I know I promised you a part 2 of my New Orleans Weekend for my sister's high school graduation, so here is a play by play of what we did... If I can remember...
We got there around 7pm on Saturday (May 14) and my dad and stepmom( I called Ms.Spriggins) we just rolled up to my Dad's house. My grandmother, dad and Ms. Spriggins were there so my mom, dad(step dad), and youngest sister Gabby chilled there and ate red beans and barbeque chicken. Shamonique(my graduating sister) showed up about a half hr or so later. Gabby, Shamonique and I bonded for a while then Shamonique took us to some lady's house to drop off a last minute grad party invite ... that was weird and we were there a little too long. Also Shamonique has a 2005 Saturn Ion...so I'm hating a little bit cuz her car is cuter than my neon. It's all good though. After that got back to the house and my mom and step dad were about to leave to go to where they were staying that night. I have to admit that I wanted them to stay there with all of us. Gabby stayed though and Shamonique Gabby and I all slept her full size bed. Gabby was in the middle and beat Shamonique up during the night though. :o)
Sunday: Graduation Day
As usual I stayed in bed as long as possible, but what's interesting is that Gabby (who usually wakes early) was still in the bed with me sleeping too when Shamonique came to wake us up aroung 11:30am. So I think I sent Gabby to eat some breakfast while I bathed. Then I told her to go bathe so I could do her hair (cuz I knew mom would kill if I didnt make sure her hair was lookin cute). This was all unfortunate for me though...the whole taking care of Gabby...because my hair was bone straight and i had intended to put spiral curls all over. She did look cute however...das my girl..she would look cute anyway though. To make a long story less long, as black folk often tend to do, we underestimated the time frame of everything and most of the people attending the graduation on my sister's behalf rolled in on two wheels and got there when the graduates were walking in.
The Graduation:
My sister is apart of the 135th Graduating Class of St.Mary's Dominican High School of New Orleans...apart of a long Catholic tradition of Dominican women. Well... I have a few disagreements with the Catholic spin on the Christian faith, so invocation was a little interesting. I felt like Jesus was a little shortchanged during the actual prayer because I didn't hear his name in the "meat" of it(if you will), but the person addressed "God" so I was like ok, same person (you know, The Holy Trinity). HOWEVER, when the lady ended her prayer, she was like "we ask these things in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her son Jesus." So I kinda chuckled cause I was thinking "What is Jesus, an afterthought?" You woulda thought that Mary had died on the cross and was apart of the Trinity. When I pray I pray in dear Lord Jesus' name and that needs no additions, subtractions or subsitutions because I know that HIS blood covered our sins... but I'll get off of my soap box on that, I just felt like he was little "j" jesus instead of big "J" Jesus and I wasn't feeling that too much.
So we start all of the pomp and ceremonialness of a graduation ceremony you know, all the tra la la with the Salutatorian (however it's spelled) and all FOUR of the Valedictorians...yeah they all had 4.0s. After that, awards were given out and then the lady was about to call the names of the graduates... Well that's where it gets funny...cuz the lady was like please hold your applause until all of the (228) graduates'names are called. So I'm thinking yeah right like that's going to happen. It's a flippin' celebration for cryin out loud! Plus anyone who's from or has been to New Orleans should know that black folk are going to pretty much do what they want...well actually people in general... so that sets the stage for how things went... So lady gets to callin names and with each name families clapped a little or cheered somewhat...then they got to yellin each person's name after her name was called. The announcer lady got upset and was like "I will wait" (for yall to get quiet). so I'm like ok, but she aint have to say that. Then of course folk are like whatever and people's name callin and yellin intensifies after the calling of each name, so the lady yell's "Everyone deserves to hear their name called!" but she created a problem where there wasn't one. All she had to do was not call a name until the previous girl's family had stopped cheering... So what do you think happened next? Well, you guessed it: FOLK GOT EVEN LOUDER!!! With the calling of every name the cheering intensified and the lady would shoot a mean look at every family that cheered and then she'd get quiet for a minute. I regret not cheering for my sister but I did clap. I'ma chicken like that. Her cousin did yell out "Boobie!"...that's her nickname from a little girl. She's had it since she came outta the womb basically. So then the graduation was over and we met my sister outside to take pictures. I wish I had gotten a picture of me with my sisters, but I did manage to get a picture of both girls together.
After the graduation we went back to the house to change quickly and then head over to the graduation party location in mid-city. I am proud of my sister's driving...esp. in New Orleans craziness. Her car is so cool. If she's listenin to music when she pulls up, it won't stop until she opens the door...even though she's taken the key out of the ignition. But anyways, I made the last minute decision to ride with her to the place and Gabby asked me if I wanted her to come, but I was like dont worry about it...since Shamonique was already in reverse and didnt expect me to hop outta my mom's car and into hers. I felt bad about leaving Gabs there though. I spent my time there making sure I didn't treat one sister more special than the other. It makes sense though that I would be a little closer to Gabby since she's almost like my child (there's a 9yr difference b/w us)...on the other hand even though I only see Shamonique once a year now we have a slight growing up history that we share cuz we're only three years apart and I spent every Christmas with her from her birth until this past Christmas(04) actually....but this Christmas was the first one I've spent with my mom, step dad and Gabby (i'm pretty sure there is a journal on here about that). Anyways the grad party was cool. I got to see a few aunts and uncles and cousins I rarely see. I took a lot of pictures of my family. I took a picture with my dads :o)
We(mom dad gabby and I) left a little early with my mom's cousin Marv and his fiance Renita. We went down to the French Quarter and ate some biegnets (French Doughnuts...fried dough topped with powdered sugar). Then we walked around the quarter and went down Bourbon St. I haven't been down there since I was fresh outta preschool. I took as many pics as I could even though it was dark. A few came out nicely. We left the quarter and went to Renita's house on the Westbank. It was a nice house. I ate a stuffed pepper, checked my email on the computer, sent Sean an apologetic e-card from hallmark, watched Kujoe with everybody and then it was time for bed. Please don't think my family is REALLY weird, but I guess what I'm about to say may give you a little more insight into my family environment...in the "Leave it to Beaver" sense. Well, Renita had given us her room. She had a King-size bed so me Gabs Dad(stepdad) and Mom all slept in it comfortably(in that order). No one was touching except for me and Gabs...and that was because she is a wild sleeper. We left the following morning...end of story.
I love my family so much...even though it seems so fractured at times. It's so cool to see everyone together like both of my dads moms and sisters. I wish my long lost brother had been there. It woulda been perfect. This is how I know I'm not yet ready to be married. I am not ready to say "bye" to my family and cleave to my husband....not just yet anyway. Thank you God for such a wonderful family to love.
We got there around 7pm on Saturday (May 14) and my dad and stepmom( I called Ms.Spriggins) we just rolled up to my Dad's house. My grandmother, dad and Ms. Spriggins were there so my mom, dad(step dad), and youngest sister Gabby chilled there and ate red beans and barbeque chicken. Shamonique(my graduating sister) showed up about a half hr or so later. Gabby, Shamonique and I bonded for a while then Shamonique took us to some lady's house to drop off a last minute grad party invite ... that was weird and we were there a little too long. Also Shamonique has a 2005 Saturn Ion...so I'm hating a little bit cuz her car is cuter than my neon. It's all good though. After that got back to the house and my mom and step dad were about to leave to go to where they were staying that night. I have to admit that I wanted them to stay there with all of us. Gabby stayed though and Shamonique Gabby and I all slept her full size bed. Gabby was in the middle and beat Shamonique up during the night though. :o)
Sunday: Graduation Day
As usual I stayed in bed as long as possible, but what's interesting is that Gabby (who usually wakes early) was still in the bed with me sleeping too when Shamonique came to wake us up aroung 11:30am. So I think I sent Gabby to eat some breakfast while I bathed. Then I told her to go bathe so I could do her hair (cuz I knew mom would kill if I didnt make sure her hair was lookin cute). This was all unfortunate for me though...the whole taking care of Gabby...because my hair was bone straight and i had intended to put spiral curls all over. She did look cute however...das my girl..she would look cute anyway though. To make a long story less long, as black folk often tend to do, we underestimated the time frame of everything and most of the people attending the graduation on my sister's behalf rolled in on two wheels and got there when the graduates were walking in.
The Graduation:
My sister is apart of the 135th Graduating Class of St.Mary's Dominican High School of New Orleans...apart of a long Catholic tradition of Dominican women. Well... I have a few disagreements with the Catholic spin on the Christian faith, so invocation was a little interesting. I felt like Jesus was a little shortchanged during the actual prayer because I didn't hear his name in the "meat" of it(if you will), but the person addressed "God" so I was like ok, same person (you know, The Holy Trinity). HOWEVER, when the lady ended her prayer, she was like "we ask these things in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her son Jesus." So I kinda chuckled cause I was thinking "What is Jesus, an afterthought?" You woulda thought that Mary had died on the cross and was apart of the Trinity. When I pray I pray in dear Lord Jesus' name and that needs no additions, subtractions or subsitutions because I know that HIS blood covered our sins... but I'll get off of my soap box on that, I just felt like he was little "j" jesus instead of big "J" Jesus and I wasn't feeling that too much.
So we start all of the pomp and ceremonialness of a graduation ceremony you know, all the tra la la with the Salutatorian (however it's spelled) and all FOUR of the Valedictorians...yeah they all had 4.0s. After that, awards were given out and then the lady was about to call the names of the graduates... Well that's where it gets funny...cuz the lady was like please hold your applause until all of the (228) graduates'names are called. So I'm thinking yeah right like that's going to happen. It's a flippin' celebration for cryin out loud! Plus anyone who's from or has been to New Orleans should know that black folk are going to pretty much do what they want...well actually people in general... so that sets the stage for how things went... So lady gets to callin names and with each name families clapped a little or cheered somewhat...then they got to yellin each person's name after her name was called. The announcer lady got upset and was like "I will wait" (for yall to get quiet). so I'm like ok, but she aint have to say that. Then of course folk are like whatever and people's name callin and yellin intensifies after the calling of each name, so the lady yell's "Everyone deserves to hear their name called!" but she created a problem where there wasn't one. All she had to do was not call a name until the previous girl's family had stopped cheering... So what do you think happened next? Well, you guessed it: FOLK GOT EVEN LOUDER!!! With the calling of every name the cheering intensified and the lady would shoot a mean look at every family that cheered and then she'd get quiet for a minute. I regret not cheering for my sister but I did clap. I'ma chicken like that. Her cousin did yell out "Boobie!"...that's her nickname from a little girl. She's had it since she came outta the womb basically. So then the graduation was over and we met my sister outside to take pictures. I wish I had gotten a picture of me with my sisters, but I did manage to get a picture of both girls together.
After the graduation we went back to the house to change quickly and then head over to the graduation party location in mid-city. I am proud of my sister's driving...esp. in New Orleans craziness. Her car is so cool. If she's listenin to music when she pulls up, it won't stop until she opens the door...even though she's taken the key out of the ignition. But anyways, I made the last minute decision to ride with her to the place and Gabby asked me if I wanted her to come, but I was like dont worry about it...since Shamonique was already in reverse and didnt expect me to hop outta my mom's car and into hers. I felt bad about leaving Gabs there though. I spent my time there making sure I didn't treat one sister more special than the other. It makes sense though that I would be a little closer to Gabby since she's almost like my child (there's a 9yr difference b/w us)...on the other hand even though I only see Shamonique once a year now we have a slight growing up history that we share cuz we're only three years apart and I spent every Christmas with her from her birth until this past Christmas(04) actually....but this Christmas was the first one I've spent with my mom, step dad and Gabby (i'm pretty sure there is a journal on here about that). Anyways the grad party was cool. I got to see a few aunts and uncles and cousins I rarely see. I took a lot of pictures of my family. I took a picture with my dads :o)
We(mom dad gabby and I) left a little early with my mom's cousin Marv and his fiance Renita. We went down to the French Quarter and ate some biegnets (French Doughnuts...fried dough topped with powdered sugar). Then we walked around the quarter and went down Bourbon St. I haven't been down there since I was fresh outta preschool. I took as many pics as I could even though it was dark. A few came out nicely. We left the quarter and went to Renita's house on the Westbank. It was a nice house. I ate a stuffed pepper, checked my email on the computer, sent Sean an apologetic e-card from hallmark, watched Kujoe with everybody and then it was time for bed. Please don't think my family is REALLY weird, but I guess what I'm about to say may give you a little more insight into my family environment...in the "Leave it to Beaver" sense. Well, Renita had given us her room. She had a King-size bed so me Gabs Dad(stepdad) and Mom all slept in it comfortably(in that order). No one was touching except for me and Gabs...and that was because she is a wild sleeper. We left the following morning...end of story.
I love my family so much...even though it seems so fractured at times. It's so cool to see everyone together like both of my dads moms and sisters. I wish my long lost brother had been there. It woulda been perfect. This is how I know I'm not yet ready to be married. I am not ready to say "bye" to my family and cleave to my husband....not just yet anyway. Thank you God for such a wonderful family to love.
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