RIP Truffles :(

Damian's parents had Truffles for a couple years. She was super friendly and playful. Yesterday, Dec 26th, while Truffles and Hershey were being taken on a walk, a Turkish Kangal Shepherd dog ran up and grabbed Truffles out of David's arms and killed her. We are all so heartbroken. Hershey and David are traumatized, and our sweet Truffles will be missed so very much.

Phoebe’s 18th birthday!

Phoebe LOVES Christmas! Especially music and lights. So we surprised her with a weekend trip to the Gaylord Texan Resort. We stayed in a room that overlooked the atrium. It was beautiful. We went to Main Street and walked to take pictures of the amazing lights. We also went to the Ice Show which was a Grinch theme. Amazing is an understatement. Aidan, Evan, Nanny and Brianna arrived on Saturday to surprise her. We had her answer the hotel room door after I pretended to call the front desk asking for extra coffee creamer. :) Everyone had a great time. 💕

We also started the 18 days of gifts for your 18th bday. 

Birthday gift from my love

I was perfectly happy with the original wheels on my car. My hubby decided to surprise me with a new set and now I’m like, what was I thinking? 😂 I’m in love all over again. 

Phoebe’s summer trip to LA

She drove to LA with nanny and cousins after they came in for the A&M student event. Today is Aidan & Evan’s graduation party. Phoebe is there having a blast! 

Phoebe took care of her own appt!

She wanted to schedule a hair cut. So I told her now that she’s driving and getting close to graduating, she could begin to handle those tasks. She scheduled her appt with Ulta earlier this week and today was her appt . She officially handled it and came back with a super cute cut. ❤️ 

It's true y'all, life is what you make it.

It really is our choice. 

If you choose to be happy, you'll find the good in everything. 

If you choose to be miserable, you'll find the bad in everything. 

We've got one chance at this thing called life, let's make the best of it. 

No one wants to hear us complaining, putting others down, claiming to be better than others. We're all human, maybe not all are humane, but we are human. We all breathe air, have hearts, we come from our mother's womb, and we are all mortal. The only thing that makes us seem different are our situations and our choices. 

And remember, the worst prison is living in fear of what others think. 

Be happy. Be kind. Be helpful. Take pride in who you are. Be trustworthy. 

I found my happy when I was able to be myself, 100%. Not living up to anyone's expectations but my own. Having open and honest communication, barking at the cat, acting like a kid, laughing a lot. Sure, it's not perfect, but that would make things boring! 

I choose to be myself and I choose to be happy. I hope you'll do the same. 

And stop judging others, you really don't know their situation. Some are too ashamed to share because of the fear of being judged. Stopping to lend a hand speaks so much higher than speaking down about someone. 

Rest In Peace Miss Jane aka Mimi

https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/jane-philibert-obituary?id=35274432

Jane Vanderbrook Philibert, age 74 of New Orleans, passed away Saturday, June 11, 2022. She was a graduate of Francis T. Nichols High School, where she was on the flag team, and The University of New Orleans. Jane was a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority and served as Chapter Advisor for many years after graduating. Jane worked at Tulane University in the Business Library for 20 plus years, Louisiana State Attorney General Office and several lawyers in the New Orleans area until retiring to take care of her mother. Jane was known for her homemade fudge, bacon wrapped breadsticks, dirt cake and over the top birthday celebrations for people. She had a flare for attire that went with any holiday or occasion. She was a die-hard Mardi Gras fan, attending and participating in parades since she was a little girl. She was a member of the crew of Pandora and then the crew of Iris until her last ride in 2019. Preceded in death by her parents Edward Joseph and Doris (Born) Vanderbrook, Jr. She is survived by her son Rudolph L. Philibert, Jr; 2 grandsons, Aidan Edward, and Evan Brock Philibert, her brother Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, III and his wife Darlene, her nephew Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, IV and his wife Kellie and her great nephew Edward Joseph Vanderbrook, V, sister-in-law Elisa Philibert Siragusa along with other family members and many friends. Her son asks that anyone attending her services please bring some small token of remembrance of Jane: i.e., something Mardi Gras themed or something that depicts how you remember her. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 25, 2022, in the J. Garic Schoen Chapel of Jacob Schoen & Son, 3827 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. Interment will be in St. Vincent de Paul #2 Cemetery. To view the Mass via livestream and sign the family guestbook, please go to www.schoenfh.com.

RIP Grandma Gioia

https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/eleanor-gioia-obituary?id=51520962&utm_source=webshareapi&utm_medium=share_button&utm_campaign=wsapimobile_beta

Eleanor Barrios Gioia passed away on Monday, March 27, 2023 in Covington, Louisiana, at the age of 94. She was born on Monday, May 28, 1928 and was a native of Triumph, LA, a former resident of St. Bernard, Slidell and Picayune, MS, and a current resident of Ponchatoula, LA. She was a very loving, caring, and nurturing mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great great grandmother who would do anything for her family. She loved visiting with her children, her grandchildren, and their families, especially the family crawfish boils, crab boils, and family vacations. She hosted the best Thanksgiving and Christmas parties at her home for her family. Eleanor was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Joseph C. Gioia, Sr.; son-in-law, John Walsh, III; parents, Victoria Ancalade Barrios and Justin Barrios; brothers, August Barrios, Evon Barrios, and Lloyd Barrios; sisters, Jane Henderson, Joyce Matthew, and Thelma Hingle; and great grandson, Kail Joseph Verdon. She is survived by her devoted children, Adeline Walsh, Linda Hughes (Harry, Sr.), Joseph Gioia, Jr. (Lou), Michael Gioia, Sr. (Tessie), Dominick Gioia, Sr. and Penny Erato (Paul); grandchildren, Harry Hughes, Jr., John "Jay" Walsh, IV, Joseph Gioia, Jr., Corey Hughes, Sr., Michael Gioia, Jr., Shannon Verdon, Carlo Gioia, Scott Gioia, Christian Gioia, Eric Strother, Dominick Gioia, Jr., Jason Gioia, Justin Gioia, and Malissa Gioia; sisters, Marion Weber, Anna Bea Lightell, and Emily Lind; brother, Vernon Barrios, and many great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Graveside Service at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1751 Gause Boulevard West, Slidell, LA 70460 on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11:00 am. A crawfish boil will follow at LN Hughes Funeral Services, 21400 South I-12 Service Road, Ponchatoula, Louisiana 70454. Share your thoughts and memories of Eleanor in her guestbook by visiting Lnhughes.com. Arrangements are entrusted to LN Hughes Funeral Services of Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

Wedding 2b

That’s what we named this event. We were both married once before and our first “ceremony” in 2019 was with the Justice of the Peace. We originally had to postpone our elopement because we wanted all 3 of our girls there. Maya wasn’t going to be able to make it for 2.25.19 due to situations beyond her control. The next year was NCA and Phoebe worked so hard with her team throughout the year, I couldn’t ask her to miss NCA. There were additional conflicts this year, so  Damian and I decided to just do it anyway! So we made a weekend of it and had our wedding photos done at the chapel we booked in 2019. I got to wear my wedding gown, feel beautiful and take nice photos with my love. The chapel has livestreams so our families were able to watch the ceremony and see me act silly as always. :) We stayed at the Sage Inn & Spa in Kyle, TX. I had my hair and makeup done at The Marquis Salon in Austin, by Emmaleigh, who was amazing. We had a couples massage Sunday morning and then met up with his friend CJ for dinner at Lambert’s. The photographer took a few pics with their cell phone so they could share those with us the day of. It was a magical, relaxing day, not an ounce of stress. It was perfect. ❤️

Photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tp69Rmk3xi3h7d2L8