laissez les bon temps roulez

Half a world away, some one is cutting into the purple/green/gold icing of a king cake, beginning the all too elaborate celebration of Mardi Gras. I have such distinct memories from my childhood of my Papa {my dad's dad} telling us stories about "Nwalens" in with his slow Louisiana draw blending into the laces of French influence he inherited from his parents. For years he would make the trip from Alabama to Louisiana to reconnect with family and reminisce through memories with laughter. We all knew he just had to get back enjoy a real bowl of jambalaya. Although our family doesn't celebrate Mardi Gras extensively by any means, I really love the idea of taking time to thumb through recently inherited photo gems and rekindling an appreciation for my family this time of the year. I'm not sure I'll ever grow weary of hearing stories from years past and learning more about the lives that intertwined themselves to create this wonderful story of our family. {And who doesn't love an extra little occasion to eat cake, I know I'm in.}