Call of the Wild

Drew's friend, Paul Bode, who we have always considered one of our own, is in his last year at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Paul plays on the defensive line of the Lehigh football team and we have wanted to see him play for years. Paul called and reminded us this is our last chance and we need to act now! So, we have tentative plans for the first week in November to meet Paul and the Lehigh team in Washington, DC and watch them play Georgetown University. This trip will also allow Ashley to view an under the sea exhibit by NOAA at the Smithsonian. Hopefully, this will all work out as intended. This picture was taken of Drew, Paul and Paul's girlfriend, Tori when they were in Germany. We love you Paul and hope to see you soon.

What a Date!!

Yesterday afternoon Don and I made plans to go on a date today...lunch and a movie, but late last evening all of that changed! Don said his tooth was beginning to hurt and by the time we went to bed I thought we may need to make a midnight visit to the dentist. Thank God he could get through the night and the first thing this morning we went to the dentist. It was determined that he would have to have his tooth pulled. Turns out our date was to the pharmacy for pain medicine and ice cream! We'll try again next week.

Second Time Around

Well, we have done a lot of birthday celebrating this week but I think it is finally over! Don's brother, Edward, his daughter, Kim, son-in-law Chris, and grandsons, Christopher and Matthew came over this weekend as well as my sisters, Lisa and Linda. We ate a big lunch and sang Happy Birthday. Lisa gave Don three nice shirts so I told him we have to have three date nights so he can wear them. She also gave me a beautiful frame. Linda gave us each beautiful birthday cards. We had a very good time and enjoyed visiting with everyone.
Edward made Don this shadow box of medals Don received during his Air Force service in Vietnam. Don loved receiving this gift and took time to explain each medal to all of us. It was so thoughtful of Edward to order these medals (the originals were lost long ago) and put this together for Don. Edward's daughter Kim helped put it together and it is beautiful! There is a space in the center for a picture of Don in his uniform and we are still working on that. I will repost the shadow box once we have added the picture.
Don explaining service medals to Linda and Lisa
Lisa, Christopher, Matthew, and Edward sing Happy Birthday to Don
My sister, Linda

Happy 56th Birthday, Don!!!

Today is Don's 56th birthday...what a reason to celebrate. He feels and looks good and that is truly all that matters. Larry and Kathy, Ashley, Douglas, and Mom joined Don and I for barbequed ribs, corn on the cob, potatoes, salad and Fresh Fruit Cake with ice cream! We all had a good time visiting.
Homemade cookies sent from his sister Debbie in Florida
Drew had to work this evening so he shared birthday wishes with his Dad before going to work.
Don got several Birthday calls today from family and friends including his sister, Mary and niece Tracy from California; his sister Debbie from Florida; his cousin Paul from Texas, our friend Diedre and our neighbor, Cindy. He spent quite a while on the phone throughout the day.
Yummy fresh fruit cake
Larry and Kathy joined us for a special birthday dinner.
Ashley and Doug ready to help blow out the candles.

At Last...

Nicole and Joe's wedding day finally arrived and it was a beautiful affair. St. Joseph's church was exquisitely decorated and Nicole walked down the aisle on the arm of her father with a radiant smile. Goose bumps crept up my skin as the St. Louis Cathedral Boys Chior sang during the ceremony - their voices were angelic. They were young boys that looked liked they ranged in age from 6 to 10 or 11. My camera was acting up and I was unable to get as many pictures as I would have liked but I will post what I was able to take.
Father of the Bride
Bette and Leon
Douglas, Drew, and Angelle
Jimmy, Don, and Leon
Mom, Lisa and I
Our neighbors, Cindy, Bob, and Amanda Thorn
The most beautiful cake
Drew escorting Mom down the aisle
Don and I with Msgr. Kern (my cousin) who married us 26 years ago!
Don and the boys

Bridal Luncheon

Today was Nicole's bridal luncheon which was for the ladies only so Don had a day of rest for which he was very thankful. I think he over indulged last night at the rehersal dinner and he was up quite a bit during the night so a day of rest was good for him. The luncheon was at Ralph's on the Park and everything was beautiful. Lots of talking and laughing as we celebrated Nicole's last day of being single!!! Joe's mother, Salwa, his sister, Aline, Kathy and Nicole
Can you spot the former Dominican Deb?
The Vignes girls

Nicole, Kathy, and Leah

Rehearsal Dinner

Joe & Nicole
Doug & Leah
Drew & Don
Don and I
Kristi, Nicole, Leah, & Elizabeth


Larry and Drew



Tonight we attended the wedding rehearsal and dinner afterwards at Commander's Palace, one of the most well known restaurants in New Orleans. We had a wonderful time and at our table enjoyed the company of our niece and nephew, Leah & Doug Harris, their son, Sam, Leah's friend Kristi Boudreaux and one of Nicole's bridesmaids, Elizabeth (whose last name I cannot remember to save my life). While we ate the delicious food, turtle soup, Ceasar Salad, fish with crabmeat sauce, beef tenderloin and bread pudding or cheese cake we listened to a three piece ensemble playing wonderful music. The evening could not have been nicer than it was.

The Wedding Festivities Have Begun

Our niece, Nicole is getting married this weekend to Joe Salloum who she met in Nashville, TN. We have been looking forward to this wedding since they set the date back in December. Drew is an usher in the wedding and picked up his tuxedo today. I asked him to try it on so I could see how he looked. Here he is, not to be outdone by his cousin, Sam "The Politician" Harris...

Some Favorite Summer Pictures

This song, The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Known is Loving You by Juice Newton, is the song Don and I danced to on our first date, December 31, 1981. It has always been special to us.

Never a Dull Moment.

We were enjoying a quiet, empty house today when Drew came home and said it was time to bottle the beer he has been brewing. The next thing I knew there were hoses, buckets, hops, and beer bottes all over the kitchen. His friend Keith came over to join in the bottling and those boys kept Don and I entertained for quite a while. I wonder if the kitchen will every be the same!

Good News!!

Don had an appointment with Dr. Regenstein today and the doctor had wonderful news...Don's blood work showed that his cancer marker went from 55,000 down to 3,600! That was great news to hear. He also looked at the CT report from Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola and said it may show some changes from the CT done here in May. He wants us to get the films from Pensacola so he can review them himself. Doctor Regenstein seemed very happy with these results and if he's happy, we're happy. He is going to redo the procedure Don had in Pensacola, and reband the varices once they have had a chance to shrink. Once they shrink, the original bands tend to shrug off so he will replace the original bands with tighter ones that will stay put. That procedure is scheduled for October 2. Thank you all for your prayers, they are being answered!

This evening we decided to barbeque chicken for dinner. I prepared the side items inside while Don took the chicken outside to cook. I went out to check on him and he was sitting down relaxing with friends as he cooked. I couldn't resist posting this so everyone can see just how popular he is!!

Happy Birthday, Mary

Today Don's sister, Mary, is having a birthday. Mary is retired and lives in Huntington Beach, California, but we were lucky enough to enjoy our Alaskan cruise with Mary last summer and then spend time with her in Florida this summer. Mary calls each week to visit with Don and share the stories of her children and grandchildren. HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY MARY!!!

Home Again

On Sunday afternoon we got a call from our neighbor who let us know the electricity was finally back on after Gustav blew through a week ago. So, after a dinner of fried fish, hush puppies, gumbo and baked beans, with Deke, Debbie, Edward, Chris, Kim, Mom, Hannah, Christopher and Matthew, Don and I loaded up the Suburban with Mom and three tired dogs and headed west. We left Pensacola around 6:30 PM and arrived in Kenner at 10:15 PM - a much better trip than when we evacuated Saturday night and took almost 7 hours to get to Pensacola!! I drove home so Don got a lot of rest which is what he is supposed to be doing a lot of these days. We went to the hospital this morning so he could have a blood test that hopefully will reveal that his chemotherapy is working. We should have those results on Wednesday when Don sees his doctor. The only problem he is having now is a sore throat that is bothering him enough to take pain medication - something he does not normally do. I'll be interested to hear what the doctor has to say about that. I'll post the results of our visit Wednesday!

SINCERE THANKS: Thank you to all who visited Don while he was in the hospital in Pensacola - you all lifted his spirits in a way I could never have done. Thanks also to Deke and Debbie for opening your home to all of us, I know you say you love company, but this was above and beyond the call of duty! Thanks again to Nicole for coming to the aide of her sick uncle and calming us both down - you made life easier for both of us. Last but not least, I must thank Adam for emptying our refrigerator and freezer before the food went bad, feeding the cat, and most of all cleaning up the hurricane debris from our yard so we did not have to deal with that when we returned home. We love you all and appreciate everything you all did to make our evacuation easier to bear!

He's Still Got It!

Today, Douglas, Deke and Angie's husband, Chris, went off with their cast nets to try their luck with the mullet which is eaten in large quantities in this area but not so much at home. When they returned, Chris had some questions about throwing the net so Don went outside with him to give him some pointers. Even though he has been so tired lately he just couldn't resist...he picked up that heavy net and threw it just like he has done for years!