Happy Mardi Gras Day!

We used to live in New Orleans, and Mardi Gras is still a major holiday for us! This year was scaled back considerably, though. With Mardi Gras weekend falling right on my niece and nephew's birthdays and the uncertainty of my new anti-viral treatment, we made the difficult decision to skip our traditional party. Even in its abbreviated form, it would have been too much for me this year. Ken had to go out of town this week for work, so he's not even here to celebrate Mardi Gras day with us.

The boys and I are still celebrating, though. They had green, gold, and purple sprinkles on their oatmeal this morning and wore their "party shirts" to school with some Mardi Gras beads. Tonight, we're heading over to our friends' home for our annual Mardi Gras feast of Popeye's chicken and red beans & rice, with bread pudding and King Cake for dessert. Mmmm!

I'm doing quite a bit better than the last time I wrote here. My bronchitis cleared up with the antibiotics. It's now been a full month since I started Valcyte, and I'm generally doing pretty well. Still too early to tell if its the treatment or the usual CFIDS fluctuations.

I was certainly in far better shape this weekend than a year ago. We traveled to Connecticut for my niece's 5th birthday and my nephew's 1st birthday. My Mom noticed how much better I handled the noise and chaos of a preschool birthday party this year. It was a Superman/Wonder Woman party - as always, my family got into the spirit of the occasion (that's my Mom, my sons, my niece, and me)! I was actually able to enjoy myself this year.


So, check out the great photos, videos, and live webcams at Nola.com for a little taste of the festivities. Laissez les bon temps roulez!