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...celebrating Kat's decision to join me and guest author some spots coming up on the blog. As I get ready to go to Germany and even while I'm in Germany, I expect that it is going to become more and more difficult for me to write every day. Kat already has ideas for things she wants to do, and I'm thrilled that she has said "Oui"! In addition to helping me out some, it's going to give us even more chances to commiserate!
A Huge Merci and Bienvenue to Kat!
Most mornings I always know that I can find Sammie cat under the bed cover near the fireplace. It gives me a very good excuse not to make the bed. This morning I was on a mission, with appointments and lots to do so...for some reason I felt like I HAD to make the bed. I, of course, disrupted her and then couldn't figure out where she went. I went in for a cup of coffee and looked up...there she was on top of the refrigerator sitting on my plat of eggs! Maybe her motherly instinct was coming out or she was just higher and warmer under that red lamp! I'll let you know if I find baby chicks in the morning.
Most of the shots I seem to share with you of Sam are when she is being her most mischievous self-sometimes better known as my Tasmanian Devil. She also has many moments like the one below. Could you force that little face to get out of bed just so you could make it? I didn't think so.
We've had a few pretty sunny days since the weekend, so on one of them I decided that it was time for us to plant our tree. As happy as he was sitting in the corner of the terrace "in wait", it was time. I'd opened a few of the windows and Dal decided to join me. Sam always wants to come, but when I'm busy and distracted I can't keep an eye on her. She still had just as much fun from the safety of her open window, and continually let me know that she was there. When I planted our
tree last year, I felt certain we'd be here to plant this years tree. I'm hoping to have our own little grove of evergreens soon. I think about next Christmas, and wonder. So much can happen in a year. So much is changing. So much is dangling. Even though I can't say that I feel certain we will be here next Christmas, I do know that Dal, Sam and I are planted here. Our roots have reached deep into our Lotoise soil during the time that we've been here. We are home.
When I was getting ready to post the results of the workshops I offered in Baton Rouge the last time I was in the states, I remembered that I had these photos of a very impressive group of women who I'm proud to call friends and colleagues. When I went to work at the Children's Bureau in New Orleans, the then Executive Director, Gay Lynn Bond, invited me to join a "Feminist Social Worker's Dinner Group". We met once a month when I joined in the early '90's. I was (and still am) the youngster in the group, and have to confess to being very much in awe by this accomplished group of women. People came and went as their lives changed. Some moved too far away to drop in to New Orleans for dinner, but we always tried to pull as many of us together as we could when we knew a former member was coming to town. In that first shot on the left, I believe that we were all still living and working in New Orleans. Nadine Henneman was behind the camera on that shot taken at her place. By the time the second photo was taken out at Joe's Crab Shack on the Lakefront: Charlotte Behre had moved to Washington State, Pat Davis and Betty Spencer had moved east to Mississippi (not very far really), and Gay Lynn Bond had moved to Shreveport. Nadine and I were still in New Orleans. It was that last shot of the group (taken by our waiter) that had me thinking about the hundreds of years of social work among those of us at the table!
Imagine how pleased I was when Nadine told me that Pat Davis and Betty Spencer wanted to drive over from Mississippi for a visit. Nadine and I see each other regularly on my returns, but this was a special treat. She hosted a Sunday afternoon spread for us at her place, that found me gorging myself on strawberries, dips and carrot cake. We spent some time catching up on what was happening with others. Some of us are in better touch, but Nadine has really been the glue that has held this group together for me.
As you can see from the photos, we had quite a celebration. I teased Betty and Pat about whether they had color coordinated their outfits before they left home. The food was incredible, the table beautiful, and the napkins made me laugh;but nothing could beat the friendship and camaraderie that continues even though there's 5000 miles and an ocean between us. I knew the moment I stepped up to the door and saw Nadine's "Trust Women", "Brad Pitt for Mayor", and "This House Protected by the ACLU" signs that I was home, and among friends. Betty and Pat wanted to head out so they wouldn't be driving home in the dark. They were on their way ahead of me, but that gave me a little time to catch up more with Nadine. It was a really special afternoon for me with friends who came along and keep on coming! A Huge Merci to Nadine, Pat and Betty!
In addition to the overall results from the Pre/Post Knowledge piece and the session evaluation, it was interesting to note the number of participants whose score increased on the Pre/Post Instrument used to measure where participants were prior to the workshop and where they were after completing the workshop. Everyone who turned in an instrument indicated that there would be an increase in their use of measuring success in supervision.
Since posting my "Love-Ya" awards yesterday, I'm ready to write about the issue that continually blocked my path to making my awards sooner. Every time I went to write my "Love-Ya" piece, I was reminded that there were friendships in my past of 20 to 30 plus years that were no more. I believed that these people were friends. The really scary part was that I considered some of them "chosen family". I have always been the kind of friend who is there for the people I love. I am an extender. I reach out and I have always been the one to go more than half way. Whether you lost everything, flooded but were still standing, flooded just a little, or still lived in your place exactly the way it was before the levees broke...everyone lost. We lost the old New Orleans. In the midst of the devastation, we all tried to find our way the best that we could and figure out what the New New Orleans was going to be for us. I grasped at semblances of normalcy that were impossible to reach with boulders and roadblocks thrown in your way at every turn. No one can know what went on for others. I would guess that I must have done something or not done something to get some of the reactions I got from people over the last five years who used to be my friends. Although the details have now become unimportant, the recurring themes were abandoning friends, abandoning New Orleans, and choosing France.
I knew I had to go to save myself. I apologize to no one for taking care of us. I'd realized even before the storm, that not everyone can come along as our lives change. I continue to have a wealth, depth and breadth of friends in the states and all over the world. I hope that I can continue to be the kind of friend who loves, gives, doesn't judge and can be happy for my friends when they have opportunities and options in their lives that are best for them.
To all those wonderful friends who have been able to come along with me on this journey, I'm glad you did. You know who you are. All three of these photos were taken in City Park in New Orleans before the storm. I loved discovering the lone fisherman in the morning as the mist captured him and the sun painted clouds on the lagoon. "Madam Matin" was an old friend and always one of my morning favorites on my walk.
Sometime ago in early June of last year, I received a "Love-Ya" award from my friend Christopher Laney at www.lessonsfromthecockpit.com I was just back from another traumatic trip to New Orleans; only to discover unknown tax traumas waiting on me here in France. I was a basket case. When I opened up that e-mail from Chris and saw my Love-Ya award, I cried...someone thought I was brave and "admired" me! That little extra lift from my soaring, flying friend; got me out of my basket and back to my own soaring once more. The meat of the "Love-Ya" Award is as follows:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver the award to 8 bloggers who must then choose 8 more and include this cleverly written text in the body of their award."
Being the baby blogger that I was at the time, I honestly didn't know eight bloggers who I believed met the criteria for the award. The parts that stumped me most were that it had to be bloggers who "aim to find and be friends" and who "are not interested in self-aggrandizement." How would you necessarily know these things about a blogger? I drop in on blogs from time to time. Sometimes I leave a comment and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I send an e-mail and sometimes I get a return response. And then there are those bloggers who have found me and have become a part of my life in interesting ways. If I thought the friendship piece was going to be tricky, the self-aggrandizement piece was even more difficult to suss out. Is that a "me, me, me person?" Would that include people who are selling things they have created on their blogs? Some blogs certainly seemed to be all about shopping and selling. Are they deserving of the "Love-Ya" award? All these questions ran through my head, as I attempted to genuinely and passionately pick the eight bloggers and blogs that I would choose for my Love-Ya Awards. So, without further adieu, I have bestowed my eight Love-Ya awards on the following bloggers:
Whitehawk is one of those bloggers who found me and found me very early on in my own blogging career. I'll never forget the day when I got an e-mail from my sister with a site notation asking me if I had seen it? My first book on my beam was "Creating the Work You Love" by Rick Jarow. Whitehawk discovered it and put it on Rick's website. I commented on the site and said thanks. Pretty soon we were off and running with regular contact. Whitehawk's blog: www.wingingwithwhitehawk.wordpress.com reaches out with depth and substance. Whitehawk is not afraid to shoot straight and opens a range and breadth of issues rarely found on most sites .
Kristin Espinasse-I found Kristin long before blogging was even a flicker in my repertoire. In fact, back before I was living in France I found Kristin's blog: www.french-word-a-day.typepad.com Kristin had actually suggested to me that I start a blog when we were talking about our writing aspirations. She writes with warmth as she shares her life, her family, her trials and tribulations and her love of la vie en France.
Evelyn Jackson-Evelyn found me and I'm still not quite sure how. One day there she was, commenting on my blog. I remember thinking, "Do I know this woman?" I went over to visit her at www.redbellfarm.blogspot.com and we were off and running. Evelyn loves France, Life, Living, and Magic and is one of the most spiritual people I know. She was the perfect person to bounce my Mélange-ing Magic idea around with. Pretty soon I found Mélange-ing Magic in the sidebar of her blog. She'd write about it from time to time and send me suggestions. We began to e-mail almost daily and one day I bit the bullet and asked her if she wanted to come and "pilot" the idea here at the Chatette. The rest is history. Evelyn is the magic I mélange-ed. That magic and our friendship continues to grow.
Niels Lund-I was also discovered by "The Bib Professor". I posted one day about pearls and overalls and voila...the Bib Professor commented and we were off. I went over to www.bibprofessor.wordpress.com and discovered a whole new world of overalls fans and friends who always found a way to make me laugh and smile. Niels and I were in touch regularly via comments and e-mail as our friendship and International Overalls Day unfolded. I don't want to say that International Overalls Day was the most important thing that happened to me in 2009-but I never had so much fun in such a global way with so many people of like mind and spirit. It has taken on a life of its own and goes on. We have plans, and Niels is our fearless leader...Overalls Guru Extraordinaire.
Maya Paretti-Niels suggested that I check out a couple of other sites where I could find Overalls Compadres. I became especially fond of Maya over at her blog: www.onlinegratitudejournal.com I began to stop in regularly and found that I missed her on days that she didn't post. Now I know, that's a lot of pressure. Maya's wit, commitment, life experiences and sense of humor kept me coming back for more and enjoying every minute of it. Then it happened. There was a string of days of no postings, which was very unusual. Niels and I were in contact and trying to figure out what had happened to Maya. As she described it...we sent out an on-line search party for her. We were really worried, but she's back and at it again and making our days.
Constance Muller-Both Evelyn and Kat recommended that I check out Constance's blog: www.rochambeau.typepad.com I happened to wander over around the time of Constance's birthday and her trip to New Orleans. I loved that she found Constance Street, but mostly, I loved her fresh view and very clear love of the New New Orleans. We corresponded some, e-mailed some, commented some, and I even tried my first "following" experience with Constance. I discovered that it was way too much for me, but I'm grateful that she still checks in and comments from time to time, as I do. Her site is beautiful, artistic, creative, sensitive, socially conscious, and I can only imagine what it must be like to be a fly on the wall when she is creating one of her beautiful dolls or doll purses. They speak to me!
Anne Arnott-I couldn't tell you who found who but Anne and I share a love for travel, Paris, France and collage. You can see some of Anne's beautiful photo collages at www.anne-arnott.blogspot.com I love to see how excited Anne gets when she receives postcards and items from abroad. She is quite the traveler and it seems that she is usually heading off somewhere exciting and finds piles of friends wherever she goes. When I had my contest to advise me on the redesign of my blog, Evelyn, Niels and Anne all joined in. Even though my blogger friends weren't chosen by Dali, everyone got a prize. It was fun to see the prize on Anne's blog one day. I stop by regularly but don't comment much. I seem to have trouble commenting on blogspot blogs and haven't worked those kinks out yet.
Donna Sarjeant-Donna was another one of our Overalls people that Niels pointed me to. I loved seeing so many of her jewelry designs at www.gabriellalucretia.com but especially her shots of Chic Overalls and Overalls on fashion runways. I laughed because it was around that time that my French friends were telling me that "salopettes sont trés chic cette saison" and after looking at Donna's blog I had proof. We've commented back and forth, but the best for me was when Donna gave me a great suggestion for what to do when the hook fell off of the strap of my overalls. You can never have enough good friends who can share their great overalls advice from personal experience!
So today, I celebrate my 300th post by making my "Love-Ya" awards to a group of loving, giving, interesting, bunch of bloggers who I would be honored to call friend. Stop by and see them if you haven't already! Happy Three Hundred Lovin' Ya All the Way!
It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads me regularly, that today is my sister Kat's birthday.
Who would have thought that two totally different people, with 13 years between them, and very little in common other than that they were sisters; would grow into adulthood and become the best of friends? That's us. We did that. I was thinking back over the years of the stories I could tell. Many are more about me than about Kat. If I thought I didn't like no longer being the only child when Jim came along, I liked being dislodged as the only girl even less. Kat came along when I was just starting junior high school. I have this very vivid visual of me sitting on the floor with a bunch of friends in that nasty blue gym suit before gym class started. Being the silly teenagers that we were-we were doing one of those "wishing" games. In this one, you pulled out a piece of your hair, gave it to your friend, they tied it around your wrist three times and each of those three times you made a wish that was suppose to come true. Kathleen had just been born. Two of my three wishes were that she would become the most popular girl in school and a cheerleader. The last thing Kat ever wanted to be was a cheerleader. Although there was competition and conflict from time to time, we always managed to be there for each other and share the things that were important to us. I am thinking now, that I love her even more because we are so different. Kathleen has always been Kathleen. She was always clear about who she was and who she is. She is direct, honest, fair, and to the point. You will always know how Kat feels. I admire those qualities in her. It used to make me think that very little bothered her, but she is as sweet, soft, and sensitive as any of us. I was in France the summer before Kat and Tom were getting married in October of 1998. Kat had asked a friend of hers to be her maid of honor. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but the friend disappeared and she was heartbroken. I'll never forget the day that Kat asked me to stand with her in the wedding. She was so apologetic that she hadn't asked me first, but I told her I was thrilled and happy to do it. It was fun because she shared a lot of their wedding with me. We've managed to change, grow, share, and find ways to make new traditions and share the love and memories that make us family. So on Kat's Birthday, I want to leave you with three photos of one of those "memory making" excursions that she and Mom and I still laugh and talk about...Okawville Illinois! I'd guess it was as hopping a mineral spring as the place in Patrick Swayze's Dirty Dancing ages ago, but we got our water, sat on the porch, took a few shots and were heading home in under an hour. I don't even think there was a place to have lunch! Are we having fun yet? Happy Birthday Kat-I hope you're giggling as much as I am? Love, Laury, Dali and Sam
The photos are Kat and I on Elizabeth, Kat and Firecracker, Kat and Prince, and the last three are our excursion to Okawville...Mom was a real comedian holding up her water jug!
Long before I had any idea that I'd be living in France full time, I wanted to choose a few special things to bring along or send in the mail. Around the time that I bought the Chatette, Kat was making these beautiful "stuffed" greeting cards. I fell in love with this one on the left, so it came to France. It was one of my very first decorations. If you look at the photo below, you'll know why...a perfect match for the colorful Pier One quilt below. Bedding was the first thing I bought in France, but nothing felt as good to me as being able to sleep under this quilt from home. I used to use it to cuddle up on the sofa and watch television. But then I had to have surgery that required I stay on the first floor of the house, since I couldn't go up and down stairs for almost a month. I brought one of the twin beds downstairs to the living room. My quilt made what came to be known as the "hysterectomy bed" complete. Kat's stuffed heart on a patchwork card of sorts, rounded out my summer bedroom in France. Tomorrow's the big day. Happy Day Before Your Birthday, Kat!