Increadably Authentic

I know I haven't finished blogging about Ev's big new York bar mitzvah but I have to talk about where I was for Mardi Gras this year. My family and aunt, uncle, and cousin from Norway went to Eunice for Cajun Mardi Gras. It was at least a two hour drive, probably more, and by the time we got to Eunice for the night it was pretty late. We stood in the town square, or something like that, and people were standing around under a balcony drinking and having a good time. On the balcony were a bunch of people throwing cups, hats, shirts and most of all beads.

The next morning my aunt, uncle, cousin, dad and baby sister got up early and went to Mamou and Eunice for the scavenger hunt type thing. They ran around, begged for food, and tried to catch live chickens. My mom and I slept in and then drove together to Mamou. We parked outside of the family dollar, and saw this on the door.

Some things you will only see off the beaten track. Right off the parking lot was a field of dandelions, so I stopped, not to smell the flowers but to make a wish.

My mom and I caught up with the rest of the family, who were standing talking to a man with a stand about the origins of the festival. We caught the tail end of it but it was still a pretty cool shpeal. 

After talking to the man, my dad got some of his yummy popcorn balls. I am not normally a fan of that kind of thing, but they were yummy.

My dad seemed to really love it. We moseyed on down for a while, just enjoying the scenery and decided to get some hats. My baby sister and cousin got baseball caps, and I got a cowboy hat. The other two almost did, but couldn't find one that they liked. 

I think I fit right in don't y'all? The town was so interesting, full of life, music, dancing, and good food. At one point the parade rolled through, full of horses, and "floats" which were basically flatbeds pulled behind trucks. Beads were tossed, my aunt even caught one from muses. 

Little bit of local color, a birds nest, and my dads head

Afterwards we went back to Eunice. The parade was over but there was live music and good food. We all laid on the grass and listened to music. It was so picturesque and authentic. An experience I will never forget. 

Trip

Hello from the Grand Central Station Apple Store!

Slogan

Well, here I am in the Big Apple. You know how I said I was going to a bar mitzvah. Well its my cousin Ev's. Not only is he a fantastic singer but he is very very smart. If fact he and I are eating fortune cookies right now. Mine had two fortunes in it, how weird is that? Something about self love and wisdom in young beautiful people. Wait what was I talking about. Oh yea Ev.

After the friday night service, which was amazing by the way, we went back to his house to eat, and he decided to check out my blog for the first time. And I, taking advantage of his incredible brilliance, asked him to help me find a slogan. We tossed around a few ideas and finally came up with Always Done Never Finished. Ok when I say we, I mean Ev, I basically ate and vetoed.

NYC

I am currently sitting in the air port in my home town on my way to New York for a Bar Mitzvah. Gotta love free wi fi!

There Has Got To Be More!

I never really knew much about life in America in World War II. Great Depression, sure my Grandma grew up then and I have heard stories of when she grew up. The 50s well of course, its been portrayed and stereotyped in every TV show. But as far as life in America during the second world war, the extent of my knowledge stopped with the American Girl books.  Louise's War by Sarah R. Shaber, changed that slightly.

Louise's War is a spy murder mystery, written in the perspective of both Louise and her friend Rachel, who is married and lives in France at the start of the Second World War. That wouldn't be so bad, but Rachel is Jewish. She writes to her college roommate Louise, who she knows lives in Washington DC for help, and what happens next can only be described as a twisting plot, and at the end I honestly couldn't believe that the book was over. Luckily with the help of Lord Google I found my way to Shaber's website  and discovered that it is a series, so I will be able to find out Rachel's fate.

Your Trying To Mend a Broken Heart by Hitting it With a Hammer

Many of you know that my baby sister is adopted. I was seven when we adopted her, and thats just what our family has always looked like. Because of that, I know that when I have a family one day, I want to adopt also. The old saying that blood is thicker then water has a somewhat different meaning for me. My baby sister is my blood, even if the blood that runs in her veins is different then mine.

I don't know my baby sisters background. We have her birth mothers name somewhere, although I have never seen it. We don't know if she is alive or not, married or not, why she gave up my baby sister. Or at least as far as I know we don't, my mom and dad might. However when illagetament children were born in the US about 200 years ago, it was put on their birth certificates. In a time where people were incredibly conservative, this being discovered could ruin someones life.

Blossoms in the Dust is the story of Edna Gladley who after emense tragedy in her personal life, opens up an orphanage and eventually works to have the records of illagitamicy removed. The movie was made in 1941, and is stunning. The acting is superb and the costumes are breath taking. I recorded it on Turner Classic Movies, which is quickly becoming my favorite channel. There are so many amazing movies that are in danger of being lost to the ages. I would recomend Blossoms in the Dust to everyone, it is both heart warming and heart breaking.

Widget!

Some of you may notice the new widget on the side bar. Its from GoodReads, and its the 2012 reading challenge. Well as much as I love the good people at GoodReads, they don't realize that some people start challenges outside of the new year. So the widget may say 2012 reading challenge but it is counting my 100 books one year challenge, from August to August.