Useful Basket

This is bringing home the Christmas tree which we will be decorating tonight!!! I cannot wait :)

Pretty useful basket huh?!

This next picture was taken a few hours after the first picture, so i figured they needed to be in the same blog entry. 

Its only about 4 feet tall, decorated with plastic ornaments, 

draped with beads as tinsel, and strung with cheep white lights, but it is perfect!

Best part is the topper is a hand made, recycled beer can, star :)



Turkey Day

This year Thanksgiving was brought to a whole new level for me.  I have always loved Turkey Day because it is about that time of the year when school is getting tough, you need a break, you start to miss your family, a few days off for some sleep is necessary, and your stomach starts to growl for a good feast.  Our Thanksgivings are always fun filled days with the family too! Checking out the cars, playing Crockett, block throwing, dress up games, manners lessons, story time, questions, dish washing party time, eating (of course), testing/teasing the new family members or the soon to be new family members, and so much more.  Basically we have awesome family get togethers!

When i was in Italy, Giovanna made a wonderful Thanksgiving, or 'Ringraciamente,' feast for Lauren and I.  With her olive oil covered potatoes, stuffed tomatoes, fresh bread, pasta, and chunks of Turkey (also covered in olive oil) spread out on the dinner table, we tried teaching the Leocata family what Thanksgiving meant to Americans.  We appreciated their interest in an American tradition and wonderful attempt to re-create a very important family day in our lives.

This year Thanksgiving was--like most years--all about the people sitting at the dinner table, but it was also about creating Thanksgiving day. It was about how we all came together and did our individual part to create a wonderful community feast.  It started with an email i sent out asking everyone to start thinking about what dish they were going to make.  We were missed Becca and Lily who had gone home to be with their families this week.  But with next door there were 9 of us total.  Each of us chose our favorite family dish to make, which clearly made our feast the best because it was made up of the 'best' family recipes.  The Lantern Light nuns gave us one of the donated turkeys.  It was a 13lb turkey that they handed Anne and I at the end of the day on Monday.  We had ridden our bikes to work that morning which meant the turkey was coming home in my bike basket.  It threw off my balence a little at first but sure did make Anne and i laugh the whole way home.  Have you ever met someone who brought home their Thanksgiving turkey in a bike basket?! Well now you have, haha. Anyways we were pretty proud to get it home :)

Ana and Ed took on the turkey preparations and cooking.  Stephanie made 2 different types of sweet potatoes.  I made the families green bean salad.  Although there was some discussion of making a green bean casserole at first... Luckily i was able to talk them out of that and convince everyone that the green bean salad would be better. Lauren made a green salad and a fruit salad.  Cate made backed brocolli (with garlic and olive oil, can't go wrong).  Anne made backed Bree for an appraiser along side of Stephanies spinach dip (which came from my little black recipe book!).  Caitlin made mashed potatoes with almost as much garlic and cream as Dad's potatoes.  Cara made her families stuffing recipe, the ingredients of which were generously donated by her family.  For desert Ana made pumpkin pie and apple crisp.  I made a chocolate chip pie (can't have a good meal without chocolate right).  And to drink we had about 7 bottles of wine that were passed around the table all night.  It was a feast!

It was also the first time some people had been away from home for Thanksgiving while others (like me) it was their first friend filled Thanksgiving. By that i mean no one at our table was related.  We all consider ourselves a family now and have a wonderful community bond but it was different than having Thanksgiving dinner with family members.  We all worked so hard to save the money we needed to eat what we wanted to eat, then take the time and make each dish (there was even an oven schedule made so that everything could be cooked), and finally coming together to enjoy our accomplishments.  It was very rewarding :)

We obviously had lots to talk about at the table but right before we sat down i got the text from Jenny asking me the family question.  "What was the best/most memorable memory from a teacher?" Everyone loved the idea of a question at dinner so that is how all of the conversation started.  We played some games after and stayed up pretty late.  A few people went out and others stayed in to watch a movie.  Over all it was a very successful and fun Thanksgiving!

I hope each of you had an amazing Turkey Day as well :D

P.S. Thanks you to my family for the wonderful phone call i recieved on Thanksgiving! It brought tears to my eyes to hear the dinner prayers and everyones voices together singing at the end.  Thank you :)

On YouTube

The Harry Tompson Center is just one of the many pieces that make up the Jesuit community here in New Orleans.  The Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church is the church that over sees many of the JV placements in New Orleans and they play a huge part in helping this city.  There is a JV at Cafe Reconcile, The Good Shepard School, and of course the HTC.  This past weekend Anne and i were invited to join Don and Emily at a Mass/lunch in set up to honor special people who have helped the Jesuits this year.  Each of the organizations under the Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church had one person they chose to honor.  Don had chosen one of his board members to thank him for all he had done this past year and years to come.  It was nice to see all of these organization come together and hear about their yearly accomplishments.  Anne and i also learned a valuable lesson about the Jesuits: never go to lunch with a Jesuit unless you have time to do what ever he is about to ask you to do.  Almost all of the people honored on Saturday had become involved in their respective organizations by way of a Jesuit friend asking them to lunch ;)

Another thing we learned was that Anne and I are on YouTube!  Well the Harry Tompson Center is and we have our shinning few second in the video.  The video is about the Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church, what they do for the community, and how they need "your help" (aka donations).  Its a very well done video!  Check it out! But don't think i am having you watch it to ask you to donate: I really just want you to see it because i am on YouTube. We are shown ar around 2 minutes in :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCdGwYfklOU

Love You All

Thank You

If you did not already know, last Friday was a very special day.  It was the BEST Wishing Day! It was 11-11-11.  So, of course, Anne and i needed to make it a big deal.  We (with the help of Don) baught a bunch of 11 shapped candy--twix and kit kats--to pass out at 11:11am! It was brilliant.  We made an annoucement over the loud speaker and had everyone make a wish.  Everyone who was number 11 on any list was given more candy and their name was super highlighted on the sheets.  Anne made signs to put up around the center just in case someone for some reason didn't hear us talking about Wish Day, all day.  It was a good day!

If you have a facebook, look up the Harry Tompson Center and 'Like' it to see pictures from 11-11-11

Everyone who comes into the HTC is special but there are a few guests who have a very special place in my heart.  These are beautiful people, inside and out, who inspire me. I have so much respect for them and the way they live their lives.  Their courage, love, apprication, and understanding of others makes me step back and look at how i can live my life better.  One of these special people wrote an amazing 'Thank You' note and gave it to me on 11-11-11.  This is part of it:

"...It is easy to say and yet not said. THANK YOU!!! My life is better beacuse you breath the same air as I. That you live and dedicate your life to being a light where only it seems darkness prevailes is a testament not ontly to the size of your heart but also the glory of God and His son Jesus Christ.  Once again, THANK YOU!..."

There is a quote about how there are 'such and such' seconds in the day and how thank you is not said as much as it should be in that time.  This 'Thank You' note reminded me how important 'Thank You' is.  So THANK YOU to all of you aswell.  It is also a convienant time with Thanksgiving coming up :)

Lots of Love

Being a Volunteer

Being a JV automatically puts you on, what seems like, the universal volunteer list.  All non-profits, walk-athons, and functions seem to know about our willingness to help.  This past weekend Lily recruited us to help with Project Lazarus's huge annual Halloween fundraiser.  Project Lazarus is a home for people living with HIV/AIDS.  It is an amazing place filled with people of all ages and backgrounds.  Lily is mostly in charge of field trips, volunteer organizing, Bingo calling, games, and fun stuff for the residents to do.  This past weekend she put us all to work for the 4 day event that is The Project Lazarus fund raising event.  It is a known weekend around the country that mostly attrachs gay men, who have a lot of money.  It was a lively, loud and extremely fun crowd every night!

It started Thursday with a cocktail attire auction.  We all came dressed up and in heals, which does not happen very often when you are a JV.  I love dressing up every now and then, especially now because even just putting on a pair of jeans and a nice top is dressing up compared to my usual sweats and t-shirts.  We were given ticket collecting jobs, raffle selling, guarding the auction items, and greeting people at the door.  All jobs were easy enough and made more fun because we were allowed to partake in the open bar and free food.  Anne and I were given 'Vanna White' jobs at the front doors because we are good at smiling and greeting haha.  The whole night was a lot of fun and made even more exciting when i spotted a famous actor from the show 'Mad Men,' which i have recently become obsessed with.  Bryan Batt was at the event and of course i had not problem walking right up to him, giving him a big huge, introducing myself, telling him i am a huge fan, and asking him to buy a raffle ticket.  He bought 2.  I gave him a discount ;)

The 'Vanna White' look alikes.

Julie Connelly and Bryan Batt :)

Friday was more of a club scene at the House of Blues in downtown.  There was good music, food, drinks, and dancing!  Of course we worked for the first half of the event then were let off around midnight and enjoyed the party after working.  We danced the night away!  Becca, Stephanie, Lily and i were able to stay at a hotel in downtown for the night because Lily's work gave her one to stay in for the long event filled weekend.  It was like heaven sleeping in a king size bed (all 4 of us haha), waking up to a continental breakfast, and then going back to the hotel room for a mid morning nap.  We would have stayed longer and used the pool but it was a little on the cold side.  It is amazing how much you appreciate a hotel when you have not been in one for a while haha.

Saturday was the big Halloween costume event held at the convention center! And was it BIG.  I saw more glitter, platforms, mini skirts, wings, feathers, and just outrageous outfits than i have ever seen before.  Gay men go alllllll out with their outfits!  We all dressed up too.  Becca was Black Swan. Anne was the KFC man.  A few girls went as Chimney Sweeps. Stephanie was a gypsy.  I was Betty Boop.  And we had a few other creative outfits, but nothing got close to the glitter and sequins that we saw all around us all night. 

Sunday during the day the event was a boat ride on the Natchez steam boat.  It started at 1:00pm and all we had to do (as volunteers) was collect tickets for a half an hour.  Then we all got on the boat and our jobs were done.  So we, again, partook in the free food and drinks.  We sat out on the deck in the sun and laughed about the crazy weekend that we had :) 

We all went to bed really early Sunday night and took it easy when we got home from work on Monday.  We had a few trick-or-treaters, but not too many.  Although we did not complain too much because that meant more candy for us!

Have a good rest of the week :)

P.S. Hello Mrs. Kolar. Thank you so much for all of the socks! The guests will love them!