Quality time with my 1st BFF.

This past weekend I had the chance to have some 'girl time' with my #1 gal...my Mama.  I left 1st thing in the morning on Saturday so that the fun could begin as soon as possible.  We started off by painting our nails green in honor of St. Patrick's day. 

After a gab session and a fashion show we were dressed and off to lunch at the Rusty Pelican.  Their mahi-mahi sandwich was amazing; we sat on the porch and talked about everything and nothing.  Mama informed me of this great local shoe store that measures you for the perfect pair of athletic shoes.

After my evaluation, I was matched up with the a Debbie Gibson styled neon embellished running shoe.  I must admit that everyone was right, having the right shoes makes a world of difference.  After procuring my new glass slippers from Varsity Sports we headed back to her house to rest up before the night's festivities.

We headed to a local restaurant (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives) called 'Louie & The Redheaded Lady.  There were so many wonderful items to chose from, we were able to settle on the Eggplant Algiers as our starter as we perused the dinner options.  I cannot begin to describe how good this was, the sauce alone was inspiring!  For her entree, Mama got the spinach salad (topped with fried oysters); it looked delicious and she had plenty for a second meal.  I opted for the fried shrimp and boiled squash and had leftovers too, everything was so delicious.  If you are ever in Mandeville, don't miss the chance to try this place, it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Eggplant Algiers

We then headed to Corks & Canvases for our 2nd painting, it was so fun.  This time we were painting our own 'blue dog' (inspired by the paintings of George Rodrique).  Everyone was to draw their own dog and design the background as well.  I think our's turned out pretty well...

After a quick run for frozen yogurt, several hours of girl time, and 8 hours of sleep we headed to another local hotspot for breakfast...Taste of Bavaria.  We feasted on German style apple pancakes, baked eggs, and a side of Nuernberg brats.  I had been there before and decided it was the perfect place to reminisce about our years in Germany.  It was fun to hear all the stories of my Mama growing up so far from her family.  As I listened to her describe the town and detail the days, I could literally see the scene unfolding through her eyes. 

She may have changed as the years passed but when I look in her eyes I am 3 years old, sitting across from her in Burger Time begging for a corn dog.  I love spending time with my mother, it's so nice to see the women we're becoming.

My spring has sprung!

The acquiring of the new house, packing for the move, and unpacking the new house has been ALL kinds of eventful; it’s becoming a comedy of errors as of late.  We are at the point where we are catching ourselves hysterically laughing for fault of having any idea of how to take things anymore.   Tarzan may be King of the Jungle but his back cried ‘UNCLE’ several weeks ago, my right foot has acquired a very interesting ailment (Plantar Fasciitis), and poor Cheetah is still having problems reeling his emotions in from time to time.  This family needs a break, and along comes spring.

Spring is one of my favorite times of year, I look forward to it annually and by the beginning of February I am in desperate need of it’s comforting breezes, warmth, and promise of ‘feet flirting’.  I have been preparing for spring’s happy arrival for several weeks now.  I’ve been busy dusting off my open toed shoes, shaving my legs (thank God for ‘no shave November’), pruning my yard, and loading up my iPod with all my sunny jams.  Tarzan, Cheetah and I are so excited to fully enjoy our new home and all it’s amenities that we are chomping at the bit to celebrate, ANYTHING.  We have people waiting in the wings to help celebrate any occasion we can come up with…the only problem you ask???



That would be the POOL.  Tarzan has been relentless in trying to schedule a pool guy to come out and get everything up and running with no luck; leaving messages these days is a joke.  So I decided I would try too, I have called 3 times now and I keep getting stood up!  What the heck people, I could probably get it clean and ready on my own if someone could just come show me how to use this pump!!  I am drooling as I pass the pool every day, I am getting desperate here.  As I begin to get busier at work I have days dreams of cool dips in the pool with Cheetah as we work off calories and start our annual OD of vitamin D…and here comes Mr. Disappointment with another day of no word from the ‘pool guys’.  So I am putting my foot down, if by this Friday I have heard nothing I may go into business for myself.  Go ahead and see if I’m bluffing.  I am warning you now ‘pool guys’; I am willing to work for money, I am great at customer service, I have an email address, and I return phone calls…I would be some very SERIOUS competition for you.  I have Google and I can read…those are the only tools I need in my arsenal these days.

My ode to O.P.I.

As I sit typing away, trying to find time for my polish to dry I realize I have decided to take a stroll down memory lane…”Strawberry Margarita” by OPI is drying on my toes. Instantly I am back to the day I met my son.

We all have our ‘things’; the things we secertly spend money on and the things the memories are built around. For me it’s just one thing, toenail polish. I have always had problems with body image but my feet, well they are beautiful. Once I have them all trimmed, sanded, and polished I feel like the world is mine for the taking…feet flirting is on the menu. Due to my obsession I searched for a polish that lasted a long time and would give me a lot of bang for my buck. It wasn’t long after high school when I found O.P.I. Not only did I fall for the fantastically quirky names but the color would last two weeks before the 1st chip would appear. Each bottle may have cost more than 4 beers at the Sportspage but the smile it brought was worth it.

I went off to college sporting “San Jaun Salsa” but worked summer camp in “Yucatan if U Want”. My 1st summer fling called for something ‘tongue-in-cheek’ so I went for “Virgin Island Velvet”, while my sophomore trips to Ole Miss were outrageous and only “Flagstaff Fries to Go” could stand up to those wild nights. I met my life mate wearing “Rodeo Rose” but I married him while wearing “Elle’s Pearls”. During our lean honeymoon years, two bottles of “Cajun Shrimp” helped me survive my long stint from my family and Cajun country. I bought “Windy City Pretty” as a reminder of our memorable trip to Chicago and soon after I gave birth to our son while donning, “Strawberry Margarita”. In preparation of a new job in a new city I purchased “LA Paz-itively Hot” and got rave reviews all around. The polish was not only there to help me with the confidence needed to go out and find my way in the world but it was there to help me through the rough spots in life, the dark places where you let very few people in. The last few months of my grandmother’s life I snuggled in bed with her as she lamented over my “Melon of Troy” flirtabulous toes, but I chose “Lincoln Park at Midnight” for the day she was laid to rest. Several months later I braved the mall with its crowds and noise to pick up “Nice Color, Eh?”, it was just the ‘kick in the pants’ red I needed. To help kick start a new era I searched for the right color for my 10 year college reunion and found “Jade is the new Black” to be perfect for a weekend of festivities and jaunts through memory land. In awe of being married to my best friend for 7 years I went after the perfect shade of ‘love’. I came home and painted on “Princesses Rule”, he always said I would forever be his Princess. After a lot of begging and eye-rolling by dad, I agreed to “Funky Dunky” as the perfect shade of ‘not girly’ to paint my sweet boy’s piggies.

I will forever be known in my circle of family and friends for my funtabulous fascination with my fancy feet. The giggle I get at repeating the name of my newest OPI addition has often been just what the doctor ordered as well as the compliments on my perfectly pedicured toes the boost that every woman needs. So before I head out to my son’s fist time to meet his Aunt Emu AND his first trip on a plane, I think I’ll let him pick the color of my newest memory.