Month in Review

I have obviously not been diligent about blogging this month. My total of three posts this month disappoints me. But fear not, devoted readers. I have some fun things planned for April, so hopefully I can squeeze in a few more posts next month.
March was an extremely busy, hectic, sometimes-stressful, but also fun-filled month. Here's what I was up to:
1. I took a Mardi Gras vacation: first of (hopefully) many road trips.
2. I spent Spring Break with my mom: I should clarify here that it was Spring Break for her (she's a school employee) and not me. One of the few things I miss about school is Spring Break. Mom and I played too many games of Skip-Bo, Phase 10, and Yahtzee to count and consumed many, many calories. But we promptly laughed off those calories, 'cause that's what we do when we're together.
3. I endured (and survived) my first eyebrow waxing: When we decided that plucking just wasn't cutting it anymore, my good friend Laura and I knew it was time for a wax. I had never taken hot wax to my eyebrows before (I generally try to avoid pain at all costs), so I was a bit fearful about the process. My fears were all for naught, though, because it didn't hurt a bit. I will definitely do it again. Like next week. 'Cause my brows are getting out of hand again.
4. I emptied my work inbox not once, but twice! This almost never happens, but two times in one month is unheard of...for me, at least. It's a feeling right up there with eating chocolate cake or winning the lottery.
5. I became irrationally depressed about the Suns missing the playoffs. Okay, maybe depressed is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think Randel was afraid to talk to me the night they suffered the loss that decided it all...to the Kings, of all teams. I get very unhappy and very vocal when my teams aren't doing well.
6. I started playing Words with Friends. So if you want a Scrabble beat down, add me: A_Luck.
7. I reread Water for Elephants in anticipation of the upcoming movie. I first read this book a couple years ago for a book club at work and absolutely loved it. If you haven't read it (or have started it and have yet to finish it, Laura), I highly recommend that you do. It's told from the point of view of a man who can't remember if he's 90 or 93, has a lemonade-stealing elephant, and is about the circus. Who doesn't love the circus? Anyway, it's just a great book. So read it.
8. I told Randel we need to plan some fun dates for this spring and summer. I want to go to the zoo, the circus, Frontier City, on a picnic, to some Redhawks games, a drive-in movie, the dog park... Am I a high-maintenance girlfriend?
9. I tried Sun Drop for the first time and dropped it like it was hot, like the commercial says to do. I think I freaked Randel out...
10. I desperately wished for crazy March to go away and then remembered that tornado season begins in April. I am deathly afraid of tornadoes. At the first sign of a storm cloud, I'm ready to head underground. The most tornado protection my house offers, however, is my bedroom closet. Let's hope the school down the street will let me bring my dog when the sirens start to wail.

I made it through everything March had to throw at me, so I'm pretty sure I can handle anything April has for me.

Meet and Greet Monday: My Amazing Mama

The lucky winner of March's coveted "Meet and Greet" spot is none other than my mama. My mom goes by many names, including but not limited to Sherd, Cheryl Mae, Ashley/Chance/Kendall's mom, and of course, mama. But if I had to give her a new name, I'd call her "World's Best Mom."
If you know my mom, you know how kind and funny she is. (It has often been said of my mom that you can hear her coming—by her distinct laugh—before you see her.) If you don't know my mom, you're missing out.
Although I have my mom to thank for the infamous jerry curl, everything else she has ever done for me more than makes up for my bad hair years.
In most every aspect, I am 100 percent my mother's daughter. We share a love of sports and board games, the same inability to be a do-it-yourselfer, a middle name, and an incredible bond that I consider myself lucky for every day.
My brothers and I like to poke fun at my mom for her jumpiness. If Chance is peering at her, inches from her face, while she's napping, her eyes slowly open and she lets out a gasp not unlike one who has just seen a ghost would utter. Kendall sneaking around the corner and calmly saying "Boo" will cause her arms and legs to flail wildly when she's sitting in her recliner, thoroughly engrossed in a John Wayne movie or a football game. Even her cell phone going off in her pocket can elicit a sharp intake of breath and a gasp. "Oh, Sherd," we always say, "you crack me up." Sherd has been her nickname for as long as I can remember. Her name is Cheryl, and she was named after her grandfather Sherwood. Why her name is spelled with a C instead of an S remains a mystery to me. But anyway, the moniker Sherd is short for Sherwood.
My mom cries when she's happy, sad, scared, or laughing uncontrollably. And because I am my mother's daughter, so do I.
My mom has driven hours to come comfort me, even without me asking, on several occasions. She knows when I just need my mama and always has the right words to say. I know I can call her at three in the morning if I need to. I try to keep those types of calls to a minimum, though, because middle-of-the-night phone calls are another thing that sets her heart to racing.
Through relationship woes, triumphs, hilarious mishaps, and everything in between, my mom has been there for me. She is more than my mother; she is my best friend.
Because my mom would be absolutely mortified if I posted even one picture of her for the world (or my handful of readers) to see, I regret to inform you that today's post is sans photos. Just so you have an idea, though, my mom has short reddish-brown hair, glasses, an always-present smile, and is beautiful, on the inside and outside.
I know I've painted quite a picture of my wonderful mom, and none of it is embellished, but I'm not sharing with anyone but my brothers.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t posted in several days. If you did notice, there’s no need to miss me anymore, because I’m back! If you didn’t notice, shame on you. The reason for my absence is that I took a much-needed vacation with two of my dear friends, Shawna and Laura, to none other than Mardi Gras!

When we rolled into Mustang at about 9:15 Wednesday night, hungry, exhausted, and loaded down with beads, we couldn’t believe we had actually done it—we drove the 11-hour journey to and from Louisiana all by ourselves without getting lost once. We did, however, participate in our own personal Fear Factor game on the way there.

Laura drove the first few hours, which meant she got the none-too-enviable task of driving through Dallas. As the Big D loomed closer, our hearts pounded and we checked the map and GPS numerous times. But after only a couple minor panic attacks and zero wrong turns, we were out of Dallas and could all breathe a sigh of relief. 

Several hours later it was Shawna’s turn to face her fear: driving in general. Shawna is the girl who will drive two hours out of her way to avoid highways and traffic of any sort. But I have to hand it to Shawna, she was remarkably calm when she took over the wheel somewhere in Texas. (I probably should have kept a journal of our trip, because many details have already slipped my mind.) We knew rain was a very real possibility, but we figured we’d cross that bridge when we came to it. And come to it we did, which made us all a little nervous. But Shawna kept her hands at 10 and 2, turned the windshield wipers on full speed, and got us safely through the rain, which lasted at least an hour of her drive time.

And speaking of bridges, I came face to face with my biggest driving fear: going across bridges. I can’t say for sure where my fear of bridges comes from. I don’t know if it’s the height factor or the water factor or a little of both, but bridges terrify me. So I suppose it was only fitting that my leg of the drive just so happened to include driving across a 25-mile bridge in Louisiana. When I noticed I was quickly coming upon the bridge Shawna’s sister had warned us about, I panicked. All I really remember is Shawna cranking up the AC as high as it could go and breathing Lamaze style so I wouldn't black out. Luckily I didn’t, and at about 6:30 p.m., we finally made it to Covington, LA, where we were staying with Shawna’s grandma, aka Bebe.

Our three full days in Louisiana were filled with good food, spending time with Shawna’s super-sweet family, and, of course, parades! We had powdered-sugar-covered beignets at Café du Monde, award-winning cheesecake at Copeland’s, and boudin at Shawna’s family’s barbecue.

Yummy beignets

I also sampled more seafood than I’ve ever eaten in my life because, quite frankly, I’m not a fan of food that comes from the ocean. I choked down some shrimp and catfish, but I was not about to touch the crab claws

We did some souvenir shopping and bought Mardi Gras masks and t-shirts. 

 And finally it was Fat Tuesday! We got up at 5:00 a.m. to get a good spot for the parades and made it to Metairie for the famous truck parade by 7:00. The first parade didn’t start until 10:00, so Shawna, Laura, Laura (Shawna’s cousin [that never got confusing]), and I walked around looking for a bathroom, a Smoothie King, and wild costumes.

The parade finally began, and we had a blast! Seventy-six 18-wheelers laden with men, women, and children throwing out beads, stuffed animals, and panties cruised by. We danced in the street and screamed at the top of our lungs to get our beads. When we left several hours later, we had bags filled with the booty we had collected

Although a bit short, this vacation is one I will never forget. Not everyone can say they’ve been to Mardi Gras, and now I can actually mark it off my bucket list. It was a wonderful experience. I made new friends in Shawna’s family, conquered my biggest driving fear, and now have a box full of beads in my trunk. So if anyone wants some real-deal Mardi Gras beads, come see me.

Before Fear Factor

The lovely Shawna and me

Laura and me with just a few of the beads we collected

All of us waiting for our first Mardi Gras parade!