Talking About it Tuesday ~ January 14, 2025/Huey Lewis

 Good morning!  I am following up on my New Orleans post from yesterday.

Today I am writing about what prompted me to drive to New Orleans for the weekend.  2 words....Huey Lewis!

If you are newer here to my blog, I am a huge Huey Lewis and the News fan.  Huey was most popular in the 80's and I have seen him about 10 times in concert over the past 40 years. I have been able to meet him twice in the past. I also have several t-shirts from past concerts.

In 2019, Huey lost his hearing and can no longer perform due to this.  I heard he was going to appear at an upcoming Fan Expo.  I had not heard of these, but these happen every year in different cities.  There are a lot of comicon/animated celebrities at these events.  I know nothing about any of that, but they also have some other stars from movies or tv shows.  This year is the 40th anniversary of the movie Back to the Future, one of the biggest movie hits of the 80's.  Huey had a cameo in the movie and sings the theme song, Power of Love.  

I drove 6 hours and enjoyed myself thoroughly just watching him sign autographs. 99% of the people were having him sign "Back to the Future" items.  There was a cost for a picture and autograph, so I opted not to purchase a ticket since I had done both in the past.

After standing there about 2 hours just watching all of this, his handler/manager called me to the table.  He said he noticed I had been waiting and had Huey sign this picture for me.  I was so happy to be able to say hi personally to him and shake his hand.

There were other Back to the Future stars there as well...

"Biff"

"Lorraine"

"Doc"

"Jennifer"

A few other celebrities there that I recognized were Tim Daly who use to star in the show "Wings".

William Shatner from Star Trek

This is George Newbern who played "Brian McKenzie" in Father of the Bride.  He is in the show Scandal also, but I haven't watched that show.

That evening, there was a panel of some stars of Back to the Future.  What a thrill to see of course Huey, but also Micheal J. Fox.  I loved the show "Family Ties" in the 80's.  

It was such a thrill to see them all on Friday.  This was worth the trip for me to see Huey, my favorite singer.  Chances are, I would probably not see him again since he doesn't tour, so this was a fun, unique opportunity. I am so glad I did this!

Thanks for reading & hope it is a good day for you!

Hello Monday ~ NOLA January 13, 2025

Hello and Happy Monday friends!  I am joining up for a weekend recap.  I am starting with a recap of Saturday and Sunday.  I will go back and recap Friday tomorrow :).  

I went to New Orleans on Friday (more about that tomorrow).  Two dear friends met me there and we spent Saturday enjoying the city. It is a rare thing, but it was quite cold there.  We rode the streetcar around to see some of the city.

No trip would be complete without eating beignets.

Pro tip: Order the sugar on the side and then you can dip your beignet in it.  It helps reduce the sugar that spreads everywhere when you eat it.

There was a memorial for the recent tragic event there.

Riding the streetcar enjoying the views!

An old cemetary

We stopped to get a warm drink.

Walking on Canal Street

I got a sampler plate of gumbo, jumbalay and crawfish etoufee. Crawfish etoufee is my favorite.  

This is the menu at a food stand in the French Market area.

Jackson Square

There were beads on the trees for upcoming Mardi Gras.

The restaurant where we ate Saturday night had framed prints on the ceiling.

We had an excellent breakfast Sunday morning.

I stopped by a Wal-Mart before I left Louisiana to pick up some etoufee seasoning mix.  They have a whole aisle of Mardi Gras decor.

I hope you all enjoyed your snowy weekend. I was happy to avoid it all and have fun in New Orleans!

Currently ~ January 8, 2025

 Today I am linking up with Jennifer for Currently. 

Loving

I am loving my dance lessons!  I began taking dance lessons in November.  I am learning ballroom/smooth dances like rumba, foxtrot, waltz and tango.  Of these, I really enjoy rumba and tango.  I am also learning some latin dances, such as swing and cha cha. I am still trying to decide which one I like better!  It is still hard for me to distinguish all of the dances, but I really like my teacher and have fun each week.

Doing to stay warm

I sleep with my house at a comfortable temperature of 62.  For me, that works at night. I definitely turn up the heat first thing when I wake up, but I promise, I don't get cold when I sleep.  I stay warm by wearing a sweatshirt or my blardigan in the house.  I also enjoy drinking a cup of hot chocolate or hot tea.  I also keep a throw blanket on the couch when watching tv.  

Resolving

I am resolving to try to read a little and exercise a little each day. I realize some days, that may not happen. I have learned to give myself lots of grace in all areas of life, but I do like to have some goals to strive for as well.

Organizing

I am organizing so many things in my house.  As I go through cabinets, drawers, closets in my house, I am trying to really go through each thing.  Going through old pictures is probably the most overwhelming part of it for me.  I have a friend coming in a few weeks who may help me sort through some of these.

Wearing

When I am not going to work, I am wearing leggings and a sweatshirt.  On days I am going back into the office, I am still wearing pants and a sweater on most days, especially during this month when it is so cold.

Have a great day!

Hello Monday ~ January 6, 2025

 

Good Monday morning friends.  

Brook made it back to school Friday, so thanks for saying a prayer for her as she traveled.  

I went to the grocery store and spent the rest of the day at home.  I spent time organizing and sorting things, which was such a good feeling.   I made a car load of donations to Goodwill this weekend! I am also filling up one of the trash cans outside.  

Jennifer came over Friday night and we had a casual night just hanging out and eating a simple dinner, with a glass of wine.  

Saturday morning, my niece came to pick up her dog.  I went to my parents and spent about 4 hours helping them and storing some Christmas goodies there.  I spent some time talking with an old friend that night.

Sunday after church, it was a rainy day here.  I watched a few more episodes of Virgin River and enjoyed the day at home before I return back to work today.

This is my short and sweet re-cap of the weekend.  I am thankful it was a good one and I was able to go through some more things around the house.

How was yours?

Friday Favorites ~ January 3, 2025

 It is the first Friday of the new year.  Let's go 2025....I know I have survived 100% of my hardest days so far, so I will continue to make it through what comes my way this year. 

I have been dogsitting my niece's dog while they have been on vacation.  He is so funny how he would wrap his arm around Brook!

Brook and I went to Floor and Decor.  It was her first visit and we looked at lots of tile and flooring.  

A favorite was sitting outside some this week.  It turned cold again yesterday, but seeing sunshine on a cool day is always a favorite.

I resumed my ballroom/latin dance lessons after a 2 week break.

I met up with 2 of my first cousins for lunch.  I had seen both of them recently, but they hadn't seen each other in 30 years!

New Year's Eve, Jennifer went with me to one of my good friend's home for a party.  

We then went to another party and we faced a few awkward moments, but it was fun to go out! 

New Year's Day was a favorite of mine.  I stayed in my pajamas all day long!  Brook went out for a little bit, but then we did a lot of going through things and I cooked us a steak for dinner in the air fryer.  Black eyed peas hasn't brought much luck the past few years, so I opted for steak and potatoes!

Reading this was a favorite

My sister and her family, including her kids and grandkids (my greats) all spent the week at Disney.  Seeing their pictures of the kids meeting characters and princesses about put me down with all the cuteness.  I was literally in tears watching their video on Instagram.

These verses also slayed me and I am proclaiming these verses for my life. This was a definite favorite.

One not so favorite moment, is my Brook left this morning to return to her university.  I would love a quick prayer on her behalf as she makes a really long drive back and I begin the journey of living alone.  I have loved every moment of having her at home.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Share Your Shelf ~ January 2025

 

Hi!  This New Year is here and now it seems like the fall went by so fast, as it always seems to do. 

I always record (does that make me sound old using that term?) Hallmark Christmas movies and I still have about 10 I haven't watched.  My goal is to get them finished by the end of this month.  With that being said, not only am I behind in watching "my shows", but I am behind in reading too.  I did order 2 new books, so hopefully I can get some reading in this month.

In the meantime, join my fellow friends and hope you will join us to share what you have been reading.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hodgepodge ~ January 1, 2025

 Happy New Year!  Happy Hodgepodge!  

1. Oxford's Word of the year for 2024 is 'brain rot'. Are you familiar with this term? Do you suffer from the condition? Ha! This is a term used to 'capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media'. If you were choosing a word to capture 2024 (for the nation/world, not your own life personally) what word would you choose? 

I am not familiar with the term brain rot.  

A word for our nation/world?  Maybe change since we elected a new president?  

2. It's National Polar Bear Plunge Day (January 1)...will you be participating in one of these events (or even your own)? How will you spend the first day of this brand new year? Do you have a traditional New Year's Day menu? 

I have never done a Polar Bear plunge & won't be participating this year either.  I will probably spend the first day of the new year cleaning.  Typically, I would serve ham, black eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's Day.  This year, I will cook steak and potatoes.  I am continuing the trend of new changes for 2025!

3. What's something that brings you joy and how will you do more of it in this new year? 

Dancing brings me joy and I will continue it at least until spring comes. I started taking ballroom/latin dance lessons last fall.

I am also hoping to get a massage to help me relax more.

Travel brings me joy, so I am looking forward to a few small trips, and maybe a bigger one later in the year.

4. Do you struggle with the January blues? What's one thing you can/will do to keep them at bay? 

Yes and this January is already holding some hard things ahead for me.  One thing I like to do in January is take a trip.  I have a fun weekend planned for this month that I am looking forward to and will share here afterwards.

5. Will you choose your own personal word of the year for 2025? What about a goal, resolution, or maybe even a bucket list? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

I won't be choosing a word of the year.  I read a meme about giving yourself freedom from this, but I couldn't find it for this post.  I have some goals of organizing/decluttering my house, eat healthier, exercise more, read more, join a bible study.  I feel like a lot of these are on repeat each year and actually, each month or week sometimes!  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Linking up with Joyce today