I miss my family

If you know me, you are well aware that I'm not a "homebody" by any means, but I do love my family dearly...both sides! When we get together as a family on holidays, I don't dread it like some families do. I enjoy each and every person in my family, and just by spending a few minutes around anyone in my family, it's easy to see that they value everyone and our time together, too (again, on both sides).

With that mushiness aside, I can tell you about the wonderful Thanksgiving that we had in Louisiana this year. There was so much to be thankful this year, especially being able to have the whole family together. It's during times like that when you can really feel Mom around. It was nice.

We flew out of the new Indy terminal on Wednesday after work. It was so beautiful and easy to maneuver, but not that the old one was difficult! On Thursday, everyone made their way over to Mema and Pepa's house for a full day of eating! The hit was definitely the turkey, of which you had your choice: smoked or deep fried. :-)





























Everyone definitely had their fill!































Of course we had to indulge in some cards. It took some fighting, but everyone played eventually while we were there. :-)
















On Friday, we made our customary trip to the Cajun Village, which was especially exciting since Steven had never been to Louisiana before! It literally is a little "village" of about ten buildings that were brought in. I use the word "buildings" loosely, as they're actually like old shanty shacks. Just picture backwoods, and I'm sure you've got the image in your head. Anyway, they have authentic cajun art, food, wine, crafts, etc. I love it!






























The real reason we make our traditional stop at the village is for the food, but more importantly the BEIGNETS!!!












































We had to stop by and see the gators before left.















Saturday was our last day, and it ALWAYS seems to go by too fast. We went to visit Heath and Jason and the mrs's. :-) Steven and I hadn't seen Jason and Emily's new house, and it was very beautiful!















That night, we went out for a yummy dinner at Mike Anderson's, all of us! All eleven adults and two kids. It was so much fun! While we were waiting, you had the chance to catch a lobster in one of those claw machines. Heath was SO close, but you have to admit it's a little unfair that the lobsters can fight back!


































We decided to wind down the night with an enthralling game of Balderdash. Best Balderdash definition ever: "What's a brotha gotta do to git a piece of pecan pie in dis joint?" -Jason















This trip was especially nice since I hadn't seen some of the family since Mom's funeral. Came and went far too fast.