Thursday, January 3, 2013

Praying for Impossible Things

Have you problems that you think are hopeless?  Do you pray for something that in the back of your mind,  you know that is actually impossible, will not happen at all in your lifetime?  In other words, are you praying for impossible things to happen? 

I could relate with you.  I grew up in a hacienda, south of  Philippines.  All we could be proud of is that we have finished college despite all the hardships, against all odds.

I will not bore you of stories about my struggles in life, this post is about my patron saint, St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless cases,  the one who helps you with your impossible problems.

I found the St. Jude prayer book/novena when I was cleaning the late ex hubby's room 38 years ago.  I was jobless, the late ex hubby  and I were living with his parents, yes  as is the usual case his mom was a monster-in-law.  I was jobless because my parents had me resign from my job to get away from the  bf (the now late ex hubby, and yes, my parents were right as usual, I should have run away to the other end of the earth).

Anyway, I kept the St. Jude Novena.  The next day, I received a snail mail informing me that I am scheduled for an employment exams (battery of tests) in an international organization.  I took the exams  with other applicants, all of us skeptical if we could pass the exams.  It was mind boggling difficult!

Coming 'home' (it was more like a purgatory living with a monster-in-law, don't you agree), I took a look of the St. Jude Novena.  Hmmnnn, patron saint of hopeless cases, that's what it said on the cover.  I am in a hopeless case, that is definitely true, so I prayed the novena. 

To make the long story short, I got the job - working in a bank (the international organization mentioned above), even when my college degree was elementary  education, and for every vacant position here were like more than 30 + other qualified applicants.  Isn't that a miracle?

The second time St. Jude helped me was 25 years later, I was 50 years old then.  The late ex  hubby and I separated,  he abandoned us, disappeared for 10 years,  and by golly I need a man in my life.  In jest I tell my friends, I would like a man who is good-looking, financially-stable, well-educated, will love me unconditionally.  Almost impossible to find at my ripe age, right?  I went to St. Jude Chapel at San Miguel, Manila and prayed for a soul mate.  To make the long story short again, I met the soul mate with the qualifications that I prayed about, who married me two years after our first meeting.  He spent for the annulment of my marriage, he adopted my two daughters, and lately  he brought me to the U.S. for permanent residency. 

Do my stories convince you of St. Jude's help for the hopeless, impossible cases? 

I still pray for his help - will tell you later another success story.

In the meantime, let me share with you the novenas:

This is a nine-day Novena: 
SAINT JUDE

One of my Favorite nine day Novenas



The St. Jude Novena Prayer

St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many. But the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases, and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so distressed. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded you to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly, (mention your request) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. St. Jude, apostle, martyr, and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary, and of Joseph, intercede for us!

Day: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9



The Nine Day Novena To St. Jude

DAY ONE

O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and despairing cases, we invoke you to take special interest in us and our needs. We feel that you understand us in a particular way. Hear our prayers and our petitions and plead for us in all our necessities especially. (mention your request) May we be patient in learning God's holy will and courageous in carrying it out. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY TWO

O blessed apostle Jude, who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day, grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ as he deserves to be served, giving of our best efforts in living as he wishes us to live. May we dispose our hearts and minds that god will always be inclined to listen to our prayers and petitions, especially those petitions which we entrust to your care and for which we as you to plead for us. (mention your request) Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us, in the present and future, not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY THREE

O holy St. Jude, apostle of Jesus Christ, you who have so faithfully and devotedly helped to spread his Gospel of Light, we who are gathered together today in your honor, ask and petition you to remember us and our needs. Especially do we pray for. (mention your request) May it also please our Lord to lend an ear to your supplications in our behalf. Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion, resigning ourselves humbly to the divine will, seeing God's purpose in all our trials and knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY FOUR

Saint blessed Jude, you were called to be one of Christ's chosen apostles and labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God; listen with compassion to those gathered together to honor you and ask your intercession. In this troubled world of ours we have many trials, difficulties, and temptations. Plead for us in the heavenly court, asking that our petitions may be answered, especially the particular one we have in mind at this moment. (mention your request) May it please God to answer our prayers in the way that he knows best, giving us grace to see his purpose in all things. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY FIVE

O holy St. Jude, apostle and companion of Christ Jesus, you have shown us by example how to leas a life of zeal and devotion. We humbly entreat you today to hear our prayers and petitions. Especially do we ask you to obtain for us the following favor. (mention your request) Grant that in praying for present and future favors we may not forget the innumerable ones granted in the past but often return to give thanks. Humbly we resign ourselves to God's holy will, knowing that he alone knows what is best for us especially in our present needs and necessities. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY SIX

St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered together in your honor. In all our needs and desires may we only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. These, our petitions (mention your request) we submit to you, asking you to obtain them for us, if they are for the good of out souls. We are resigned to God's holy will in all things, knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way though it may be in a way unexpected by us. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY SEVEN

O holy apostle Saint Jude, in whose honor we are gathered today, may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose you to be one of twelve apostles. Because of this and of the martyrdom you suffered for the Faith, we know you are a close friend of Almighty God. Therefore we do not hesitate to petition you in our necessities, especially. (mention your request) We humbly submit ourselves to the will of God, knowing full well that no sincere prayer is ever left unanswered. May we see god's good and gracious purpose working in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY EIGHT

O holy Saint Jude, apostle of Christ, pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master and live according to His will. May we cooperate with the grace of God and ever remain pleasing in His sight. Especially do we ask you to plead for us and obtain whatsoever is necessary for our salvation. Forget not our special petitions. (mention your request) May we always be thankful to God for the blessings we have received in the past. Whatsoever we ask for the present or future, we submit to the divine will, realizing that God knows best what is good for us. We know He will respond to our prayers and petitions in one way or another. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy.


DAY NINE

O holy Saint Jude, apostle and martyr, grant that we may so dispose our lives that we may always be pleasing to God. In working out our salvation in this life we have many needs and necessities. Today we turn to you, asking you to intercede for us and obtain for us the favors we ask of God. Especially do we petition for. (mention your request) May we not so much seek temporal good but rather what will avail our souls, knowing that it will profit us nothing if we gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of our soul. Therefore, may we incline ourselves toward the divine will, seeing God's good and gracious purpose in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us.

My Jesus, mercy. Source:  http://www.prayerbook.com/Novenas/judenove.htm

This is my nine-week Novena:
OH MY GOD,
I firmly believe that Thou art really ad corporally present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I adore Thee here present from the very depths of my heart, and I worship Thy sacred presence with all possible humility. O my soul, what joy to have Jesus Christ always with us, and to be able to speak to Him, heart to heart, with all confidence. Grant, O Lord, that I, having adored Thy divine Majesty here on earth in this wonderful Sacrament, may be able o adore it eternally in heaven. Amen.


O GLORIOUS APOSTLE,

St. Jude Thaddeus, true relative of Jesus and Mary, I salute thee through the most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Through this Heart, I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed upon thee. Humbly prostrate before thee. I implore thee through this Heart to look down upon me with compassion. Oh, despise not my poor prayers; let not my trust be confounded! To thee God has granted the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Oh, come to my aid, that I may praise the mercies of God! All my life I will be grateful to thee and will be thy faithful client until I can thank thee in heaven. Amen.


L: Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee!
A: Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee!

L: St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress!
A: St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress!


Pray for us, that before death we may expiate all our sins by sincerely repentance and the worthy reception of the holy sacraments!
Pray for us, that we may appease the Divine Justice and obtain a favorable judgment!
Pray for us that we may be admitted into the company of the blessed to rejoice in the presence of our God forever.

Most Holy Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of.

Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded to thee to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect forever.

I promise thee, O Blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor and I will never cease to honor thee as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to thee. Amen.

(Three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory be to the Fathers)


L: St. Jude Thaddeus, pray for us!
A: And for those who invoke thy aid!


LITANY OF ST. JUDE THADDEUS

(For private use only)

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Hoy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Hail Mary, pray for us.
St. Jude, relative of Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
St. Jude, while on earth deemed worthy to see Jesus and Mary and to enjoy their company.
St. Jude, raised to the dignity of an apostle,
St. Jude, who hadst the honor of beholding thy Divine Master humble Himself to wash thy feet,
St. Jude, who at the Last Supper didst receive Holy Communion from the hands of Jesus,
St. Jude, who, after the profound grief which the death of thy beloved Master caused thee, hadst the consolation of beholding Him risen from the dead and of assisting at His glorious Ascencion.
St. Jude, who didst preach the Gospel in Persia ,
St. Jude, who didst convert many people to the Faith,
St. Jude, who didst perform wonderful miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit,
St. Jude, who didst restore an idolatrous king to health, both of soul and body,
St. Jude, who didst impose silence on demons and confound their oracles,
St. Jude, who didst foretell to a weak prince an honorable peace with his powerful enemy,
St. Jude, who didst take from deadly serpents the power of injuring man,
St. Jude, who disregarding the threats of the impious, didst courageously preach the doctrine of the Christ,
St. Jude, who didst gloriously suffer martyrdom for the love of they Divine Master,
Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee,
Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee.
Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee.
St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress.
St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress.
St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid us in our distress.


That by the intercession both priests and people of the Church may obtain an ardent zeal for the Faith of Jesus Christ, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst defend our Sovereign Pontiff and obtain peace and unity for the Holy Church, we beseech thee, hear us.
That all heathens and unbelievers may be converted to the true Faith, we beseech thee, hear us.
That faith, hope and charity may increase in our hearts, we beseech thee, hear us.
That we may be delivered from all evil thoughts and from all the snares of the devil, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to aid and protect all those who honor thee, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst preserve us from all sin and from all occasion of sin, we beseech thee, hear us.
That thou wouldst defend us at the hour of death, against the fury of the devil and his evil spirits, we beseech thee, hear us.


Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.


L: Pray for us Blessed Jude.
A: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


LET US PRAY

O St. Jude Thaddeus, though relative of Jesus Christ, thou glorious apostle and martyr, renowned for thy virtues and miracles, faithful and prompt intercessor of all who honor thee and trust in thee! Thou art a powerful patron and helper in grievous afflictions. I come to thee and entreat thee from the depths of my heart; come to my aid with thy powerful intercession, for thou hast received from God the privilege to assist with thy manifest help, those who almost despair of all hope. Look down upon me; my life is a life of crosses, my days are days of tribulation and my heart is an ocean of bitterness. All my paths are strewn with thorns and scarcely one moment passes but is witness of my tears and sighs; uneasiness, discouragement, mistrust and almost despair prey upon my soul. Thou canst not forsake me in this sad plight. I will not depart from thee until thou hast heard me. Oh! Hasten to my aid, and I will be grateful to thee all my life. I will honor thee as my special patron, I will thank God for the graces bestowed upon thee and will encourage devotion to thee according to my power. Amen.


L: St. Jude Thaddeus,pray for us.
V: And for those who invoke thy aid.


BLESSING FOR THE SICK


Grant, Almighty and eternal God, everlasting health to those who believe. Hear us for thy sick, for whom we implore the aid of Thy tender mercy, that being restored to bodily health they may give thanks to Thee in Thy church, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

They shall lay their hands upon the sick and they shall recover. May Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Lord and Redeemer of the world, through the merits and intercession of His Holy apostle Jude Thaddeus and all His saints, show them favor and mercy. Amen.


OCCASIONAL PRAYERS TO ST. JUDE THADDEUS

Prayer of Thanksgiving
(To be said when a favor has been granted)

O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, in union with thy Holy Mother Mary and all the Angels and Saints, I praise, glorify and bless Thee for all the graces and privileges Thou has bestowed upon Thy chosen Apostle and intimate friend, St. Jude Thaddeus. I pray Thee, for the sake of His merits, grant me Thy grace and through His intercession come to my aid in all my needs; but especially at the hour of my death deign to strengthen me against the rage of my enemies. Amen.


PRAYER TO ST. JUDE THADDEUS

(Indulgences: 300 days; plenary on the usual conditions, if said daily for a month. Preces et Pia Opera, n. 450)

O Glorious St. Jude Thaddeus, by those sublime privileges which so ennobled thee in thy lifetime: relationship according to the flesh with Our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostolate; by that glory which, as the rewards of thy labors and martyrdom, thou dost now enjoy in heaven; obtain from us the Giver of every good all the graces we need to enable us to profit greatly by that divinely inspired doctrine which thou hast handed down to us in thy Epistle: that is, to build the edifice of perfection upon the foundation of faith, praying through the grace of the Holy Spirit; to keep ourselves always in the love of God, looking for the ,mercy of Jesus Christ unto life everlasting: and to help by every available means those who go astray. Thus shall we exalt the glory, the majesty, the dominion, the authority, of Him, who is able to preserve us without sin and keep us without blemish and in gladness unto the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, God our Savior. Amen.


PRAYER TO ST. JUDE

A prayer to ask for the intercession of St. Jude for serious problems, when feeling hopeless and alone, and for desperate cases.

Most Holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use I implore you, of the particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promised, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

Source:  http://www.rcam.org/novena-guide/250-novena-prayer-to-st-jude-thaddeus-


Don't misinterpret me, St. Jude helps me in prayers to our dear God,  I don't substitute St. Jude to my God. 

God bless everyone and may your hopeless, impossible cases be answered favorably. 


 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Jewish Italian Spaghetti Sauce

I am lucky to have a resident chef in the house, Dave my husband!  Here he is cooking up a storm. Er, why Jewish Italian?  He's a Jew and the main ingredient is Italian sausage :D

Dave puts in sliced Italian sausage to the frying pan

Ingredients:

1 lbs. Italian Sausage
3 pcs. carrots, sliced thinly'
1 lb. of button mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic,
1 (28 ounce can) diced tomato
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
3 cups water
1  teaspoons brown suger
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 pcs celery stalks
Browning (or blackening?) the sausage slices adds smoky flavor and extracts oil from the sausage
Celery stalks sliced thinly

Directions:

In large frying pan brown Italian sausage. Throw away extra oil.  This is the key to the receipe.  Cut the sausage in small pieces and heat for 10 to 15 minutes over moderate flame to render most of the fat out of the meat.
In another large pot, saute onions carrots and celery, stirring occasionally until onions are softened. Add tomato paste and diced tomato and mushrooms and rendered sausage. Stir well and bring to boil.
Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for an hour and a half .
Bon appetit!

Simmer well for melded flavors

Even without the Parmesan Cheese, this spaghetti has very rich flavor, enjoy!



Saturday, July 28, 2012

Goodbye Olongapo, Hello New Orleans

It's sad to say goodbye, but we have planned to move to New Orleans when the children are big enough, when they could be independent enough.  Now the right time has come, so we're moving on.  We said goodbye to friends:


                                                           Goodbye Olongapo
We said goodbye to Dolor, my first friend in Olongapo
My long-time dream of reconnecting with ADB friends happened when I came back from Saudi Arabia in 2003.  Not only that, I  made lots of friends from our exADBfriends website too.  These new friends are the people I could be friends 'only in my dreams' before.  Never did I imagine that I truly will become friends with them.    Life has lots of surprises.   Really.   Could you imagine that one of the organizers of my despedida lunch is Ms. Rosie Luistro, former executive secretary of  the President of ADB.   The awesome Ms. Ophie Sta. Ana coordinated the lunch,  and the gift -giving too.  I am such a lucky person.  Ms. Bebssey Gamboa, my ever efficient and ageless former  iron lady supervisor from IFD  also came.  The pretty and cheerful Letty Legisma and Tess Gonzales were there too.  My idols of beauty and grace came too - Lita Gamboa, Lou de Belen, Albertine Santi, Leah Gojo.  The naughty beauties joined us too - France Arceo and Baby Bolano.  The rich and the famous real estate lady, Yoly Asuncion was there.   Kate Blanco (yes from old rich Blanco clan) listened to my life story and promised to have someone assasinated.   Thank  God he was already dead.  Linda Tan, my confidante, my very disciplined  friend came too.   My pretty batchmates or 'classmates' were there too - Lulu Apagalang, Au Villamor and Marissa del Castillo.
Big Despedida lunch organized by Ms. Rosie and Ms. Ophie at ADB PDR.



Some choices of food at the ADB PDR, every one of them is yummy!

And you'd think that I'd have one despedida lunch from ADB friends and that's it. No, Virginia, I've had several. One of the biggest was organized by Carmen Dimayuga. Now, if you're from ADB, you'd surely know her. Carmen is one of the ADB ladies who is known to get her way always and forever, nobody messes with her. I am glad we're on the same side. Kidding aside, Carmen is one person who, like Ms. Rosie Luistro, has many advocacies and have several projects all happening at at the same time. I am truly lucky to be considered a friend. We had buffet lunch at Kamayan, Megamall. Now if you're a foodie like me, that's like dying and going to heaven. I super enjoyed the food and the company of bubbly and cheerful ladies - Shawn Gochangco (who later gave me a ride to my bus terminal, thanks Shawn and hubby), Leony Francisco, Edna Mae Ronas.   Thanks to all who came:  Gam de Armas who also left for the U.S. before we left; Oskee who is always funny and wacky;  Cezar Juan who is all smiles, ready to assist;  Mrs. Carlos who is enjoying her retirement to the max; Araceli Patricio, so slim and pretty; Marie Galura, always available, always friendly; Margie Flor, fellow Malambing na Ilonga, Meng Perez, my idol, poetess/writer; Tess Reyes, former co worker at Records, so sweet; Glo Ferry, gracious and charming, and beautiful Ada, so generous and thoughtful.

Grace (Neneng Dy)  Nuni and I had coffee later at The Podium

The North Group gave me a despedida lunch at Kamayan Megamall.

Thoughtful gifts from Ada.  Thank you my friend!

Beautiful pearl necklace from the North Group.  Thank you my friends.

Multicolor pin from Meng.  I always wear this, Meng :))

A gift of cash from June 19 Despedida group.  I used it for self beautification (war and serengoma removal) and the rest I gave to my friend, Maria
Rocky, Aidz and Fe treated us to lunch at 6688 Satin Tea, Malate.  We also enjoyed  their gifts of delicious Turon and beautiful necklace. Thanks Aidz, Fe and Rocky.  We enjoyed bonding with you ladies.  We had fun in Olongapo, we had fun in Malate.
Asel, my first BFF from ADB, my swim mate after we both delivered our first babies,  gave me despedida lunch too. We started on salad, remembering the days when we were both new in ADB .... until desert came - three kinds of cheesecake, whew! Nothing short of awesome lunch.
Asel, my first friend in ADB  treated me to lunch ADB EDR.


Asel and I started on Salad and Spinach soup.


Then we topped off our healthy lunch with cheesecake - three ways, hehehe
Our generous friend from the Hash, Ruel, treated us to a night of  Jazz in a popular night club in Quezon City.
Ruel treated us to a night of Jazz in Q.C.
We found time to bond before  Nory left for Hawaii and Lory for Germany.  These ladies are  my first friends at  Subic Hash Group. 

Nory is in a vacation from Hawaii, and Lory will be going to Germany soon

Maritz, Marissa, Jen and I went for a Despedida lunch at Mesa, Megamall.   Thanks for the wonderful gifts, Maritz. 
Despedida Lunch with Maritz, Marissa and Jen at Mesa, Megamall.  Thanks Maritz for the nice gifts.


At Mesa Megamall, food is delicious and so pretty-lookingl like the presentation of Tilapia fillet.  Their laing in two ways is memorable - one is cooked with coconut milk until dried and the other one moist is  with  cocunut milk sauce

                                                                Pusit in Olive Oil is Maritz's favorite

I love the Tilapia Fillet.

                                                                                       A little of everything


                                                                                         Crispy Leche flan

My childhood friend, my BFF was on vacation from Chicago and we had a reunion for our gang, the 3Gs.  It's a gang of three, 3Gs meaning Go-Getter-Gals,   dating back to our high school days. 
We bonded with Sophie (from Chicago) and her sisters (and brothers later).

We are the 3Gs (The Go-Getter Gals) back from High School days.

We also bonded with the Palomares nieces (and nephews).  As usual, if it's a Palomares clan gathering, there's food galore.




As to our family, our girls, Jen and Jaki are independent enough to let go and  test their independence wings.
We had family dinner at the Old Spaghetti House


Hello New Orleans
We stayed temporarily at Marquette International Hostel
Look at the wide street!
Lester and Family welcomed us in New Orleans and Mississippi

We enjoyed being tourists at the Tourist Information Center, St. Charles Avenue

Look Ma, a new sachel bag and white (!) rubber shoes for Dave


Internet connection at good ol' Mcdonalds while we're waiting for internet connection at home.

And we have to visit our favorite place for Jazz - the French Quarter.

The cathedral,  with fortune tellers and painters and their clientele near the entrance of the church. 

We saw all kinds of cool people.
Jazz at Frenchmen St.
A cool audience at the Preservation Hall for Jazz

Wat dat?  Hu Dat?


                              I have gotten my French Quarter beads from this balcony :))

A common sight - musicians at the French Quarter


Tours all over the place!



Peace sign from Uncle Sam's Lucky Dogs vendor.  He told me, "you have to have one, you have to  get the total experience."

Hello New Orleans, Hello U.S. of A!
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