Congratulations Jenna!!!

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.

Breakfast at Brennan's

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.

Lunch with Edward

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.

Snow Day!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

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.

Working with His Boys...

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.

By the time they were finished, it was too dark to get a picture of the fully supported bouganvilla so I'll post an updated picture tomorrow.

Fall Has Arrived...

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!!