Befitting a Princess

On April 3rd, my niece Athena and her honey Spencer came face to face with their destiny. After nine long months, Dakota Lynn Sticker was finally born. My “baby” niece is a mommy, and I have a goddaughter. That kid makes me deliriously happy. I just can’t explain it. I mean, look at me. . . well, ignore the fact that I left straight from work to drive an hour across Lake Ponchatrain and am wearing no makeup, am still in my work clothes, and look like a hot mess.
She’s perfect, she’s beautiful, she’s gorgeous, she’s smart, and yes, I am completely and utterly biased. But I’m supposed to be. I’m her godmother. It’s my job. Really, it is. I read the manual. Unfortunately, the magic wand must have gotten lost in the mail, so I have no superpowers like princess Aurora’s fairy godmothers had. Guess we’ll just have to make do.

I'm engaged! Last week I went to Denver to see Jakob and we took a mini-vacation to Estes Park, Colorado. One night we went to dinner at Cascades, the restaurant at the Stanley Hotel (of Stephen King fame - it was the inspiration for "The Shining"), and he proposed. Obviously, I said yes. Since then, I've been reading bridal magazines and even subscribed to a blog called Weddingbee. I have no idea what kind of dress I want or what our colors will be or pretty much anything else yet. The only thing we have decided on is our china pattern, stemware, and flatware. . . oh, and that we really want a Dyson vacuum cleaner. For more, check out "our" blog.

The 37th annual Louisiana Strawberry Festival is just around the corner. The festivities are April 11-13 this year. I realize the thought may cross one's mind that it's a bit ridiculous to devote an entire festival to a fruit, but I grew up with this annual tradition so I understand it.
Call me a country bumpkin; call me a hick, I don't care. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better than strawberries fresh from the field with sugar and cream. At this very moment, there is a bowl of sliced strawberries in my refrigerator, marinating with sugar. In a few hours, they will be ready for me to pour cream over them and enjoy.
Like most small town festivals, the Strawberry Festival is more about re-connecting with old friends than celebrating a type of fruit or vegetable. Don't get me wrong - the food is incredible, and strawberry wine is delicious, but the real draw is never knowing who you may run into when you go... your favorite teacher, the first boy you ever loved, the girl you sat next to in chem class.
So before you write off our Strawberry Festival as unworthy of your time or hokey or just downright dumb, consider the old friends you can see or the new ones you may make.