Katrina and the Saints

I have never been much of a fair-weather fan. I have never let a boy tell me which team I was going to pull for. I have always been and forever will be a die hard South Carolina fan, a Atlanta Braves fan, and now a Saints fan.
I became a "semi" Saints fan after Katrina because my heart felt for people that I had never known. The next year I was a Saints fan. Even though I had fond memories of the Carolina Panthers, I just wasn't that into the NFL.
Over the past four years I got to know the people, that I thought I would never know. Over the past year I have gotten to know these people very well. Hearing stories of what my family, friends, and students went through four years ago will break the hardest heart.
The story of a newly married couple losing almost every memento of their wedding. A family coming back and standing where their house use to be. A student literally having to swim for his life because they flood waters were coming into quickly. A grandmother coming back to find the house where she was raised, her children were raised, and her grandchildren spent many years utterly destroyed. All pictures ruined and gone. Every special treasure washed away, home movies gone, life as you knew it any concert memory they ever once had gone in a matter of seconds.
When my family and friends came back to what all they once knew to be gone they had one thing to hold on to, the Saints. These people for 43 years have dearly loved their Saints but after Katrina that loved became a bond. The people of Southereasten Louisiana are bonded to their Saints. The Saints were these people. Their home the Superdome became home to over 30,000 people after Katrina. But like many peoples home was badly damaged. The Dome had to be fixed the Saints had to be fix.
As the city of New Orleans was being rebuilt so were the Saints. The Saints gave these people hope, the bright spot to their Sundays. Something to make it through the messy weeks, months, and years. As the Saints won they rejoiced and that week was made nicer. As the Saints lost it was "Bless You Boys" and "There's always next season."
The Saints rebuilt the with the people, as they fixed their houses so did the saints. As people thought they were getting back on their feet but then found out that contractors had left town and stuck them with sulfuric drywall. The saints felt that blow with losing.
But as this season progressed so did the people. When the Saints reached 5-0 the people were rejoicing because I think they saw them in each game winning their own personal battles. When the saints became 11-0, they said to themselves we can make it through this. Just like the saints these people have always kept going with a smile on their faces, you could never knock them down so much that they wouldn't get back up.
When the Saints won the NFC Championship last night I rejoiced with my family as they saw something happen that none of us have ever seen before. The Saints win the championship and go to the Superbowl. I cried for my family because here was what they have been waiting for since before the Storm and looked forward to with even more anticipation after the storm. As some sign that if the Saints can make it through we can too.
Yes last night there was yelling in the streets, fireworks everywhere, and a lines a mile long waiting to get their Championship Shirts. One person commented, "Do they know this isn't the superbowl?" Well yes they do but to them this was just like have a perfect season and winning the superbowl three times all in one night.
No state, area, city, or people deserve this win more than the people of Louisiana. Bless You Boys :-)

I don't know how any woman could make it through life without a sister. I mean a biological one. No matter how close you are to one woman who is not your sister...it's still not the same as having a sister. I miss my sister very much. Being who knows how many hours and miles and worlds apart we are I miss picking up the phone and being able to talk to her and see her! Of course I miss my niece so much to! Even when she lived in Louisville she was just a phone call a way, and not to mention we are on the same time zone. Yes I tell Kris everything it's just not the same. All the to say I miss Jeni and think everyone should have sister.

Kris is doing A LOT better. He is walking without cruches! Next week we leave for the beach for a youth beach trip! He will be hurting. Today he had a little fall which hurt him alot. Gave him a pain pill but because it had been so long since he had one it made him real sick! but he is doing great even the doctor said so! Cocky is growing all the time and is now bigger than ever. He will always be a little dog but he has gotten a lot bigger than when we first got him.

So since Kris is little accident we have gotten into 24 yeah it's pretty much AMAZING. Never could we watch it on tv but as far as on DVD we highly recommend it. With working all day and doing all the things that need to get done done well I can't do them during the day It is a nice reflief just to sit down and watch a show. I hardly ever get online, Kris is now the computer junkie. but can you blame him he is stuck inside all day.

Sad note kris's Mawmaw is not doing well at all! Billy and bonnie will be down sometime this week! jst be in parter for her

So on Tuesday I(JESSI) get really sick with a sinus infection. I think wow this is great I start work tomorrow and I have a sinus infection. Kris helped me get things ready around the house and he was off to his softball game. Before he went he said , "do you want me to stay with you in stead of going to the game." I gotta a phone call that night telling me that Kris had gotten hurt and that he was to be on his way to the hospital. I didn't freak out. So we got to the hospital and Kris's knee was no lie bigger than my head. Well the dr in the er said that it didn't look good. So we went to the doctor and he said hmm  I don't know and we went to go see an MRI. Then he went back to the dr and the dr said that his knee looked like pudding. He will have to have surgery June the 8th. It will be a 3 month recovery. Oh to have been selfish and said yes I want you to stay with me! oh well we will get through this and God has a great plan for us!  kris doesn't like having to sit around and do nothing all day. But it's alright! More late 

Tomorrow is the end of the semester for me! Kris has gotten all A's so far on his "report card". I am so very proud of him, he also made all A's last semester! (I married a smart one I did ;-) ) We have really gotten into Phase 10. We counted how many times we played it this week with Keisha... SEVEN times including tonight!
Today I had job interview at Ross. I got the job as long as my background check clears...I don't know about that one ;-). Kris will work all the way in Baton Rouge. This makes me real sad because I have gotten spoiled the last couple of weeks because we have been together so much! I really don't know how I will go about tomorrow without him being right by my side. We'll make it through though.
Kris is preaching Sunday! He is really excited. He is preaching to the 2009 graduates. I know he wishes everyone could be there. I wish that I could hear him, so I guess we are all in the same boat on that issue.
So I realized the other day that I am turning into my dad. I drive to Hammond every day which is a 40 minutes to an hour drive from here depending on traffic. So as I am driving along the same stretch I listen to WRNO (talk radio) and when a commercial comes on that channel I turn it to TIX FM (oldies). Man I am like a 45 year old woman haha!
Ohhhh...so Kris makes the best homemade ice cream I think I have ever tasted. Everyone who has tried it has LOVED IT because it is Super Fabulous. He kind of just made the reciepe up as he went he knew what needed to go in their but not amounts and things like that. Certainly better than anything I ever made like that.
So instead of studying or sleeping I wrote this litte up-date...but sleep has overcome both of us and we are both going to sleep! Love, Miss, and Praying for you!

Life In the Dell

So I have a problem and that problem is, I create things and then forget the password that goes with it. So this is now Kris and Jessi's website! We have family all around the world and friends everywhere, so this is the easiest way to let everyone know what's going on in our crazy lives.
We got married on Jan. 2 and it's been the greatest four months ever. In that time we also got a puppy we named him Cocky Wallace because, no matter where we are we will always be Gamecock fans, and he is Scottish Terrier so why not name him after his patriot William Wallace. So we have made it through puppy training, and he is almost house broken.
School for the semester is almost over for both of us. I have an exam everyday this week and this morning I thought I had an exam at 8 am and it's not till thursday at 8. So I woke up at 6! haha! We spend most our time with Keisha EJ and Rylee. life is busy we are always at church and always going going and going.