And finally...

...it rains. Looking forward to puddle splashing on the way home!

Did you know...

There was such a law enforcement unit as the Postal Police? True story, there is such a force, and its origins can be traced to 1772 and Benjamin Franklin. And my mama and I encountered two of its finest last night. In Metry. Outside of DQ if you must know the truth (I LOVE having a DQ buddy!)

It's gettin' hott in herrrr...

Triple digits for 3 days in a row now, summer is here with a vengence. And I actually really love it, shocking I know ;)

Art + Movement = ?

Combine

and

and you get:

Our evening's plans, ART + YOGA, a yoga class set among the stained-glass windows on exhibit at the Newcomb gallery. So if you are into yoga, art, or both, grab your mat and join us!

And a little bird whispered in my ear that our mats will be next to the angels, so you know our downdogs will be extra crisp because they will have been blessed by the angels!

Tonight...

...we are traveling through time and space
My mama has found an activity for the evening. It involves an organ and a labyrinth. A 5000 pipe organ and a "traceable labyrinth path" through a church sanctuary. An Episcopalian sanctuary. No, I am not making this up, we are really doing this tonight. The more the merrier, adventure starts at 6pm, hope to see you there!

Inspiration

Sometimes, we find inspiration to do certain things in unlikely places. I think one of my readers found inspiration in my blog last week, as their car was at DQ when we were there...
...so E, what flavor blizzard did you get on Saturday?

Happy Father's Day

Daddy,

You are the best. You are the fastest, funniest and most brilliant father in the world. You are a dream-maker: you always helped me set goals and work towards them, helping me figure out that I could do anything I wanted, as long as I fully committed to it and put forth at least the effort required, my dreams could come true. You are a teacher, a mentor and a friend. You constantly inspire me to be a better person. You are so selfless and kind. And nice. Most of all, you are always there for me; letting me eat lunch in your office daily when I needed an escape from Oracle, sending a pick-me-up comic in the mail or an I'm thinking of you email before a test or just because, being a running buddy when I really don't want to do that long run, waking up at 5:30am everyday during the summer to train with me for a half-marathon. You are dedicated and committed and I love you more than words.
I wish we were there to celebrate you this weekend, but since we aren't, I hope you grill a steak and watch baseball and golf all night!

Love, love, love!

There are not even words...

...for how awesome BINGO was last night.

This is a 'dauber bag,' it's for keeping your many daubers organized. Because if you don't have the right color at the right time you are OBVIOUSLY not going to get a bingo. Have I mentioned BINGO is intense?

This could totally have been me last night. Except for the ciggy, and the fact that she is playing at least 48 cards (I'll definitely be daubing that hard core by the end of the summer). I would like to note that I did get a bingo. In fact I got multiple, and have the bingo cards to prove it. Unfortunately, the times I got bingos, we were on "blackout" rounds. It was still exciting. I may have almost screamed "BINGO!" I restrained only because I feared for our lives should I declare a false bingo.

So Happy for You!

You totally deserve this trip into the clouds!

There was a farmer...

...had a dog

Bingo was his name-o

B

I

N

G


O

And Bingo was his name-o. And BINGO is on the docket for the evening's entertainment! Updates tomorrow about the adventure!

Fluffballs and noise-machines

Today, we had kittens in the office. Baby kittens. Rescued baby kittens. Rescued baby kittens we bottle-fed. They were adorable, especially this little black one. Apparently I completely buck the trend of people not liking black pets because I always love the black animals the best. If only Tulip wouldn't think this little one was an extra tasty snack, I would so have wanted to take her home. She was a dear little baby-check out those white whiskers!

Best served upside down

DQ is absolutely, without a doubt, one of my great weaknesses in life. I love it. It is 100% the best vanilla ice cream in the world. And the chocolate sauce is amazing. So the combination of ice cream and chocolate dipping sauce in a chocolate chip blizzard is unparalleled. When I am home I may make a concerted effort to stop by at least every few days. Please note, I said "when I am home." Down here in the Dirty Dirty they aren't as obsessed with DQ as I am. There are actually a number of culinary areas in which New Orleans is a little lacking, despite having some of the best foods and restaurants in the world. But that's another post for another day. There is only 1 DQ within a 100 mile radius of Tulane University. Many people here do not even know this one location exists. I don't know how said people get through life. While the DQ is not 100 miles away, it is relatively far compared to daily life locations and definitely inconvenient. And most people mock when it is suggested a trip out be taken. That is, until my mama came to town. I love my mama and am so glad she came. AND THEN, she did the impossible, she made my love increase exponentially. She suggested we go to DQ. Just because. Which is obviously the best DQ visit reason. And even awesome-er than going was when she wanted to go. You see, we had been to DQ the night before while running errands. TWO DAYS OF DQ IN A ROW. Just the idea made my head spin. We didn't actually end up going, but it is lovely knowing I have a DQ ally in town. So the next time you are feeling warm, or in need of a reminder about how great summer is, just stop by your nearest DQ, it's sure to brighten your day!

Wind beneath my wings...

I love driving with the windows down. Hot, cold, muggy, rainy, you can bet if I'm in my car, the windows are down. And if I'm in your car, unless its rainy or super cold, I'd probably like the windows down. Maybe this love stems from Gigi, maybe from a love of nature, but I love my windows down. That said, I completely reserve the right to have the windows down and air conditioning/heat going as necessary. No need to sweat or shiver. Here in NOLA, windows are down 90% of the time, and air is actually on very little. The days when the air is on and windows are down remind me very much of home: cold nights, Gabi and I in Gigi following a dance or adventure, and windows down, heat turned ALL the way up! There's just something about having the windows down.

We have a visitor!!!

She is a very light packer-didn't bring nearly this many suitcases :)

She's as fashion-savvy as A. Wintour

As lovely as a field full of posies

She's a queen bee through and through

She's our mama

We are so glad to have her here!

Fleur de lys-that's the plural of fleur de lis in case you were wondering...

I love fleur de lys. I love the shape and form of them. I love the history and varied symbolism of them. I love what they mean to me personally.

And I really love the great variety of them and the many places and circumstances in which you come across them. So I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of fleur de lys, look for more to come!

Posto-O's

Homemade Oreos. No other words necessary

Best Puchase EVER

Yesterday, my sistah and I purchased a little bit of our sanity. I didn't know you could buy things like that back once you had a puppy, but we totally did. Sanity has returned to our lives via a citronella bark collar. Never heard of it? Neither had we. It's amazing. Seriously so. Tulip has gone from continuous, ear-splitting, all-night long barking to a mere 12 barks in the past 14 hours. How does this magic occur you may ask? Well, as we are nothing if not thorough in our puppy-mothering, I have done oodles of research and can tell you exactly.

Basically, you attach a special collar to the dog, which has a microphone, battery, and pressurized cannister all in a little box on the front. Then, when the dog barks, the mircophone picks up the sound and a spray of citronella is immediately sent up in front of the dog's face.

It is non-toxic to the dog, but so out of the ordinary that they stop barking. Magic. Utter and complete magic. If you have, or know a barker of a dog, I highly recommend you invest in a citronella bark collar. It's really priceless!