Happy Anniversary, Darling Man

Dearest Kevin,

I love you. Thank you for marrying me 5 years ago. We took this huge leap of faith and I think sometimes when things get hard, we forget why we took the leap in the first place. I'm here to say thank you for always making me laugh, even when I don't want to. I know we have been through some tough business together, but you knew when you signed up that things were going to be an adventure. I honestly didn't anticipate it being this much of a roller coaster, but I suppose that's life.

So, cheers to the beautiful life we have had together thus far. Thank you for bringing me to New Orleans. I am so glad we are here together, in this beautiful city, living our charmed lives. Thank you for seeing us through a master's degree, a house fire, a lawsuit, a giant move, and well, putting up with my general craziness. You are an amazing man and I am so blessed to have found you.

So, may we have 50 more years together, and I hope they are as adventurous as the first five.

I love you more than the moon and the stars. . .

Your loving wife,
Kel

Su Mama Le Gusto el Chorizo

When my lovely parents came to visit, we took them to our favorite burger joint in the French Quarter, Yo Mama's. Cold drinks and delicious burgers! Seriously, y'all! It's just a little hole in the wall type of place but the ambiance is seriously seedy in a really awesome way. Belly up to the bar, have a cold Abita, and get yourself a Bleu Cheese burger with a side salad. (They don't serve french fries with their burgers, but you can ask for a baked potato.)

But, I digress. Aside from the cold drinks and great food, this bar offers something even more entertaining should you have to visit the facilities. Upon entering the bar, I promptly asked my mom if she had to go to the ladies room. She didn't. :(

However, after her Colorado Bulldog, she decided a trip to the loo was in order. *YES!!!*

You see, to get to the bathrooms at Yo Mama's, you have to go outside, walk down a little alley and then you are at the restrooms. (Don't ask, it's New Orleans...you have to use your space wisely around these parts.) So, I escorted my mom to the restroom and waited. Giggled and waited...


Mom, why are you smiling so big? Was your trip to the restroom THAT satisfying?!?

I'm sure it was, not for the business at hand, but rather the fabulous collage of "art" adorning the wall in the ladies room. You see, Yo Mama's provides the ladies with a beautiful collage of man chorizo, Playgirl style. Yep. That's a picture of my momma after admiring all the man bits. And let me tell you chickens, there are a lot of man bits to admire in that collage. (Gentlemen, don't be disappointed as I am told there is an equally graphic collage of lady bits to admire in the men's restroom as well.)

Therefore, Su Mama le gusto el chorizo! Aye! Bueno!

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

How I Learned Geography

I mentioned earlier how my parents indulged my insistence that the Gulf of Mexico looks like a Scottie Dog. Well, they couldn't quite visualize what I was explaining and Kate couldn't quite see it either (neither could Kev, Jen, or LJ) so I decided to provide you with art so you could all enjoy my visual creativeness. (By the way, check out Kate's blog - she's a hoot! I especially love Roxy Doxy and her gambling issues...)

Anyway, here is a visual for those who need pictures. I am more of a visual learner myself. Kevin told me the other day that I shouldn't just say it looks like a Scottie Dog, but rather a Scottie Dog's head.

I even included a tartan doggie collar in my picture, because, well...Scottie Dogs are Scottish and should always wear their tartans with pride.

Hope you are having a fabulous week!

xoxo

The Monkey Heart Possessor: A Clarification

Monkey Heart Art by Jen

So I didn't realize that I wasn't clear with the explanation about my possession of a monkey heart. If you haven't already read my original post on the subject, click on the link and read.

Go ahead...I'll wait. You will learn some very technical information about my heart issues.

Back?

Ok, great! Now on with further details...

You see, I grew up with two brothers that liked to tell me lies. Lies, lies, lies! And you know why they told me lies? Because I believed them. Gullible. That's me.

You see, CKM informed me when I was small that when they did my surgeries, they put a monkey heart in my chest instead of just fixing the problems at hand. I believed him, but still kind of questioned him because my parents assured me that I had a human heart and not a monkey's heart. Then, that movie came out with Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei, Untamed Heart, and it kind of validated his claim. If Christian Slater could have a monkey heart in that movie, so could I because they wouldn't lie in the movies.

Except it was a lie. Now please don't go feeling sorry for me for being so gullible. I always knew in my monkey heart of hearts that he was pulling my leg, but part of me kind of wanted it to be true - you know, super champion girl with the monkey heart still kickin' it and taking ballet.

So, that is how the whole, "I have a monkey heart" thing started. It has become a joke and when I tell my doctors about it, they don't seem to find it amusing. But I do! I hope you find it funny, too. And I hope you aren't disappointed or think I'm less than cool because I don't actually have a monkey heart.

My monkey heart is my soul - it's what makes me unique. It's my badge of honor, frankly. And it's waaaay more exciting and interesting to call it a monkey heart than a congenital heart defect. Congenital heart defect makes me sound defective. Which I am not, thank you very much.

So, that's the whole scoop, chickens! I AM a monkey heart possessor, sans the actual monkey heart. I have a lot of scars, both physical and emotional from the whole situation, but I am a whole lot stronger of a person because of all my struggles so early in my life. If I could survive that business, I could survive almost anything. And so far, I have proven that theory correct!

xoxo - from the bottom of my monkey heart!

Smiling Again

So my mom and dad came to visit us this last week. What a treat! Seriously! I needed some good mom and dad t.l.c. and they delivered. Thanks Mom and Dad!

You definitely lifted my spirits and helped me to see past the little dark rain cloud that has been following me around. I hope you both had as nice a time as I did.

Thanks for the food, the clothes, the funny laughs, indulging me when I tried explaining that the Gulf of Mexico looks like a Scottie Dog, and well...everything else. I love you both hard, hard, hard!

Oh, and my dear blogosphere friend Scott from WolfPack of 3 asked me if I actually have a monkey heart. Well, dear friend Scott, here is a link for you explaining the whole monkey heart situation.

Baby Saints

I was listening to NPR this afternoon as I was driving home from work and there was a report on how there has been a decrease in births in America in the past 6 months. Understandable, considering the economy and such.

What made me smile was that New Orleans, unlike the rest of the nation, has been experiencing a recent baby boom. If you do the math, which NPR has done, you will notice a particular conception date - January 24. That means that all the celebrating that was going on when the Saints won the NFC Championship involved a lot of celebrating in *ahem* other ways, too.

The report closed with noting that the increase in births will continue over the next two months. More math = lots more celebrating on that lovely Super Bowl Sunday!

I wonder how many babies will be named Drew or Reggie?