One year later....

Well friends, it's official, Jeremy and I have actually survived our first year in Louisiana. It's been a whirlwind though, I can't lie about that fact. I think it's safe to say that we've learned a whole slew of new things while living here...some good, some pretty bad, and without question, some VERY weird! Here are my thoughts on the good, the bad and the ugly from our past year on the bayou.

The Good:

-First on a good note, Homie loves this place! I think it's a reptiles paradise. In fact, the bayous are swarming with turtles and other such creatures. Heat+humidity=happy Homer.

-Jeremy and I get to be together all of the time now. This is a pretty big deal since we spent almost two years at the beginning of our marriage living long distance. True, we need our space now and then, but that's why Jeremy has his video games, and I have my 90210 (the old version) and my cricket cutter. It works out pretty well!

-We got a sweet post-hurricane check from our insurance company after submitting all of our food, hotel and gas receipts, Hooray for insurance! Unfortunately we still didn't come out on top, but hey, every little bit helps.

The Bad:

-The weather here is brutal, but I actually survived my first summer...woo hoo! No one can really know until they experience it for themselves what 95 degrees with 90% humidity feels like. It's about seven straight months of smelly pits and butt sweats. Nasty is what it is!

-You know that great smell that you get outside after a rain storm...that oh so fresh and so clean smell?? Not here people! We have a little ditch/swamp thing in the front of our house and after the rain comes it's as if this ditch is set on stank or something. Pardon my French, but it smells like asscakes warmed over! And that my friends is not pleasant.

-Hurricanes hurricanes hurricanes!!! Need I say more??? Who would have thought that our little town of Thibodaux, LA. would be right in the eye of Gustav. The worst part was we saw this guy on the side of the road the other day selling "I survived Gustav" tees for like $25 bucks. Ummmmm Hello!!! I was all about that action until we saw the price....I don't think so Boudreaux! Even though the hurricane was a nightmare and a half for us (no power for a week), we surly have nothing to complain about. One girl I know couldn't even find her trailer after the storm....yikes!

The Weird:

-Conversations are still hard to follow with the natives down here. I don't understand what people mean when they give directions using "just up the bayou", or "across the bayou". Come again??? Their are so many bayou's here that I just don't know what to think. Maybe their is one central bayou where all of these directions are based from.

-At work I've been caught quite a few times not being able to understand people. I usually just nod my head and act like I know what the shiz people are saying, but many times I am as lost as a newborn kitten without their mother. I do finally understand a few phrases like "what that was" means what is that, "who that is" means who is that, and "come see" means could you please come take a look at what I'm looking at.

I could go on and on, but then this post would get out of control lengthy and I don't want to subject what few readers I have to that nonsense. My goals for our future here is to understand conversations better by perfecting my bayou Ebonics, learn to stay fresher during the grueling summers (I thought about sprinkling baby powder on my body for that baby fresh smell until I realized that it would turn into paste about 5 seconds after applying), and lastly, count my blessings because I know that they are plentiful (even though I complain a lot)...I promise I'll work on that too!