Crazy Eights

My favorite little sister tagged me, so here are my answers...

Eight TV shows I like to watch:

1. Lost
2. Jon and Kate plus 8
3. Biggest Loser
4. The Hills
5. The Office
6. The Bachelor (so excited for Jason in January)
7. 90210 (old version, only the Brenda years)
8. Burn Notice

Eight restaurants where I like to eat:

1. Chilis
2. Cheesecake Factory
3. Tasty's
4. Olive Garden
5. Paradise Cafe
6. Popeye's (crazy I know...it's only once in a while)
7. Happy Sumo
8. Pei Wei

Eight things that happened today:

1. Slept later then I should have
2. Ate breakfast
3. Checked my email/blog list
4. Watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (I tivoed it from last night)
5. Started studying
6. Looked at recipes online for soup and bread (it's our Halloween meal)
7. Exercised (well actually I'm gearing up for it now)
8. Fit little Homer for his Halloween costume

Eight things I'm looking forward to:

1. Corey coming to visit in 3 weeks
2. Going home for Christmas and spending time with my family
3. Meeting little Madelyn
4. Snow and cold weather when we go to Utah
5. Halloween so I can reveal Homer's costume
6. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
7. The end of my school years forever!!!
8. Eating In-N-Out Burger when we go to St. George over Christmas

Eight things on my wish list:

1. Being able to move out of Louisiana
2. Finish school
3. Have a baby
4. See my family
5. Get my hair done (it's been longer then I care to admit)
6. iPhone (what can I say, I'm a material girl living in a material world)
7. A Beach Blossom metallic pink Nirve Cruiser (see my fav. things 2008 post)
8. Laser hair removal

Eight people I tag:

1. Katy
2. Kelli
3. JaNae
4. Mom
5. Dad
6. Lacy
7. Dixie
8. Anyone else who's willing!

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!

Happy Birthday !!!

Ian Michael Roundy...this one goes out to you!

You were born five years ago when I was 23
We laughed, we cried, we pinched your cheeks...we called you Tubby T
And now you're growing oh so fast, you've even started school
I hope those cowboy boots you wear don't make the girly's drool
So here's a hug from us to you 1278 miles away
Happy Birthday Tubs, you rock the house
That's all I have to say

Love uncle Jer, auntie Brookie and little Homer

(P.S.) Honorable mentions for this post are for my sister Sara who had a birthday on September 10th...sorry I stood you up on the blog girl, and for Erinne who is going to be living it up tomorrow on her day of birth. Since this is my going to be my final birthday shout (I know...dry your eyes) I thought I would share a little something about Sara and Erinne (so they don't feel jipped)that gives me those feel good goosebumps all over.
Here Goes...

Sara
I love it how you talk in espanol to your little ones. This is something that I could never do (mostly because I don't speak Spanish) and I surely admire you for it. What a great Mamacita you are!



Erinne
I love how you are such a fan of reading, and how you have passed this passion on to your own kidlets. It is very inspiring, and it gives me hope that I might someday finish a book. Keep it up E!



Happy Birthday Peeps!

Sending out our love from the Bayou!

The Aftermath

Here are a few pictures of the aftermath of Gustav in our area. Jeremy and I were very lucky that our house suffered no major damage, other then a few minor blows to the exterior. Oh, and our shed blew away, but it was pretty weak so that was bound to happen sooner or later. The biggest problem we are facing right now is that we are without power. We have a generator, but with gas prices it costs a fortune to keep it running non-stop. Luckily Jeremy's work put him up in a hotel in Lafayette while he works down here, so I get to stay with him. The city is saying that power will not be fully restored to our area until Oct. 1....let's hope that doesn't include our house. Anyway, all-in-all we are counting our blessings and grateful that we didn't have to deal with something that could have been much worse.



Their are fallen trees like this all around our area.



A shot of an overflowing bayou.



A common site in our area.



Thankfully, not our tree and not our house.



This image of power lines is another common site in our area.

This is a short video that was filmed by a couple in New Orleans who decided to weather the storm. They are standing in the French quarter and watching as Gustav rolls in. I thought that their commentary was pretty funny so I just had to post this video.



Ya, they might want to get the H outta there!

Another Update

Hey family and friends! Just wanted to update everyone again on our status after the hurricane. Terrebonne parish is FINALLY being allowed back into Louisiana, so we are headed home tomorrow to assess the damage. We have been told through various websites and on the news that we will be without power for at least 3-4 weeks (no this is not some sick twisted joke that I'm making up), so to prepare we bought a generator and loaded up on water and all of the necessary supplies. We may not have internet or cell phone service for a while either, so we wanted to let everyone know ahead of time that you may not be able to get in touch with us. We will be sure to keep everyone posted as soon as we can with the latest on our house and everything else that's going on. Thanks again for all of your phone calls, emails, text messages etc. We really appreciate all of your concern and support.

Storm Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that Jeremy, Homer and I are officially out of harms way from hurricane Gustav. We arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama around 1:30am this morning. To put it mildly it was a sheer nightmare getting out of Louisiana. Because of the amount of people evacuating it took us approximately 6 1/2 hours to travel from Thibodaux and through New Orleans. Just to put this in perspective for you, this drive in normal conditions would only take 1 1/2 hours. The worst part was that every gas station, fast food joint, grocery store etc. was closed until we reached Mississippi so we couldn't even stop for a snack or a bathroom break....talk about taking one for the team! Anyway, as hard as it was for us to leave our house and most of our stuff behind we are lucky to be out of the storm path and in a safe place right now. Not to be a Debbie downer but it was so heartbreaking to watch so many people pack up what few important things they could and head out not knowing what they would be coming home to. I saw one little grannie on the local news station say "I'm just so scared". She made it through Katrina but lost everything and now she was just so worried that she would have to go through the same experience all over again. Very sad! It definitely makes you appreciate the important things in life like family and the gospel. So yeah, I know that most of our fellow Louisianans are trying to remain optimistic as we wait this thing out. It's nice to see that the majority of the residents seem to be taking the mandatory evacuation very seriously this time around, and I don't think their will be a repeat in deaths or people needing to be rescued like their was during Katrina. Governor Bobby J. has already arranged a HUGH relief effort for residents of Louisiana that includes enough food to feed approximately 600,000 people a day (and more if necessary), as well as all of the necessary supplies that will be needed after the storm hits. So yeah, it's good to know that they are preparing for the worst as far as supplies and food go. Anyway, on a lighter note we heard on the news that Geraldo is headed to New Orleans, so maybe he is planning on doing some live coverage in the eye of the storm when it hits. Sweet! I haven't seen Anderson Cooper step up to the plate and volunteer, so props to Geraldo. To track the storm and for live updates you can follow this link for the latest information on Gustav.

Gustav

In the words of governor Bobby Jindal "the storm is strenthening"...I left out the g because that's how they say strengthening out here. Anyway, it looks like we are in for one serious storm here on the bayou in the next few days. Right now the radar is showing that tropical storm Gustav is headed right for New Orleans and surrounding parishes (meaning us). The storm is supposed to hit the U.S on Tuesday, and it is projected to be a category three hurricane. Also, today marks the three year anniversary of hurricane Katrina, so irony is most definitely in the air. It was also around this time three years ago that the former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco was urging citizens to "make peanut butter sandwiches and pray". Ummmm, ya....are we going on a picnic or something??? But have no fear, we are in good hands under the leadership of our current governor Mr. Bobby J. Forces have been called in, game plans are in order and the Hansen's are prepared to bust on out if an evacuation is announced.