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friends…

so true.

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

2nd grade!!

Dear Grace,

You started 2nd grade yesterday…and had an awesome first day. You asked me if I missed you, now that you are back in school. More than you will ever know.

I love you,

Mama

what an angel. and a blessing.

what an angel. and a blessing.

You are 7!

Dear Grace,

I began writing this letter a week before your birthday..but something told me to wait a while…that there was more I needed to see before I completed the letter..and boy was there ever. The changes I’d noticed here and there in you before you turned 7 all of a sudden became very evident. You are starting to look older in the face. You were taller than almost every kid in your 1st grade class and the tallest on your soccer team. You are more independent, even more out spoken and much more inquisitive than before. You want to know everything… and have no problem asking.

First grade was relatively easy for you. You had homework every night. At first, I had to help you a lot..but by the 3rd nine weeks, you had a pretty good understanding of what needed to be done each night. Subtraction was a bit of an issue for you but you’ve picked everything else up with ease. Your teacher, Ms. Gloria, loves you and when I sat down with her at your report card conference, she looked at me and said emphatically… “Grace is just a JOY!”

And truly, you are. I know I fuss at you and you don’t like it. I really don’t like it, either…and I tell you that. But sometimes, I have to fuss. Then, a lot of times, I go into the other room and giggle because you’ve done something completely ridiculously funny that causes me to laugh so hard..but I can’t really show you that side of me, yet.

You are showing more and more interest in cooking. You have found a place downtown that you are going to open a cake shop in..and you mean it. You have it all worked out in your mind. You told me today that it will be up and running by the time you are 20. Your exposure to the restaurant over the years has really made quite an impression on you.

At home, you like to sneak into the kitchen and make me things. You particularly like to make salads and you even have your own special salad dressing. You seem to spend a lot of time on the presentation of the food, which reminds me of your Mawmaw Marino. You also like to serve the food to me and speak to me in a very distinguished, fancy voice while doing it.

You are still in soccer. You played on 2 teams this past year and will continue to do so. You are enjoying it more and seem to really understand the game a lot more this year. You’ve been playing on a boys team for the past year, along with your other friend Grace. But that will change next year because of your age… you will have to play on an all girls team. I am curious to see how that will go.

Always the entertainer, you are constantly singing, dancing and putting on shows for everyone and anyone who will watch – each time beginning your performance with “Ladies and gentlemen, portin all ladies…”

You dressed up as Diana Ross this year for Halloween and still randomly ask people if they think you look like Diana Ross –  and  you were the flower girl in your Nanny’s wedding. You amazed me at how attentive you were at your Nanny’s wedding. You took your role as a flower girl very seriously. You learned how to cajun dance at the earth day festival in Baton Rouge and you went to Orange Beach with your best friends. And, as usual, we’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans, hanging with Aunt Amy and Nicolas.

For your birthday, we had a party at a splash park in Baton Rouge, had dinner at Gino’s with Kenna and Lily and had a party at L’auberge in Lake Charles with family. Kenna came with us to Lake Charles and Uncle Clay took us out on his boat!

And at the end of your birthday weekend, we were dropping off Kenna at her house and you finally decided to ride a bike with no training wheels! I was so proud. I kept saying….DO IT AGAIN! And in that moment, I watched you turn 7.

Favorite Music:  Kidz Bop, Beastie Boys, Feelin Good by Nina Simone, Beyonce, Day2Day Grindin by Mike Jones, Magnificent and your boy Chamillion from the color changing clique, Kanye West (sorry mom) – you are particularly fond of a song called “American Boy” by Estelle/Kanye West.

Things that you say that make me smile: Also (you never say “too”)..it’s always “Also” – and “weeping” – you always talk about the cat weeping, never crying.

Speaking of cats, your cat, Beatrice had an unfortunate accident this year..and we now have a new cat. We/you named her Ruby Rose Flower Armstrong. You are so attached to her – and carry her around like a baby, as long as she’ll let you… She is equally as attached to you…and ‘weeps’ when you are not around.

There is so much more I can say…from your love of art and your family and friends to your ability to light up a room and strike up a conversation with just about anyone. More than anything, I hope you keep the confidence you have in yourself now. You are such a happy, beautiful child – always smiling, full of energy and you have an incredibly active imagination.

Please, Gracie, continue to believe in yourself and dream big dreams –  and remember, no matter what you decide and who you become, I will always support you, love you and be on your side.

I love you,

Mommy

12 Steps to Make a Dream a Reality

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last year and a half reflecting on who I am and taking measures to create the life I want for myself. I quit my job of over 9 years at the beginning of 2010 to spend more time with my family and start my own business. It has been slow, but it has been a huge learning experience for me. I’ve learned that I know more than I thought I did about a lot of things…and nothing at all about some other things.

Even though I am not a frequent church goer, I am a very spiritual person…and have been able to open up more spiritually due to various circumstances in my life. I have been given many gifts and I am thankful for these gifts and blessings. This past year has not been without despair and heartache – and the ones closest to me have seen sides of me that I prefer to never show again.

However, I refuse to give up on my dreams and my hope to live a better life – a life that I want to live; a life the encompasses the lifestyle I envision for myself and my family – not how someone else thinks I should live.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful support system and feel forever indebted and grateful to them for being there for me. They see a side of me that I’m not sure I will ever truly see, always seeing the positive and never the negative…which is not an easy for me to do, when it comes to myself.

I found a site recently called Marc and Angel Hack Life and love reading it. My most recent find on the site is 12 Steps to Make a Dream a Reality. It really hit home and I wanted to share!

To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice – Kahlil Gibran

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French Quarter Fest! April 7-10, 2011

April will be here soon…and before Jazz Fest, there’s French Quarter Fest! It will begin April 7, 2011 and last for 4 days this year. FQF is a great way to enjoy lots of Louisiana music and it’s free!!

Check out the music lineup here.

The 2011 French Quarter Festival will feature 4 days of Festival .. There will be 17 outdoor stages showcasing multiple genres of music including gospel, jazz, funk, classical, cajun and zydeco, brass bands and much more.

Back to the Future

A friend of mine of facebook shared a link to this website and I am hooked! (Thanks, Laura S)

“I love old photos. I admit being a nosey photographer. As soon as I step into someone else’s house, I start sniffing for them. Most of us are fascinated by their retro look but to me, it’s imagining how people would feel and look like if they were to reenact them today… A few months ago, I decided to actually do this. So, with my camera, I started inviting people to go back to their future.”

http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the-future/

Business 101 for Musicians – Feb 8 @ 600 Main

Louisiana Networking Events and DJ Marquis
present
“Business 101″
February 8th @ 600 Main
6-10pm
Learn the business side and do it right!
• Meet with CEO’s, accountants and lawyers that are in the business
• Learn how to get the right insurance: renters, health, life
• Find out how to get an EIN # and how to setup an LLC
• Learn how to get your music on ITunes
• Get a website and help with your social networking

Don’t miss out on this opportunity!!

Conversations Taken Out of Context

me: “ummm there is a show on TLC about people who do weird things…this one lady eats her couch”
her: *laughs* “what?”
me: “there is a show where this lady eats the stuffing from her couch!”
her: “that’s just too good to be true! does she take  it piece by piece from the couch like popcorn and munch on it ..or does she actually gnaw on the sofa? does she bite into the sofa?”