November 30

Happy anniversay to my sweet, sweet husband who I am incredibly blessed and lucky to have. Most importantly he is an amazing dad and role model to our two girls, and takes care of us all so well (even though he never remembers to take out the trash).

 

Ten years ago we had a little wedding celebration with our family and friends, and one of the busboys that night was our friend Cody Belew. Last night when Chris and I were showing Caroline our wedding pictures I found these pics of Cody from when he jumped on stage and sang 'At Last' to me!

 

 

We were sad that Cody was eliminated from The Voice this week but we know great things are in store for him!   

Happy birthday to our Ma!

NOLA!

Chris and I had such a fun trip to New Orleans in honor of our 10th (whoa!) anniversary and to visit my brother and his girlfriend. It was a great get-away!

 

Our hotel, the Frenchman Hotel, on Frenchman Street was classic New Orleans charming! Only on the last day did we realize that the club across the street had a show that STARTED playing at 1:30 am! That's why we would wake up around that time every night! But oh well, this place was a great location and I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't want a hotel chain and wants to be within easy walking distance of some great venues.

Check out the little hot tub! Perfect after walking all day!

 All we did was eat! My favorite breakfast spot was Stanley, right off Jackson Square, for it's classic breakfast (below), iced coffee and pancakes topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (Thank you, KW!) We also enjoyed great meals at Emeril's NOLA, at Herbsaint in the CBD, and creole shrimp at Coop's Place off Decatur. 

 

 

Thank you to Guy and Liz for being our tour guides and taking us to this place off the beaten path. Yes, I tried the Praline Bacon and it was worth the calories.  

 

We hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! Chris and I have so much to be thankful for!

Having a great early anniversary trip in NOLA! Thank you to all of family for helping out with our girls!

Did I mention she's a mess?

 

I've had so much fun with my girls this week. I think Chris and I have a bit of vacation-itis and it's allowed me to be un-stressed about work stuff. And for once I can say I love the time change! It's helped us get the girls in bed earlier and up and at 'em in the mornings earlier! We've had fun this week playing around our house. Caroline is the ultimate organizer and to her that's her favorite 'game'....organizing shoes, books, clothes. Cate then comes behind her and throws everything in disarray; although she is taking after big sis in wanting to order her baby dolls in the floor.  And she laughs about everything!

She's a mess!

My sweet girls.

Article repost

It's the day after the election and while Facebook and Twitter are filled with happiness and hate over the results, I found this article tweeted from Runner's World. If you're not a runner you may not care but I was pretty impressed at the pace of our former presidents! I am pushing it to run a 9 minute mile and Clinton could run that everyday! Maybe I need to eat more Big Macs???

Running Mates: Running With POTUS
From the November 2012 issue of Runner's World

In 2011, Secret Service agent Nick Trotta retired after 31 years in the Office of Protective Operations. During his tenure, Trotta ran with Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Here, he shares stories of what it was like trying to run with–and protect–leaders of the free world.

 

GEORGE H.W. BUSH ' 'He liked to go to Memorial Park in Houston where everyone knew him as 'George.' The detail included a site agent, motorcade coordinator, visit coordinator, advance agent for the tactical team, drivers, the presidential doctor and ambulance, bomb-sniffing dogs, and up to 10 agents. We parked unmarked vehicles around the perimeter and had snipers pose as runners and walkers. We had over 50 people to cover the president during his half-hour run. One time, we came across a woman who was sprawled on the ground with a cut on her knee. President Bush said, 'Marshals! Get an ambulance to this runner!' He told her, 'No need to worry. I come with an ambulance.' He watched over her until he confirmed the injury was superficial, then finished his run.''

BILL CLINTON  ''We agents had a system where one of the valets would leak President Clinton's attire–running clothes or suit–to the nearest agent. That's how we knew he wanted to run. President Clinton ran around the Mall almost every day, four to five miles at eight to nine minutes per mile. At times, people ran past and said, 'Hey, Mr. President, do you need a running partner?' In his Arkansas drawl, he would say, 'Sure, come on.' By then, an undercover agent running ahead would have checked that person out and radioed a clearance to us. The conversations people had were usually about running. Even if someone was used to logging seven-minute miles, that person always said to the president, 'Boy, you keep a good pace.'''

GEORGE W. BUSH'' President Bush started the 100 Degree Club–he waited to run until it hit 100 degrees. He could average 7:00 to 7:10 minutes-per-mile for three miles. Heat runs were tough. Agents have to wear long shirts to cover our holster, firearm, handcuffs, and radio. We also wore a microphone hooked to our index finger that wouldn't interfere with grabbing the president or using our weapon. I ran a few steps behind President Bush. If I got too close, he'd say, 'Nicky, at least give me the illusion I am by myself.' A run is the only time the president can be alone. The last thing runners want is to be disrupted. The same is true for the president.''