Cajun Jokes

OK, so people here (mainly in Lafayette) love to tell Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes. It's these two REALLY Cajun guys that are very funny! 

--- Boudreaux was going to Catahoula to visit Thibodeaux.  He was on I-10 driving his pickup truck below the speed limit. A Louisiana State trooper pulled him over. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?"  Boudreaux replied, "Bout whut?"

---The Sheriff pulled up next to Boudreaux unloading garbage out of his pick-up into the ditch.
The Sheriff asked, "Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch?  Don't you see that sign right over your head."  "Yep," he replied. "That's why I'm dumpin' it here, 'cause it says: 'Fine For Dumping Garbage.' "

--- Boudreaux was overheard saying "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana ."  When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana 'cause every thang happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the world."

---- Thibodeaux’s wife heard that milk baths would make her beautiful. So she left a note for her milkman to leave 25 gallons of milk.  When the milkman read the note, he felt there must be a mistake.  He thought she probably meant 2.5 gallons. So he knocked on the door to clarify the point. Clarisse came to the door and the milkman said, "I found your note asking me to leave 25 gallons of milk.  Did you mean 2.5 gallons?"
Clarisse said, "No, I want 25 gallons. I'm going to fill my bathtub up with milk and take a milk bath so I can look young and beautiful again."  The milkman asked, "Do you want it pasteurized?" Clarisse said, "No, just up to my chest.  I can splash it on my eyes."

Sister Lyons, my joke supplier, sent these to me today. Elder Fontenot says there are tons of Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes. Maybe they're more popular in the south than blonde jokes and attorney jokes!

Vicksburg MS

Vicksburg is a town full of history--and not just of the Civil War. It also includes a delightful downtown area with old churches, unique architecture, antebellum mansions, the Coca-Cola Museum (where Coke was first bottled in 1894) and Mississippi Blues Trail markers. Not far from the downtown area is the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. We'll have to to back to see some of the things we missed this trip.

The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley RR station is now a transportation museum. It was built in 1907 and is a designated site on the Mississippi Blues Trail. These sites relate to the birth, growth and influence of the Blues throughout the state of Mississippi. This particular marker commemorates the original lyrics of blues artist Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues" which traced the route of the Yazoo and MS Valley RR.

On to Vicksburg National Military Park.  The statue is Pres. Abraham Lincoln, General Grant and Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War. The statement by Pres. Lincoln says "Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket." President Lincoln wanted to gain control of the Mississippi and divide the South. This campaign became the turning point of the Civil War. There are no statues that I saw of Pres. Jefferson Davis' statement: "Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together...Vicksburg is the key." Two statements. Two Presidents. One outcome.

After a 20 minute film on the Civil War in Vicksburg we purchased a CD and took a 16 mile driving tour of the battleground. These pictures don't even scratch the surface of everything we were able to see.

Shirley House, or "the white house" as it was called by Union troops, is the only surviving wartime structure in the park. It's been restored to its 1863 appearance.

Two pictures are of the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Of the nearly 17,00 Union soldiers buried here, about 13,000 are unknown. It's also the final resting place for veterans of the Spanish-American War, World Ward I and II, and the Korean Conflict. It has been closed to burials since 1961. Many Confederates who died during the siege are buried in Vicksburg's Cedar Hill Cemetery in another location in the park.

When I stand in places such as this I can't help but think of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered 4 1/2 months later at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA, but could just as easily have given it here. I will always be grateful to my 8th grade English teacher for requiring that we memorize this speech. But just in case my memory fails me, I include it as a tribute to all of those who have fallen in defense of freedom--who gave "the last full measure of devotion."

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, for above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

All of the states who participated in the Civil War have built monuments to honor soldiers who gave their lives on the Vicksburg battleground. I've only shown a few of the monuments. It's interesting to note that it took the confederate states much longer to contribute, because the recovery process for them was so much more time consuming than for the Union states.

The Kentucky monument is located on Kentucky Avenue, which runs between the Union and Confederate line on the south loop of the park. It features bronze statues of United States President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis who were both natives of KY. The memorial symbolizes the division within KY during the Civil War as well as the reunification of the state and country afterward.

Natchez by Day

Natchez adorns the banks of the Mighty Mississippi. It has more atebellum homes than any othe city in the United States--ove 150. In the 1800's this was the richest place in America, and cotton was king. You could grow it, pick it and ship it from the port in Natchez. Many of the "houses" in town were just that--"town houses." The large plantaton fields were outside of town, but to show off their wealth, the cotton barons built town houses.

Here are a few of the places we saw on Friday's carriage ride. The first home is the Glen Auburn House. This is a post-Civil War mansion built around 1875 and is considered "Mississippi's greatest Second Empire structure," named for architecture from the Second French Empire. The little step is in front of many of the antebellum homes and mansions. It was there for the ladies to step down from their carriages without showing their ankles. That was so inappropriate for the time. Many of the homes even have 2 staircases, like Nottoway, so gentlemen could enter from a separate side of the home to avoid seeing any female ankles.

This window was supposedly designed by Louis Tiffany, but after searching on the internet for a good hour, I was unable to find any information on it or that he did any windows in Natchez. So, maybe it was made by him and maybe not. And I've just wasted an hour. Personally, I don't this it even looks like his lamps, etc. but then I haven't studied his stained-glass work so perhaps I'm wrong. Perish the thought!

After Hurricane Katrina the MS Department of Transportation began bulldozing the dead tree damaged by the storm, much to the chagrin of residents. So the Biloxi Mayor intervened and contracted to have some the the live oak trunks turned into sculptures. A wood sculptor from Florida volunteed to create some for free as a service to the community. I don't know if this sculpture is one of his. Probably not, but I love the idea, as did whoever carved this little bird. Apparently many of these can be seen in New Orleans, so I'm going to have to look next time we go to NOLA.

Stanton Hall was built in 1857 by an Irish immigrant and cotton merchant, Frederick Stanton. It was the home of his dreams, built in Greek Revival style, in the heart of Natchez. It takes up an entire city block and cost over $83,00 before being furnished. Holy Cow! It was completed a few months before he died in 1859 and was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War.

Today it's a National Historic Landmark and furnished much as was originally intended. It also has the Carriage House Restaurant, nationally known for it's Southern cuisine and especially the fried chicken and baby biscuits. I was so looking forward to enjoying a meal after returning from Vicksburg. What a disappointment to get home and find that it's only open for lunch. Guess we'll have to go back to Natchez!

The other 2 homes are just some we saw while driving around the town. I love them even though they could use serious facelifts. But they're still unique and quaint.

We found something completey unexpected at the Historic Natchez City Cemetary. A study in wrought iron! Because the city is set about 300 feet above the Mississippi River there's not much chance of flooding, so the graves are underground. Many families, instead of having a huge vault to entomb everyone, must have purchased several plots in one area then encircle it with an iron fence and gate. Beautiful! Here a just a few of them.

Most of the ironwork is a good representation of what was being produced in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

I think we'll visit the Vicksburg experience tomorrow.

Zion's Valiant Youth

After we receive notification of a new Elder or Sister coming into our mission, we send out a packet of information and requests. Two of the questions that new missionaries are asked to respond to are: 1) Why do I want to serve a mission?" and 1) What do I expect to accomplish while I am in the mission field?" We may be getting mostly teenagers coming out, but they're wise and spiritual beyond their years.

Today I opened one letter from a future LABR missionary, and I'm going to share some of the things that were written just to show the caliber of youth today, as so many of the letters express similar sentiments.

"Why do I want to serve a mission? ...The biggest passion I have is this gospel!! I know with all of my being that it is true and right. Most importantly, right for EVERYONE! I want to serve. I want to be a missionary so I can teach the people of Louisiana about their Savior and Father in Heaven...The things I expect to accomplish are a mystery. I don't know what will happen. I don't know exactly what I will go through. All I know is the Lord will shape me and mold me and guide me to my full potential. I know this will happen as I continue to trust in Him. I know this mission will change and benefit my life forever."

This is typical of all the missionaries that have been coming in or will be here soon. How fortunate we are to be so blessed here in Louisiana!

It's been a while since we've taken an overnight road trip, so we decided to head north to Natchez and Mississippi. Things don't change much when you cross the state line. It's still green and beautiful, but the roads become smoother to ride on. There's an obvious budget difference for transportation between the 2 states! We spent 2 nights in Natchez, but travelled to and back from Vicksburg on Saturday.

After a bite to eat on Friday evening we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride. What a delight. Gus, our tour guide, was fun and knowledgeable and has been doing this since high school--a 20 year veteran. You could tell he'd studied and done a lot of reading so he could share details about the town, homes and people. He's with his horse, Hal, the smiling horse. After our ride, which, by the way, was on a most perfect evening, I was able to feed Hal a cookie. Gus has trained him to actually smile before you feed him, which is what I did. I had Marc take pictures, which he did. He took 3 of them and none showed Hal smiling. Marc is now fired for any future photography engagements!

The First Presbyterian Church of Natchez was organized in 1817, but this but this building wasn't built until about 1929. Unfortunately you can't see the clock on the cupola on top, but it has Roman Numerals on the face. This particular clock has a IIII instead of IV. No one seems to really know why, but it's a beautiful church and is said to be one of the "finest examples of Federal Style architecture in the state of Mississippi."

The rest of the pictures I took didn't turn out because it was too dark, so we went back on Saturday morning and took some so we'd have something to show from our carriage ride.

One fun stop was at the city hall to learn about, Tripod, the City Kitty. Tripod was a 3 legged orphan cat that kind of moseyed her way into the building and hearts of everyone at city hall. Someone fed her once and she became a part of the team. She wandered the halls and slept on desks at night. She remained there for 4 years, and when she died they took up a collection to bury her and make a little headstone. They collected so much money ($80) that they named her the "city kitty" because her fund had more than the city of Natchez. The city, at the time, was bankrupt!

Two Things That Make My Day

One thing that makes a good day great is having quality time with missionaries. Today was one of those days. Talk about great Elders! Here are two more of our wonderful missionaries who were able to come to dinner tonight. Elder Jones, left, is from Gilbert AZ. He's the oldest of 4 children and has been serving for 21 months. Actually, both he and Elder Glauser, right, went into the MTC in December and spent Christmas and New Years there. The difference is that Elder J went to the Provo MTC in Dec. 2012 and Elder G went to the Mexico City MTC in 2013. So Elder J goes home in 3 months, and Elder G doesn't.

Elder J is pretty quiet, and I missed most of Marc's conversation with him while I was fixing dessert. He does love cars and motorcycles and anything with an engine. He'll go to community college in AZ starting in January, then on to college.

Elder G is the youngest of 6 sons. He's from Redlands CA so we had a few things in common. Four of his brothers are married and have children. In fact, one brother recently moved to Mandeville, with his wife and 4 children, which is in our mission. Pres Wall said Elder G would be able to see his brother while still on his mission, but he doesn't know what Pres Hansen will say yet. Elder G's father was the Stake President in Redlands from the time Elder G was a baby until he was about 8. When he was 10 his mother passed away which Elder G says really strengthened his family and has helped shape in him a very solid testimony of the Atonement and life after death.

Elder G doesn't spend much time thinking about life after mission but does want to go to college and become a sports broadcaster. And, he's a USC and New Orleans Saints fan. He became a Saints fan when Reggie Bush started playing for them.

These are 2 dedicated, hard-working and non-complaining elders. What a pleasure to be able to spend a little time with them.

The other thing that makes my day is receiving a beautiful thank you note from one of the missionaries. Today we received this from Sister Lindstrom. The sentiment was so tender and heartfelt, and after reading it, I felt so appreciated. All of the elders and sisters are always thanking us and asking if there's anything they can do for us. Thank you notes are frosting on the cake.

So tonight I go to bed with a very happy heart:)

Cooks in the Kitchen

There are never too many cooks in the kitchen when 2 of them are Elder Morrell and Elder Mecham! Here they are today helping Sister Hansen prep and serve lunch to the 24 Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders at MLC. On the menu today was fajitas with all the fixin's and cake & ice cream. The elders were in charge of cooking the fresh tortillas from Costco, among other things. Elder Mecham was being uncooperative with the photo shoot, so it's his fault that the picture is blurry!

Zone Leaders from Baton Rouge, Lafayette, & Alexandria

From left to right--Sister Worthington, Sister McEntire, Sister Baird, Sister Wily, and Sister Hoskins

Elder Myers, Elder Hansen, Elder Murhula & Elder

Elder Bennett

Front to Back--Sister Encizo, Sister Betts, Sister Palmer, Sister Mishko

A brief statement on faith

Sister Bailey and Sister Black on their way to help an investigator clean her house.

This might be my best referral yet from a woman in Geismar, LA! "This is for the youth department of my church. May I please request 10-20 (bibles). Thank you."

Labor Day Dining

Sister Riggs is truly the "hostess with the mostest." She loves to entertain, is so gracious, sets beautiful tables, and is a great cook. No exception on Labor Day. The Riggs invited the Hansen's, Keller's and us to enjoy another feast. Tonight was smoked/barbecued ribs, baked beans (Arlene's beans-my great contribution), green salad, potato salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob, homemade bread, cake and ice cream.  Unfortunately, Sister Hansen never made it, because she was in the ER until after 11 pm with one of our Sister missionaries. They didn't even make a diagnosis but sent her home with some meds.

In spite of a missing guest, we had a fun evening and visited the night away talking about mission memories for the men, people some of us know and have in common, escapades of youth, scouting, and a variety of other subjects.

Thanks, Riggs, for a super time!

Packing up a plate for Sister Hansen

Slightly serious conversation