May 30th
PJ worked again today. I painted, cleaned etc. I spent some time going from store to store looking for CHEAP chipboard albums so I can make memory books for the kids at school as their end of the year gift. I ended up getting ones that look like mini school houses and are on a key chain. Very cute. Hopefully they'll be able to accomodate the pictures.

May 29th
The rain was coming down so hard this morning.... all the roads were flooded. They cancelled the Strawberry Festival again today so that's it... done! Sad for the kids who had to see all the rides just waiting for them outside their classroom window!

May 28th


The kids were dissappointed at school today. They were supposed to the Strawberry Festival today but the rain just made the field into MUSH! They said they will try again tomorrow.

May 27th

I didn't do anything special today at all... went to work, made dinner and went to bed. Just an ordinary day!

May 26th

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
PJ and I were married 30 years today! We celebrated by going to softball! Our volleyball games were cancelled!

May 25th

PJ was off today FINALLY!

We did some odds and ends around the house, went food shopping and then spent some time at the beach. I thought the beach was going to be mobbed but it was actually pretty empty. I guess most people went Saturday and Sunday to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend air show.

May 24th


I thought PJ was going to be off today but once again, he has to work! I think I'll do a little gardening today.






May 23rd

Today I painted the wrought iron patio set and then got sidetracked. I spent probably 4 hours updating this blog with our N.O.'s trip. VERY timeconsuming! Good thing PJ had to work!

May 22nd


I have off from work today because I'm technically a sub. The other aides have to go to meetings all day. HaHa! I spent a good part of the day cooking! I made Tyler Florences recipe for Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce and a nice salsa dip for before dinner. YUM! I could eat that Tomatillo Sauce without the chicken... just give me a spoon!

May 21st


It was back to school today. I was greeted by lots of smiling faces, huge hugs and "thank God that you're back"! It was good to be back and settle in with all the tempers etc once again. It was like I never left!

May 20th

Good thing PJ and I both took off from work today. There's so many odds and ends that need dealing with.... unpacking, all the mail, bills, laundry... and the list goes on and on. PJ had a softball game tonight... a double header that started at 9:30! We were home by 11:50! They won one and lost the other. Good times!

May 19th

It was a great week but it must come to an end! We have to fly into Boston before coming back to L.I. Brooke had to fly to Atlanta before going on to Orlando. Chris left 5 hours after us so we'll have to go back to the airport to pick him up. The sky was beautiful on the way from Boston to L.I.

May 18th

It's Monday and our last day to have fun. The kids gave us $ last night so PJ and I can go out for a romantic dinner WITHOUT KIDS! The hard part will be to decide where to go!

We all spent the day walking around the French Quarter, riding the street car, going to cemeteries, the 9th Ward etc. It was an exhausting afternoon. We also packed for leaving tomorrow.

This is a paupers cemetery. We heard that sometimes you can see the outline of the bodies because they're only buried in 12" of dirt! YUCK!!

I took a picture a neat looking tree. (I have since accidently deleted it but I had the part in question below saved.) After I took it, PJ said to Scott... "Did you hear that kid on the campus yeaterday that was commenting on my Cornell shirt? He asked me if I knew a Dr. James Turner. Look at that headstone!!!" He then pointed to the one that's on the left in the picture. The headstone had the name Dr. James Turner on it!! That was very strange!!!

After that cemetery, we went to the typical looking cemetery that's in New Orleans. They have individual mouseleum type things for families. They are all above ground because N.O's is below sea level and in the event of a flood, if the bodies were buried, they would float to the top. I would guess that's what happens in the pauper cemetery.

The 9th Ward has been cleaned up a lot! There are still some houses that show the 'X' from Katrina. The date the house was searched is on the X. Below, that house was searched for people on 9-2 a week after the hurricane.






As we were riding around, we spotted this house with the silhouette painted on it. These silhouettes are very famous in New Orleans but pretty scarce!

We got to show the kids what a leeve actually looks like. It's not at all what people invision.

We got dressed and decided to find a restaurant that either had a nice balcony or patio area so we could eat outside. We decided on The Original French Market. It overlooks the markets and there was a jazz band playing at the market. That was good because being that we were on the balcony, the music was soft and peaceful.

I got the crabcakes which were delicious. The vegetable was some corn dish that had andoulie saugage in it! Very strange but very good. I took most of my meal back to the hotel. I was STUFFED!

May 17th

Brooke, Alyssa and I went to the New Orleans School of Cooking for our cooking demo. On the menu... Jambalaya, Gumbo, Bread pudding and Pralines. Pat was our teacher. We had a lot of fun. The girls loved the food, discovered Death Sauce w/ Chipotle Peppers. They LOVED it!

We had a very nice fun time and GREAT food!

Later on in the day we came across a road that was blocked by tons of people and cops. We thought there was a protest. It turned out to be a 'Second Line' Parade. These are held in neighborhoods "just because". They're usually on Sunday afternoons so people can celebrate.

Here's a youtube of one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARRjqjAS2pc

Dinner tonight was at Deanes. We wanted to go here last year but ran out of time.

May 16th

Today is Graduation Day for Scott (Tulane) and Alyssa (Plattsburgh). We arrived on the campus at about 7:00 AM. We hopped on the shuttlebus to take us to the Superdome. Inside the superdome, an end section was set up for the graduation. There was a backdrop of one of the buildings on campus, Gibson Hall. It was so pretty.

First up... President Scott Cowen

This is his speech in 3 parts. It's from youtube and is very shakey!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngOlRw-BYug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69QWtmhfc_s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFUBrn21Mdw

Next up... a little music from Dr Michael White's Original Liberty Jazz Band.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPPQff44vs Next on the adgenda... Honorary Degrees.... one being Harry Connic Jr and another being ELLEN DEGENERES!!!

Pres Cowen presented Ellen with a Tulane robe (because when she was the speaker in 2006, she showed up in her hotel bathrobe and slippers. She gave him Ellen Boxers which he told us would be too small for him!

Next was what we were all waiting for ... ELLEN'S COMMENCEMENT SPEECH! I have to say... What a speech. We laughed through almost the whole speech!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPTMyaySoc0

The rest of the ceremony was just as exciting... fireworks, confetti, more music, Ellen dancing etc.

I don't have any pictures of Scott getting his diploma. Hopefully Brooke's camera clicked at the right time!

I had to take a picture of the sink in the bathroom at the Superdome!

After getting back to campus, we left to go to The Superior Grill, a Mexican restaurant that Scott suggested we try. Just as we pulled into a parking spot, it started to drizzle. As we got out of the car, it started to POUR! We had to run around the block to get to the front door. The rain was coming down so hard and fast, it was like waterfalls coming off the roofs! I had to stop mid-run to take my shoes off so I could run faster! I guess that was a flash flood. Bad news, I left my jacket in the car and I was wearing a white blouse! Alyssa and Brooke used the umbrella and Scott and Chris were already inside getting a table. So it was just PJ and I that looked like drowned rats!

Our 2 Graduates!

My Shrimp Enchilada
I wanted to get some pictures of Scott in his graduation gown so we went back to the school and stood in front of Gibson Hall.

This was a day to remember!!!!!