Whodat?!?

What an awesome Super Bowl game! Don't you think? And not just because my pick won, but because it was really a very good game with a lot of suspense and plenty of surprises.

How about the way the Saints opened up the second half? I don't know much about football, but I know enough to know that their on-side kick was a bold and gutsy move that completely threw the Colts off balance. And just as we were remarking at home that we hadn't seen those trademark interceptions that the Saints have become known for, Porter came through with his beautiful pick and touchdown run.

How sweet it is!

What a beautiful way to end the season for the New Orleans Community. If you have been reading our blog for a while, you know that I have been very passionate about the state of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region. I pulled together a team of colleagues to help rebuild in Mississippi in 2006. I also tried to raise awareness about how New Orleans, even one year, two years, etc down the road was still struggling to recover. Lastly, I wrote to then-Senator Obama imploring him to make the recovery of the Gulf Coast a focal point for the campaign and a key effort of his potential presidency. So, even though we are such a long way away in San Diego, I really felt the victory along with the rest of my family and all of New Orleans.

I was also especially touched by the image of Drew Brees with his son after the game. Brees, with tears welling in his eyes, held his son, Baylen, close as the pair took in the celebration unfolding around them. As a new mom, I know what an incredible feeling that must have been for him to not only experience this moment for himself, but to also share it with his child. I can only imagine the pride he felt knowing that as a father he has set an incredible example for his son, and that when Baylen is grown he'll always be able to look back at the images of his Super-Bowl hero Dad and how much he clearly adored his son.

The Super Bowl shindig at Chez Serrano-Mingo (how about Chez Serraneaux-Mingeaux?) went very well - the gumbo was fabulous, the potato salad divine, and even the bread pudding was pretty tasty! Everyone enjoyed the hurricane cocktails throughout the game and when the Saints won the championship we raised glasses of bubbly with a resounding "WHODAT!" chant.

Thank you Saints for being such an inspiration this season!

Super Bowl on the brain

What's a girl from the Gulf Coast to do? All I have been able to think about is the Saints in the Super Bowl. This is a huge event for my family. My niece has colored her hair with gold and black stripes. My otherwise eloquent mother now greets me on the phone with 'Whodat?'. And my father has peppered my inbox with daily feelgood humor about this oh-so-magical Saints team.

We are going to watch the Super Bowl at Chez Serrano-Mingo, where the house will be festooned with Mardi Gras paraphernalia and everyone will be adorned with a handful of Mardi Gras beads as they walk in the door.

The drink of the day will be Hurricanes and the cuisine will be gumbo and bread pudding.
What else??

One note of surprise, I went to our local grocery store this morning on the hunt for pre-made hurricane mix, and I got a circle of mystified faces as they actually asked me what a Hurricane was. What is a hurricane?!? This may be the West Coast, but for crying out loud I thought that the notoriety of late-night exploits in the French Quarter would have traveled further.

As I explained how it was Super Bowl weekend, and that this was after all the New Orleans Saints' first ever appearance I had hoped for them to start cluing in so I didn't have to completely spell it out. You know, New Orleans, Gulf Coast, hurricanes.........? No luck. So I wrapped up my inquiry with a remark that they had missed out on a hell of a marketing opportunity and left. I'm pretty sure they still don't get what I was talking about. Boo!

New Severe Weather Advisory in South Florida

Thanks Dad!

NOAA – 27 Jan 2010 1035EST


Outlook for the Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico…



Hurricane Whodat is predicted to make landfall on the South Florida coast in the vicinity of Miami on 7 Feb 2010 at approximately 2200Z (5:00 PM EST).

This extremely powerful hurricane is expected to produce damaging Shockey waves and Category 5 Brees. Reports from shipping indicate that this unstoppable storm has blown a huge flock of Cardinals all the way to Arizona, and that it has sunk a replica Viking longboat, the BrettFavren.

Livestock, in particular young horses, will be in severe danger of being decimated. Predictive damage estimates are unavailable at this time, but they are expected to be significant.

All interests in and near the Miami area are advised to prepare for a storm surge of catastrophic proportions as Hurricane Whodat begins to arrive in approximately 3 days.


Next advisory 07 Feb 2010 at 0300Z (10:00 PM EST).

We loved NOLA! We love DayCare less...

We had so much fun in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago! We even got to stop and see Jason's Great-Grandmother in Lafayette on the way. She says Jason is a "fat little bugger". I have to agree, but he is adorable! However, Liz (who saw him on Saturday) says that he has actually grown since two weeks ago, so his fat is redistributing already :)

Microsoft's WPC conference was a lot of fun, especially the closing party JazzFest. I learned a lot about stuff related to my job and how I will be expanding into new areas. The Convention Center was a great venue except it took *forever* to get from one side to the other. My feet really hurt by the end of the week.

Alberto and I went to Mulate's and Harrah's the Sunday before the conference and then went home to a fabulous dinner at Stephanie's house that night. It was a whole family dinner too, with 2 of 3 of Steph's kids joining us, along with their significant others. I also found out my oldest nephew is engaged! Congratulations Travis and Andrea!

Jason had a fabulous time with his Aunt Stephanie all week. She made some homemade toys for him (which he has been unable to part with to this day), and they had a great time playing together. She was determined to get him crawling by the time we went home - he didn't make it, but he has made leaps and bounds toward the goal! Now he rolls himself right up onto all fours and then just rocks back and forth - a lot - hoping to get somewhere. When he does move, it's in reverse, so he's going to have to work on that! :)

When we got back from New Orleans, Jason's Tia Meyda came for a visit for a few days. Once again, our house was transformed into a homestyle Mexican restaurant, with tons of different meals coming out of the kitchen, courtesy of Meyda's delicious cooking. MMM-MMM it was fabulous!

DayCare hasn't been so fun - Jason got sick the first day he was there, and after having a runny nose for a week it has now transformed into a full blown ear infection - in BOTH ears! Our poor little boy is having a lot of trouble swallowing and breathing through his nose, which just makes life tough for a kid his age. We've been trying to give him extra love and snuggles to make him feel better.

Jason still cries every day when I leave him at DayCare - I am hoping this will taper off in the next few days, as he starts to realize all the fun things he can do there. Every day they do story time, singing time, rhyme time, and they'll also do other fun activities like finger painting and playing with water and bubbles.

Summer here is Houston is as hot as ever, and we are spending 99% of our time indoors and out of the vicious heat. Can't wait for fall!