Ragin' Cajuns...I have 2.

Mr. Chad and I traveled to Louisiana to spend a few days with the girls. It's a long drive and we all know Mr. Chad will not fly (yet). It was great doing their daily lives with them, though. It's the one thing I miss the most. I went to school with Claudia. I know most of her school pals and it's always great when they remember me. I watched her play dodgeball and do some classwork. I signed her out and then we went to get Catarina and one of her friends and THEN it was time to pick up Mr. Chad back at the hotel. We had Chick-fil-A and then dropped the girls off at their speech and drama competition.

Mr. Chad got to see his first, homeless wino--which is nothing to laugh at, but he has lived a very sheltered life. Back at the hotel he let Claudia swim while I took a nap. We had Bennigan's for dinner and that day was gone. Catarina did not have to go back to the competition the next day, but had to work at a car wash. I will not go into how it was the worst car wash ever, but I looked at it as giving money to my daughter's team...LOL. (Claudia was still able to write WASH ME in dirt after the car wash...LOL.)

The next day, the girls and I went thrift shopping at Goodwill. Nothing much for us except some books and Band of Brothers on VHS for a buck, but somehow we spent $44, and Claudia came out to the good. We then just hung out, went to Hobby Lobby, and browsed around.

We picked up Mr. Chad after UK's game was over and then dropped Catarina off to work the "car wash". The 3 of us then went to Wally World (Wal-Mart) and somehow Claudia schmoozed Mr. Chad into buying her new luggage. All of this was fine until it became "find Catarina a Homecoming Dance dress"...LOL. Mr. Chad is not a shopper, but he sucked it up and took it like a trooper. She must have tried on 8 dresses, but chose one in the end that was very, tasteful and classy.

As with any trip to LA, we went thru the drive-thru daiquiri stand. We think that's just the funniest thing. (Even when I lived there, I could not get use to that concept...LOL). I was tipsy and ready to eat, so we somehow talked Mr. Chad into going for Hibachi. Now, we never expected him to eat, but knew that he would love the experience...and he did.

When we're with the girls time goes by so fast...and when I drop them back off at their Dad's house, my heart sinks to a new level of low. It's fun to be able to do things with them, but nothing replaces the time that is slipping away, that I can never get back.

I have to snap back into "Christy in Real Life" on the drive home, otherwise I would be a very sad soul. I love my girls more than anything and although, co-parenting is the proper way to raise kids of divorce, it's never fun to have to say good-bye even if it's just for 6 weeks.

Mrs. B :o(