Dear Saints: I believe!

So I was driving this afternoon and heard on the radio that one of my all-time favorite bands, Cowboy Mouth, redid a song to reflect their love for the Saints.

Here's the reworked version of "I Believe," compliments of Mix 92.3:







Geaux Saints!

I believe!

Mmmm mmmm good.

Five things I've had to be thankful for this week are:

5. The goodness of life. Life really is great, fabulous stuff, especially when I stop letting its pesky details get in my way.

4. A job that allows me the occasional work trip to New Orleans. Ok, so a lowlight was a bum on a bike asking me for $20 -- hello? twenty BUCKS? are we in a recession or not?! -- but since he was dressed better than me, I felt no guilt about skipping on my merry little way.

3. Friends who stick closer than brothers.  Ok, so I've never had a brother. But I have cousins who come VERY close, and friends who make an effort to rank right up there.

2. Creativity. Without it, I really might just....sob. Uncontrollably. And often.

1. Texting. I know, we're back to my tweenager state of mind again. But it's such a fun, fantastic way to keep up with peeps without all the monotonous voice mails or calling at inopportune times.

:: happy sigh ::

Veterans' Day.

On Veterans' Day, it's hard NOT to remember those who have given and are still giving of themselves for my freedom.

In the interest of time, I'm pasting some Zac Brown Band lyrics (from "Chicken Fried"), which express better than I ever could how I feel:

I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly
Let it ring
Salute the ones who died
The ones who give their lives
So we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

Veterans and soldiers, thank you for doing what I do not and could not, and for keeping our country safe.

Fort Hood.

I'm still devastated when I think of the disgusting, uneccessary shooting at Fort Hood in Texas last week.

I caught up this morning on Marshall Ramsey's cartoons from the weekend, and found this one particularly touching:

As usual, MR does a fantastic job of depicting what we all felt, and still feel when reading/seeing the coverage.

I hope that like Columbine, and Virginia Tech, and the Oklahoma City bombing, and 9/11, may we never forget.

Giving Thanks.

Five things I'm thankful for at this very moment are:

5. Cousins who are, hands-down, the coolest ever (ever).

4. Facebook. I know I sound like a 12-year-old, but seriously. I love keeping up with my peeps from different places and life stages. And as my sweet friend (and clinical psychologist) Dr. Jane says, updating one's status is definitely thereapeutic. Also, I'm an addict.

3. My nephew's ever-expanding (and hilarious) personality. It is so cute to watch him jump into new interests (and, of course, act like he's always been there).

2. Parents and grandparents who love -- each other and me.

1. New seasons. I love them when they're literal, but also when they're figurative. It's a great time to take a deep breath and marinate in this one.

Falling Back.

I love gaining an hour, but am not the hugest fan of the early winter darkness.

I happened to be in Jackson when the time changed, and thoroughly enjoyed a blissful, drama-free weekend with true friends who love me and who aren't afraid to say so. (Who'd have thunk that was so EASY?!) ;-)

So in light of a very cathartic trip back to a place that helped me become who I am now -- for better or for worse -- my locale for the time change this year seemed quite appropriate when I saw the following quote from a friend:

"Sometimes good things fall apart so even better things can fall together."

:-)

Goin' to Jackson!

Much like Johnny & June Carter Cash crooned about years ago, I'm goin' to Jackson this weekend.

I absolutely love Baton Rouge with its spicy flavors and personality, but I'm very excited about seeing so many dear Mississippi friends and catching up with the people and the place who took care of me for so long!

Among visits to precious friends, on my list of must-stop-in are: Julep, Keifer's, and The Cherokee.

:: happy, happy sigh ::

Five Things I'm Thankful For.

Five things I've been thankful for this week -- and even this day, in particular -- are:

1. The fact that I'm not where I was last year at this time, and that an entire year (albeit a bit too dramatic for my taste) has passed. Whew!

2. The beautiful, precious, kindhearted, loving friends and family who surround my world, and who are right where I need them to be when I need them to be there.

3. How many times can I say it? FALL! Love the cool weather!

4. The fact that I'm not the one who slid the ring on the finger of the obnoxious guy we sat in front of at tonight's LSU game. Lord have mercy on that poor woman. Seriously.

5. The future, and that we can look forward to it, without being bound to our pasts. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Celeb Sighting!

Everyone I know sees celebrities but me. This is true. Even when I'm visiting New York, L.A., Boston, Vegas, and other places you'd expect to see them, I just miss them. Always.

The most ironic part of this story is that in the past few weeks, I've decided to whine about that fact. A lot.

But last night, while we were waiting to be seated for Angelle's birthday dinner at Roberto's River Road Restaurant right outside of Baton Rouge, I noticed a beautiful girl who reminded me of Natasha from SATC. (You know, Big's skinny/model/wife?)  Anyway, I kept glancing back, and thought if it wasn't her, some girl was really fortunate to look that much like her.

A few minutes later, it was confirmed by another friend: I'd seen my first celebrity sighting! And with no help! I was very excited.

(Several movies have been being filmed in Baton Rouge lately, including Battle: Los Angeles, which she has a role in.)

No one said anything to her (tempting though it was), and she and her date were seated while we waited for a table for 15 to open up.

Way into our dinner, Bridget Moynahan poked her head into our room with a big smile and waved goodbye! We all acted like the Southerners we are, waving excitedly. Someone asked if she'd take a pic with us, and she did:

Pictured left to right: Mike Betz, Erica Bankston, Brandon Kelly, Bridget Moynahan, Angelle Bertrand, Tiffany Hebert, myself, and Tiffany Hess.

Below is a solo shot of her (from IMDB):

And here is a snapshot from her role on S&TC (Natasha, Big, Carrie, Aiden):

Yay!

I am so hopelessly cheesy.

Miracle in the Making.

The purpose of this post is to ask prayers for my cousin Lacey as she prepares to undergo the removal of her pancreas this Monday, 10/26.

She and her family are in Minneapolis now preparing for the surgery, and her husband Jeremy (who is a nurse and who understands what the doctors are telling them much better than I ever could!) has been blogging about their experience.

There's also a Facebook group in support of Lacey, Jeremy, their daughter Elyse, Lacey's parents and siblings, and Lacey's October 26th pancreatomy if you'd like to check it out.

Please keep them all in your prayers. Thank you!