Friday Don received a call from Danielle, his cousin's daughter who lives in Florida. Danielle's lungs were transplanted 9 years ago and lately she has been struggling with different ailments and the lack of energy. She told Don her grandmother had asked her to try the shakes Don takes to see if she could build up her strength. Danielle was interested in trying the shakes so Don and I made a quick trip to the beach house to meet with Danielle and get her started on the shakes. We left Saturday morning at 10:00 and returned at 9:00 Sunday night. We packed a lot into 35 hours!
Before we could go, I had to prepare Don's shakes for the week. I measure out everything he needs for the week so while I'm working I don't have to worry about whether he's "sticking to the program".
We had a beautiful day to travel.
I know you can't see this very well but we were on the I-10 and Don was driving so it is a miracle I was even able to get this picture. Anyway, Pensacola loves their Blue Angels. These were on the supports of a newly updated exit from I-10.
No unhappy face here as we make the final approach, crossing the Garcon Point bridge 10 minutes from the beach house.
We're here!
Are you stayin????
We all took a ride after arriving at the beach house and ended our day at Ruby Tuesday's for dinner.
Look what was waiting for us when we arrived home after dinner...a fabulous sunset.
Deke, Debby, Hannah, and Dixie enjoying the sunset. Well, Deke wasn't enjoying it, he didn't see what all the hubbub was about. I think he said something like, "Donnie, Donnie, haven't you EVER seen the sunset before, what are we doing out here?" He was a good sport about it though and posed for several pictures while we were out there. The sky changes so quickly - in just minutes you can see many different beautiful scenes.
Hannah and Debby working together in the kitchen.
While we visited Saturday evening, Don worked on Debby's computer to see if he could get it moving a little faster.
We woke up to a beautiful morning at the beach house. We were moving slow due to Daylight Savings Time but did have interesting things to see...
...pretty little "weeds" growing in the sand...
...and wildlife flying close by...breakfast with the pelicans.
It's nice to wake up with a friend.
"Uncle Net, PUT THAT CAM-ER-A AWAY"!!!
Enjoying a lazy morning, Don and Debby visiting with a cup of coffee.
Danielle came over Sunday morning to pick up the shakes. While we visited, I made her a shake which she seemed to enjoy.
When we tried to leave the beach house, we had not one stowaway...
...but two.
When we left the beach house, we stopped in for a vist with Edward, Don's brother. We went with Edward to see his daughter Kim's new house. Kim and her husband Chris have been busy working on the house and their hard work shows!!
Kim, Chris, Christopher and Matthew at their new home in Gulf Breeze. We enjoyed a nice visit with Kim, Chris, and the boys in their park-like back yard.
Don and I with the boys. Matthew has finally warmed up to us and actually gave kisses and sat on our laps! Christoper is growing taller by the day and seemed to have grown so much since the last time we saw him.
We took the scenic route home and stopped in Orange Beach...it was cold and windy but we couldn't resist a walk on the beach.
The surf was big and very loud. Don wanted to spend the night in Alabama but I convinced him it was better to come back when it was warm. There was a strong wind blowing and we could not stay on the beach very long.
I told Don I was wanted to put my feet in water but Don was not about to join me. He said the water would be freezing...he was RIGHT!
Pretty pink sunset over Alabama.
And...you know you're back in New Orleans when you are stuck in a traffic jam at 9:00 at night!!!
Today we celebrated our daughter Ashley's 24th birthday. After a dinner of steak with mushrooms, potatoes, peas, and french bread we sang Happy Birthday and she blew out the candles on her dirt cake which was full of worms. Happy Birthday to our little redhead!!
Don and I headed over to Mom's house early this morning to meet the cable installer and the man coming to install the railings. They both showed up at the same time and today we got to mark two things off of our list. At this point, we don't have much of a list left...Amen.
Here is a view from the sidewalk. I think these new railings will give my mother a lot of support going in and out of the house. If you look past the house on the left, you can see two new homes being built down the street. There are many new homes going up throughout her neighborhood...I guess it will be several years before Lakeview is completely rebuilt.
Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina soaked my mother's home in putrid water for three weeks, we have finally completed the rebuild. Her "new" home is lovely and Drew and I took her to see it tonight. She spent most of her time in the kitchen and was thrilled with everything she saw.
Drew showed her how to set the temperature of the refrigerator.
She loves her new refrigerator!
She tried everything out, the water, the lights, the alarm, the fans, and even the blinds, she didn't miss a thing!
Lisa stopped by with a large box of Italian cookies from the St. Joseph's Alter that we all shared in Mom's new kitchen.
Drew got dressed in his St. Patty's Day best before waking everyone in the house. He made sure everyone was up and ready to clebrate.
Sam, our own little Leprechaun!
Don with his sister Debby and her husband Deke, and my brother Larry and his wife Kathy.
My niece, Leah, with her youngest son, Jack (on the right). Her oldest son, Sam, is in the ladder to the left. The other little boy in the picture is a friend.
He may gripe about going to parades, but once he gets there he has a good time.
Don with my brother, Larry, two peas in a pod enjoying a beautiful day with family.
Stacy after catching her first cabbage. She also caught potatoes, carrots, and onions along with the more typical things like beads and stuffed animals. Now, for those of you who did not believe that Don enjoys parades once he's at the parade, check him out in the foreground of this picture, it's there where everyone can see it, a SMILE!
Taking aim.
What can I say about this boy...he can surely make us smile.
Hannah with her big stingray.
Sam posing with his big crawfish.
If you remember, I had a blog entry back in December about sending a Mardi Gras package to Don's neice, Megan, who lives in California. This week we received the cutest thank you note ever. We were happy to see Megan and her friends enjoying a little bit of Louisiana!
Close-up of Ms. Cross' class with their Mardi Gras "loot". Megan in is the lower left corner.
This is the inside of the card, signed by each of the children in the class.
Before we could go, I had to prepare Don's shakes for the week. I measure out everything he needs for the week so while I'm working I don't have to worry about whether he's "sticking to the program".
We had a beautiful day to travel.
I know you can't see this very well but we were on the I-10 and Don was driving so it is a miracle I was even able to get this picture. Anyway, Pensacola loves their Blue Angels. These were on the supports of a newly updated exit from I-10.
No unhappy face here as we make the final approach, crossing the Garcon Point bridge 10 minutes from the beach house.
We're here!
Are you stayin????
We all took a ride after arriving at the beach house and ended our day at Ruby Tuesday's for dinner.
Look what was waiting for us when we arrived home after dinner...a fabulous sunset.
Deke, Debby, Hannah, and Dixie enjoying the sunset. Well, Deke wasn't enjoying it, he didn't see what all the hubbub was about. I think he said something like, "Donnie, Donnie, haven't you EVER seen the sunset before, what are we doing out here?" He was a good sport about it though and posed for several pictures while we were out there. The sky changes so quickly - in just minutes you can see many different beautiful scenes.
Hannah and Debby working together in the kitchen.
While we visited Saturday evening, Don worked on Debby's computer to see if he could get it moving a little faster.
We woke up to a beautiful morning at the beach house. We were moving slow due to Daylight Savings Time but did have interesting things to see...
...pretty little "weeds" growing in the sand...
...and wildlife flying close by...breakfast with the pelicans.
"Uncle Net, PUT THAT CAM-ER-A AWAY"!!!
Enjoying a lazy morning, Don and Debby visiting with a cup of coffee.
Danielle came over Sunday morning to pick up the shakes. While we visited, I made her a shake which she seemed to enjoy.
When we tried to leave the beach house, we had not one stowaway...
...but two.
When we left the beach house, we stopped in for a vist with Edward, Don's brother. We went with Edward to see his daughter Kim's new house. Kim and her husband Chris have been busy working on the house and their hard work shows!!
Kim, Chris, Christopher and Matthew at their new home in Gulf Breeze. We enjoyed a nice visit with Kim, Chris, and the boys in their park-like back yard.
Don and I with the boys. Matthew has finally warmed up to us and actually gave kisses and sat on our laps! Christoper is growing taller by the day and seemed to have grown so much since the last time we saw him.
We took the scenic route home and stopped in Orange Beach...it was cold and windy but we couldn't resist a walk on the beach.
The surf was big and very loud. Don wanted to spend the night in Alabama but I convinced him it was better to come back when it was warm. There was a strong wind blowing and we could not stay on the beach very long.
I told Don I was wanted to put my feet in water but Don was not about to join me. He said the water would be freezing...he was RIGHT!
Pretty pink sunset over Alabama.
And...you know you're back in New Orleans when you are stuck in a traffic jam at 9:00 at night!!!
