So... I Tried Some New Foods...

I tend to migrate back to the same foods over and over again. I like order the same thing in restaurants each time I go, request the same types of foods to be made during the holidays, and buy the same things at the grocery store each week. So you might can imagine how hard it must have been for me to travel to an entirely new part of the country and be hundreds of miles away from my comfort foods.

I landed in New Orleans Wednesday morning determined to not be a baby about eating new foods during my trip to the annual ASHA convention. First stop, lunch. My friends and I asked the concierge at the hotel where we stayed for a recommendation for New Orleans style food within walking distance and under ten bucks. The result? Hobnobber's on Carondelet Street. Don't pass this one up, folks. Though it looks rough from the outside (and you have to pass through a bar that looks like it could have come from the Godfather), it was worth it. This little restaurant in a tiny room at the back of a bar, complete with plastic lawn chairs like your grandmother has on her front porch, had the best shrimp po-boy I have ever tasted. (Granted, it was my first po-boy ever, but it was really, really good.)

Moving on to dinner, I managed to eat a crab and shrimp pasta dish at the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street (also really, really good). Dessert was way better though. I highly recommend you order the "Chocolate Creme Brulee S'mores Style." I cannot praise it highly enough do to it a shred of credit. Toasted mini marshmallows, crunchy graham cracker pieces, thick (and seriously rich) chocolate custard.... YUM.

I won't detail every meal I had, but for any of you who have been to New Orleans, here is a list of the other restaurants we went to:

• Cafe Maspero on Decatur Street (more shrimp po-boys, but more importantly, $1 daquiris and $1 glasses of wine!)
• Acme Oyster House on Iberville Street (where, no joke, I ate THREE oysters on the half shell... Chargrilled to perfection and covered in cheese and butter!)
• Oceana Grill on Conti Street (awful service, but probably the most incredible pie I have ever put in my mouth = Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie)

Oh, and I had to save this one for last. You will have to look at the evidence on Facebook. But, for the record, the last night we were in New Orleans, I actually ate... Lebanese food. Chicken shawarma and hummus to be exact. Not exactly the best thing I ever put in my mouth, but I surprised myself by eating more than two bites of everything. Would I eat it again by choice? Probably not. But I would suck it up if everyone else wanted to go :)

Seriously?

Seriously.

Christmas is Coming!

Dear Santa,

Here is my grownup Christmas list this year, a few weeks early so that you can avoid the after Thanksgiving rush. Also, to get you in the spirit, click here and listen to one of my favorite Christmas songs while your read this. It'll make it more fun.

I would like for my neighbors to stop making noises in the middle of the afternoon, for my across the street neighbors with Oklahoma license plate to stop parking their giganto car in my spot, for the dog two apartments down to stop barking in the middle of the night, and for my little patio to spontaneously grow about one hundred feet in each direction. In short, Santa, I would like a house for Christmas. Preferably with at least 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, and a fenced in backyard for Mattie and for the inevitable younger brother I am going to buy her once I have a place big enough to have two dogs.

Speaking of a younger brother for Mattie, Santa, we need to talk dogs. I want a big dog, that is easily housetrained, affectionate, snuggly, that doesn't shed a lot, doesn't smell too "dog-gy," and that gets along well with his precious older sister. In short, a cat. Only, I don't want a cat, Santa. So you have to use your head and make this happen for me.

And if I get a house, Santa, I am going to need some things to make it more like a grownup home and not a college apartment. The following list is totally reasonable and acceptable: a new living room set (couch, loveseat, chair, coffee table, side table, rug) in a neutral dog-friendly fabric, a new bedroom suit (because college graduates need big girl beds) in a gorgeous dark stain (like mahogany or cherry) complete with all the trimmings (king sized bed, dresser, chest of drawers, mirror, night stands), and of course some amazing bedding to go on that new bed. I've saved you the trouble and found some that I absolutely adore. In case your elves are extra busy this year, save yourself a trip to the workshop and buy it directly by clicking here.

Okay. Thanks, Santa. That'll do it. For now.... :)

Seriously?

Seriously.

The Downside

This day eventually comes for anyone in any profession--the day you realize that your perfect job had a downside. I think that for an SLP (or any teacher for that matter) in the school system that the downside is difficult students and difficult parents.

My heart is especially heavy for one of my students today, and even more so for his teachers, who have become dear friends. He has had some behavioral problems that have slowly escalated over the semester and have reached a point where a whole slew of people are now involved. It's so tough to see so many people in a constant state of being stressed out.

My thoughts and prayers are with these special teachers (you know who you are). I love you guys! We will all get through this and come out the better for it.

Seriously?

Seriously.