The Chartier Chronicles

3 years later

2008-08-30T14:30:00.002-05:00

It has now been 3 years since my life was changed by Mother Nature. Three years ago Hurricane Katrina swept through and changed life as we know it for everyone. What I thought was going to be a 3 day trip to Texas has now changed into a 3 year adventure. Three years ago we were preparing for a wedding and a new life together as man and wife, I was about to use my degree in Advertising and join the largest advertising firm in the South, Chris was finishing college and life was good. Since Chris and I had just moved back to New Orleans, we were saving money for the wedding, so we were living in the back section of my grandparents house. The news was describing that this storm could be "the big one" that they have been warning about for years, but of course they said that about all of them. We all grabbed only a handful of clothes and 7 adults and 2 dogs piled into 2 cars and started the long drive to Tyler, TX - which was our usual place to evacuate to. We left 4 cars behind in the drive way and drove away. As a precaution before we left, I placed a few bath towels by the doorways, just in case we got a little water.

It was a Sunday when we began the drive. Traffic was like never before. Both sides of the interstate were going in the only direction allowed, out of the city. We got to the hotel and watched joyfully that the hurricane didn't hit the city directly. We rejoiced - then it happened. News that the levees broke and that our beloved city was flooded came on the television. Scenes of despair of trapped victims of mother nature soon came later. My cell phone was left at home, the cell phone towers were down anyway, so you couldn't reach anyone who had the 504 area code or any other one that was related to the surrounding areas. We couldn't get in touch with Chris' family for a few days. We then realized that we were stuck in Tyler, TX and that life as we knew it was over.

From Tyler, we moved further into Texas to Irving and were in another hotel for about a month. While there, I started working at The Peanut Gallery in Coppell because it was right across the street from the church we were attending. The people in that church were amazing. Someone gave my grandmother a wheelchair, we were given clothes and the eventually shelter. A lady who had a rental house in The Colony let all 7 of us stay there rent free for 3 months. Then we stayed there for a while longer.

Then the wedding - what were we going to do? We had to book things a year in advance in New Orleans and we didn't know about Dallas at all. Then the news came that the church where we were supposed to get married at and where we had attended for all of our lives was destroyed and was not reopening. We decided that we wanted to get married in New Orleans no matter what. We had to make some changes and scramble around, but we did it, and it was beautiful. It was truly the happiest day of my life, which would repeat with another happy event exactly 1 year later. The month before the wedding, Chris and I rented a house in The Colony and brought my grandparents with us. By that December, we ended up buying a home a few streets away. Shortly after that, our attempts to grow the family were successful and we announced that we were expecting. We decided not to find out the sex. We decided that the best thing for the baby was to stay where we were because we weren't comfortable with the quality of life that we would have back home.

I have purposely left out the details of the condition of our homes in New Orleans and the tragedies that we saw first hand.

The year that followed was difficult. My beloved grandmother passed away and then 9 days later on my 1 year wedding anniversary, Preston was born. It was a great joy, but sad because grandmother never found out that it was a boy. She passed away on my mom's birthday - which happened to fall on Friday the 13th.

Since all of this has happened, my grandfather still lives with us, my brother-in-law has been living with us since before Preston was born as well. We have a full house. My grandfather now has Dementia, my mom moved back to New Orleans and so did Chris' family.

Life is busy, but we are adjusting.

Three years later and my mom is now driving along to Tyler, TX because the city is in a State of Emergency.

God Bless New Orleans.

Worst Blogger Ever!!!

2008-07-31T19:43:00.002-05:00

So it has been a really long time since I wrote on here. A lot has happened though. We went to my 10 year high school reunion in New Orleans. It was really weird though. I felt like I was at a high school function again. While we were down there, my brother in law called and told us that our dog Princess died. We cut our trip a day early and flew back. Changing the ticket cost almost $200. Our other dog Max, who is normally very hyper, was very sad and depressed. We made the hard decision to get a new dog. She is a Havanese (look it up). She is a pure bred little cutie. But still remains unnamed :(

Last weekend, we went back to New Orleans for Arena Bowl XXII (it is like the Superbowl, but for Arena football). We had sooooo much fun. We got to meet up with some friends and had a blast. We had connecting flights on the way back to Dallas. The flight was not full, so Preston had his own seat on the way to Houston, and on the way to Dallas he slept the whole way.

Preston has moved up to the toddler class at school and is sleeping on a mat instead of a crib.

I guess that is all for now :)

Fourth of July 2008

2008-07-04T14:31:00.003-05:00

There was a parade down the street from our house this morning. Preston liked the motorcycles and the dogs that were in the parade.

Playing with Isa

2008-07-04T14:24:00.002-05:00

Preston got to play with his cousin. She is four months younger than him, but they had a great time!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-02T19:12:00.001-05:00

2008-07-02T19:07:00.002-05:00

Weight loss

2008-07-02T18:47:00.002-05:00

All last week I was on South Beach Phase 1. I blew it because I went out on Saturday for my birthday. My birthday was on Monday, and I just haven't gone back on the diet. I went to the doctor today and I weigh about 16 pounds less than I did before I had Preston. That is exciting, but I know that for me it is not just about how much I weigh, but how I look. I am very happy that I am exercising now unlike before the baby when I ceased all activity. I am even thinking of joining the adult ballet class again in August.

The next thing is when to have another baby. Is there really a right time? This seems harder than deciding the first time. I want to enjoy Preston. It seems that it is more of a question of when to have another baby instead of if. We definitely want more children, but how much space does Preston need? I would love to hear some advice but I know that ultimately it is up to Chris and I.

Chris' Accident

2008-07-02T18:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Chris was in an accident at work. A four foot panel feel on his back. He now has a bruised kidney and ribs. He is able to drive but he does have a lot of restrictions. He can't stand for long, bend, twist, lift anything and much more. He has been given some time off from work and will have to go back to the doctor on Monday to re-evaluate his condition. He has to take a lot of medicine and he can't walk upright.

Rediscovering Brian Perry

2008-06-25T00:11:00.002-05:00

While I was in college in Louisiana, a friend of mine told me about a local singer - Brian Perry. She explained that he sang folk type songs and that he was playing at a local coffee house called the Neutral Ground. I went with her and fell in love with the music. Over the next couple of years, I purchased all of his CDs and they were constantly played in my car. For my graduation, I had to choreograph a dance, and I chose a Brian Perry song as my music. Brian is also a motivational speaker and mentor. As time went by, I loaned my CDs to someone and never got them back. I repurchased them, but Hurricane Katrina took them away again. I recently got an email from Brian saying that he was finally recording again. There were samples of the music that I fell in love with on his website, and I knew what I needed to do - I ordered 3 of his CDs again. I am rediscovering the music all over again. While my husband and I were still dating, I had taken him to see him perform, and he is glad to see that the joy that his music brought me is back again. I hope that by spreading this others will get the joy of discovering Brian Perry. He does so much more than being a singer/songwriter - he is also now a life coach. Please listen to his music and you will be hooked and want to buy his CDs. http://www.brianperry.com Enjoy!

Race for the Cure

2008-06-17T22:46:00.003-05:00

What an awesome day the race was - grant it, it was June 7th, but I just haven't had a chance to write about it. Preston, Chris and I did it with StrollerFit and had a great time. It was my first 5K and it felt great - maybe I will run next time, or at lease jog LOL. Baby steps. It was not too sunny that day either - it was perfect!

Indiana Jones

2008-06-06T23:45:00.002-05:00

I got a chance to go catch a movie this past Wednesday. I saw Indiana Jones. Now before I get into the movie, let me first say that I haven't been to the movies in a LONG time. I went to a matinee and the ticket was $7!!! Unreal. I think the last time that I went to the movies at night it was $6.50. It was $9 for a nighttime movie. The kids prices were $6, and that price began at age 1. I didn't have Preston with me, nor do I plan on taking him anytime soon, but I can't imagine why you would charge a 1 year old for a movie ticket.

The movie was ok. It didn't seem to have the same amount of action as what I would have expected. I also think that they set it up at the end to have a new Indiana Jones. The movie was set in 1957, so it is possible.

Gas!!!

2008-05-28T22:46:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how much gas costs now. It is really changing the way we are doing things. It is forcing me to budget more and make some cutbacks on how much we eat out. I think that we will have to get to Sam's Club this weekend and stock up.

Vacation

2008-05-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

Chris and I recently joined a vacation club, and we are anxious to get going somewhere. I am not sure where or when, but somewhere soon!

First Swim

2008-05-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

This Memorial Day, Chris and I were off of work, so we went to my friend Allyson's house for the annual pool party. We were really excited about putting Preston in the water. At first, Preston didn't like it at all - but after a few minutes of sitting on the top step, we were able to get further in. I, of course, can't swim, so we put him in the floating tube and Chris took him around the pool. We had a great time!

Grapevine Main Street Days Festival

2008-05-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we went to Grapevine's Main Street Days Festival. We were only there for a few hours but we had a great time! It was really hot though, so we had to load up on the sunscreen!

As you can see from the picture, Preston got hurt on Saturday - he hit his face on the side of the bed while I was at a training. Chris called me right away and we got him all cleaned up.

Preston is walking!

2008-05-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

Preston is doing great with the walking. I am excited that he has reached this milestone, but sad that my baby is growing up. Yesterday I had to go to a training for The Peanut Gallery and while I was gone, unfortunately, Preston hurt himself. Chris feels really bad because it was when he was watching him. Preston was trying to get off the the bed - he knows how to get down legs first - and he slid down and scraped his face on the side of the bed. He didn't hit his eye or anything. Our tickets came in the mail for the Journey concert. I wish we could go, but we also bought tickets the same day for Arena Bowl XXII. The Journey concert is in Texas and Arena Bowl is in New Orleans. I had to list the Journey concert tickets for sale at StubHub.com. I hope that someone buys them.

Staying home from work today

2008-05-14T10:26:00.000-05:00

Well, when I got home from Restore the Core last night, Preston was walking everywhere! I was excited, but I felt guilty, because shortly after I got home, he was ready to go to sleep. I didn't get to spend any time with him. I decided to take today off from work so that we could just have a Mommy and Preston day - but of course it is raining. I will do few loads of clothes and then we will head out of the house and do something fun!

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

What a great day! First we went to mass, then Chris surprised me with a delicious chocolate mousse cake that his friend Rosanna made. We decided that we wanted to go to Taste of Addison. It was a great time!! We sampled some food and looked at crafts. Preston loved the music. We saw a band made up of little boys that were really good. They have a website www.mojotedder.com. After we left the festival, we decided to go to Best Buy to try to get me a new digital camera since mine is like 2 years old and apparently that is ancient in camera technology. The cameras all seem to have really cool features - many of which I probably would never use. Preston threw a fit in the store because the poor baby was tired, so we left empty handed. After he was asleep, we ordered take out from Outback and brought it home. We would have just eaten there but it was already 8:30pm. Chris told me that he had bought me pearl earrings, but when someone broke into his car the other day, they were stolen - bummer.

Preston 9-12 months

2008-05-11T00:37:00.001-05:00

Dallas World Aquarium

2008-05-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

Today we took Preston to the aquarium for the first time. He really liked it. It was the first time that Chris and I have been to that aquarium as well.

Preston has 4 teeth coming in at the same time, 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. He isn't having any trouble with them so far. He didn't have any problems with the first 4 teeth either.