Coonass and Friends

I just love this time of year. When the weather starts warming up and happy hours on the patio are just around the corner. But let's not forget the most important part...the crawfish! There are few things I enjoy more than girlfriends, a patio, cold brew and crawfish. On Wednesday when I received this email message, I couldn't be more delighted!!! Since I'm the biggest tool in the shed, I decided to go for a little run before consuming all that greatness. I had Robyn stop at the house and pick up my purse and I met them all up there...on foot. Yes, you read right. I'm the idiot who runs to happy hour! I was a little sweaty, rockin' with my pod, sportin the heart rate monitor, satelite sized watch and foot pod, and don't forget the spandex pants. That definitely made it!

Here are a few pics of doing what we do best.

Another One Bites The Dust

*SCOTT & ABBY ARE ENGAGED*

I was waiting to post this one until I had some pictures emailed to me, but I'm still waiting on those ... *AHEM* Scort and Abrah-Kadabrah. Instead, I'll just post the picture I took wearing a lovely stone before it was given to the real owner. I'll post the real pics when I get them.

Abby is a Speech Pathologist in a local school district and recently had to attend a 3-day conference in San Antonio with her colleagues. Scott and Abby both love the Riverwalk as a quick weekend get-away, so Scott started playing with the idea of proposing down there. Luckily, Scott & Abby's neighbor also had to attend the conference and was sharing a hotel room with Abby, so Scott found it easy to plan the big night. Friday afternoon, all the Speech girls headed out to dinner and drinks to celebrate the end of their meetings and would fly home Saturday morning. They were all summoned outside to take a group photograph (which Abby was really opposed to because she was tired and didn't want a picture taken,) but in all reality, the only pictures to be taken would be of her and Scott. When they walked out, Scott was waiting there ready to give his speech. When she ran over to him and hugged him, she still had no clue why he was there. She just thought he was there to hang out with them and was relieved that he could fly home with her the following day. Scott starts into the normal tidbit about "Abby I love you, blah blah blah...You're my soulmate...blah blah blah...I want you to be a part of my family...blah blah blah" STILL - she had no clue what he was doing, she just said "Oh Scott, that's so nice of you to say!" And then he got down on his knee with the ring and she finally figured it out. Needless to say she was very surprised and she said yes. Two Stangas down, two to go. Abby & Scott are planning a destination wedding in Hilton Head, SC for August.

We are all just thrilled about the three new members of the clan. Welcome aboard the Stanga Train Abby, Maegan and Baby Claire!

LAME

The girl formally known as my sister will now be in disguise due to her trying to be professional or something productive like that. Mae Mae threatened my life if I didn't comply with her demands. She is so boring...and thin. She may quite possibly pop up in pictures from time to time in the form of a stick figure. :)

10 Things

I've seen several of my friends post these blogs, bulletins, emails with 10 interesting facts about themselves. Well, because I love myself (I mean who doesn't?) I figured I'd do the same. Plus, it's President's Day ... and it's slow....

10 Things About Me

1. I absolutely hate when I go to a restaurant and they serve my water/tea/coke/whatever in a thick glass. I usually tap my nails on it to see if it's plastic or real glass. I've learned which restaurants do this and will usually just ask for my drink to be served in a to-go cup instead. It's not high-maintenance, it's just something that I can't stand! I don't know if it makes the drink taste different, or makes my ice melt faster, or if I just don't like the way it feels. I HATE RESTAURANT GLASSES, but I can drink out of a glass at home.

2. I go through stages where I have weird cravings for random things, like I'm pregnant - but I'm sooo not! Make sure you read this corectly...I'm NOT! After eating the crap out of them for a month or two, I'm then over it. Most recently, it's been for cheetos, powdered-donuts and fish sticks. WTF? Where does this come from? But, my craving for pizza, breadsticks & marinara, pepperoni rolls and the like or hot dogs will never die!

3. I love to read and when I do, I make a movie of the story in my head. When I really love a book, I hate for it to end. Then I want the book to be turned into a movie so I can see if the real movie is anything like the movie in my head. (Starting to sound crazy here...) When I watch the movie, I'm usually disappointed and think they should have done it my way. This is why I like reading random people's blogs. Sure I'm nosey and love to gossip (a terrible characteristic, I know) but personal blogs include pictures (so I don't have to create a mental image) and it is continuously updated. Therefore, I never have to finish the story. Perfect!

4. I once went to a restaurant and didn't order any meat, just a vegetable plate of 3 sides: french fries, mashed potatoes and hash browns. I don't know why, but each of them was delicious in their very own unique way.

5. I have no idea what to do with my life. I want to be an artist, but I suck at art. I'd like to be a chef but get easily irritated while cooking. I want to go back to teaching, but loathe the thought of it. I'd like to be in sales or marketing, but believe it or not, I'm not outgoing enough. I'd like an office job where nobody bothers me, but I have that and it bugs me. I'd like to be a nurse, but I can't stand blood or gross things and can't even look at some people's hair. I want to be a social worker or something along the sorts, but the pay isn't that great. I want to be a singer, but am absolutely tone-deaf. I really want to be Tom from MySpace, but dang it, that job is already taken!

6. I think I have the greatest family alive. Really. Truly. Sometimes when it's just us around the dinner table doing what we do best- being ridiculous, I often wish there were hidden cameras so people could see how funny we are. Then I realize, that's something special we offer and the people who are closest to us are lucky enough to experience that.

7. When it's a beautiful day outside - bright, sunny and really warm when the sun shines directly on you, but then a breeze comes through - I wish I was no longer outside but on the couch with a blanket taking a nap. Actually, I usually always wish I was on the couch with a blanket taking a nap. I love naps!

8. When I sleep, I have to be surrounded by pillows. Half the pillows I don't even come close to making contact with during the night, but I have to have them on the bed. I need to have pillows snug on both sides of me so I feel safe. I also MUST have my infamous knee-knocking pillow. Damn I'm 80. I prefer to sleep in beds pressed against the wall, and will sleep as close to the wall as possible. If I can't have the pillows - I'd much rather sleep in a twin sized bed than in a bigger bed that was wide open. I’ve also been recently informed that I shuffle my feet together right before I fall asleep, but once I’m out – I stop.

9. I don't wear but a fourth of the clothes in my closet. I'm thinking about getting rid of the rest, but I know one day I'll wear them. Right?

10. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE TARGET!!!

I <3HEART<3 This Day of Hearts

And not because of the typical reasons some people love this day.

On my way to work today, I decided to give Danette and Miss Blayne a call to wish them a Happy Valentime's Day, and Blayne got to tell me all about her day she was going to have. I then told them about my not-so-fun day ahead, and that all I wanted was somebody to give me a Valentine's cupcake. Apparently, I have a tapeworm and have been eating everything in sight!

When I pulled up to work, as usual, the parking lot was full of brand-new, very expensive luxury vehicles. I parked in the spot right next to the prettiest Mercedes and then noticed that they must have spent their last dollar on the car, because they can't afford to buy a Democrat bumper sticker. That or he is a cheapskate who claims he's Democrat but can't throw up a dollar or two to support the campaign. He had 3 of these bad boys plastered to his rear windshield and the two rear-door windows, with the long-lasting packing tape. Some call it thrifty, I call it hilarious!

Once I got to work, I read a new blog that Kacy had posted about Valentine's Day. She included some fabulous memories of last year's ValentiMe's celebration with Jen, Kacy and me. We did it the night before the real day since the next day would be dedicated to the 'Real Valentines.' (Oh who am I kidding, I went home and hung out with my parents, but they at least had plans.) Anyway, we decided to get each other something that was really heart-felt and we would have a gift-exchange over wine and dinner. I was ecstatic when Kacy gave me a light-up fan headband and Jen gave me a Dr. Fart keychain (both bought from the prize counter with hard-earned tickets from Dave & Busters.)

I took a different approach to finding that perfect gift for those two special girls in my life. Justin Timberlake's 'Dick in a Box' had just come out on SNL 2 months prior, and we got such a dick, I mean kick, out of it, so I felt it appropriate to get those girls their very own 'Dick in a Box.'

We're pretty creative (read: retarded) when we're sober, but add a couple of glasses of wine, and we are a good time (read: unbelievably retarded.) Who doesn't think to tape the mini-penis to the fan headband?

After watching the videos, I was laughing so hard (probably not because they're all that funny for real, but just because we're idiots,) I nearly peed my pants and had to rush to the bathroom. On the way back, our receptionist, Vanessa informed me that there were Valentine cupcakes and cookies in the kitchen. OMG - did somebody grant my wish? Now, can I just say I wish someone would give me a lot of money, and they'll do it? I got back to my desk, cookie and cupcake in hand(s) and found a wonderful email from Jen...er, actually it was a Special Message from Dwight on Valentime's Day.

Fact: Valentine’s Day is overrated, and should
be banned to the public for the following reason.

One: Wastes valuable paper products on lame cards.
Two: Over stimulates the economy because of over priced flowers.
Three: Chocolate is toxic to dogs, and beets and should not be sold in large quantities.

At lunch, I ran to Target, because what else would I do with some free-time? Being the extreme bargain shopper that I am, I was very excited to find a pack of 3 door safety knobs for toddlers on clearance for $0.74. Of course I bought them, even if Baby Claire is only -4 months old. I also found some small cardboard learning books on clearance for a quarter each. This day just keeps getting better and better! After lunch, I told my mom about my great finds, and she told me that she found a package of outlet plugs last night on clearance for $1.12 instead of $4.99. We are so easily amused, and save money doing it! :) She then informed me that my dad, being the charming husband that he is, gave her some real nice presents: a card, flowers and some odds and ends from around the house. I asked what all that included and she told me she got:

*candy that was already in the house
*fake green decorative grapes that she bought on clearance after Christmas to give to me
*a candy cane leftover from Christmas
*a green metal container they keep pens and pencils in on the kitchen desk
*a dollar from her wallet

Geez, I love that man! I sure hope great things keep happening to me for the rest of the day. I'm sure they will though, since I'm having a special celebration tonight at home with Robyn and Kacy. We really know how to do it right with wine and pizza -
a Papa John's V-Day Special.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU ALL!!!

Justified

If there was ever any doubt or question as to why we would be referred to as The Stanga Train, wonder no more! And guess what, it wasn't even Mae Mae nor myself that earned us the claim to fame this weekend.

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We're not the normal family, so why would we have a normal, average, or even a slightly-less-than-normal amount of pets? Scott and Abby went to my parents' house to visit yesterday morning and to help my mom out with the dogs. The hounds love going on walks, but is no easy task and definitely can't be conquered by one person alone, and not really two. So off Scott, Abby and Mom go with Marley, Ernie, Daisy and Indy to Bob Wodruff Park for a nice stroll on an absolutely beautiful day.

Marley and Indy love to run free through the woods and aren't nearly as crazy as the other two, so Mom and Abby let them off their leashes so they could roam wild amongst the trees, while Scott kept Ernie and Daisy leashed and just along the tree line. Of course, just like any lab would do at the first sight of water, it took Marley no time to work his way down the steep banks of the creek and get to splashing. Mom claims he looked a little nervous and scared about getting out and back up, so she also headed down the bank to help him.

Well, for those who actually know my mom, this was all I needed to say before you know what happens next. Of course she stumbles a bit, falls straight on her bum and slides/rolls/whatever all the way down the steep bank and lands right in the creek. HAH! Also, any of you who have traveled with the family know of my mother's infamous grunts and vocal, yet crude declaration of frustration while trying to maneuver in any small space (read: from the front seat to the back seat.) I know, I know - so many people don't believe that sweet little Leslie knows any curse words, but I promise you, she does. I can only imagine the usual yelling of verbal disgrace flowing off her tongue as she tumbled down: "Ah sh*t, ugh f*ck, ooohhh, eeeek, sonofabitch, gawd-damnit, sh*t!" This is no lie, it's nearly a routine monologue that needs no rehearsing - it's straight from memory every time.

Finally, she got a hold of Marley and found a nice spot where she could actually stand with him and waited for Abby to go get Scott for help. Scott says he was really worried, as if Mom had really hurt herself, but he found her standing knee-deep in the creek, mushy-toed and all, with Marley - no damages but a little aggravated. Scott first helped pull Marley up and over and then had to help Mom. My only question is (first of all, I don't question for a second how or why this happened,)but what I do wonder is who the hell forgot the camera?

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The boys (I don't think Mark & Scott will ever grow out of being called 'the boys,') have always been very athletic and into sports, especially soccer when they were younger. They have always been among the smaller kids for their age, but it benefited them on the field, as they were much quicker than most the bigger oafs on the opposing teams, and could weave in and out of a jumbled mess of players. Although those times have passed, the boys still enjoy playing a good game of soccer in an adult league. Unfortunately, a couple years - or nearly 3 years back, Scott thought he could still use his sweet skills and shattered his elbow, so he has yet to get back on the field. On the other hand, Mark has been playing on a team for a few seasons, and a lot of the guys on the team are his old childhood teammates. It's funny that they always stick together.

Anyway, Mark had a scrimmage yesterday before their new season officially starts. A player from the other team went up for a header, and Mark accidentally kneed him in the chest. Knowing the twins, this came as no surprise, since they have always been slightly aggressive, but not in a bad-sport sort of way. After the game ended, Mark was walking off the field, and the guy he had kneed was yelling at him, "Hey Scott." Mark kept walking off. The guy called again, "Hey, Scott!" Nothing. Once more and the guy finally caught up with Mark. Mark said "I'm not Scott, I'm Mark." The guy says "Ohhh, you look EXACTLY like this guy I work with named Scott Stanga." Mark just laughs and says "Oh, that's my twin brother." Turns out, the guy is Scott's boss and was wondering why Scott never said anything to him in the game, especially after 'Scott' kneed the crap out of him. Surprisingly, Scott didn't get fired from his job today for assaulting his boss, but the guy had no idea Scott had a brother, much less an identical twin brother. Small world.

Oh-So-Spoiled

My girlfriend Cara is extremely creative and an amazingly talented artist. I mean duh, she did my blog layout. She has started up her own little side business doing cute art projects, specializing in goodies for babies and children. I've seen her work in person and it is absolutely adorable and she loves doing it. A lot of her items make excellent shower, birthday and teacher gifts, so if you want to check out her work, please visit her website at www.oh-sospoiled.blogspot.com. It's well worth a quick second to look at what she can do! :)

It's All We Know, It's What We Do

Yikes! Where, oh where to begin???

Well, my previous post pretty much covers Saturday morning/lunch, so I can start off with Saturday afternoon. We stopped off at The Bulldog for a refreshing cocktail and then headed to meet some of Mae Mae's friends to watch the Endymion parade. I got to be the first in the family to meet Mae Mae's new homeboy, Larry, and I also got to meet his friends, a great couple Brian (Jack Black's twin personality) and Elaine (adorable lil' spitfire.)

Luckily, they have friends that live along this parade's route, so we partied in their front yard watching the floats and people go by. It was a great time, and the whiskey was tasty! :) I had to pace myself though, as the night was very young and we still had to go home and get ready for the night's main event, once the parade was over.

After Endymion, we rushed home, fancied up with our costumes and headed to the MOMS Ball, which is an exclusive event each year and you have to know someone special to get your tickets. They will without a doubt turn away people at the door if they aren't in sufficient costume. Again, Mae Mae had warned me that this would be pretty racy and risqué and I was to wear a costume that was revealing. Now as posted previously, my lovely sister had volunteered me to be the crocodile from the Peter Pan theme we were doing, and I think I did it pretty well, considering I had a limited production timeline, and I had to make it slutty.

Well, while I was the skankiest of our group...

...I didn't even remotely compare to what I saw. The first costume I saw was this...EEEEEEEEKKKKS!

That was one of the less offensive outfits, as the first female costume I saw when I walked in the ball was a lady wearing clear plastic platforms, fish-net tights (with nothing underneath but an interesting design shaved into her goodies,) very tiny pasties on her chest and a wig. That was all, and that was par for a lot of the people at this place. I remained slightly nervous the whole time, as I'm not quite used to being in the environment but it was interesting none-the-less and I did see some other great costumes. And as it turns out, I was one of the more popular people at the party. No, seriously, really. So many people thought my outfit was funny (I wouldn't go as far as saying cute) that they would come up and ask me to take a picture with them.) It was a life-defining moment for me, of course!

Thankfully, and despite many of your beliefs, I ended this night as sober as could be. I needed to save up my energy for Sunday, because it was going to be a long day. My Aunt Barbara & Uncle Bob (Mom's side) live on the parade route for the Thoth parade, which is a nice, smaller parade that cruises through uptown. They had a cocktail party/brunch at their house so we could easily watch the parade. Our cousin Reagan (Dad's side) and his girlfriend Marie joined us as well. Also, contrary to many beliefs, the parades during Mardi Gras are very clean and family friendly. It's not until you get to Bourbon Street does it become wild. (Stories to follow.)

Sunday night was the highlight of my trip, as it included attending the Bacchus parade and having a balcony on Bourbon Street. Being that I had reserved energy and liver health, I decided to go balls to the wall this night, starting at Bacchus, and clearly I succeeded. (Disclaimer: New Orleans is very humid. Pair that with my already curly mess of a hairstyle and you've got disaster. But apparently disaster that was my theme for the night.)

Larry and his friends had rented the balcony of Arnaud's for us to be wined and dined all night long. The food was incredible and the bar selection made my heart smile. Being on a balcony during Mardi Gras is definitely the way to go, avoids all the ridiculous crowds on Bourbon Street.

With the insane amount of people on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, you can guarantee that over 50% of them are stupid enough to do horrendous acts just for beads, or better yet, a light saber. I saw small boobs, big boobs, saggy boobs, fake boobs, white boobs, brown boobs, old boobs, young boobs and the same goes for the male parts. But, what I did NOT expect to see was the pregnant woman who got on her knees in the middle of the street to have oral sex with her husband, in order for us to give her the light saber. WOW is all I have to say. I guess once you've been to Mardi Gras, you've seen it all people, you've seen it all!

After our adventures on the balcony, we headed to the Carousel Bar at the Montleone Hotel. Mae Mae and Larry escaped to some hidden table while I used the facilities, so when I came back and didn't see them, I just walked up the bar. There I met my Irish friends, JPJ (Jeremiah Patrick John,) Cathal (Cuh-haul,) and Tim. They were visiting from Ireland just for the fabulous carnival time, and they instantly became my new best friends. Eventually, we continued on to the Ole Absinthe House for Irish shots, Irish dancing and Stanga Sister Sandwiches.

Before we knew it, the clock was approaching 4:45 am Monday morning. My flight back to Dallas left at 6:45 am. We literally walked straight out of the bar on Bourbon Street, grabbed a quick breakfast at an all-night diner. We shared frivolous laughs, due to the simple fact that Mae Maeis a 'finisher.'

I was literally hammered checking into the airport at 5:45 and getting on the plane, and even getting off the plane in Dallas. Although I had planned to arrive at Love Field at 8:15 and drive 4 or 5 blocks straight to the office, it didn't happen. Look at me y'all. This is EXACTLY how I got on the plane...minus the mask and the Irish dude.

Yup, my dress is from the night before, cowboy boots, boa and beads. Now tell me that doesn't make a statement. I received many looks, heard under-breath comments from spectators and I'm positive the people sitting next to me on the plane just LOVED me.

Heck yes I'm a good time. And a mess!

One Story At A Time

So I knew that if I tried to capture all the events of this crazy weekend in one blog, I'd be sure to leave something fabulous out, so I figured while I have a spare second in between a parade and showering, I'd take a moment to jot this little gem down.

Sister and I had to head out before the lunch/parade crowd to do some last minute shopping for our costumes we'll sport tonight. Once we had purchased our final items, we stopped to grab a quick bite at Ignatious for a traditional muffaletta, jambalaya and an ice-cold Abita Light Beer served in the ever-so-classy brown paper bag. I love this city.

After lunch, we walked down to the parade routes to catch the end of one and the beginning of another amongst all the other eleventy billion parade goers, but needed to head back home in order to get ready. One slight problem, during carnival time, it isn't exactly the easiest to get from one side of the city to the other. I mean, you just can't do it. Here we found ourselves in a situation...not to anyone's surprise. You can't cross St. Charles or Napoleon because of the massive parades strolling down the street, but that doesn't deter the Twister Sisters even the slightest. I noticed that a parked car had moved and there was just enough space along the curb to slip Mae Mae's little car in past the barricades and then could pull back out into the street. We were GOLDEN...for one block. Then we hit Napoleon and the gargantuous, multi-level floats that would block our path. Mae Mae walked up to the police car parked at the intersection and asked how she would get home because she lives on Magazine Street on the opposite side of Napoleon. He gave her a "you have got to be kidding me?" look, as if he was thinking, 'ain't no way anyone getting from one side of the city to the other in the next hour, no matter who you are!' Mae Mae, being the great debater that she has always been (hence the law school endeavor,) threw a fit and JUST HAD to get her way. Hah! Wouldn't you know it, we pulled right up to Napoleon, and the cop jumped out in the middle of the street and blew his whistle. He stopped an ENTIRE parade, floats for as far back as we could see, to let us pass through. This isn't any ordinary traffic direction, this was a special occasion. Of course we rolled down the windows and waved to everyone, just like we were in the parade ourselves. Without a float. Without beads. In t-shirts and jeans. In a Honda Civic. No make-up. Not drunk. But you know, like we were in the parade.

Ladies and Gentlemen (and those that we can't figure out what the hell you are,) of New Orleans, The Hoo Hoo Sisters are here!

Did You Really Think I Wouldn't...

...show up to work like this? I mean, duh!

At 3:15 today I'm peacin' out this mo-fo and will be well on my way to Mardi Gras Mambo. I'll update you on my adventure when I retrieve my liver Monday morning from the trash can on one of the four corners of Bourbon St. and Toulouse.