Dear NFL,

Dear Miami,

DISCLAIMER: I am not claiming this as my own. I only wish I could have written this. Take note I am NOT passing this off as an original.

Dear Miami,
The Saints are coming. And so are we, their loyal, long-suffering and slightly discombobulated Super Bowl-bound fans.
While there's still time to prepare -- although a few hard-core Who Dats will begin trickling in Monday, most of us won't arrive until Thursday or Friday -- we thought we'd give you a heads-up about what you should expect....

First things first: You need more beer. Yeah, we know. You ordered extra. You think you have more than any group of humans could possibly consume in one week. Trust us. You don't.

New Orleans was a drinking town long before the Saints drove us to drink. But it turns out beer tastes better when you're winning. (Who knew?) So let's just say we're thirsty for more than a championship; adjust your stockpiles accordingly.

And look. When we ask you for a go-cup, be nice to us. We don't even know what "open container law" means. Is that anything like "last call"?

It's Carnival season in New Orleans (that's Mardi Gras to you), and we'll be taking the celebration on the road. So don't be startled if you walk past us and we throw stuff at you; that's just our way of saying hello.

Oh, and sorry in advance about those beads we leave dangling from your palm trees. We just can't help ourselves.

February is also crawfish season, and you can be sure that more than one enterprising tailgater will figure out a way to transport a couple sacks of live mudbugs and a boiling pot to Miami.

When the dude in the 'Who Dat' T-shirt asks if you want to suck da head and pinch da tail, resist the urge to punch him. He's not propositioning you. He's inviting you to dinner.

And if you see a big Cajun guy who looks exactly like an old Saints quarterback walking around town in a dress ... don't ask. It's a long story.

We know that crowd control is a major concern for any Super Bowl host city. Our advice? Put away the riot gear.

Reason No. 1: Indianapolis is going to lose, and their fans are way too dull to start a riot.
Reason No. 2: New Orleans showed the world on Sunday that we know how to throw a victory party. We don't burn cars. We dance on them.
Reason No. 3: Even if we did lose, which we won't, leaving the stadium would be like leaving a funeral, and our typical response to that is to have a parade. Speaking of which: If you happen to see a brass band roll by, followed by a line of folks waving their handkerchiefs, you're not supposed to just stand there and watch. As our own Irma Thomas would say, get your backfield in motion.

And hey, Mister DJ! Yes, we know you've already played that stupid Ying Yang Twins song 10 times tonight, but indulge us just one more time. To us, "Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk)" isn't just a song; it's 576 points of good memories. It's the sound of a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, a Pierre Thomas dive for first down on 4th-and-1, a Garrett Hartley field goal sailing through the uprights in overtime. It's what a championship sounds like. You may get sick of hearing it. We won't. Encore, dammit.

Inside Sun Life Stadium, you may find your ears ringing more than usual. We're louder than other fans. Seven thousand of ours sound like 70,000 of theirs. Don't believe us? Ask the 12th man in the Vikings huddle. Some people think it's just the Dome that heightens our volume. But you're about to discover a little secret: We can scream loud enough to make your head explode, indoors or out. It's not the roof. It's the heart. Well, OK, and the beer.

Don't be surprised if there are more Saints fans outside the stadium than inside. A lot of us are coming just to say we were part of history, even if we can't witness it up close. The Saints are family to us, and you know how it is with family: We want to be there for them, whether they really need us or not. Because we know our presence will mean something to them, whether they can see us or not.

Come to think of it, seeing as how you're taking us in for the week, we pretty much regard you as family, too. So we're warning you now: If you're within hugging distance, you're fair game.Hugging strangers is a proud Who Dat tradition, right up there with crying when we win.

Most sports fans cry when their teams lose. Not us. We've been losing gracefully and with good humor for 43 years. Tragedy and disappointment don't faze us. It's success that makes us go to pieces.

Hurricane Katrina? We got that under control. The Saints in the Super Bowl? SOMEBODY CALL A PARAMEDIC!!!

So anyway, don't let the tears of joy freak you out. We're just ... disoriented. OK. Let's review: Order more beer. Throw me something, mister. Suck da heads. Wear da dress. Stand up. Get crunk. Hug it out. Protect your eardrums. Pass the Kleenex. Hoist the trophy. See you at the victory party.

Faithfully yours, The Who Dat Nation

Thanks for caring,
K

10 things I learned being a Mom.

10 things I have learned being a Mom

1. Poop is no longer scary.
2. I have much more patience for the woman with the screaming kid in the store.
3. I can handle so much more than I thought I could.
4. My husband is the BEST FATHER in the world.
5. I will do absolutely ANYTHING to give my daughter a happy life.
6. If I do not take care of myself I cannot take care of anyone else.
7. The guilt will never go away!
8. I WASTED so much time before I had kids doing absolutely nothing!
9. Watching your friends become Moms is such a rewarding experience. (seeing as I went first.)
10. The crying will eventually stop!
BONUS:
11. COLIC EASE IS THE BEST PRODUCT ON THE MARKET FOR COLIC!!!

There are much more that I could add to the list but these are the top 10 things that came off the top of my head!

Thanks for caring,
K

WHO DAT!!!

Hell has frozen over and pigs are flying outside my window as I am typing.....it will be a BLACK AND GOLD SUPERBOWL!!! The SAINTS are marching to MIA. Too excited to type much more!!

Thanks for caring,

K

Happy 2010!!

I have never been one to make resolutions so why start now!? There are however several things in my life that I would LOVE to improve upon in the coming year.

I want to get my house in order! If you have ever had the misfortune of visiting my house you know that I could be on an episode of "Hoarders." Nah-I am not THAT bad but I really could stand to throw some stuff away!

I have vowed to put the smokes away for good! I do not want my daughter to have to watch her mother die gasping for breath.

I am also going to try and appreciate what I have, versus being sad or upset over the things that I do not have or wish I had. I am really not an envious person, but it is fairly easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything would be so much easier/better "if only we had......." you fill in the blank.

Thanks for caring,

K

P.S. I will definitely be around here more often in 2010!

Halloween '09

I know-Thanksgiving just passed and I am just now getting around to putting up the Halloween pics. so, sue me!!

Tay dressed as a soccer player (Liverpool of course) for her Halloween party at school! Her father was so proud!

Tay with Baby Parker and Big Poppa. Thanks for letting us stay and witness a "redneck" halloween.

Our Fairy Princess with her loot!

Sissy and Tay- Partners in Crime! I am not sure who had more fun!!

Thanks for caring,
K

Wow...the time sure does fly when your looking for a j.o.b.!! Well, it has been over a month since I was "let go" and basically nothing has come through for me. I have gone back to work part-time with AE until I can find something more permanent.

Since my last post, we have watched LSU lose to Florida, seen the Saints go 5-0 (WHO-DAT), found out that a cousin is preggers with her first, found out that my Yankee friend is preggers with number 2, found out that my friend Noe is preggers with her second boy, Re gave birth to Jon Dawson 8lbs, 12oz, another cousin had her first boy, gone to Austin for a wedding and drank too much Pinot (OOPS), Tay got her first black eye, bought Halloween costumes, taken Tay to the Aquarium with Pop Pop, Dee Dee and Sissy, and generally tried not to think about the fact that I feel like I am sliding backwards!!

Hubby has been really good about keeping my spirits up. I could ramble on and on about how much it sucks not having my income and how worthless I feel doing a job that basically anyone could do, but I wont. I will simply say that I just want a career. I am not sure what that career is but I will definitely know it when I see it. It definitely does not include working nights and weekends (unless the $ is REALLY worth it!)

I want to say a big "hello" to all of my followers and a promise that I will try and do better in the coming weeks and months!!

The cutest thing ever!! Tay brought her camera and took "pictures" of EVERY fish in the Aquarium!! She held the camera up to the tank and "took" tons of "pictures."

Thanks for caring,

K

Hi....I'm still around.

I am on the hunt. I have been sitting at this computer non-stop for the past week trying to find a new job. The hardest part is that I am not quite sure what I want to do, so I am not sure what I am looking for. It is quite a conundrum.

It has been a very trying time for us over at the Carty Casa. I have NEVER been "laid off" from a job before, so not only is this a shock to our wallets it is also a shock to my confidence as well. I am not going to go into much detail but suffice to say that all of this came out of the blue. I had no idea that my job was in jeopardy. I have found out that the following Tuesday (Monday was Labor Day) there was already a new person at my desk. What the heck?! He had apparently interviewed and hired someone else to fill my position and I was non the wiser. That is all I have to say about that.......

We are trying to potty train Tay and it is not going very well. She is just not that interested in it AT ALL!!! I cannot seem to get across the idea to her to tell us before she goes not after. I tried a timer. Every 10 minutes when the bell would go off we would put her on the potty. Several times she would go and a couple of times she would not go, but 3 minutes later she would pee in the middle of the living room and come running legs wide yelling "Pee Pee, Pee Pee" Ugh.... Suggestions and comments are welcome!!!! Oh and why is she sticking her hands in her pants after she goes? Even after poo...!? GROSS!

One more thing, with this unemployment business I have had the unfortunate privilege to have first hand experience with the inter workings of several government programs and departments. If this a precursor as to the way our "NEW AND IMPROVED HEALTH CARE PLAN" (sic) is going to be handled...I hope I never get sick because WE ARE ALL SCREWED!!!!

Thanks for caring,
K

Abracadabra Poop!

The last couple of days/week and a half have been full of craziness. My dad aka Pop Pop went into the hospital last week. He was having some heart racing issues, which we now believe can be corrected with changing up some medication he was currently taking. I won two contests through my blog thanks to some fellow bloggers I will be getting a great new pair of flip flops and a FREE design consultation in the room of choice!!!

The flip flops are courtesy of Rachel over at Sippy Cup Chardonnay for her 100th post!! Apparently these flips are all the rage with surfers in Hawaii and they just started offering them online to us on the mainland. I cannot wait to try mine out! I got the black. Go check her out!!

REMEMBER THIS?
"Kacey, no not Sissy Kacey, Kacey over here at Chronicles of a Mommy is have a give away to celebrate her 3ooth post! Gosh that's a lot. In honor of her 3ooth post she is giving away not one, not two, but three design consultations for a room of choice in my er your house. You could enter to win if ya want, but I'm secretly hoping you don't so I have a better chance of winning. TeeHee. If you have ever been to my house you know that I need it more than you anyway! While you're there take a lookie loo around her blog. Her kids are cootie patooties!" Can you freaking believe that I actually won this!! How AH-MAZING is that?!


AND THEN......this past Friday I was let go from my job effective immediately with no advance warning. When I asked the reason, all I got was, "we are going in a different direction with your position." Thanks. So now I am on the hunt for another job. I am not sure what I hate most the hunt for a new job or the change of a new job! UGH....I hate this $h!t!!

Anywhoo...we have gotten some stuff done around our house. We added a deck to the front of our house as well as paint the entire exterior!! (We-I really mean, Hubby, Dad, Sissy, MIL and FIL-I played baby sitter with Tay) THANKS GUYS!! I will post the updated pics as soon as I down load them off of the camera. Thank goodness we started all of this before I lost my job or we wouldn't have had the money to do all of this work.

I'm gonna leave you with some great pictures we took of "Princess Taylor"
"Princess Taylor with her Minnie Mouse."

"Princess Tay with Daddy and Magic Wand!"

How stinking cute is she?

"Abracadabra.....Poop".....Taylornese for Abracadabra.....Poof!


FYI-I bought the tu-tu before she was born for her announcment pics, yea...didnt happen but she is almost 3 and she is just now enjoying wearing it!!

Thanks for caring,
K
Anyone know anyone who is hiring on the Northshore help a sister out and let me know.

Yada, Yada, Yada

"We are going in a different direction," yada, yada, yada,.......i'm looking for a new job!

Thanks for caring,
K
P.S. Be back soon!