Happy Halloween!

This evening should be interesting fun. I don't have a clue as to where we are going, but Ruben assures me not to worry, that he has it taken care of. Not really sure what that means, but whatever it is, I hope it's safe, age appropriate fun. The reason I say that is because there are a lot of events downtown in The French Quarters, but it's much later tonight, and more on the adult side. Then of course there are lots of scary, spooky events going on tonight like Lestat's Vampire party (which of course was the vampire Tom Cruise played in Interview with a Vampire), Haunted Cemetory tours, and lots of Haunted Houses. I did find a Canine Costume event, but poor Lexie has no costume to wear, so that's out. Whatever he has up his sleeve, I hope it provides fun and entertainment for Natalie. This will be the first year Ruben and I will also dress up along with Natalie - although no thought whatsoever was put into our "costumes". I will be wearing leopard kitty ears and tail, and Ruben will be out and about in his Saint's jersey as a football player. None of which really matches Pocahontas, or required much imagination on our part, but at least it's something. I will be sure to post some pictures soon.
Hope you all have a safe and haunting Halloween!

Halloween Ideas?

Hmmm, what to do. Here it is the day before Halloween, in a new town, and we have no plans yet for the day. Of course Natalie already has her costume picked out- she will be Disney's Pocahontas, and since it came from the Disney Store, she has ALL of the accessories. The weather here seems cooperative, as it has still been quite warm, with very few chilly days. I can't wait to see my little Indian (more like mex-american) Princess all dressed up. Just wish we had a plan as to where to go. I will be checking for activities in the local paper tomorrow morning for safe trick-or-treating.
Tonight Ruben brought up the question of going to a Saint's football game on the 19th, which would be awesome. Only problem is his company only has 2 season tickets for the games. So we are on the hunt on how to make this work. I forfeited my right to go as soon as Natalie had a fit. She loves watching football with Daddy, but bathrooms pose a problems for Father's of little girls. But I swear, even if I have to pay over $200 to buy 3 seats, I will, just so we can all experience a game together. It should be crazy fun! But on the flip-side, I worry about attending a game, cause I think everytime I like a team and watch them play in hopes of them winning, they don't. It's like I curse them somehow, and I really don't want the Saint's to lose another game 2 losses are too many already!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Okay, so today my mind lapsed bad. As a SAHM, I forget what day of the week it is, or get stuck on a specific day for several days. As in last week with all the remberance of my mom, I'm still stuck in time. In anycase, in an attempt to make it up to my beloved sister, with whom I've bonded with more than ever since my mom's passing - I am sending her out a huge wish for the bestest birthday ever. We haven't been this close since since we both lived in Illinois, but I was just a kid then, and as time passed we both ended up going our seperate ways. I miss the bond we once shared, and now without our mom, it is up to us to keep the remainder of this family together.
So Happy Birthday Sis, enjoy the day if not the age!
Love, Angi, Ruben & Natalie

Happy Anniversary

If my mom had only lived to see today, she would be happily celebrating her 17th wedding anniversary with my step-dad Vince. I know even though she has left the earth, that she is still with each of us every day that we need her. She's constantly looking over us and protecting us, and today I know she spent the day with her honey. I can only imagine how hard this day must be for my dad. The 20th marked 3 months since my mother passed away in July. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think of her or shed a few tears here and there. What can I say, she's my mom and I will love her my whole life - just as my dad will probably end up loving her for the rest of his life. As much as she is missed, I just wish more than anything that she could've made it to today before passing. But I suppose they will always love and live on in each other's heart. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad. I wish you could have had more time together here on Earth. But love is unconditional, and I know one day you will be together in Heaven again.

Cardinal's WIN World Series

Yesterday after seeing that the Cardinal's won the World Series, I remembered all the times long ago that my mom used to take me to the old Busch Stadium to see the Cardinal's play. I remember watching as Ozzie Smith did flips on the field. I remember my mom being at a game the day I was riding my bike and hit a car in a Red Lobster's parking lot. I remember that they won the World Series in 1982. I don't recall if my mom was a big fan of baseball, or if she was just trying to make for a normal childhood experience - but I do remember having fun with my mom as a child, watching games from the nose bleed section.
It's days like this that remind me how much I miss my mom.

SOLD!!!!!!!

YES! FINALLY! We have finally received an offer on our house that we have accepted. There was some countering offers made by us. But all went well, we ended up getting more money than originally offered, AND we also ended up cutting back on expenses out of pocket. So it's good all around. We started escrow this past Monday, and are scheduled to close November 6th. We started looking more seriously at houses here, but in the St. Charles Parish which is known for having the best schools in the district. We also want to make sure we get something that was high and dry, with no prior damage from Katrina - and preferably out of a flood zone so homeowner's insurance isn't sky high!
We finally opened up a bank account here since there are no US Bank's here. We're looking into opening some CD's or something for small investment periods for part of Natalie's money for college and her wedding. They also have investment specialist we can talk to, since part of the money is for school, but all that will be on the back-burner till after we find a house here and close on it. I just want to make sure we are doing the best we can to make the most of her $86,000, so it stretches far enough to put her through med school (she wants to be a doctor to save babies - just hope she doesn't change her mind later in life) and to give her a nice wedding......but more importantly, the education. Honestly, we'd rather persuade her to elope and take the money to use instead as a down payment on a house......but we still have 11+ years before she's 18, so no worries for now, just worries on how to invest it. Any ideas????

Some interesting facts about New Orleans

- New Orleans is located on the Mississippi River
- The City was named Nouvelle Orleans (New Orleans) in honor of Philippe II, Duc d'Orleans, the regent of France under French King Louis XV.
- 1718 Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville and John Law founded the City of New Orleans and named it. The French Quarter street plan was made by Adrien de Pauger.
- The Louisiana Purchase took place in 1803 when Napoleon I of France sold Louisiana to the United States.
- The first Mardi Gras, which means "Fat Tuesday" in French, took place in New Orleans in 1827.
- New Orleans was the third largest city in the United States by 1852.
- Loyola University was established in New Orleans in 1911.
- Xavier College was established in New Orleans in 1916.
- The Superdome of New Orleans was completed in 1975. The Superdome in New Orleans is the worlds largest steel-constructed room unobstructed by posts.Height: 273 feet (82.3 meters), Diameter of Dome: 680 feet (210 meters), Area of Roof: 9.7 acres, Interior Space: 125,000,000 cubic feet, Total floor footage: 269,000 sq. ft. (82,342 sq. meters), Electrical Wiring: 400 miles (640 kilometers).
- bayou: \BUY-you\ n. a French name for slow-moving "river".
- The Saint Charles streetcar line in New Orleans and the San Francisco, California cable cars are the nation's only mobile national monuments .
- Metairie is home to the longest bridge over water in the world, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway. The causeway connects Metairie with St. Tammany Parish on the North Shore. The causeway is 24 miles long.
- Louisiana is the only state in the union that does not have counties. Its political subdivisions are called parishes.

The Tooth Fairy visits again

Last night, after spending the weekend walking around downtown New Orleans and taking in all the sights, Natalie complained about her tooth being more loose than it had been. I really didn't want to end the day by pulling it with all the fun we've had this weekend, but the tooth was bothering her and she wouldn't quit playing with it. I was afraid it might fall out while eating or sleeping and she would swallow it or something. So like the past 2, I grabbed the dental floss, covered her eyes with a washcloth, started to count, and yanked it out before making it to 3, so she wouldn't expect it. She excitedly woke up this morning to another $5.00 from the Tooth Fairy!
Onto a seperate issue. We did so much walking and sight-seeing this weekend, I took over 200 pictures alone, and that doesn't even include the pictures from the drive here from Vegas. I'm going to attempt to post the majority of the with descriptions to my Flickr account, so be sure to check it out. There you will see bridges, rivers, lakes, Cities of The Dead, and much, much more!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

So all you ladies out there, remember to either do a self exam yourself, or find a willing participant to feel you up for bumps and lumps. In all actuality, you should be doing this monthly, and not just one month out of the year. Not only could it save your life if caught early enough, but it could also save your ta-tas! Trust me, it's better to totally bypass all the ins and outs of Breast Cancer if at all possible!
So don't forget to check your boobs - and tell all your friends too!