're from they automatically know you can drink more than everyone at the school put together

You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.

Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

When you give directions you use "lakeside and riverside" not north & south.

Your ancestors are buried above the ground.

You get on a green streetcar to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.

You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.

You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.

Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

You get aggrivated when
1. people think mardi gras takes place in the french quarter and
2. that people think that no matter what time of the year it is if they go to the french quarter they will get a boob shot!

When you get aggrivated when people pronounce it nawlins, norlens, or new or leans.

You know what a nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.

Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.

Your house payment is less than your utility bill.

You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.

You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.

Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."

Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.

You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.

You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.

You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.

When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Louisiana.

You know what is meant by 'K&B purple

You know what it means for food to come 'dressed'...

You 'ax' for things...

You know your from new orleans if you recognize at least one person in a parade

You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfishboils

When you travel you always remember to pack 2 things: bottle of tabasco and a salt shaker of tony's in your purse

Drive-thru daquiris -- it's not drinking and driving until you put the straw in.

You drive east to get to the West Bank.

You stand on the neutral ground at parades and have no idea what a 'median' is.

You get annoyed when you wear a Perlis shirt and people ask you if you work at Red Lobster.

You know how to pronounce Mignon Faget.

Pulling a baby out of a cake is completely normal.

You know McKenzie is both a football player and a landmark

You've made one bad turn and ended up on the twin span at least once.

You know what the twin span is.

You shop at Lakeside.

You listen to people represent their ward on Q93.

You know that the Riverwalk is for tourists.

Someone asks you for starbucks and you give them CCs or PJs

You have waited in the ridiculously long line for Camellia Grill during lunch at least once.

The only Bush you respect is a Black man.

You refuse to believe that there is such a thing as the "Utah Jazz".

There is a color called "Bur-GUN-dee".

The concept of a basement never crossed your mind.

You get your car's suspension repaired at least twice a year.

You know at least two best places for sno-balls.

You've seen roaches bigger than rats.

You've seen rats bigger than cats.

The roof of your house was at sea level, and your stuff was at the "bottom of the sea"

WHEN YOU DONT REFER TO ''MARDI GRAS'' AS THE CARNIVAL...WHO SAYS THAT???

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Louisiana

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Louisiana

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Louisiana.

If "Vacation" means going to Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Louisiana.

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Louisiana .

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Louisiana.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Louisiana.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Louisiana.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph - You're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Louisiana

You know that there is one "Original Lee's Hamburgers" even though they all say they are the one.

If there's a major hurricane headed straight for you and all you're worried about is that they changed the time of the LSU game.

Down to the bottom

Chorus:
We've been down to the bottom
Stories we got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
To let the lost know that someone cares

Cause we've been down to the bottom
Stories we've got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
And let somebody know that the Most High cares
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I really love this song. Too often, people are literally chased away from God and a relationship with him by *Christians* who judge them, tell them they are going to hell, tell them they are unlovable, they've gone too far, done too much, blah, blah, blah.

LIES!!!!! I remember a point in my life where I thought that one day I'd clean up my mess of a life and then I'd return to God. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day that if I could fix the mess of a life I was living, I wouldn't need God. Jesus didn't come for the *holy*. He didn't hang out with the high priests and holy leaders. He hung out with those whom the *religious* had turned away. He hung out with liars and thieves, the poor and infirmed. He hung out with women others looked down upon. And he didn't condemn them. He just loved them. He still does. And the one command He left us with is to Love. And not to love those who love us, but to love our enemies. To me that means never judging the actions of another person. I do not know their heart. I sure would hate to be labeled by what I do on a bad day. And yes, Christians have bad days! We even make bad choices sometimes. But we can always go back, we can never stray too far for God to reach us. He's bigger than that.

Do we get a *free pass* for doing wrong because of the forgiveness freely offered by God? Of course not. I don't do *the right thing* because I think I'm better or because I think it'll get me extra Christian points. My heart has been changed, and I'm led to do better things. It feels good. My heart is at peace. It gives me joy to help someone else.

This is where Christianity and unschooling meet for me. I believe Jesus was a radical unschooler. He would pick a place along the way to wherever He was headed and tell stories. He'd take the oportunity to point out new ideas, new ways to think about what we believe. He challenges us to really look at what we believe and why, to examine and expand our comfort zones. He never said, "You have to know this to get into heaven," followed by a list of rules. He infact despised those who followed the letter of the Law and considered themselves *holy* for it. It isn't what we do that gets us to Heaven, it's what He did. It's not because of who we are, but because of who He is. I believe it is far more important for me to teach my son to love, to be compassionate, to be giving, to admit mistakes, and to love God than it is to teach him algebra. When (& if) he needs/wants to know algebra, he'll learn it. And he'll master it quickly becasue he wants to learn it. Teaching life skills requires modeling, so I'm constantly questioning my own actions - "is this what I want to teach my son?". It amazes me how much I learn from my child.

As usual, I've rambled. Just wanted to share a song with ya!

Back to normal????

I don't know what that is anymore. We've been in our own little world for the past 4 months, and leaving that is hard.

Greg didn't go to work this morning because his stomach was bothering him. I have no doubt his stomach felt aweful, but I believe it's pure anxiety. Last week he was anxious to prove he could get back to work. Now he's just anxious, and not in a good way. He left a very high stress world for a while, and getting back into it is hard. I know, I've done it. Or tried to do it I should say. It didn't work out for me.

He just left for the afternoon about a half-hour ago and I miss him so much I am at the point of tears. I think he was at that point when he left. We've never spent much time apart, and we'd both gotten used to being together all the time. And for the past 4 months my main focus has been taking care of Greg. Now I'm feeling a little lost. I miss him so much I have no motivation to do anything. He really is my heart and my best friend.

Greg loves his job. He loves the work he does and the people he works with. They are like a family, and like any family, day-to-day there can be problems and conflicts, but overall he's very happy there. And we're happy he's there. He works for & with good people who've done a lot for us these past few months. And he's less than a mile from home so he comes home for lunch everyday. But it's a stressful job. Getting used to that stress level took time, and it will take time to get used to again. I want to do everything I can to help him. So I want to make home a refuge, but that means cleaning and sorting and organizing. All things I'm not really motivated to do now.

Gregory has the best outlook of us all. He's loved every minute of having his dad home. But as Greg was leaving, he was doing his happy dance. I asked what he was so happy about and he replied, "It means we're getting our lives back!"

Just a bit more snow...

I stumbled across several YouTube videos of Dec. 11th's snow day in New Orleans. Here's a sample...

Merry Christmas!

So much for blogging everyday in December. It's something I like to do when I am alone, and that just hasn't been happening much.

Greg continues to recover from surgery. Everyday is a little better. And when he does have pain, it's an achy pain, not the nerve pain he was having before. His first outing was the office Christmas luncheon. He then went shopping 3 days in a row (probably his personal record), and insisted on washing the truck, w/Gregory's help last weekend. He went back to work Monday, and stayed til about 3. He claims he never heard the doctor say he could go for half days after 2 weeks - he claimed he said back to normal. Tuesday he went in but worked through lunch and just came home around 1:30. I doubt much work was going on in the office anyway. His office was closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and Fridays are always a half day.

Christmas Eve I made it to church for the 3:00 service. It's the only time of the year that we sing anything that could be called "traditional". I missed the usually pumped-up worship time, but enjoyed singing the traditional songs and really listening to the words, the meanings. We had hot chocolate and cider available on the way in/out. Yum. We also had communion, which we only do about 6 times a year. That is one thing I do miss from Catholic church. It was a special service and I was glad to have made it.

On the way there, I stopped at my friend Brandie's home. Her oldest son lives with his father, and he was visiting for the day. I hadn't seen him in several months, probably close to a year. He was as tall as me, and I had on heels!

Here's her family:


It was my intention for us to have gumbo for Christmas eve/day, but it just got too warm and muggy for it. I'll do that next cold spell. So we ended up having leftover buffet for Christmas Eve. We'd told Gregory he could open one present Christmas Eve. We had already let him open 2 gifts other evenings when he was begging. I like opening the presents gradually. I think the smaller gifts get to be appreciated that way, and it's not so overwhelming. But by Christmas Eve eve, he was really driving me batty asking things like what time on Christmas eve could he open the present, who decides what he opens, etc. I've never liked the placing of gifts to be opened much later under the tree. For the first several years, we didn't put any gifts out until a day or 2 before Christmas. This is the first year they went under the tree earlier, and it was torture for everyone. It just doesn't feel like the Christmas spirit to constantly be telling a child "no" about a gift. And, personally, if I've got a gift for you, I want you to open and enjoy it as soon as possible. I don't intend this to sound morbid, but what if I have a gift for someone and I'm waiting to give it to them, and one of us doesn't live to the magical day of opening. Time is precious, and no one is promised tomorrow. If you have a gift, a wish, or a thought, share it NOW!

Anyway, before I went to church I pulled Greg aside and asked if he would mind opening all the gifts that night. The waiting game was just making everyone miserable. He didn't mind. So after church, we had a quick leftover buffet for dinner, and then went riding to see Christmas lights. Gregory had opening a gift on his mind, so looking at lights wasn't high on his list, as you can see.


The Messenger family has decorated their home and both neighboring lots for over 40 years. Each year they add a new setting. Not all of them have withstood the test of time, but they have scenes on display from as early as 1964!















We then returned home and Gregory asked which present he could open. When I told him, "all of them", he asked several times if I was serious. So we had gift exchange at about 9PM Christmas Eve. I got a wonderful robe I've wanted for a while, a new printer/scanner, and a sandwich grill (from Gregory). Greg got a new gun (yuk), an electric razor from me, and a nice book about guns from Gregory. Gregory made it well known that all he wanted was an Xbox 360 Elite. He said he didn't mind waiting til after Christmas, and he would give us his Christmas money to help pay for it. I told that to my mom and she was so touched by his understanding that she gave me money she'd beeen making babysitting for a neighbor. So it was under the tree, along with the accessories and a game. He was so excited. He was just as excited to give Greg & I our gifts as he was to open his own.

Christmas day was very quiet. We'd all stayed up very late and slept in. We had breakfast for lunch, and Greg cooked some most excellent chicken breasts on the grill for dinner. All in all it was a great Christmas, Gregory says "best ever!" It was nice. And we still have several family members to celebrate with, so it's not over yet!




Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Sneaux!

It began to snow at about 5:00 this morning and it came down in big flakes for 3.5 - 4 hours steady. This is the most snowfall here in my lifetime. It's not like me to wake up at 5:30, much less wake up my child at 5:45, but I had to. It wasn't fair for us to be enjoying it without him. It's 2:30 in the afternoon now, 39 deg.(F), and about half of it has melted. The trampoline still has a heavy coating, the roof is still mostly white, the snowman is standing tall. I don't know if we're supposed to get anymore or not. The sun is peeking out now, a little at a time.


The last time it snowed here, Gregory was 3.5, and it fell at night so we didn't get to see it coming down. We just enjoyed what was left when we got up.

Home sweet home

Greg's surgery went very well yesterday. It lasted just under an hour. He awoke saying his leg did NOT hurt. The leg pain is really what's been keeping him down, so to hear that was incredible. So far, everything has gone wonderfully. He tolerated anesthesia well, was only on morphine for 12 hours or so, tolerated eating very well and walked the hall w/the PT standing taller than I've seen in a long time. Those were the required markers to go home, so home we are. We got out about noon. Of course, his low back still hurts. But he feels so much better. He's not pale anymore; he's not wincing at every move. He can return to work part time in 2 weeks and sees the doctor for follow-up in 3 weeks. I'm sure he'll be working from home in a day or two.

Thanks to all for the prayers, healing thoughts and positive energy sent our way!

12 hours...

Plans have changed and we have to be at the hospital by 6:30 AM. We are NOT early risers. So I'll be taking my melatonin a bit early tonight. Right now we are waiting for my FIL to arrive and then we'll get something "out" for dinner.

I got some ornaments on the tree, but there are so many to go through! My mom brought about twice as many ornaments as I already had. And she's got it organized. The boxes have notes of what ornaments are in it and who it came from/when she got it. My child will not be so lucky. :)

So send all of your prayers, healing thoughts, and positive energy our way. I'll update tomorrow if I am able to.

Love you all!

Christmas tree

We got the tree assembled and light tonight. This is my favorite time. I love my ornaments, but there's something about a tree with just white lights on it that's so beautiful to me.

I discovered some coffee mugs from a New Orleans department store, which closed at least 20 years ago. I'm excited to see what else Mom's brought me. I do know that there are a few boxes that she wants my sisters and I to go through. All of those ornaments are special to me, but I know many of them have much more sentimental value to my sisters. Some may have been from their mother or grandmother (we're half-sisters). I won't put up a fight for ornaments. After 20 years of marriage, we have quite a collection of our own anyway.

So tomorrow, we begin to decorate the tree!