Louisiana - Nov 2023

We had several weeks to kill before Keith's second surgery so rather than sit around in Dallas, we decided to make a few road trips.  This first roadtrip was to Louisiana to catch up with some of Shawna's friends and to spend time with Shawna's mom for Thanksgiving!

We left Dallas on Monday after Keith's last 'laser' surgery for his first toe and drove to Woodworth, LA to visit Ginger and Michael for one night.  Keith rode in the back seat, feet elevated, while we listened to a book on tape the whole way - it took about 5.5 hours to get there.  We arrived around 4:30pm and immediately chilled with the two of them, having a few beers on the porch.  

Keith ready for the journey

Ginger made gumbo for us for dinner which was so tasty.  We had that along with yams and then key lime pie for dessert.  It was so nice to spend a longer time with them (usually our visits are a few hours).  We crashed after having a few more beers.

The next morning, we had coffee with them and chatted some more before hitting the road to drive to New Orleans where we stayed for three nights in a small studio apartment in Uptown owned by one of Shawna's high school classmates, Amy.  We arrived there around 2pm - Amy met us to give us the keys and show us the ropes.  That evening, we had date night and went to dinner at Le Petite Grocery where we shared ricotta dumplings for an appetizer and the lamb t-bone for entree with white bean cassoulet.  Everything was good but the lamb was too undercooked for Shawna.

Date night at Le Petite Grocery

On Wednesday, Shawna went for a run down St Charles passing by Loyola University where she went for her first year of college.  We then met Amy and Gene (both high school classmates who got married to each other) for lunch at Gris Gris - we each had a salad there.  

Lunch at Gris Gris with Amy & Gene

That evening, we met Janell (another classmate of Shawna's - from both junior high and high school) and her husband, Jon, at Lilette where we had a duck confit salad and lamb shoulder entree with a side of fries - delicious.  Before dinner, we had a drink at Bouligny Tavern - great place.

Dinner at Lilette with Janell and Jon

On Thursday, we met Tammi (a colleague of Keith's from LivCor) and her husband Brian for breakfast at Toast in the French Quarter.  We shared a toast and crepe dish.  Before meeting up with them, we walked down to Jackson Square to take a few photos.  

Breakfast at Toast with Tammi and Brian

After breakfast, we went to the World War II museum seeing most of the exhibits and watching one of the films - the museum is very well done.  In the afternoon, Shawna went for another run.  

WWII Museum

That evening, we met Moni (another high school classmate of Shawna's and who was also in our wedding) and her husband Jeff at Mr Mao for dinner.  We shared a bunch of stuff for the table - everything was incredibly tasty.  After dinner, we went to their house for another drink - turns out their house was just a couple of blocks from where we were staying!!  We had not seen Moni in quite some time so was great to catch up and to meet her husband and daughter.

Dinner at Mr Mao witth Moni and Jeff

On Friday, we packed up and drove to Moreauville where we stayed for a week at Shawna's mother's house.  When we arrived, we got settled and Shawna made dinner - something healthier finally!!  For the rest of the time there, Shawna worked out most mornings.  We also met up with the following people:

• Carey - Shawna and Carey went to Sacred Heart (elementary and junior high) together.  She came over to Shawna's mom's house for lunch where we had gumbo that Shawna had made.

Lunch with Carey at Shawna's mom's house

• Hope and Craig - Shawna went to Marksville High with Hope.  They had us over for dinner at their house - Hope made a delicious chicken pasta dish and a caramel and apple custard for dessert.  

Dinner with Hope and Craig at their house

• Nicole and Hunter (and family) - Nicole is Shawna's sister in-law.  She hosted us for Thanksgiving where we, as usual, had too much food - turkey, pork, rice dressing, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and eggplant/shrimp casserole - and then pecan pie for dessert!  Pat and Chet was there as well as Juanita, Christie and Allie Rose with her cute baby.  We also separately met up with Nicole and Hunter for dinner on Sat night at Broken Wheel Brewery where we shared the crab cake for appetizer and shrimp and grits for entree. 

Thanksgiving Day - Honey, Nicole, Christie and Shawna

• Brenda and Joe - They are long time family friends.  We met them for lunch at Morel's in New Roads - a great place along the lake.  We shared a redfish topped with crab and shrimp along with a side salad and bread pudding for dessert.  Brenda also had made us a fig cake which we dug into first thing when we got home - so tasty and moist!!

Lunch at Morel's with Brenda and Joe

In addition to catching up with friends and family, we took a short road trip to Natchitoches where we stayed one night at the Andrew Morris House. We went there to see the Christmas lights - an annual festival that Shawna remembers from her time at LSMSA.  We first stopped by to see the school and then checked into the B&B.  We then walked around town a bit, popping into a few of the stores.  That evening, we had dinner at Mariner's which is a nice seafood restaurant located on a lake where Shawna went for special occasions (e.g. graduation) when she was LSMSA.  We shared the wedge salad for appetizer and the panko encrusted seabass for entree with a side of jalapeño cheese grits.  The restaurant had been updated since Shawna was last there with a bright, nautical theme - cute place and food was pretty good.  We then walked along the river for a short while to see the lights.  Unfortunately, Shawna's mom didn't sleep well that night as her room was cold.  In the morning, we had a great breakfast at the B&B and then packed up to drive back to Moreauville.

Andrew Morris House B&B

Dinner at Mariner's

Christmas Lights Festival

We pulled away on Sunday to drive back to TX after Shawna got in one more run.  It took us about 6 hours (ran into a bit of traffic) to get back to Keith's parents' house.  When we arrived, we had dinner with Margaret and the kids - Jean made a yummy brisket, potato salad and pumpkin cheesecake!

Chicago - Nov 2023

Shawna needed to return to Chicago to attend the annual board retreat for Women Employed so we decided to make a weekend of it and catch up with folks.  Since Keith was still in a boot from his surgery, we had to get wheelchair assistance at the airport which he was not a fan of but it did allow us to board first!!  We arrived in Chicago Friday afternoon and stayed for two nights at David's (colleague of Keith's from LivCor) apartment downtown.  The apartment is really nice with great views of the river below.

Kicking back in a wheelchair!

After getting settled in, we had drinks with David in his apartment and then went to dinner with him and another LivCor colleague, Ashley, at Roka Akor where we shared a ton of yummy food for the table.  After dinner, we had a few more drinks at another restaurant nearby and then headed back to David's place to crash.

Dinner with David and Ashley at Roka Akor

On Saturday, Shawna attended her meeting all day while Keith relaxed and had lunch with David.  That evening, we went to dinner with Kara and Ansley at La Josie where we had guacamole for the table and shared the flank steak entree which was very tasty.  We arrived a little early so the two of us had a drink at the bar.

Shawna on the way to the board meeting

The next morning, we headed to the airport after a cup of coffee and showering, arriving back in Dallas around 1:30 - Dick picked us up in our car so that we didn't have to deal with walking to the parking lot!

It was a quick trip but a great one, especially nice to catch up with friends and that the weather was quite nice!!

Texas - Keith 1st Surgery - Oct to Nov 2023

After spending 2.5 months in NM, we went back to TX so that Keith could get surgery done on his two big toes which had arthritis.  The surgeries were 8 weeks apart and each had an elongated recovery so we decided to use the time to catch up with friends and family in the LA and TX area.

We only had one full day back in Colleyville to get settled before his first surgery.  We unpacked and brought stuff to our storage unit which is now really full!  We also had what Keith affectionally called his 'last supper' on Sunday night with his parents and sister at Perry's Steakhouse and Grill where we had a yummy meal of pork and several sides shared at the table.

On Monday, Keith had the first surgery on his right foot - the surgery only lasted about an hour and with an hour of recovery they were ready to send him home to Shawna's care! This kicked off the first two weeks of 'toes in the air' where he had to rest, keep his feet elevated for 23 hours each day and ice it every 30 minutes!  

Before surgery

Xray after (left) and before (right)

During this time, we got a lot of planning done for the rest of the year and for next year, caught up on some shows and caught up with friends over the phone.  Shawna also did quite a bit of cooking, feeding both Keith and his parents.  Margaret came over one night bringing take out for dinner and Shawna cooked one night for Peter making pasta and for Margaret and the kids making mussels and fish in curry sauces.  

Lot of this for two weeks

After the two weeks of house arrest and upon being 'cleared' by Keith's doctor, we started to venture out to see friends.  During the next two weeks, we caught up with the following people in the DFW area:

• Ernie and Miri - Keith worked with Ernie back in the Aimco days.  We met them for lunch at a yummy, authentic Columbian restaurant, Casa Vieja, where we shared a few appetizers for the table and then shared a beef brisket entree.

• Debbie - We went to Duke with Debbie.  We met up with her for dinner at Mr Max Izakaya, where we shared several yummy Japanese style 'tapas' for the table.

Dinner with Debbie at Mr Max

• Melanie - Shawna went to high school with Melanie at LSMSA.  We met her for lunch at Doce Mesas, a modern Mexican place.  We had a margarita and shared a brisket taco / chicken enchilada plate.

Lunch with Melanie at Doce Mesas

• Shawn - Shawna went to elementary school with Shawn.  We met her and her husband for dinner at Las Palmas, a trendy Mexican place in downtown Dallas.  We shared a yummy plate that had a mixture of Mexican items.

Dinner with Shawn at Las Palmas

• Michael - Michael is our godson.  We picked him up and went to dinner at Ra Sushi in Southlake where we shared a few appetizers and rolls. 

• Christy - Keith went to college with Christy.  We met her for lunch at Mi Dia from Scratch, a great Tex-Mex place where we had table-side guacamole and a yummy salmon for our entree - oh and we may have had a few margaritas as well!!

Lunch with Christy at Mia Dia

• Kris and Angela - Keith went to high school with Kris.  We met him and his wife for dinner at Esparza's in Grapevine.  We were a bit full from lunch so we just snacked on an appetizer sampler and of course more margaritas!

• Jake and Keith - Keith worked with them at Steak and Ale.  We met them (and Jake's wife) for dinner at Fitzgerald's in Ft Worth.  We started out with a few cocktails and then shared a wedge salad and blackened redfish - both very good.

Dinner with Jake and Keith at Fitzgerald

• Jordan and Mark - Jordan is our goddaughter.  We met her and her boyfriend for lunch at Chef Point Bar and Restaurant where we had a stuffed pork chop with pasta.

• Gary, Lee, Clark, and Bobby - Keith was in boycouts with them.  We met them and their spouses at Joe T Garcia's where we had fajitas and more margaritas!

The Boyscouts - dinner at Joe T Garcia's

• Boone - Boone is our nephew.  We picked him up and had dinner at Zen Sushi in Dallas.  It was fun to see him try sushi!  We shared a few appetizers and several rolls - great sushi place.

Dinner with Boone at Zen Sushi

• Bob & Ginny - They are great friends of the family and the parents of Peter, Keith's best friend from childhood.  We met them for lunch at Moxie's in Southlake where we each had a salad.

• Brandon - Keith worked with Brandon at LivCor.  We met him and his wife, Jess, at Jasper's in Richardson where we shared the wedge salad and braised short ribs for an entree.  Food was very tasty.

Dinner with Brandon and Jess at Jasper's

• Nikhil - Keith worked with Nikhil at Aimco.  We met him and his wife at their beautiful home in Dallas where Mythili made us an amazing Indian dinner.

Dinner with Nikhil and Mythili at their house

• The Blizzards - Keith served on Bob and Jo when we worked at Steak and Ale.  We met them for lunch at TruFire where we each had a yummy salad.  

And in our last few nights for this go round, we cooked dinner for Jean and Dick one night, making beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce and had Margaret over for dinner again where Jean made salmon.

As you can see that even in our 'down time', we don't stay still for too long!!