A Ball in an Ocean ......

Well, one huge "first" down this week ....... one more left to go.

The Ball was fun.  

Until a little after midnight ..... when I started choking on/in the waves.

But ...... I didn't drown.

Putting on "The Dress" was hard ....  

.... putting on makeup while trying not to cry was hard ....

.... so was putting on my jewelry ......

.... my hands were shaking .... a lot.

But .... I did it.

I woke up this morning to discover that I had chewed the crud out of the inside of my mouth.

I am discovering all kinds of ways that I unknowingly handle stress.

I need to do something about the mouth thing .... that hurts.

The sun is shining here in NOLA and it's beautiful outside.

I've uploaded my photos and am working on the videos.

We fly back around 5:00 p.m.

I'll be glad to be home.

I've missed my son.

I've missed my bed (getting old stinks .... you miss your bed?!).

Here are some pictures from the night .... the Ball was held inside the Convention Center and it was pretty dark, so it's hard to see details, but ......... --- this was the "theme" in our home while the kids were growing up (really, if you asked them what the theme was ..... this is what they'd say) ---

 ........ "You get what you get."

On to the pics:

                  Here I am .... I wish you could see the details of the dress better:

                 Here we are ..... girlfriends.  I love these women:
                    

                                    A & R:

                                            J & J:

                               R & V

                            The guys ...... I love these men:

                                  M & D:
                 A very dark, blurry shot .... I was trying to show the length of the room:
                          

                 J and his friend R ....... post float ride:

                   One of the floats:

                  A & D ...... lots of beads!!




              Another girlfriend shot ... as we waited for the parade to come in:

  I wish I had taken some shots of K & J, but he was on the float until late .... and by then my camera had died, from taking too many videos.  I think I need a new camera.

So there you go.

Another "first" ......... I think I feel a little stronger today.

Still a bit shaky ..... but definitely stronger.

Must be from all of the water-treading and wave-riding.