St. Martinville aka Petit Paris

The teens and I headed out of Texas after Christmas for vacation. We left early Wednesday morning and arrived around 3pm in the St Martin Parish to hunker down for a few days in an old Methodist church from 1904. This 1400 square foot piece of southern Louisiana history is a perfect spot for creatives. St. Martinville, also known as "little Paris," is the site of the "Evangeline Oak," which was once believed to be featured in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about the Acadian expulsion. The tree is draped with moss and sits in a little park right along the Bayou Teche. Here is a great little blog about it's history: The Story of Evangeline’s Empty Grave: A Louisiana Tale. Toby and Rene' are not fans of seafood however we ate at a local restaurant called St John's and Toby and I tried Gator bits...they were yummers.



Bust of Longfellow

The next day we traveled to Lafayette's science and history museum where we spent at least 30 minutes experiencing Virtual Reality games. It was funny to watch them shoot arrows, fling planets and pet virtual animals.

Later in the evening we headed off to Baton Rouge to experience a 2.5 hour night ghost tour. In this private excursion, we loaded a small tour bus and bumped through the city listening to tails of history. We got off at certain spots for pictures and "hunting" using equipment to test for paranormal activity. We had frights, laughs and maybe even have some orb pictures. I'll let you be the judge. ;)  There were stories of the apparitions of Huey Long, Sarah Morgan and ghosts aboard the U.S.S Kidd who lost thirty-eight soldiers in a failed kamikaze attack. [that pilot haunts it also] We used Electro-magnetic field detectors and a voice recorder to scan for a ghost named Sadie, confederate soldiers, and a slain professor among others. See below for more pictures!

We are playing today by ear and going where the road leads us. So far though, it's been great to get away with the kids and be adventurous. I hope they catch that bug and continue to adventure for the rest of their lives.

Our AirBnB home while in Louisiana

Ghost Tour & Hunting

 

apparition in the upper right corner of the pic to the left 

Zoomed in on the picture I took.

This home had a red light on inside. You can see it in the right window next to the door. It gave a eerie mood for sure.

Sunday, The First Day of My Week

In American culture, we tend to view our 7 day week as beginning on Monday. Five days of work and the two that follow to rest and play. I think many Christians view Sunday worship as a period to their week. This morning, I am mediating on how different my week might feel with a perspective change in treating Sunday as the first day of my week.

I'll let you go to the net and research the controversy to draw your own conclusion about what "should" be considered our first day of the week however that's not my point here. This morning my mind is on what perspective I need.

As Megan Ryan said in the movie Kate & Leopold, "Sunday is the day before the day I work, so it gets poisoned." I've felt this way. Sometimes after service, a Sunday can feel packed with a dread of Mondays and all the "adulting" that comes along with the week ahead.

But, what if Sunday is my first day of the week? What if I framed my work week in a hug of rest and play between Sunday and Saturday. Then, Sunday can be the beginning of something new instead of the end...like when God created and when Jesus rose. Even if you are not a person of faith, maybe your week would feel different if the week was sandwiched between Sunday's relaxation and Saturday's freedom?

I don't know about you but, for me, this perspective change could be the balm.

As the Proverb says, "A Sunday well spent brings a week of content."

Filing the Irks Away

Me: "I'm a slow processor."

Doesn't it look like a person? Ha.

Another: "I'd call it internal processing. You gather all the information you can and then process which can't always be done in the moment."

This was a brief section of a conversation I had today. She was right. Introverts process internally. I'm reflecting on the different ways I internally process because I was challenged to figure out which avenue of processing I would like to bring back into my life if I could. Ways I process:

• Acting through a scenario
• Writing
• Silence
• Talking through a situation
• Visualization/Picturing an analogy that fits a situation

Like a race car on the track, again I return and it's being pointed out that I'm putting myself last in my professional and personal relationships. As my son mentioned more than once this weekend, "You keep waking up through the night because you are stressed."

True, my sweet warrior boy.

Further truth is that I'm not taking time to process, or as a mentor from about 9 years ago shared with me, "You are not taking time to file away the details of the day so your mind can rest." Will I ever learn? Ha.

Today during my talk with "Another," I did my mental filing in Picture Analogy. Me, the armadillo...trying to have a soft front, strong back [thanks to Brene' Brown]. My life, the balancing scale that has too much weight on one side. So today, it seems I brought back the Picture Analogy process.

Tonight, I need to go further...writing. When Another gave me this challenge, I didn't think I'd even have time to process my processes...ha, but here. If I work at it...or better yet, if I relax into it by taking time for myself, then the processing comes.

 

One interaction was brought to mind just now as I was searching for pictures. I answered the phone today at work and since I answer for both my office and the main college line I began answering the professional way I always do, "Thank you for calling [name of college], this is [my name]" but she cut me off before I even got out "the college of" and started talking over me. *irk!* Then she fumbled and said, "I didn't want you to have to go through your whole spiel," to which I responded fairly brash, "I'd rather say it than be interrupted."

 

Awkward moment. Which is unfortunate because I've been having a lot of those with coworkers lately. We are all so stressed and snowed under. Yet people's impoliteness really has been getting on my last nerve. See how I'm processing through writing...go me! Go ahead and send me a mental high-five...'cause I'm not being prideful, this is the stuff I'm needing to process for the my health and happiness. Okay...that situation is filed. :) If you are an extrovert, it might help to read some tips below and if you are introverted, it might help you to be reminded of those things that tend to send you to space so you can work through them and get grounded. As for me, this filing time is over...and I'm off to a warm bubble bath.

Pumpkin Wreaths

Recently, my mom, aunt and I got together to make some cute Fall pumpkin wreaths. Here is a great post that has directions: Miss Kopy Kat

My Pleasant Place

New job, new opportunities.

Recently, I sold my first home and moved to a different county. God simply seemed to be opening doors for it. The new home is closer to my family and job, in a smaller town, has more privacy and safety plus puts my son in a smaller school (which allows the students more technology).

Many of our neighbors brought welcome gifts to our door and introduced themselves so we began feeling right at home. This is practically my dream home so I wanted to share.

Photos ended up in random order. ha!

Happy in Stressful Places

Texas tornadoes are beyond frightening. When I had to herd my kids into my small master closet recently, I knew something had to change. Now I have a tornado pod in my garage for our safety. As I prep it, I felt the cold metal and bland color changed my mood so I decided to draw a cute picture. Sometimes it's the small things. Just a note that when I moved, they didn't give us the same one back so someone, somewhere has this in their pod. :)

Pictures of the installers for reference and pic of my owl. 

From Survive A Storm

 

Creative Writing - New Oil Painting

I first saw this painting in an antique mall a year ago and it spoke to me. But, being hard headed, I just didn't listen. However the other day I visited the antique shop again and this beauty was still there. I couldn't resist making an offer! This usually isn't my style of art...still there is just something about it.. perhaps it was simply meant to be mine! Why keep it waiting any longer.

I received a suggestion to write about this new painting I purchased as a self-care practice to bring out the artistic side of me I've been longing to be more in touch with in my life. Today, I took time at lunch to write: 

Vibrant, dimensions leaping from the flat surface and perfectly blending with the painted frame. Different lighting brings new colors to attention. In the fluorescent lights, the blue outlines of the table and around the guitar suddenly appear. The "heart" bumps up in it's texture, which makes me want to close my eyes and touch the canvas. Cracks in the oil bring a wise, old feeling to this modern expressionism jewel. With the lights off and showcased the a lamp's glow, the little apples, the frame around the "heart", the curtain and the guitar take center stage as though about to perform. The piece sings of relaxation and easy times spent in a special palce somewhere filled with music, spirits, and light, healthy food. The keyboard, showing that the instrument doesn't require perfection to be enjoyed, smoothly moves to frame the scene of letting your spirit enjoy before heading out through its heart's door... with the reminder to revisit and re-imagine any time you please.