Brain Dump

• FYI-Watching several episodes of Criminal Minds before bedtime makes for VERY interesting and kinda alarming dreams.
• The beginning of the last season of LOST is very bittersweet for us. We LOVE this show and want it to end, to answer our questions, but don't want it to end, because what am I going to do without Kate, Sawyer, Jack, and Locke (or not Locke)
• Why does my 3 year old think that it is OK to stay in Pull-ups forever?
• Still don't have "stable" employment. I am currently working at the retail company that I previously worked for, but it is only in a part-time capacity. (AE) Paycheck is not really cutting it.
• A couple of weeks ago, Tay, Hubby, and I went for a walk and I pointed out some birds up ahead to Tay. She looked at me and said, "No, Mommy that's a Hawk!" Well.... I guess all those hours of watching Diego are paying off.
• We stepped outside one afternoon and it was VERY COLD Tay said, "Mommy it's Muy Frio." Thanks again to our little Latina girlfriend Dora.
• Am I the only one that still has Christmas lights up outside their house?
• I bet I am the only one that still has Christmas lights up outside their house with a Mardi Gras wreath!! Ha. I try, really I do.
• This weekend I am going to a Sorority reunion. It should be fun and weird all al the same time. I will be seeing some girls that I haven't seen in almost 10-15 years! Excited but nervous all at the same time!
• THANK YOU TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY FOR LETTING ME FLY SOLO THIS WEEKEND AND TAKING CARE OF TAYLOR!!! I LOVE YOU!!
  

Thanks for caring,

K

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Dear NFL, *edited*

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 NFL,

OK, now that we have your attention-good game huh?-there's a few things we'd like to clear up. First of all, you may as well get used to seeing us at the Super Bowl. Because about 100 million TV people saw something during the game Sunday night that countless national media "experts" couldn't see before:

We Belong.

We also hate to miss a good party. And you know what? The Super Bowl is one hell of a party. And that was true before the public address announcer cranked up "Iko Iko" on the stadium loudspeakers after the Lombardi Trophy presentation ceremony.

One other thing.

We know what sticklers you are for legal documentation, so please consider this our formal written notice of resignation as the unofficial whipping boys of the National Football League.
You're going to have to find a new whipping boy now. May we suggest the Atlanta Falcons?

We know how hard this is for you. We know that for 43 years, whenever you needed a team to hold up as an example of a perennial loser, whenever you needed some team to make all the other teams and their fans feel better about themselves, we have been your go-to guys.

"It could be worse. We could be the Saints." That has been out role, and we have filled it well.
Not anymore. We are the champions, my friends. And as such, we expect to be granted all the rights and privileges afforded to fans of other championship teams.


So starting today, whenever you refer to the Saints, you're going to have to start referring to- and I quote-"New Orleans' winning tradition."

We've been waiting a long time to hear someone use that particular phase to describe us. The term fits. We'll expect you to use it often.

It means that you'll have to permanently retire the term "Aints" as a nickname for this (ahem) proud, storied franchise.

If you mention the "bagheads," it should be only in the context of ancient history. It has been 30 years since anyone in this town wore a bag to a Saints game. So we will henceforth insist that you stop talking about that like it was last year, and start talking instead about the Finish Strong T-shirts donned by seemingly millions of Saints fans in the run-up to the Super Bowl.


The bottom line is that you're going to have to stop referring to the Saints and their fans as a "great story," and start referring to us as what we are:



A great football team.

We know that this will take some getting used to-for you as well as for us.

After all, for the 43 years we have defined ourselves by the 1-15 seasons.

And the Hail Mary passes.

And the quarterbacks named Billy Joe.

And the holes in the Superdome roof.

Starting tonight we define ourselves by a different set of memories.

By a recovered onside kick.

By a 74-yard interception return.

By an MVP quarterback holding the Lombardi Trophy in his hand and pumping it skyward.
After 43 years of being treated as America's experts on losing, we're ready to become the new national role models for passion and perseverance.

Just to show there are no hard feelings for all the years you made fun of us, we're going to open up membership in the Who Dat Nation to you, our counterparts in all 31 other NFL cities.

Consider this your formal invitation to the Saints parade Tuesday, which will make every previous Super Bowl victory parade look like a long line at the supermarket checkout counter. You can stick around for the unofficial victory parades: Tom Benson in Endymion, Drew Brees in Bacchus , Sean Payton in Orpheus.

Think of it as one of the perks of membership. In New Orleans, football season never ends. It just changes venues.
So, come on down, hit the parade route and do the new dance craze that's sweeping New Orleans.
It's called The Championship Swagger. The steps are easy:
Hold your head up high. Get crunk. And whenever the spirit moves you-which will be often-dig deep down into your soul and say the thee words on this glorious night in Miami became synonymous with success:

Who Dat, baby.
Proudly, passionately, winningly yours,
THE WHO DAT NATION

by Mark Lorando-Features editor-The Times Picayune

Thanks for caring,
K

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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

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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

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