Don gave me a new camera for Christmas and it does so many different things I don't think I will ever learn to use all of the features. So, while we are out running errands I bring the camera with me to get some practice. Today we went to Sam's and dropped by to see Douglas and Ed as they continue the work on Ed's house. Don continues to feel well and we are looking forward to the New Year.
Ed, Don, and Douglas.
Ashley was going to dive at the Aquarium this morning so I asked my niece Roxanne if she and her daughter Kaitlyn would like to go see Ashley. We all went downtown early this morning and had a good time watching Ashley feed the fish. We continued through the aquarium to see the other exhibits. When we were done we went to bring lunch to Ed and Douglas while they were working on the house in Lakeview. We visited them a few minutes and then went over to the shop for a visit with Larry, Lisa, and Linda. By this time Roxie and I were exhausted and headed for home. Don had the house to himself today and enjoyed the peace and quiet. 
Kaitlyn and her Daddy. That orange line on the front of the house is the water line from Hurricane Katrina. Ed's house is about three feet off of the ground and that line is about three or four feet high which means there was approximately 6-7 feet of water in his neighborhood. He and Roxanne live in San Francisco so he was working on the house while visiting for the holidays.
Larry working hard.
Kaitlyn with the "shop cat".
Roxie and Linda
We had a wonderful Christmas celebration and enjoyed visiting with everyone who joined us for this very special Christmas. For the first time in many years my entire family was here, my Mom, sisters, brother and all of their families joined us for a delicious holiday meal. Roxanne, Ed, and Kaitlyn flew in from San Francisco and my niece Nicole and her new husband Joe came in from Nashville after returning from a holiday trip to Paris! Douglas' friend Gary drove in from his Marine base in Camp LeJeune, South Carolina and joined us as well. We are so very thankful to have had this Christmas to share with all of our family and friends...there is no greater gift.
Obviously, a fish story!
Great-niece, Emma.
Great-niece Kaitlyn
Batman a/k/a our great nephew, Lee
Don, Michael, and Ed.
James, our great-nephew.
Larry and Kathy
Joe and Nicole
Doug, Leah, Sam, and Jack.
This is how we all felt by the end of the day!!
This evening we traveled to Baton Rouge to attend Jenna's graduation. Jenna is the daughter of Don's first cousin, Paul and his wife, Debbie. This was a very special occasion and we were thrilled to spend the evening celebrating Jenna's graduation. Congratulations Jenna, we love you. 
Jenna with her parents and sisters, Whitney and Amber.
The Walker family with Jenna.
Our children have grown up together and when they are all together they have a fabulous time...just being with each other is a reason to celebrate, but Jenna's graduation was a special event!
Flashback! Well, I said they grew up together and here they are in the beginning, before Douglas and Whitney were even born...Ashley, Drew, Jenna (the graduate) and Amber.
Back to this evening's festivities. What a pair!
After the graduation we dropped Ashley off in Hammond for a Cabrini Alum Christmas get together. It was great seeing all of the girls and touring Jenny's new house.
This morning Don and I met my friend Mary Rose and her family for Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral and breakfast at Brennan's. Mary Rose and I have known each other since high school, and although she has lived in California for many years, our friendship has endured. We had a wonderful time visiting with Mary Rose and her family. Shown from left to right are Don, me, Marissa, Bob and Rose Velez, Ronald Velez, and Mary Rose.
Don and I.
Mary and her daughter, Marissa.
Don outside of the Cathedral before Mass.
Don's brother Edward drove in from Gulf Breeze, FL with some of his church members for an overnight visit to New Orleans. We met this afternoon for lunch at Pascal's Manale Restaurant, a local favorite well known for their barbequed shrimp. Although we did not get the shrimp, our food was delicious, pan seared catfish with crabmeat and artichokes for Edward and I and chicken parmigiana for Don. Don and I also had scrumptious bread pudding. We enjoyed our visit with Edward and enjoyed meeting some of the members of his church.
And so it began...it was not supposed to snow in Kenner, but this morning as we had breakfast I thought I saw a few flurries. The next thing I knew it was really coming down. It started around 7:00 AM and we took this picture shortly after it started. 
Well, I guess I spoke too soon about the bouganvilla freezing...
A few little vestiges of fall hang on to the tree as the snow falls.
Ready, aim...
...fire! Still a kid.
When Hurricane Gustav blew into the area, the high winds blew over my bouganvilla. We had put up some supports to lift it off of the ground, but they really needed to be replaced with something more sturdy. Don and the boys got busy tonight getting it put back where it used to be! Now, let's hope that it doesn't get cold enough this winter to freeze the poor plant.
Don was supposed to be the supervisor...that didn't last long. He gets me so worried doing these projects that I just have to walk away. I guess if he didn't feel up to it he wouldn't be doing it.
I love Drew's face in this picture. He provided some heavy duty muscle to the operation and was given the job of lifting the bouganvilla so Don and Douglas could slide the board underneath it for support. Anyone that is familiar with bouganvillas know that they have HUGE thorns. Drew was being very careful not to move too quickly as he knew he could be impaled by this plant at any moment.
As the sun set, the beautiful sky framed our big palm tree. 
Fall has finally arrived in our backyard, just in time for Christmas. As you can see, the leaves have made a mess, but Hooch enjoys standing guard waiting for each leaf to drop!! Maybe we can teach him to rake!!
Today we went to see Dr. Regenstein for Don's monthly checkup. His blood test showed his cancer count has had another significant decrease. If you remember, when he was diagnosed in June, his count was 55,000 and in September, after three months of chemotherapy, it had gone down to 3,600. Today his count was 600. I asked if it were possible for the count to get to zero and Dr. Regenstein said it would not get that low. He explained to us this chemotheraphy will not cure Don's cancer but can keep it from growing for a while. Don and I feel very fortunate that he is doing so well. I did tell Dr. Regenstein about the shakes that Don takes and he said he was a firm believer in supplemental nutrition and to keep doing exactly what we are doing.
The air has a definite chill to it and Christmas lights are starting to show up everywhere. We finally got some decorations on the tree, but I would like to add something with a little sparkle to complete it. I also need to decide on a new tree top. For the last several years we have had an angel on top of the tree and the kids admitted to me this year that they have ALWAYS hated that angel! So, I'll be on the lookout for something that will make everyone happy.
