What better place to celebrate than the best Jazz Club on Bourbon Street!  Fritzel’s European Jazz Club is definitely our favorite – we are never disappointed, especially not this weekend!  Take a listen:

And a second take:

After we left Richard Scott and the Boys at Fritzel’s we found some folks having good times of their own on Bourbon Street!

The next day we had a great Cajun Breakfast and enjoyed some coffee at a local coffee house.  We don’t have a date yet, we’re having too much fun enjoying our new engagement and thinking about the excitement ahead!

And, I’m usually not a big fan of posting bling on the web, but seeing as how we’re so far away and so many people wanted emailed pics…. here’s what you’ve been waiting for – The Rock!

We’re really excited and can’t wait to be married!  Thank you to everyone’s words of encouragement and congrats!  We can’t wait to see you all at the wedding!!

Today on the show was remarkable 11 year old, Jacob Brockhoff.  Jacob was born with a heart condition known as Tetrology of Fallot.  Jacob underwent his first open heart surgery when he was just 3 days old and is currently one month post op from another life-preserving open heart operation.  Not only is Jacob one tough cookie, he is also an artist!  As Jacob told us today on the Bonnie Hunt Show, one day he was “bugging his mom, and she told him to go draw something.”  Well, he did just that and ended up starting his own business with the skateboard design he created.  He donates 2/3 of the proceeds to cardiac organizations such as the American Heart Association and American Heart Heros.  If you’re in the market for a new skateboard, definitely check this one out!  You can order one online, and if you happen to be near Bradenton, Flordia you can stop in the Champs Sports store in the Desoto Square Mall to get a one of a kind t-shirt.  You better believe I’ll be stopping in the next time I’m in southern Florida!  To conclude the show Bonnie brought in special guest Rob Dydrek, Jacob’s favorite pro-skater, who adorned Jacob with some new DC skater shoes among other skater parafanalia.  For more info on Broken Hart Boards, click here.  If Jacob Brockhoff doesn’t make you want to work in Pediatric Cardiology, I don’t know what would!

Thanks for being such a trooper Jacob!  You Rock!!

The smokiness in this picture, just above the toros (bulls), is in fact smoke.  Jesters, both on stilts and foot, lite off various fireworks along the street.  Sparks were shooting everywhere, including the crowd, but these mighty bulls don’t seem to be alarmed at all.  I guess a few sparking fireworks are nothing compared to an enraged Matador!

Children in Spain are loved by all and they are very, very well taken care of.  It is not uncommon for children to wear nicer clothes than their parents.  This takes place in America as well, however is tagged with negative connotations.  We would label this as spoiling, but in Spain this is custom.  Children are celebrated and not only do their parents of children treat them like royalty, but everyone else who takes a part in their upbringing as well.

Check out the awesome head dresses, and the facial expressions!

That little redhead in bottom right sure is a feisty thing!  Don’t mess.

We witnessed this troupe practicing their lineup and routine in one of the sides streets prior to the parade.  Seeing these guys all gussied up was our first clue to the festivities taking place.

These were some of the Moorish costumes.  I wasn’t able to get a clip of any of the dance performances, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen!  Dancing troupes like those pictured below flipped, leaped, and twirled down the street, maintaining great facial expressions while doing so!

And dancing hawks….

There was actually a hawk master (if you will) walking just behind this troupe with a trained hawk that would fly out overhead and then obediently return to his perch on the master’s arm.  It pretty much rocked.

Spaniards are very expressive and people oriented.  I love this picture simply because of all the different interactions taking place.  Grandma and Grandpa, los ninos (the children), and the wide-eyed hombre in the rear.  Ha!  Can you spot the gold digger? (Gold Digger’s location: Left of wide-eyed hombre)

Here are some more sweet costumes.  We watched this parade for over two hours and it wasn’t even half over.

Horses pranced along the streets with some very fancy footwork!  I was absolutely blown away at how close the horses got to the onlookers.  Their stomping hooves were within feet of the crowd.  This would never fly in the US.  Some idiot would get stepped on, sue the horse and its mother, and then of course we would just give everyone that attended a trophy and outlaw it for next year.

Knights of the Holy Grail anyone?  We were actually able to see the Holy Grail, among other interesting artifacts, while we were in Spain.  (The Holy Grail, meaning the cup Jesus used in the last supper.)  There will be later posts to come with more about Spain, and the Holy Grail…no worries.

A Spanish French Horn player.  Definately a winning combination.

And the final view of it all.  !Me Encanta! (I love it!)

So it’s true. I am a victim of consumerism. After repeatedly seeing/hearing the Glade Commercial Lady try and convince her friends that she was at a fancy schmancy spa or that her mood-setting yoga candles were imported from France, I couldn’t help but remember Glade Essential Oils Candles on my trip to Target this evening. I was headed for the check-out and the isle caught my attention, so of course I stopped for my own Essential experience. With autumn just around the corner, I chose the 2 in 1 Creamy Custard and Blushing Apple. Now I am enjoying the wonderful aromas of my Glade Essential Oil Candle so much, I have deemed it post-worthy so you may also take part in the consumerism and essentialize yourself with your very own Glade Essential Oils Candle.  Be sure to keep me posted on any other great Glade scents!

Quote for the Day

“Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home.  If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.  If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart.  And if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of shit.”

Love and appreciate all the women in your life.

Thanks Gramps!

If you havn’t seen Carnation Milk is Best of All, check it out for another good laugh.

Uh uh, think it can’t happen? Think again!! It did! Last night, while I was dining on my lucky and and very rare broken eggs, my boyfriend was having some luck of his own at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas when he was dealt a royal flush on video poker. He surely enjoyed this rarity with a payout of $1,000! Good Job Monte Carlo, thanks for the Benjamins!

Alright, so I don’t really have a broken heart. But, as a Cardiac Nurse, I did take care of a lot of broken hearts today. Seven to be exact. Anywho…I decided on eggs for dinner and this is what ended up on my plate. I didn’t attempt to shape them, cut them, place them or anything. I just fried ‘em up and slide them on the plate and this is what I got. Coincidence? Hmmm….

“Love is the best medicine, and there is more than enough to go around once you open your heart.” -Julia Marie

Here is the email:

A cute little lady from Iowa had worked in and around her family dairy farm since she was old enough to walk, with hours of hard work and little compensation. When Carnation Milk became available in grocery stores (in the 1040s), she read an advertisement offering $5,000 for the best slogan. The producers wanted a rhyme beginning with ‘Carnation Milk is Best of All.’

The cute little lady, at that time a cute, little girl, thought to herself ‘I know all about milk and dairy farms. I can do this!’ She sent in her entry and several weeks later a black limo pulled up in front of her house. A man got out and said, ‘Carnation loved your entry. So much in fact, we are hear to award you $2,000 even though we will not be able to use it.’

Here is the add she came up with:

HA HA!! This is is GREAT!! Carnation totally messed up by not using this add. It sure sold me!

The first photo was taken from a pontoon boat on Silver Lake. There is also a great view from on top of the dune. If you don’t feel like making the hike just hop on a dune schooner!

Looking out from the cottage on Lake Michigan. Relax, take a load off…

And enjoy the view! The weather in Michigan is perfect, not sweltering hot but definitely warm enough for shorts in the evening. (Although now that I am a Florida resident for most of the year, a long-sleeve shirt became a nightly necessity for me.)

Watch out for the dune grass – this stuff is fun to photograph, but not to step on!

Lydia enjoys long walks, picnics, and bonfires on the beach. (Well, wouldn’t you?!)

The many cottages of the Little Point Sable Association are nestled into the woods along Lake Michigan’s coast. A perfect place for a peaceful stroll.

The Grand Haven Pier makes for a great walk too. And hopefully a bountiful, fresh catch!

Pier Jumping. Ahh the memories! I’m glad to see this group of local teens keeping the tradition alive. You can find good pier jumping in any one of West Michigan’s water towns.

Cowabunga Dude!

My last night in Michigan was spent visiting college friends. I was pleasantly surprised with this gorgeous scene along my route. Icing on the cake.

And of course, the greatness of a Lake Michigan sunset. Home in Michigan is definitely where my heart is.

Ross MacLachlan and his caricature!

Well, it’s true.  I’m definitely a sucker for Rag.  I came accross Ross MacLachlan today listening to The Rack on The Sixty One.  The rack is a feature that allows listeners to listen to songs of their chosen genre that are not yet on the homepage.  I racked, or raked, in a good find today!  If you like Rag, you’re sure to like this stuff.  Listen here on my Sixty One profile.  My favorite is the Happy Cat Rag because it reminds me of the good ol’ days when I was growing up in Saugatuck.

Oval Beach on a Sunny Summer Day. What a Goldmine!

Sometimes we don’t realize the goldmine we have until we’re rooting around somewhere else.  You may have heard of Saugatuck before.  It’s a small, little big time town  located on the fresh waters of Lake Michigan.  One of my favorite memories of growing up in Saugatuck is Charlie’s Around the Corner Ice Cream Shop.  So many tasty Sherman’s Ice Cream Cones were eaten on the brightly colored benches outside the light pink sided walls of ‘Around the Corner’.  It was a neighborly event to walk down after dinner for ice cream, taking the dogs of course and stopping in the park to chat and play.  Sometimes we drove down to ‘Around the Corner’ and then headed out to Oval Beach to watch the sunset over the lake.  No matter how we got there, Charlies Around the Corner Ice Cream Shop was, and still is, famous for the cheer and delight it brought to Mason Street with the ragtime music that was always pouring out from the balcony and into the smiling audience.

The Sign at Charlie's Around the Corner Ice Cream Shop and a Homer Look-Alike

Homer and Hannah.  They were my childhood pets and well, they were basically imfamous throughout the neighborhood.  My mom has said for years that she should write a childrens’ book series on the stories of those two hounds and yes, I have to say, all of their antics would probably make one heck of a book.  On one occasion, Homer made his was all the way town to Charlies Around the Corner Ice Cream Shop to sit and mooch off the cones of innocent ice-cream enjoyers.  We found him perched right out front, listening to the great music and tasting one to many ice creams cones!  The dog in the photo isn’t Homer, but he does look very similar.  We decided Homer was a mix; part Airedale and part Lituanian Fish Hound.  Airedale because he had the look, Lituanian becuase that’s one lineage of my family heritage and Fish Hound because well, he always seemed to smell like fish.  It’s really a wonder he was getting ice cream rather than a swat with a broom.  Poor Homer.