Musings from some former inhabitants of the sprawling metropolis that is Prudhomme City

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Colin and Quinn Video Extravaganza 2009

by CajunKate

So I took the video and put together a lil movie about our time in Columbus. Here ya go! Enjoy!



Columbus Day Seven: But I Don't Wanna Go Home Version

by CajunKate

So Day 7. Yeah. F**k Day 7! Day 7 always sucks a** at some point. The point where we have to leave and drive 15 hours back to Louisiana. That point sucks sooooooooooo much!

I can't even really write about it. Here's the brief version:

  • We went to Jen and Tim's around 9:30 AM.
  • We got in as much nephew lovin' as possible.
  • We let Jen feed us a delicious lunch.
  • We said tearful goodbyes. Really tearful. F**k, I hate that part.
And here are some pics:

My Colin! Oy, look at dat face!

My Quinn! Could he be any cuter?

My boys! I wanna steal them. For reallsy.


My cutie patootie nephews!

They loooooove their Uncle Bydee.

Quinn with his Nanny Kate Transformer

Colin in the garden

Concentration Quinn Face

Probably my fav Colin pic of the trip. That is Colin in a nutshell!

And some video that will make you want to jump through your computer monitor and inahale these precious boys:



I adore going to Columbus. I abhor leaving Columbus. The end.

P.S. The full Columbus Tour 2009 set can be found on my Flickr page.

P.P.S. There will be another Video Extravaganza this year, but it won't be as extensive since I didn't bring my video camera because I couldn't find the battery, and I kept forgetting that I have a video option on my digital camera. Basically because I am an idiot. But you already know that.

Columbus Day Six: Sister Saturday

by CajunKate


So Day 6 began at the crack of dawn, and I didn’t mind one bit. In fact, I nearly ran out of the door in my PJs and bed head to get my Jack and Benny’s on. Ah, Jack and Benny’s! How do I love thee? Let me count the menu items. Well, maybe not. That would take all blog as I have a slight obsession with the place. More so even than with Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, ye of the beloved cream puff and Bahama Mama, and that’s saying something. Let me put it this way. All tallied, I have been to Columbus seven times now. I have never, NEVER, not gone to Jack and Benny’s when I am in town. I think I would crawl over broken glass while being forced to eat beans if it meant that at the end of it I would be able to eat breakfast at Jack and Benny’s.


At 7:30 I picked up Jen, and we headed downtown. We arrived five minutes before they opened and were the second ones in the door. I knelt down and kissed the doormat on the way in. Not really. But I wanted to.


Outside


Inside


The menu at Jack and Benny’s is very extensive and it’s ALL breakfast food. That’s it. Breakfast all day. Well, hello there HEAVEN! Am I right? Yeah, I’m right! Jen and I each got the Jack’s Dad which is two eggs cooked to order, hash browns, corned beef hash, and toast. You can even get rye toast (rye toast, people!), and that is exactly what we did. This is a major clue that we were raised by a Yankee mother. We actually eat and love bread that doesn’t say Evangeline Maid on the package. Also, the corned beef hash. I don’t know how it is that, being raised by a Yankee mother as I was, I had never had this stuff until last year at Jack and Benny’s, but I am now totally in love with it. I’d marry Jack and Benny’s corned beef hash if it were legal. When are we gonna make that a federal law, huh? Way more important than gay marriage in my book.


We also got a Buckeye pancake, which has peanut butter and chocolate chips in it, and a coconut pancake to share. Yeah, cuz, ya know. There was no way that oval platter overflowing with food would be enough for us. It is at this point that I thanked the Baby Jesus for giving me a sister. A sister who loves and adores the Jack and Benny’s as much as I do.


Menu


Buckeye Pancake


Coconut Pancake


The Jack's Dad


After our kick a** breakfast, we headed over to Target in Easton to pick up some flip flops and a tank top for Jen. Can you believe this girl has NO flip flops?!?!? We had been discussing this on the back porch the day before when she innocently said, “I love all of your flip flops. Don’t the things hurt between your toes though?” And I was all, “Uh, no! Not at all.” And she said, “Oh, I never wear them because when I was little they used to make the skin between my toes blister.” And I was all dumbfounded and said, “Dude! Flip flops have come a long way since 1983! WTF? You need to get on board the flip flop bus ASAP. Your life will never be the same. They are God’s gift to shoe wear. Cheap, comfy, slip on and off at a moment’s notice. What’s not to like? And Target is flip flop nirvana. You need to give flip flops another chance.” And then she said the most mind-boggling statement of all, “Oh, Target has good flip- flops?” Like WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA? What planet have you been on, girl? So I decided then and there that it was time for an intervention. And that is how we ended up at Target where I insisted that she get two pairs, a black and a brown, so that she could wear them with anything. Each of them even had a wedge heel. That’s a total bonus cuz for her that’s like a wearable step ladder. She may not have to ask for help reaching things on tall shelves during the summer ever again. And we picked up some liquid bandage just in case there was a “between toe” issue.


On the way out we stopped for Starbucks iced coffees (YUM!) with double shots of expresso (ZING!). That was just the ticket we needed for more shopping. Jen had pointed out a Trader Joe’s on the way to Target, and I wanted to stop and check it out. I have been hearing about Trader Joe’s forever, and I really wish we had one in Lafayette. It’s like an affordable, smaller Whole Foods. But I must not have said out loud that I wanted to stop there because when I was asked Jen, “Where do I turn?” She said, “Oh, we’ll just take this street all the way back to Gahanna.” And I got all hysterical and screamed at her, “We’re going to Trader Joe’s, guh!” And she said, “Oh, we are? You didn’t say anything. I’m sorry. Turn here.” And then I had to apologize for getting all panicked and psycho over the fact that she inadvertently suggested we not stop at a place that sells food and cheap wine. Yeah. There is something wrong with me.


But here’s where it gets bad. The girl literally lives seven minutes from Trader Joe’s, and she had never even been in there. Dude. I think that might be a venial sin. So I extolled the virtues of Trader Joe’s and once inside, she was rightfully impressed. For some reason, she thought it was like Whole Paycheck, which it totally is like that but very, very affordable. The poorer man’s Whole Foods. We picked up some Greek yogurt I had heard about and wanted to try, two tubs of cookies for the boys (my suggestion, of course), and some Two Buck Chuck. Awesome!


After our fantastic quality time together, we decided on the way home that we would make Saturday Morning Sister Time a tradition from now on. Loves it! And we totally shook on it, so she can NEVER back out. I am evil. But in a good way.


Back at the house, Tim had picked up Bydee at the hotel and Tim’s parents came by to drop off the boys and Schmidt’s Bahama Mamas for us to take back to Lafayette. I LOVE Tim’s parents! Also, David, his brother, who was actually the one who got them for us for free because he has an inside hook-up. It so pays to have connections.


A bit later, Tim’s friend Odee and his girlfriend Sam came over, and we headed down to ComFest. This was a lot of fun, but it was super crowded and with the boys with us, it made it hard to partake of the music and drinking which, let’s face it, is what I expect when I go to a festival. Helloooo, Louisiana here! Anyway, we ended up separating into guys and girls. We girls took the boys to play on the playground and jump in the space walk thingy. We stayed about 2 ½ hours and then decided we were whipped. We texted the boys that we were leaving and got the heck out of there.


We stopped of at CVS on the way home so I could play “Crazy Spoiling Auntie” and buy the boys Transformer toys and candy. Then we picked up some fresh sweet corn at Smith’s Market and went home where I busted open that Two Buck Chuck faster then you can say, “This b***h needs a drank!” Ahhhhhh, all bettah!


We spent the rest of the night playing with the boys and visiting. We had phenomenal ribs and corn for supper. Seriously? Those ribs? F**king fantastic!


We had the traditional bye-bye fest that night. Quinn cried. Oh my Lord, my heart was broken. But before we left for the hotel, Jen asked if we would please come by before we headed back to Lafayette in the morning. That didn’t take much arm-twisting, naturally, and was agreed upon immediately.


For you, that means you get a Day 7 blog. See? Evil. But in a good way. The end.


Whoops! Pics! Gotcha again!

Colin and his Hawaiian Shaved Ice at ComFest


Quinn checkin' out ComFest on his pack mule, a.k.a. Uncle Bydee


Swangin' Quinn!


Swangin' Quinn!


Colin and Bydee

Quinn with his Push Pop, a.k.a kiddie crack

Colin with his Mini M&M's, a.k.a kiddie crack

Find all the C-Bus 2009 Tour photos HERE.

Columbus Day Five: Bye-Bye Alex and Hello Birbigs!

by CajunKate


So Day 5 started off with a fairly early wake up call, so I could make sure that Alex got on the airport shuttle from the HI Express. And let me just pause here to give a shout out to the Holiday Inn Express in Gahanna. We’ve stayed there three years in a row now and absolutely love it. It’s very clean, the staff is super nice, the maid service is first rate, and the breakfast is AWESOME! Those cinnamon rolls are the bomb diggity, and I’m not even that much of a fan of the cinnamon roll in general. And I don’t know what they use as an air freshener there, but you know those Febreeze commercials where the people like fall on the rugs and curtains and bury their faces in them? That’s what I wanted to do every time I stepped off onto the 4th floor this trip. Love ya, HI Express Gahanna!


Okay, moving on. Alex and I woke up a about 8:30 and got him ready for departure. We went downstairs and enjoyed our delicious free breakfast. I insisted that he leave for the airport no later than 10:30 AM for his noon flight. I wanted to be sure that he had plenty of time to make his flight. Blame my high anxiety levels. That’s what I do. Cuz it’s TRUE!


Once Alex was seen off safely, I gathered up my laptop and went down to the pool to catch up on my blog and picture uploads. Even though it’s an indoor pool, it was still incredibly relaxing. Jen called me at what I thought was 11 o’clock to see if I wanted to go with her to pick up the boys at 12:30. I said yes, but then realized I was in the wrong time zone on my laptop and was still in my swimsuit. I didn’t think unsuspecting babysitters needed to be exposed to that, so I remained at the hotel and got ready at a leisurely pace while waiting for Byron to return from Louisville. When he got back, right on time at 1:00 PM as instructed by Mrs. Anxiety here (Good job, Bydee!), we headed over to Jen’s place. On the way there, Bydee unwittingly opened the door to the perfect chance to gross him out when he asked what we had done while he was in Louisville. I responded, "Oh, we took the boys swimming and then we ordered Chinese food for supper at Jen and Tim's, and then Alex and I came back to the hotel... (pause for effect, turn to Byron and yell at the side of his face) and then we f**ked like rabbits!" Purrrfect timing since he screamed "AHHH! EWWWW! Do not want! TMI! Gross!" Ahahhahahahaha! Nothing is as fun as harrassing Bydee. NOTHING!


We had plans to head over to Cincinatti to see my new favorite comic Mike Birbiglia, a.k.a. "Birbigs". We hung out for awhile and played with the boys then around 3:30 PM, we headed over to Hilliard to drop the boys off at Tim’s parents for an overnight. Quinn, after almost a week of weird schedules and missed naps, had a minor meltdown because he wanted Bydee to ride with them to Hilliard. (What am I? Chopped liver?) But Byron was feeling the effects of a night of Maker’s Mark in Louisville, so he stayed behind to take a nap and recover. Once we were in the car, the boys fell asleep almost immediately. The drop off at Tim’s parents was fine, and I got to see Jen and Tim’s niece Valerie, daughter of Tim’s brother David and his wife Britt, who is just the cutest little chunky monkey babay.


We picked up Tim from work on the way back, and the boys had a few beers and relaxed before we headed over to Cincy at about 6:30 pm for the eight o’clock show. On the way, we stopped off for a restroom break for the guys and tried to get them some beer, but we happened to stop in a dry county. Curses! For them. I didn’t give a s**t since I couldn’t drink. Yeah, I don't really do compassion when I can't partake in the drinking.


We probably should have left a bit earlier for the show, especially since none of us know Cincy at all. But, thanks to my precious the iPhone, we made it there. We were a bit late, arriving at 8:30, but Mike had just gotten on stage. The comedy club, Go Bananas, was really nice. Jen and Bydee had never been to a comedy club before so they were both shocked at how intimate the setting was. We were seated maybe 20 feet away from Mike.


Before we left for Columbus, I had forced Byron to watch YouTube videos of Mike Birbiglia and he thought he was hilarious, but neither Tim nor Jen had ever seen any of Mike’s videos. I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t like him, but I think Mike has two new fans. They loved him! I, of course, laughed so hard I cried. It was awesome!


After the show, they announced that Mike would be out front and there was merchandise, including CDs, available for purchase. Jen and I went into the bathroom after the show, and when we finally got to the merch table, there was no Mike and there were no CDs on the table, so we went outside to meet up with Tim and Bydee. They decided to go into the bar next door to get a drink for the road, and I decided to go back into the comedy club to actually ask about the CDs. When I went in, I asked the guy at the table about the CDs. Some guy over to the left piped up, “I don’t know what happened. They didn’t show up. Here, you can have this keychain or something.” I looked over and HOLY S**TBALLS!!!!! It was Mike! I talked to him for a minute and told him I’d come all the way from Louisiana for his show (which was close enough to the truth), and he let me take a pic with him.


Me with Birbigs!


He always makes what he calls his “picture face” in photos, which I think is hysterical. Anyway, he was super nice as I gushed all over him and he told me he hoped to see me at another show sometime. Which I def plan to make happen! When I came running out of the club, I was all “BA-DAM! Look at this, b***hes! I got a pic with Mike!” And everyone was duly excited and thrilled for me.


In the bar, Bydee and Tim had asked for their drinks to go and, of course, the bartender was all, “What? Uh, we don’t do that.” Bydee spied some plastic cups on the bar and just poured the drinks into them. You can take the boy out of Louisiana, but you can’t take away his to-go cup.


The trip back seemed much quicker than the trip down. I guess the Mike Birbiglia anticipation on the way there had something to do with it. Anyway, we made it back to C-bus, and I had convinced Jen on the trip back to get up early and go to Jack and Benny’s with me at 7:30 AM. Bydee and Tim were having no part of that since they were both going to be nursing hangovers. My evil plan to spend some quality sister time with Jen came to fruition with frightening ease!


Everyone tucked into some late night leftovers, but I limited myself to a handful of Doritos because I wanted to be plenty hungry for Jack and Benny’s in the AM. Food obsessed pig here!


Eventually, Bydee and I headed back to the hotel where Byron’s self-imposed ban was over because the all night freight train known as Zandy was back in Louisiana. We both fell into a deep and blissful sleep. Him to sleep out his alcohol consumption and me to prep myself for the AM gluttony at my fav C-bus breakfast joint.


And you've been spared because I didn't really take any pics on Day 5. You can thank me later. The end.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Columbus Pics

So I didn't get around to writing the last of my daily blogs, but I did manage to get the last of the pics uploaded. Enjoy!

HOME!

Got in @ 3:30 am. Whew! Will upload Day 5 & 6 blogs, pics, and videos tomorrow... er, later today.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Live Blog: Lafayette or Bust

Nashville behind us; Memphis, here we come!

Live Blog: Lafayette or Bust!

Howdy, Kentucky!

Live Blog: Columbus

Sunday morning goodbyes

Live Blog: Columbus

Sunday morning goodbyes

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Live Blog: Columbus

Mmmmmmm!! Trader Joe's cookies!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Live Blog: Columbus

Going to Grandma and Paw-Paw's so Mommy and Daddy can go to the comedy
show in Cincinatti tonight.

Live Blog: Columbusl

Going to Grandma and Paw-Paw's so Mommy and Daddy can go to the comedy
show in Cincinatti tonight.

Live Blog: Columbus

Snack time!

Live Blog: Columbus

Hangin' out!

Live Blog: Columbus

Uncle Bydee and Colin watching some Cartoon Network

Live Blog: Columbus

Chillin' in the hotel room watching MJ's Thriller video on BET. RIP
Michael Jackson.

Columbus Day Four: Thurman-ators and Celebrity Death

by CajunKate


So Day Four had been christened THURMAN-ATOR THURSDAY!!!! (Note: You must say that in a deep, dramatic voice like the one on those monster truck rally commercials.) And I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was. The plan was to go to Thurman Café at about 2:00 pm to avoid the long lines. Alex and I slept in and were relaxing around the hotel room when I got a text from Jen saying Tim’s boss had cracked a tooth and had to go to the dentist at 1:00 pm, so Tim would not be able to leave work. Of course my first thought was, “That doesn’t mean we can’t go to Thurman Café does it?!?!?!?” What a selfish b***h, huh? Jen assured me that Tim insisted we go without him. Whew! Crisis averted! It was then that I was all, “Aw, man, poor Tim! That sucks!” See, I can be compassionate…once my needs are met.


Alex and I jetted over to Jen’s work and picked her up. Back at her house, we woke Byron up and sent him back to the hotel to take a shower and pack up for his overnight trip to Louisville with his friend Kathy. The wait was interminable. Well, maybe just for me. Finally, Byron returned just moments after I had fired off a text reading, “Uh, r u coming back?” Oops. We all jumped in the car and headed down to Thurman Café in the German Village section of Columbus. Thanks to my iPhone, we had no problems navigating our way there. (Had to get those iPhone props in!)


Once there, we were seated pretty quickly. The café is a pretty small place with limited seating and a very funky décor where visitors are encouraged to leave signed dollar bills and such on the walls and write on the booths. Fun! We left one of Alex's business cards.


After perusing the menu, I was the only one brave enough to order the Thurman-ator. Bydee and Alex ordered the regular Thurman burgers, and Jen got a Macedonian burger. I happily informed the waiter that I would be having the Thurman-ator, and he told me that two people had ordered it that day and they had almost finished it. He gave me a tip to facilitate the finishing of the Thurman-ator. He told me, “Go easy on the pop.” And I was thinking, “What the hell is pop?” when he kind of nodded toward my diet Coke, and I was all “Ohhhhh, soda! Ha! Oh, Yankees!” Not aloud, of course. That was in my head. I’ve got some manners!


We ordered some appetizers- pretzel bites (YUM!!) and a combo basket of fried and onion rings (YUM!!). This is when Byron morphed into competitive eater coach. He informed me that I would not be allowed to eat any appetizers. I started laughing and informed him that I could just, you know, get a to go box if I didn’t finish the Turman-ator. He started barking at me, saying things like, “Don’t think like a quitter! That’s like climbing Mount Everest half way and saying, ‘Oh, I’ll just come back and finish it later.’ You don’t do that!” Then Alex chimed in, “You don’t go to base camp and ask for a to go box!” This continued until the food, mercifully, arrived. But before my burger got to our table, the waiter had to stop off at several other tables so they could “ooh and ahh” over it. I s**t you not. That’s on the real. Then when the waiter set it down, a little old man came scrambling over with his digital camera and asked if he could take a picture of it. Yes, seriously. Then it was our turn to take pictures of the burger and me and the burger.



Finally, I was ready to dig in and the waiter came by right then to ask if we needed anything. I said, “I’m having trouble figuring out how to attack this thing” thinking, you know, he might have a tip, like with the pop thing. He said, “Yeeeah…good luck with that.” Huh.


I ended cutting it in half and then eating the top half of a half then the bottom half of a half. Does that make sense? Anyway, I was doing pretty well. Then Byron started moaning and groaning about how full he was. And started making retching noises. Then Alex pitched in with retching noises. Thanks, guys! I finally got about three quarters of the way through, and my “coach” Byron started saying, “Don’t do it! Just quit! You’ll throw up! Just quit!” Uh, what happened to that whole Mount Everest simile? I was soooooooooooo full. I probably could have forced myself to finish, but I definitely would have gotten sick. And that’s just retarded. So, I grabbed a napkin and waved it in the air in surrender, and everybody got a big kick out of that.



Now, let me say this loud and clear. Yes, the Thurman-ator is huge. But, more importantly, it is DELICIOUS!!!!! DE-LISH-OUS, people! I loved it. I don’t think I’d ever do it again. I’d just go with the Thurman burger next time, which is the normal sized (though still a very big burger!) version. Definitely met ALL my expectations and then some. Great experience! So, thanks Thurman Café! You rock!


After Thurman Café, we piled back into the Vue, each of us in our own special food coma. I can't speak for anyone else, but I was wondering if there was a Wal-Mart nearby where I could pick up a muu-muu. Oy, so full!


Back at Jen’s, Byron took off right away for Louisville. Tim was home by that point, so we sat around talking and visiting until the boys got home. The first words out of Colin’s mouth to me were, “Nanny Kate, can we go to your hotel pool?” So that’s what we did. Packed up the kids and hit the pool. Tim stayed behind and took a nap, so Alex pulled Daddy duty for a while and played “monster.”



Also, while at the pool, I got a text from Seth reading “RIP Michael Jackson.” I texted back, “Seriously? He’s dead?” And he texted back, “Some say so. Just heard he’s in a coma. I just like spreading gossip- TMZ style.” Ha! He cracks me up. Then Jen went into the lobby and said, “Kate! It’s true! It’s on CNN! He’s dead!” So I ran into the lobby and sure enough, MJ and Farrah Fawcett died on the same day. While I was chowing down on a Thurman-ator, Michael Jackson was dying from cardiac arrest. There’s a message in there somewhere, isn’t there? Huh. Can’t think of what it might be.


After swimming, we headed back to the house. The boys ate a little supper then went to bed. We ordered Chinese food, but I was still so full of Thurman-ator (mind you, this is a full eight hours since I ate the thing and we went swimming!) that I ate like two dumplings and was all, “No, no! No more food.” Truly a historic moment.


Anyway, Alex and I were wiped out, so Jen drove us back to our hotel, and we promptly crashed into bed. The end.


Oh! There are a few more pics from Day Four on my Flickr, naturally.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Live Blog: Columbus

Swimming with my boy Quinn!

Live Blog: Columbus

Three boys in da pool!

Live Blog: Columbus

I almost did it! So close and yet so far!

Live Blog: Columbus

The Thurminator!!!!!!

Columbus Day Three: Swimming Pool and Summer Treats

by CajunKate

So I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. There's a reason for this. I am behind on these d**n things, and I just spent an hour writing, editing, and adding pics to the last one. I'm over it. Why? Because I AM LAZY! Duh! You know this, people!

Here's the rundown:
1. Pick boys up early from daycare. Tim, Bydee, and Alex head to downtown Columbus to eat lunch at North Market and pick up a jug o' beer at the Elevator Brewery.
2. Me, Jen, and boys go back to hotel and swim for 2.5 hours. After 2.5 hours, Quinn is not ready to leave and announces that he could live in the pool and swim for ONE HUNDRED
hours, NANNY KAAAAAAAAATE!!!!
3. ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!! (The men meet us there.)
4. Home. Exhausted. Whoops! Grocery store and Farmer's Market for supper necessities.
5. iPhone, camera, piggyback rides, basketball, and blue horsey. Bedtime for boys at 8 PM goes over like a lead balloon. Sample quote: "But Nanny Kate, I just wanna go back to the hotel pool wif you. I don't wanna go doh-doh." (FYI: Doh-Doh is sleep.)
6. Blue cheese stuffed burgers and roasted corn! Oh my! Yummmmmmmmmm!
7. Hotel for me and Alex. Byron decides to stay at Tim and Jen's so he can, you know, sleep rather than listen to a freight train in the bed next to him all night as he did the previous evening.

The end. Wait. Here are some pics. Gotcha!

Colin

Quinn

Colin

Quinn

The Gang

More pics HERE!