Punta Cana...Here we Come!

In less than 24 hours, Kirk and I will be heading to Punta Cana, which is on the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic. On the top is the Atlantic and on the bottom is the Caribbean, so hopefully we'll have the clear blue Caribbean water. Judging by the pics we've seen of Punta Cana on Trip Advisor, we'll have the good water! Kirk and I are Padi certified in Open Water Diving, so we'll be going on a few dive trips while we're there. We dove in St. Lucia and in Cozumel and then Kirk has also been to Belize and the Bahamas, so I can't wait to see what underwater life they will have in the Dominican Republic. Other than that, it'll be all about relaxing on the beach and by the pool for a week. I know you're jealous!!! Please pray that no tropical depressions, storms, hurricanes, etc. affect our trip. Last year in Cozumel there was a Tropical Storm sitting right outside of us, but luckily we only had about a day of rain and then beautiful weather the rest of the trip. I don't think I could handle another hurricane in my life!

Poydras Goes to the Vet

Poydras had to go to the vet today to get his shots updated. Also while we were there Dr. DeVun clipped his nails while I had to help hold him down. I ended up with three big scratches down my arm because he got nervous and jumped up. Poor thing...shots and clipped nails :( He weighs 54.8 lbs and is in very good shape. He also got lots of compliments for being such a well-behaved, mild-mannered dog. And he got a few treats from the vet, too!! One of them he actually held in his teeth and spit out right on the table. It was pretty funny! We have to board him for a week because we are leaving on Saturday for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We'll miss him but I know we'll enjoy our vacation!

Morgan's in North Carolina

From what I've heard Morgan has been having a good time in Charlotte so far. She had fun playing with Ansley and Cody the day she arrived and then yesterday she was able to go to Carowinds(an amusement/water park) with Julian. I think today she played with some neighbors Phoenix and Aidan and am sure she'll have lots more fun the rest of the week. She starts horseback riding camp on Monday, which she has definitely been looking forward to attending. We miss you lots, Morgan!!!!

Dance Recital 2006

We had Morgan's dance recital today. This was her 6th year dancing and her last year at Dance Company Ltd. Since we've moved, I'll have to find a new school on the northshore for her to attend. She did an excellent job as usual and looked absolutely beautiful in all of her costumes and dance numbers. Her tap dance was to "Boogie Shoes" and yesterday I heard her singing the song at home. Of course Morgan had her own version of the song...it went something like this: "I want to put on my, my, my, my, my boogie shoes and Scooby Doo!" I cracked up when I heard her singing that! I had to tell her that it doesn't say Scooby Doo, but instead "and boogie with you." But now we all are singing "Scooby Doo" instead of the right words and getting a huge laugh out of it!!

We had our post-recital lunch/dinner at PF Chang's(Morgan's choice because of the Great Wall of Chocolate dessert she gobbled up at the end of the meal) and then Morgan got in the car with her dad Jack and Maria and left for North Carolina. They're staying overnight somewhere in Alabama before heading the rest of the way to Charlotte. It's very quiet around here right now. I miss her a lot and won't get to see her for 2 months. Needless to say, my blog won't be all about Morgan until then but you can check out her summer on Jack & Maria's blog. I'll be posting every once in a while on here for the next month and then a lot more when Julian gets in town in July. Gosh, it's quiet right now!

More Dance Recital Pictures

1) Me & Nanny Mallory
2) Morgan waiting for the recital to start
3) Morgan & Daddy

Dance Recital Pictures

1) Morgan & Me
2) Sherry & Gavin
3) Morgan & Aunt Meredith
4) Morgan

Communion/Going Away Barbecue

The Cake...yummy!

The Kids Waiting to Eat the Cake

Morgan & Grampy

Morgan & Uncle Jeremy(her Godfather)

Morgan & Gavin

We had a barbecue at our house today to celebrate Morgan's 1st Communion and also as a going away party since she leaves tomorrow to spend the summer in North Carolina tomorrow. It was a great afternoon, although very hot, and we were glad to have our family join in the day. The cake you see in the picture is from the "Cake Lady." She makes the cakes out of her house and they are so delicious. The funny thing is that everyone who has ever used her just calls her the "Cake Lady" and MANY people know who she is. She's very popular among the kiddie birthday party circuit and she can make just about any cake you'd want. On this particular cake, everyone kept wondering what the IHS meant. Now, most of us went to Catholic School almost all of our lives but the only thing we could remember was that it was Latin for something. Well, I looked online and this is the definition I found: A modern depiction of the first three letters (iota ι, eta η·, sigma σ‚) of the Greek spelling of Jesus (Ίησονς). So it's not even Latin...we were all wrong!

Hawaiian Holiday

Today is the last day of Camp Jaguar for Morgan. :( Usually she goes to that camp for many weeks but since she is spending her summer in North Carolina, she only gets to go for one week. And good news, Morgan won Camper of the Week for her group!! Yeah, Morgan!! Also, every Friday at Camp has a theme and the campers and counselors are encouraged to dress accordingly. Well since this was the only week Morgan was going to be there, Aunt Barbara let Morgan pick what theme she wanted for this Friday and Morgan picked "Hawaiian Holiday." Nah, Morgan's not spoiled!!! Anyway, for the past 5 or so years...ever since she started that camp...Morgan has worn the exact same Hawaiian outfit and usually won the prize for her group (oh yes, there's a contest), but since we lost everything in the storm, we had to get a new outfit. She had this little 2-piece thing I had gotten her in Cozumel, but I went to Party City to buy a lei and other accesories. They had these sets w/ a hula skirt(shown in pic), a lei, wristbands and a headband, so I bought it. Morgan opened the package last night and it only had the hula skirt. She was so upset! So the result of the costume is what you see here...the Cozumel outfit and the hula skirt. That wild Hawaiian beast pictured with her is Poydras.

Recital Rehearsal

Today was rehearsal for the dance recital, which will be held on Sunday at Loyola University. It's kind of hard to get action shots, so this was the best I could do...she's the one in pink with her hand in the air. The second picture is of Morgan and her friends Monica and Amanda.

Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

I recieved a call from my old boss at WLAE and they want to rehire me. He's been talking to me for a few months about this. I'm going in to talk to him tomorrow, but it would basically be my old job, along with some additional duties. I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens. I know Morgan would like me to work there again; it was always fun for her over there. The last thing she got to do before I was laid off was be on TV interviewing Elmo and some of the other Sesame Street characters. These were the actual puppets and puppeteers for the show, which was really neat. It was kind of surreal being in a room with them after I grew up watching the show, especially Luis who has been on the show for 25 years. It was pretty cool for Morgan because her classmates were able to watch her on TV that day! Over the years, Morgan has met many PBS characters and gotten to be on TV more than once. It definitely is a child-friendly atmosphere!

St. Dominic Returns to Lakeview!!

In yesterday's Living section of The Times-Picayune, they published an article on the return of St. Dominic School to Lakeview. Morgan went to school there for one year, one week and 2 days and we absolutely LOVED that school. Just like the rest of Lakeview, St. Dominic School and Church took on over 8 ft. of water and they temporarily moved the school to the campus of Holy Rosary School for the remainder of the year. Since we moved, we didn't put Morgan back in SDS because it was farther away and we were already driving far enough. We were so happy to read that during the last weeks of school, the students helped teachers, parents, etc. move books and supplies from Holy Rosary back to the campus of St. Dominic. Although we're not there anymore, we wish everyone at SDS the best of luck and we'll always feel like a part of their family!!! Congratulations, Dragons!!!

(Above are pictures of the damage at St. Dominic School taken on October 1, 2005)

Read the story

Camp Day 2 and Other News

It was my turn to bring Morgan into camp, so while she was there, I decided to spend my day at Elmwood's pool with Sherry and Gavin II. Only by the time I got there (at 9:30 a.m.), Gavin had already swum and was in the play area. They then went into Kidsports to go in the maze and I stayed by the kiddie "splash pool" waiting on them. Well they came back down and then left so Gavin could get some lunch and take a nap. Fortunately my sister-in-law Shelly showed up with her kids Brandon, McKenna and Bella and I hung out with them for awhile.

Bella relaxing by the pool

Sherry returned to the pool a few hours later while little Gavin went into childcare, so I finally got to hang out with her. Me & Sherry at the pool

I picked up Morgan from camp and we made it back home...exciting, huh? I did hear some good news while I was at the pool. Kirk's friend Pat, the one leaving for Iraq tomorrow, is now engaged to Annemarie! Congratulations, Pat and Anne!! We're very happy for both of you!!

Camp Jaguar Starts

Morgan started camp at St. Francis Xavier today. She's gone to this camp since she was about 3 and Aunt Barbara runs it so I know she's always well taken care of. Besides that, she absolutely loves it! You're probably wondering why she's at camp when I am not even working right now. Well, I registered her when I was working and now that I'm not, I gave her the option. Guess what she chose...you got it, she'd rather go to camp then hang out with mom for a week. So Kirk and I are going to take turns driving her in for this week and since today was Kirk's turn, I rode my bike at the Tammany Trace. It's this really cool trail that extends from Covington to Slidell and we ride our bikes on it often. Morgan can actually ride close to 11 miles on the Trace, but of course we have to stop either at the Abita Brew Pub or Kickstand Cafe for a bite to eat in the middle and for her to rest her legs. Morgan has her last dancing class tonight until rehersal on Thursday and the recital on Sunday. Then after the recital, she leaves for North Carolina for 2 whole months! I'm going to be so bored!

Bon Voyage, Pat!!

Kirk's friend Pat is a Major in the Marines and will be headed back to Iraq for a second tour. He's leaving on Wednesday to go to Camp Pendleton and from there, going to Iraq. Last night there was a send-off party at Cooter Browns for him and most of the gang was there to wish him well. Luckily, Mere (Kirk's mom) watched Morgan and they, along with Granny, went to eat dinner at Picadilly's then went back to Mere's house for a few games of Disney Scrabble. We had a great time visiting with Pat, his girlfriend Annemarie, Gary, Nicol, Yvette, Lee and a few others. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so the only pics I could find of him are from our wedding over a year ago. Good luck, Pat!! We'll miss you!!

Also last night, my friend and former co-worker Mary was in town with her new husband Tony and the WLAE gang got together at Ralph's on the Park for a celebratory dinner...she and Tony are expecting their first child together!! We were going to try to make both events, but were unable to do so. Congratulations, Mary and Tony!!!

Promoted to 3rd Grade!

Last Day of 2nd Grade!!

The Big 3rd Grader!!

Morgan had her last day of school today...actually it was Mass, she got her report card and got out at 10:00. She got all A's and one B!! Now she's a big 3rd grader!! We were supposed to go to lunch with Aunt Paula and Emily today but we would have had to wait until about 1 and if you know Morgan, you know she can't wait that long to eat. So instead we came home and went to the pool again. We ate dinner at Macaroni Grill (Morgan's choice) to celebrate her awesome year at school. Honestly, for everything she's been through this year, Morgan did a wonderful job at school. She actually went to three schools this year...she started at St. Dominic in Lakeview for a week, then after the hurricane, she went to St. Francis Xavier in Brunswick, GA for two months and then finished up the year at St. Francis Xavier in Metairie. We are very grateful to the people in Brunswick, especially my cousin Michael, who helped us find a place to stay for two months for free, the staff and students at St. Francis (GA), who took Morgan in at no cost and to the friends we made in St. Simon's Island and Brunswick, who took care of us. We couldn't have made it without any of them. If you are ever looking for a place to visit, go to St. Simon's Island...it's beautiful there and the people are extremely kind. It's also an hour from Savannah, GA and from Jacksonville, FL and only 3 hours from Orlando. We are also grateful to the staff and students at St. Francis (LA), who also took Morgan in and welcomed her. Thanks to Mrs. (Aunt) Barbara who held a spot for Morgan while we were still in Georgia and supplied us with some uniforms for Morgan to wear. She also helped Morgan with homework just about everyday after school...maybe that's why she did so well! I know Morgan will miss St. Francis next year and being spoiled by Aunt Barbara!

Awards Day

Morgan had awards day at school today and she came home with the Religion award, as well as Silver Honor Roll for the 4th quarter and for the year...she did a wonderful job given the circumstances of the year. Then again, she always does a wonderful job in school! Yippee, Morgan!!! Aunt Barbara and Meredith took Morgan out to lunch to celebrate the end of a great year at St. Francis! She also lost a tooth today, so guess who's coming for a visit tonight...

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Kirk pointed out to me last night that the pic I posted yesterday of Morgan at the pool looked just like a picture of me in Cozumel last year. I think Morgan looks much cuter though, but we do always seem to do the same poses.