Jackson.......4 lyfe???? ( a really long post )

Well, friends, it seems like God wants us to stay in Jackson. The
church we were (me especially) really interested in decided not to
hire us, and Tougaloo has opened its doors to RUF. Long story short,
we're staying. Short story long, RUF at Tougaloo as an entity doesn't
exist anymore, and given these "troubling economic times," and the
slowness of committees, won't for at least a year.

This means Roy will have to find another job, most likely teaching
somewhere. I am working full time for the summer (if you ever want to
keep Iris and give Roy a break, let us know!). Also, we have to move
in July so the church can have their internship back. None of this
was remotely in my plans. Hurray. But I guess God knows better than us
what we need. Also, I am usually against people leaving Mississippi
when there's so much work to be done here...but I was very ready to
make excuses for us. [I think Iris might be having a BM...she looks
VERY serious.] So I guess I'll just have to practice what I
preach.....but man, there's still a lot of disappointment.

To compensate, I'm trying to have the best summer ever. My plans
include a lot of socializing. (If you don't have kids or medical
problems, please come to our house...it's so much easier!) I'm also
planning on learning to cook like a Louisianian by cooking through the
books "You are Where You Eat" and "New Orleans Cuisine" (both
published by my employer). I would also like to watch a lot of sports
with Roy. And put a brick on Iris's head to stop her from growing! And
making a wonderful summer soundtrack.

She can now cruise a little bit--definitely all around her crib. Her
eating Cheerios is the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's so serious
about it...and still has a little bit of problem picking them up. Also
she is "scooting" with an occasional real crawl. Her hair is getting
even longer. Basically, you just need to come her to know what's going
on...it seems like major changes keep happening every week.
Unbelievable.

On the food note, I'm going to brag a little bit. I don't really like
it when people say what they ate or cooked. It either makes me feel
inferior OR hungry and sometimes both. However, when Roy affirms
something by saying "This tastes like it does in New Orleans!" it
makes me feel so happy I have to share. When I went to Kroger, I
bought a super-long loaf of "poor boy" bread (that's what it was
labeled). Also a lil andouille, though I'm sorry to say that it was the
Johnsonville kind instead of a local kind because all the regional
ones had MSG in them. And so I thought I'd make him a sausage po' boy.
THEN, I remembered that we had some frozen fried shrimp, so I cooked
those. And then I remembered reading about a remoulade sauce in "New
Orleans Cuisine" that seemed easy to make, so I whipped that up.
(mayo, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce + tabasco). We didn't
have lettuce or tomatoes, so I skipped that part, but I did add some
cheese. I toasted the bread...he really liked it. I felt so cool.

Also, I think Iris, given how much she likes cheerios, might be ready
for more finger foods. Do you just give regular food cooked for a LONG
time and cut up...not too small, but small? I am such a total amateur
at this baby feeding business. I have decided not to feel bad about
buying baby food if I want to...especially this summer if I'm working
so much. I'm pretty sure I'll want to be spending time with my baby,
not just cooking for her. We'll see.

And now to the music. Roy recently got me an Othar Turner cd. It's
fife and drum blues, from the Mississippi Delta. Almost no one plays
this kinda music anymore. The CD he got me, whose name I don't
remember, is basically the soundtrack from a picnic. It's freaking
amazing. Iris and I both love it. Roy, my sister, and my mom don't.
Their loss.

So, maybe I'll pick a day of the week to cook my food and you, dear
reader, can come over and be my guinea pigs. (pending Roy's approval).
You can play with Iris and visit and help me be glad God's stuck us in
Jackson.

The End.

[p.s. bowels definitely moved....]