mudbug madness...

Memorial weekend turned out to be an outdoor extravaganza! I made a concerned effort to participate in activities that took place outside to enjoy the unofficial start of summer. The 28th Annual Mudbug Madness crawfish festival was held last week in the downtown Festival Plaza and provided quite the hullabaloo. Although the crawfish were small, we had a fun time! The bloomin' onion from Southern Concessions took the prize for vendor favorite at our table :)

More weekend activities to come...

Lunch with Lauren & Lindsey...

Lunch with Lauren & Lindsey used to be a staple in my blog post schedule....and I use the word "schedule" very loosely... but remember how much fun Lauren and I had on our little get away from the office lunch breaks? (seen here, here, here, and here) Lunch outings are my favorite! There are so many fun places to eat in the Shreveport-Bossier area. I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants (who is?) and my heart goes out to local restaurants. The food is always better and typically they are so quaint. Here's a recent outing with Lauren and Katie to Zocolo.

Where should "Lunch with Lauren, Lindsey, and Katie" be next?  Any suggestions?

cochon de lait birthday...

When I woke up Saturday morning, there was no sign or warning, I was overjoyed to see the sun...I let out a big sigh of relief and pushed up my sleeve for I was expecting friends over for birthday fun. Tison's birthday pig roast was the reason to toast and all gather in the backyard. We set up the tables and started the coals, brought out the flowers, and tied up the bows... friends started to arrive and everything was going great, until the sky fell out before we even ate! As it started to rain, although it was a pain, everyone grabbed something and headed indoors. Drinking games called THUNDER put us all in a blunder, and the party continued on course. Some might call backyard parties relaxing, but I find them taxing.... so glad the downpour stopped for a spell. Entertaining line dancing and flip cup got us all ready for sup. I don't want to dwell, but honey what the hell, that suckling pig was the bomb-dot-com! While indulging in pork roast, the neighbors must have nearly crocked as the volume level escalated to an extreme. What's that you say? It's a cochon de lait! C'est la vie, let it be and so it seems I'll have another drink off the keg :)

Thanks for coming everyone!

-xo-

I love...

• taking walks around the neighborhood and talking about our day
• how you open the car door for me every time even after all these years
• the little songs you makeup daily that get stuck in my head all day long
• your ability to make me laugh no matter the situation
• that you get up to greet me with a hug and a kiss everyday after work
• how you love our boys, Butters and Sausage Bear
• that you enjoy cooking and cleaning (thank GOD!)
• how you put up with my crazy ideas
• the way you constantly twirl your hair
• your smile
• that you tell me you love me a gazillion times a day
• our little date nights
• that you are completely content with a book in your hand
• your goofiness
• celebrating life with you!

I hope you are having an amazing birthday my love! Happy 28th old man ;)

baby love!!!

This weekend Lauren, David, and baby Hudson came to Shreveport for a visit. On Saturday night, the new parents went on a date, so Mom and I babysat. What a chore, right? To be stuck with that sweetie-pie sugar plum...ohhhh! I could just eat 'em up!. Honestly though, I am so glad my mom was there! I realized how much I freak out when a baby starts crying. My mind is racing,"What do you want? How can I fix this? Why are you crying?! What am I doing wrong!?" Yeah, totally don't know how Lauren does it 24-7. Hudson literally outlasted me on Saturday night, he was wide-eyed at 11pm. Come on, baby... aren't you sleepy?...and I thought I was a night owl ;)

{Don't you just want to tickle those tiny toes?}

{The proud Dee Dee and Pops *and Princess Rosie of course!}

{Pure Sweetness!}

pomp and circumstance...

So, maybe it has already been two weeks since the Royal Wedding...and maybe I had no reason to get so excited about all the details of the celebration....but I was! (and maybe still am) The lovely Mrs. Daci invited a few ladies over for digestive biscuits and Pimm's liqueur. The whole evening felt very British. We gathered around and watched the DVR'ed broadcast of the royal wedding at Westminster Abbey. Go ahead...call me cheesy, but I love this stuff!

Can we please start requiring hats at all events?

Ladies you looked bloody gorgeous in those hats!

a few spritzers and bon voyage...

Leslie safely arrived in Zimbabwe today where she will be working and designing leather bags, belts, and other goodies! I can't believe she will be there for seven months this time. I am sad. I will miss you soooooo much, Les!! Before her bon voyage, Les and my mom cooked up some app's and had a few family friends over for

To Mom, With Love

from all your little chicks!

Hudson's Baptism...

Hudson Francis was baptized on April 30th at St. Francis of Pointe Coupee around a small gathering of family and friends. It was a very special day. I can't believe how fast this little tike is growing!

{the god parents}

camp friends are the best!

Growing up, my summers were spent on Fern Lake making friends, learning new things...growing as an independent little lady. Camp can be hard to explain to anyone who hasn't experienced it. I pull from my experiences and life lessons from Camp Fern quite often. Suffice it to say that camp helped form me into who I am today. I am forever grateful to my parents who saw the importance of Camp Fern and were gracious enough to send me and my sisters there. I am lucky to have found such great friends through it; and I look forward to when my future children experience the joy of camp.

Last week my friends Erica, Whitney, and I got together for a night of fun at Fern Retreat. No matter how much time goes by between our seeing eachother - we jump right back into the friendship. Caring and sharing about our lives. Love you girls!

Thanks for keepin' it silly :)