Little bit of Mardi Gras Madness!!

As I am sure I mentioned, Mardi Gras is not my season. I am more of a Halloween type of gal. I love to dress up and play pretend. I always said if I could only memorize lines, look out Jennifer Aniston!! I could have been one hell of an actress!!
Back to the subject at hand... Through out this Mardi Gras season, it has come to my attention that I have taken over 400 PHOTOGRAPHS!!! Now while they may not be the best pics in the world, all taken with my handy dandy Sony Cybershot (it fits in my back pocket), they certainly captured the fun that my friends and family were having. The ones I am posting here are a small collection of shots from John's ride day, Tiffany's ride day and I think Mardi Gras day. I have plans to post quite a few more on MySpace just because its easier and more files fit!
Be forwarned, I am just learning how to work this picture and post, so bear with me!!



Me and John posing for our Prom picture.

The insane amount of people at the Hercules Tableau. It's like a rock concert in formal wear. Chee Weez was the band, by the way.

Big smiles from the guys


Tiffany, me and Nikki

Misty Mac

ok, so Misty looks naked in this picture... Hmmmm....

John and King Shane

John and Me

Back home in my yellow kitchen, the girls pause to take one last pic!

Carzy as it sounds, the night BEFORE John rides, we get on the open top bus and ride around town, just for shits and giggles. We go eat at BWW and have fun. This is me and Wendy.

John and Jason, as we approach The Balcony.

Eric, Matt and John cracking open their first beers of the morning of their Ride Day. I know you can't see a clock, but trust me, its early. Like 6:45AM early!!

Heading out the door! Long day ahead of them!

John and I at TARC.


Tiffany and Nolan (John's sister and bro-in-law)

John passing out beads and goodies at TARC.

John resting and reloading in the bus at TARC

Tiffany giving her new friend some lovin'!

This is John's nephew Dillon. We are watching the Hercules parade. He always gets hit by beads, so he is standing in front of me (I'm the black and white coat) while I hold up his "Shield", the top of the tote we use to hold all the beads! He has Laffy Taffy too, so he's all good!!

Tiffany and me catching some ZZZ's during the hour and a half wait we had during the Hercules parade when an axel broke and halted the parade!

John and Chad on the float after their ride. I need an entire page devoted to Chad's first ride. The pictures are PRICELESS!!!

It was also my brother Blair's first ride this year with the Krewe of Houmas. John managed to get this picture of Blair (3rd guy) before the beads began to fly!

I snuck up on Misty Mac. I love this picture!! HAHA!!!

My boyfriend has trouble taking a nice picture.
He always makes a silly face. And I love him for it!

Mardi Gras, TARC style!!

Despite John's own love for Mardi Gras and the parades and drinking that goes with it, Mardi Gras has never been my favorite season. I am not into BIG crowds and drunk people. I love the idea of Mardi Gras and the tradition behind it. I was a Maid for the Krewe of Houmas WAY BACK in 1998. And I do love that the holiday is unique to this area. But, as far as the rest of the stuff, not my bag, you dig me?

Well, yesterday I was witness to the innocence of Mardi Gras and the joy that it brings to a certain group of residents of Houma. Unknown to many in Houma, the Krewe of Hercules makes a special stop during their day of revelry. The King, Dukes and many of the float riders make a special journey to the eastside of town to TARC (Terrebonne Association for Retarded Citizens). I was lucky enough this year to head out there to join in the fun.

A circular drive connects most of the campus at TARC and its clients gathered roadside for their own personal parade. As the buses lines up outside the gates, loud music filled the air and you could actually feel the excitement grow. Most of the clients were already dancing, be it to the music or just to help relieve the energy of the day! Once King Shane arrived, the parade began. The buses I speak about are the open top variety and the riders could very well stay onboard and throw beads from there. But the majority choose to get down and walk the circle, interacting one on one with the clients. This allows for them to actually place the beads, trinkets, and stuffed animals into to arms or laps of those confined to wheelchairs or that need other assistance. They wander back and forth, everyone covering both sides of the street. They stop and dance with the clients and visit a bit, wishing them a Happy Mardi Gras. I myself even got swept up into the excitement, dancing with my new friends and checking out the stuff they caught. I forgot to take pictures for a while, just laughing and enjoying being a part of such a grand gesture.

These men give an hour of their day of partying to make the day of these special people. To see the joy in the client's eyes was enough to make my own eyes tear up more than once. This is what I remember the excitement of Mardi Gras to be, the energy and joy felt deep inside. A HUGE thank you to the Krewe of Hercules.

Thank you Dr. Sarah!!

I went to the dermatologist today for the first time. I saw the WONDERFUL Dr. Sarah Alexander Haydel. If you live in the Houma area and need a dermatologist, call Dr. Sarah. (See her website www.haydeldermatology.com). She is so sweet and considerate. She listened to every question I had and gave complete answers. I am beyond impressed!
So, at my appointment today I had the Visia Complexion Analysis. Whoa! They basically photograph your face and map out the bad stuff and it allows Dr. Sarah to customize a skin care plan especially for you! My photo showed lots of REDNESS! (Not many wrinkles, thank goodness!) I have rosacea. Basically, when I blush, you can see it from the moon! Also alcohol, sun and spicy foods turn me beet red! It gets really warm and quite uncomfortable. Dr. Sarah recommended a laser process called BBL, done by their Sciton Laser. I am very excited and very curious if this will rid me of my redness. This is something that has caused embarrassment for me my entire life. The only "catch" is that I have to avoid the sun and hot hot showers for the duration of the treatments. I think I can handle that!!
Also, I had to say goodbye to a good friend of mine today... the mole on my shoulder! I had a rather large mole on my shoulder that Dr. Sarah decided I needed to part ways with. After having it there for 28 years, I actually paused!! Then I came to my senses and let her remove the mole right then! FYI-It wasn't bad. She numbed the spot and just scraped it right off. Just a slight pinch! It is being sent for biopsy. Kinda scary, but I'm sure everything will be fine.
Thank you Dr. Sarah!!

How ya work this thing!

So, this is just me playing with this blog site. I mostly blog on my laptop, yet all my photos are saved to John's desktop at our house. I have one picture on this computer of me and John. I think it's one of my favorite pics.

Can't figure alot of stuff out. Looks like I need a tutorial~ Any suggestions!

Dancing with the... Where are the Stars?

I feely admit to watching Dancing with the Stars... when there are people on that I want to watch! I don't vote. I just like seeing the cast progress in their dance skills. And I like the costumes. I sit around and wish I could move like that, or have a body like that. (Yes, I know, get my fat ass off the sofa and DO SOMETHING about it!). I am very disappointed in this year's cast. From US Weekly:

The new Dancing with the Stars cast was announced Sunday.
Competing this season:

Lawrence Taylor- The former NFL star, 50, played his entire career as a linebacker for the New York Giants.

Belinda Carlisle- The singer, 50, was the lead vocalist and founding member of the 80s band The Go-Go's.

Shawn Johnson- The 17-year-old Olympic-gold-medal-winning gymnast is the youngest DWTS competitor in the show's history.

Denise Richards- After a contentious divorce from Charlie Sheen, the 37-year-old actress and mother of two daughters got her own reality show, Denise Richards: It's Complicated.

Lil' Kim- The Grammy Award winning rapper, 33, spent 10 months in jail in 2006 for lying to a federal grand jury.

Gilles Marini- The actor is best known for playing Kim Cattrall's sexy -- and predominantly naked -- neighbor in 2008's Sex and the City movie.

Steve-O- The daredevil performer, 34, showcased ridiculous stunts on MTV's Jackass and the spinoff Wildboyz.

Steve Wozniak- Nicknamed "The Woz" by ex Kathy Griffin, the computer engineer, 58, co-founded the Apple computer company with Steve Jobs.

Jewel- The singer-songwriter, 34 - who became a household name in 1995 with her song "Who Will Save Your Soul" - has released seven albums.

Ty Murray- The former rodeo cowboy, 39, is married to fellow contestant Jewel.

David Alan Grier- The actor, 53, came to fame on In Living Color and currently hosts the Comedy Central sketch news show, Chocolate News.

Chuck Wicks- The country singer is currently dating fellow crooner and two-time DWTS champion Julianne Hough. Wicks, 29, will be paired up with the professional dancer this season.

Nancy O'Dell- The entertainment journalist currently serves as the co-host of Access Hollywood with Billy Bush. O'Dell, 42, also hosted NBC's pre-show for the 2009 Golden Globe Awards in January.

I'm not sure about you, but I predict the lowest ratings in history. Is this going to run in a time slot opposite American Idol? (I'm pitiful, but I still like Idol and voted for David Cook since day 1. Everyone in my office made fun of me!)
And the kicker- my grandmothers and their friends are the biggest fans of the show! But they hate not knowing who the contestants are! I think they may know... NOBODY!! I have a bad feeling about this!

Just me!

Hi! My name is Mary and welcome to my blog!
I am a typical 28 year old.
I am happily unmarried, living with my boyfriend of almost 4 years, John, and our two dogs, Monty, who is a Papillion and Maddux, who is a Cocker Spaniel.
I have a great job with a local lifestyle magazine, Point of Vue.
I am from the South, where all things are stylish and proper. I was born and raised in Houma, LA where my parents believed in manners, cloth napkins, and real china at a real sit down dinner time every night.
I actually attended charm school. We walked with books on our heads and learned which fork to eat with!
I love big families, mine most of all!
I have an addiction to shoes. (Yes, it's sad, I know, the choice "Do I eat or BUY SHOES!")
I have trouble going a week without going to Target.
I love coffee. (Luckily our Starbucks is right next to Target!!)
I secretly love deadlines.
I fantasize about being a chef.
I don't like making decisions. (I flip a coin, even at resturants.)
I am a worrier and an over-analyzer.
I am fascinated by my niece, Lola. She is amazing and so happy and full of life! She is 2 by the way, and I'm sure will be the subject of many posts!
Music moves me. I sing in the shower and think I sound pretty darn good. (At least the dogs don't howl!)
I would love to meet Jim Cantore and Gregory House, M.D.
I watch Grey's Anatomy alone because I cry. A lot.
I have this obsession with taking self portraits. They are just soo funny!
I like to make silly faces
I check PostSecret every week.
I find the word "potential" to be very misleading.
I have wanted to start a blog for quite a bit now, but am afraid no one will read it!
I love to buy greeting cards! I can sit for hours laughing to myself trying find the perfect card.
Just so you know what I'm watching, my TV lineup subject to season includes 24, House, Fringe, American Idol, the new 90210, all CSI's, Criminal Minds, America's Next Top Model, So You Think You Can Dance, Wipeout, Nip/Tuck, Lipstick Jungle, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and I think thats it.
Thank goodness for DVR!!
I love to read! I get angry with myself for reading too fast.
I cry for good books too (Hello Marley and Me, The Last Lecture, and Where the Red Fern Grows!!!!)
My biggest vice is magazines! I love InStyle!
I've gotten to where I logon to people.com every morning!

I have decided that I will always let you know what shoes I am wearing while blogging and perhaps eventually figure out how to include a picture! Todays shoe of choice is by Jessica Simpson from the Fall 08 line, Parigi in the Anaconda print. Yes, they have 5" heels and I love them!