The day after Thanksgiving Club Amaro had the privilege of accompanying some of my gun-totin' family members to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff Department shooting range. The range was actually closed for the day, so we had the whole place to ourselves.

Are you wondering what our experience is with guns? Let me break it down for you...full disclosure style. I think that about 23 years ago, I shot a rifle twice, but I've seen alot of episodes of Bonanza. So I felt like I was well qualified to pop off a few rounds. Mike of course has had many a "boys day out" shooting guns with my Stepdad, Randy (aka GPP)...he knows his way around a gun. Abby showed interest in shooting after finding out that 3 of her cousins have shot guns (and 2 own their own).

Let me explain our safety detail, lest you think that we just showed up with some guns and ammo and started having a wild shoot-out. My cousin Stan is an ex-Marine and Lieutenant with the Sheriff's department and has plenty of experience with guns. Two of his 3 (soon to be 4) children know how to shoot guns and his oldest has his own rifle. My other cousin Jeremy (owner of Moore Landscaping for all your landscaping, lawn care and irrigation needs) has had and shot guns for many years. Not only do I trust them because they are my family, but they know what they are doing and they practice safe gun totin' and shootin'.

That said, we had a GREAT time...we shot a Glock .45, .40, 9mm, and an M4 (M-16)



Personally, I was way into the gun shooting... Once you realize the power that is behind the trigger, you have a new respect for guns. I think the 9mm was my favorite hand gun...but my most favorite was the M4. I felt like G.I. Joe for a few minutes. The .45 was too much for me...I popped that off a few times and handed it over. Too much power for this girl.



Abby got a very safe and slow introduction to a .22 pistol from Jeremy. He had his hand on her hand, but let her pull the trigger. She shot the gun twice and then decided to stop. The shell hit her on the way out and it scared her a bit, I think. I sat with her for awhile and made sure that she was ok. After awhile, she wanted to shoot again. At that point, we had already started packing up shop - she was visibly disappointed. "Maybe next year" I said.



After our time at the range, Stan took us through the obstacle course the officers use for training. The kids had a blast climbing up ropes and jumping over the fences. We also got to see the gym where the officers work out - very nice facilities.

A quick shout out to Stan and Jeremy for helping us to experience guns safely. We had a great time and hope to do it again soon! And anyone who is looking for Christmas gift giving ideas for me....I hear there are some good sales going on M4's if you know where to look.

just exercising my

Hey y'all...welcome back to another installment of the Adventures. I mentioned in my previous post that my brother Steve flew to town so we could all head down to Louisiana for a little familial reunion. The trip would be very short (Friday eve to Sunday morning), but it was on par to be a memory maker.

The destination: Mer Rouge, Louisiana home of "Duckapaloza" (aka, the Byrd Camp....aka Aunt Jan & Uncle Richards quarters on the Bayou).

The plan: Fish, Visit, Eat, Sleep, Not Shower - not necessarily in that order.



Ahhh...what a beautiful scene, yes? I took this picture around...oh, I'd say 8:30 or 9 in the morning. Nestled with a hot cup of joe, I sat on the deck in awe of the beauty that surrounded me. The colors of fall on the bayou coupled with the sound of birds and an occasional fish flapping on the water made me forget that I had just spent 10 hours in a minivan the day before.



It was just chilly enough to make me wonder why I sitting there in my pajamas, but the only one around to care was my husband who was just slightly more focused on baiting his hook. An occasional egret would fly past and break up the stillness of the scene...there was not an ounce of city life around to drown out my moment.



The only thing that had a chance of drawing me back up to the warmth of the camp was Aunt Jan's biscuits and sausage gravy. And they did not disappoint...at least not for awhile.

After brekkie and a quick change of clothes, I bopped on down to the deck to take up my day dreamy scene. Only this time as I was boppin' on down, my stomach started makin' a fuss. Oh yeah... Makin' a big fuss. The kinda fuss that don't end pretty. Like...thank goodness there was a bayou and a rail right in front of me kinda fuss. From that moment on - all day and into the night - it was coming out one end or the other. Look my people, I'm sorry for the graphic nature of my content, but you've got to be with me through the good times AND the bad.

If I had to pick a bright spot from it all, the "output" did seem to attract some good fishin'. My uncle caught a 10 inch catfish right after my initial re-view of the morning menu.

So I had to experience the fun while fading in and out of consciousness and from all the 2nd hand accounts and pictures. I actually did manage to make it out to a chair close by the window while all my family enjoyed s'mores by the bonfire. And, as everyone was leaving I did manage to keep a saltine cracker down and perk up just enough to watch my Dad, brother and husband try and peg each other with a marshmallow.

It's still a mystery what sort of bug I managed to get ahold of...nobody else at camp got sick and I ate the same thing that everyone else did for breakfast and dinner the night before (which in my opinion eliminates food poisoning).

Although most of my time was spent curled up on the bed or in a chair (wondering when my next visit to the rail was going to be), I still had a great time having all the family activity buzzing around me.

And, I can't let this post go without showing you the cutest Nana around...here's a picture of her (sans bottom teeth) with my Dad and bro:



Until the next time (which will hopefully not include any euphemisms of throwing up)...stay healthy and bug free.

love & sausage gravy (the 1st time around only),

k

SECRET MESSAGE: Chunk E. Moto

Hey y'all. I just love sayin' y'all, y'all. Y'all know what I mean? I can't remember the last time I said, "you guys" (a term for which I constantly got ribbed for by my Louisiana kin folk).

Anyway - another day has past and I can't wait to share about what a fun day we had. Aunt Jan and Uncle Richard recently purchased a plot of land in Mer Rouge, La. on a lake...complete with a pier and fishin' poles. So, the whole family headed out to what has affectionately been named "Byrd Camp" (after Jan & Richard's last name). It was a beautiful day - although it never hit 70, there was no humidity whatsoever. There was a pretty decent breeze throughout the day, but if you caught a good patch of sun, it just didn't matter. Of course, there was a constant stream of food available all day long in case anyone began to starve...and, we had Grill Master D (sans Black Beauty tho') on hand to cook us up some tasty burgers w/ all the fixin's.


Clearly, the hottest attraction going today was the fishing. A majority of time was spent on the really cool pier that sits on Bayou Bonne Idee...all the kids really enjoyed the fishing. Us "older" cousins (me, Robyn and Ashley) recall fishing during the summers at the Scott camp, so it was neat (once again) to see history sort of repeating itself.

The most exciting moment for this mama was seeing her baby catch a fish. Abby had the biggest catch of the day (I have approval from Uncle David to say this as he oversaw most of the catches coming out of the water)!! It was a pretty little white perch and Abby roped him in ALL BY HERSELF! She went on to catch another later on as well. She was very excited...I know it will be a fond memory for her.


Other happenings at the camp were tree climbing, princess dress up, eating, losing crops (i.e. napping), bubble blowing and lots of running around. And, to top things off, we had a little fun in the bathtub. All 3 girls jumped in the over sized tub at the camp and the baby Grayson was dunked in as well. This picture of the baby Grayson is the only one I can really post since these days 3 little girls in a bathtub can get one into quite a bit of trouble. But Grayson sure didn't mind! Everyone got squeaky clean w/ new clothes and everything then headed back down to the pier for a few last minute fishing attempts.

You should really stop by the Drop Shots account and check out more pictures of the days events. More fun memories burned into the memory bank...with the Byrd Camp being only a short day's drive away, I can see more fun times are just around the corner!

Tomorrow morning we pack up base camp and head BACK to Fort Worth, Tx. where we'll be prepping our things for the ascent to Murfreesboro. We also expect a visit to Texas this week from Uncle Steve. Perhaps there might be another Bita song coming soon!

Prayer Requests:
1. More travel mercies (good thing God never runs out!)
2. Our belongings will be packed up onto a truck on Monday, then begin their travel to TN on Wednesday...although they are just "things", they are still our things alot of which are needed, some not so much :) Please pray for protection, safe arrival and no complications for our load.

love & louisiana kisses,
k

7 weeks

It's been 7 weeks since Abby has played with other children. That's 1176 hours of "adult time". 70,560 minutes of constant adult-interaction. 4,233,600 seconds of growing up that's past without getting properly dirtied up, roughed up or princess-dressed up. It all culminated last night when we arrived in Monroe, La. and had dinner with my Uncle David and Aunt Bonnie. There Abby sat for a good chunk of time listening to 4 adults chit chat back and forth. Oh, don't worry - Abby did plenty of talking too, but towards the end you could tell that she was ready for a playground (didn't help matters any that I mentioned that her cousins would be there and I was wrong!) Abby has been looking forward to playing with her cousins all week.

As I mentioned on Little Moon yesterday, Abby announced to us prior to meeting up with her cousins, "I have my plans laid out for what I do when I see my cousins." Her plan was to run up and hug them tight. Well, she stayed true to her laid out plans and then some. We met up with my cousins Ashley and Robyn at the "Jungle Gym" to let the kids run around and play. Ashley brought her 3 kids (Addison, Emerson and the baby Grayson) as well as her niece and nephew. The niece was the first to walk in the door to the Gym and of course Abby thought she was one of her cousins so she ran right up to her and gave her a big ol squeeze! Poor kid didn't know what hit her. Anyway - she proceeded to hug all her cousins as they came in and the next thing you know, they've run off to play leaving the adults behind for some good ol catchin' up. The kids had a wonderful time gettin' all sweaty and familiar with each other. We had lunch there and just had a great time watching them have fun. After the gym, Abby got to spend the afternoon over at cousin Tori's house...Emerson came as well so the 3 girlie girls had more bonding time.

Grillin' and Chillin'

Later on, we went back to Uncle David/Aunt Bonnie's house to do what it is that us Moore's do best....visit and eat. No Moore gathering is complete without grill master D workin' his magic on Black Beauty (the smoker grill). We had smoked pork, chicken and sausage that was 'slap yo mama's hand' good; Aunt Jan's potato salad; Nana's beans; some Boudin Balls from Ray's that Jan picked up on the way to Monroe; some Texas Toast and some little weenies wrapped in bacon that Cuz Robyn made. It gets setup buffet style and you just sit where you can find you a seat. Mike and I sat at the dining room table w/ Jan, David, Ashley, Robyn and Stan (Ashley's hub) and had a good time chatting. The food was great and the family time is even better. The best though, is seeing all the kids run around screaming and giggling. I had a flashback to my childhood thinking about me, Steve, Robyn, Ashley and Jeremy running around in that same backyard while the adults were grillin and chillin. Now I get to see my daughter make those same memories with Addison, Emerson, Tori and Grayson (Kayley too, who we are missing!) How cool is that?

After hours of outdoor play, the girls spent the rest of the evening playing dress up...our little princesses - they were muy preciousa! And puttin' up with all that girlie girl stuff was sweet Addison who is ALL BOY.

He plays so well with the girls but doesn't compromise on his boyness. Although he's not the oldest cousin of this group (that honor belongs to Kayley who lives in Tx), he was the elder today and took charge when he needed to. Like when a rogue puppy dog kept running into the yard (you know they don't have fences round these here parts) scaring little Emerson, Addison was right there to chase him off his turf.


Another great attraction today was the baby Grayson...just under a year old, I think. He is a chunkster with a million dollar smile that will warm your heart. My favorite picture (to the left) shows baby boy chillin' in a super fine nap pose - complete with foot hiked up on the snack tray and thumb in mouth. Grayson even made and appearance in the blow up jumpy house with his Aunt Robyn. He is a good baby and very adaptable....you have to be in this group!

Tomorrow we head out to the "Byrd Camp" in Mer Rouge for more family fun...stay tuned.

love & miss,
k

ps: Stay up to date on the pics...there's some good ones!!

Greetings from the fabulous state of Louisiana...Sportsman's Paradise, Creole State, Child of the Mississippi, etc. Lafayette, Louisiana is the exact spot where we are at right now - visiting Aunt Jan & Uncle Richard. Our time here has been filled with fun times, good food and neateaux sights. Lots to update you on, so let me get started...

Dat Wuh Good...
Aunt Jan can handle herself in the kitchen...of course she descends from culinary fabulousness (my Nana who could probably kick the Iron Chef up one side of the street and down the other). Upon our arrival on Saturday afternoon, we were greeted with the smell of lovin' from the kitchen. Jan had prepared dinner - pan fried thin chicken breasts with a basalmic vinegar/garlicy sauce, rosemary garlic roasted potatoes (par-boiled prior to roasting - what a difference!), corn, cooked carrots with brown sugar and of course, rolls (for soppin' stuff up). A meal that would make you wanna slap yo mama's hand, fo show. Later on after dinner, we went over to see my Nana, who lives down the way from Jan. My Nana is a sweet little thing - she can't talk because about 3 years ago doctors removed her voice box. Believe me, she can write up a storm - and, her eyes light up when she sees Abby. Nana is the last of my grandparents, so I treasure the time that I can see her.

Lappin' it up, Lafayette Style.
Sunday morning we went out for brunch at the Blue Dog Cafe. Their buffet is so incredible and popular that the wait to be seated was an hour! Fortunately, we opted for patio seating (which requires extra walking to the buffet) so we were able to sit right away. All you can drink mimosas, live music and wonderful dishes like Corn & Crab Bisque, Crawfish Enchiladas and Gouda cheese grits...needless to say when we were done eating, we needed to do some walkin'.

We went down to the quad at the University of Louisiana (home of the Rajun Cajun's) and walked around. Now, please don't let your mind conjure up images of the concrete rectangle of your youth...this quad is a SWAMP! Complete with cypress trees, green water, alligators, turtles and fish that defy the laws of physics. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect for strolling around. No trip around a swamp is complete with out a big ol' honken bag of dog food...yes, we took dog food with us to feed the aquatic life. The alligators were digging it and so were the turtles and fish...so, I guess that's fine, huh? (Sidebar: I'm thinking of a friend I have...one who is able to identify the origins of most mysterious animal poop....you know who you are...I'm apologizing to you for throwing processed dog food into a swamp for alligators, turtles and fish). At least I didn't throw a half of a McDonald's hamburger in the swamp for the alligator to eat (as seen in the photo to the right)...that was some dude standing next to us that did that. But boy that alli snarfed that burger up quicker than you could say Steve Irwin.


Painting at the Bisque...

Monday afternoon, the 4 girls (that would be me, Jan, Abby and Nana) headed off to Clayfish Bisque, a place where you can paint naked pottery (not to be confused with paint pottery naked) and then pick it up a few days later after it has been fired up in a kiln. We had the BEST time! We all picked our pieces, then picked our paint colors and went to town creating our masterpieces. Mike actually joined us a little later after he got off work - he was able to supervise and ensure that all that feminine pulchritude didn't get too out of hand. We were all very happy with our pieces - we'll see how well they turned out when we pick them up in a few days. Jan did a cute little tile with crawfish, using all 4 of our thumb and finger prints as the crawfish heads and claws. Nana did a tile with a Fleur de lis design. Abby did 2 figurines (a dino and a dog that she painted "dalmatian" style) and I chose a pencil cup and did a moon face on the front with a Genesis 1:1 bible verse on the back.

On Monday evening, it was time to bite tail and suck head (that is code for eating crawfish, or "mud bugs" as I like to refer to them as). I still haven't gotten to the point where I can order even a 3 lb (let alone a 5lb or all you can eat!) platter of the little freshwater crustaceans, I just like to watch other people do it (exhibit A - this picture, Uncle Richard eats a small 3 lb portion of crawfish). It's a messy ordeal and when all is said and done, you get a little more than a handful of crawfish. But, people eating it look like they are having fun. Who can resist holding the little buggers up and making them dance and talk? Anyway, we went to a place in Breaux Bridge (which by the way calls itself the Crawfish Capitol of the world) called, "Crazy 'bout Crawfish" (what a good name, huh?). A cute little place with lots of fun decor all around to look at. Mike and I went for the Crawfish platter which had little samplings of all kinds of crawfish delicacies. Abby had the critters basket which had shrimp and crawfish. Abby gave it "91 thumbs up" (a phrase coined by the little critter herself) and so did we.

Seaux HOT!
Today we headed to Opelousas to a dive (and I mean that in every sense of the word) called Billy & Rays. What prompted the 25 mile drive you ask? Boudin Balls, baby. For those of you that don't know what the heck I'm talking about, Boudin Balls are made from Cajun boudin sausage (a blend of rice, pork, and spices). The sausage mixture is made into little balls, coated with stuff and fried. You eat them warm, plain or spread on a cracker. These balls were good... This place also sells cracklin's, which is something I can't even bring myself to talk about. Quite frankly, it's where I draw the line in my dining choices. Seaux nasty.

After our short stop in Opelousas, we headed back the other direction and continued on until we hit Avery Island, home of the Tabasco plant! Everyone's favorite pepper sauce is made right here in the state of Louisiana. We took a tour of the facility and got to see the machines and workers in action. We learned about the process that a pepper goes through before it's bottled. Did you know that the pepper mash is left to age and ferment for up to 3 years? The mash is stored in white oak barrels that come from Jack Daniels. JD is only able to use the barrel once for their distilling process. Once the mash is ready, vinegar is added and it's stirred for 28 days! I hope you will now appreciate your little bottle of Tabasco...alot of time went into the making of it!

After the tour, we spent some time in the country store. One of the best parts of the Tabasco country store is the samples. They have all their products there to taste (using pretzel sticks) AND, they ask visitors to review new products they are working on. Today, we got to give our opinion on a Raspberry Chipotle dipping sauce (I gave it a thumbs up), as well as Tobasco Soda. Yes, that sounds gross, I know - but it's surprisingly good! It basically tastes like Coke with a kick...my Aunt (who likes her bloody mary's SPICY) did not care for it one bit. We'll see if Tabasco puts out these 2 products soon... Another fun treat we experienced was sweet and spicy ice cream. I would guess it was vanilla ice cream with red peppers blended in. Again - something that I would normally turn my nose up at! After we had our sample, we actually decided to plunk down a buck and get a full serving of it. A taste sensation!

Well, this post has turned out to be probably way too long...I hope you stuck with me. For those of you wondering what's up with my knee - well, it still hurts. I'm able to walk fine, but sleeping is tough and it's hard to sit with my leg in one place for awhile. I started out strong with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) but now the best I can do is Red Beans and Rice. Come on, I'm in Cajun Country!

By the way - I've got a bunch of great pics for you to see of our time here in Lafayette...head on over to the Drop Shots account and check them out!

We have a few more days here in Lafayette, then we head north to Monroe to visit more family...stay tuned for more fun-filled Club Amaro adventures.

Seaux long...
k