Turkey Day.. Cajun Style!

For the first time ever, this Thanksgiving, we made a trip down to Cajun Country!
We left Wednesday after mom and dad met us here in Starkville and we ventured the long trip down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana!  There we stayed with my Great Aunt Camila (Papa's sister) and Great Uncle Ryne.  They had dinner waiting for us.. spaghetti and meatballs  ..one of Clay's favorites!  Thursday morning came and we drove the short trip to Holden, LA  where the Thanksgiving gathering was being held, at my Great Uncle Allen (Papa's brother) and Great Aunt Carol's home. 

Shortly thereafter, all the family began pouring in!  The original small gathering had grown to about 30 people!  I got to meet cousins I had never met yet, Mom got to see cousins she hadn't seen in years, and Clay got to meet everyone!!  Dad, Clay, and I enjoyed some of the crazier cousins' jokes and stories while mom enjoyed catching up with her family.  Uncle Allen played a good prank.. telling me he was cooking possum!  He showed me the cage and everything!  He opened the grill and said "Here's one half of it" and it was a turkey, then said "Here's the otha half" and it was ham!  I said "That's my kind of possum!"  I heard words used that I've never heard before and many that I say and sound awkward saying were being said like nothing is different!  One example Mrs. Whatley would find humerous is that they don't call their godparents by their names generally.. they call them by their title, Madan and Padan!  I of course told them the story of trying to explain to my in-laws what the names were and how to spell them.  Instantly, my cousins looked at each other and said "Well.. you don't really spell it.."  and everyone bursted into laughter!  This made me feel much better seeing as I did not know how to spell it when Clay and I became godparents.  The entire family embraced Clay and made him one of us!  He fits in very well with everyone and they all said he's a keeper and has to come around more often!  Clay said our family gathering reminded him a lot of the Staudt's gatherings.. everyone being loud and having a good time!  Ours is just the Cajun version :)

We left for Big Bend and Mansura on Friday.  Big Bend holds two historical monuments that lie across the street from one another.  One is an old Iron Swing Bridge, the last of its kind in the area still standing.  Across from it is an old general store and post office that is now a museum.  This building was ran by my great grandfather, Allen Ponthieu.  He was the postmaster in Big Bend for about 47 years.  After his death, the family donated the store and post office to the city and is now a thriving museum preserving the history of the old ways.  It's always a good thing to learn about family.

We stayed the night in the hotel across from the casino we used to go to when we were kids.  The difference now is that I can actually gamble!  My godfamily met us up for dinner, took the shuttle over to the casino, ate delicious food, did some shopping, and did a lot of conversing!  Dad then declared he was going to see me play my first slot machine :)  He and Clay went with me to gamble for the first time!  Dad and I played a couple machines while Clay was eying the roulette table.  Dad cashed out with the gain of $1 while I had a hard time leaving without a good win.  I found the Sex in the City machines I spoke to Amy and Dan about after they went the casino last.  So I sat down and started playing.  I have no clue how anything matches or works on that thing!  All I know is that I cashed out +$55 on my first night gambling!  Daddy and Clay were both very happy for me.. and so was mom too when we told her! Returning to our hotel, we found we had been infested with ants while being on the 3rd floor.. Dad's homemade pies where destroyed.. Dad got bit.. we had to relocate rooms.. but we got to stay for FREE and even got a goodie bag!  Sorry Daddy, the goodie bag was filled with girlie things!  You know you love us!

Saturday our adventure continued toward Alexandria (locally called 'Alec') to visit my Great Uncle Jr. and Great Aunt Anna, and my Nana.  Uncle Jr is retired Air Force and was actually Daddy's first commander!  He stands around 6 feet and his crew cut is staying a bit shorter these days :)  Aunt Anna is about 4'5" tall and is the sweetest woman you will ever meet!  She's so tiny and so cute!  When she saw Clay she said I'd better be glad she's not younger!!  Needless to say, Uncle Jr and Aunt Anna LOVE Clay!  We picked up the bassenet that was once Danielle and mine and some old baby blankets we had from Nana's.  I think Nana liked Clay pretty well also :)  She asked if we brought a picture of Homer!  She calls him her little grandpuppy!  We left straight from Alec to the Egg Bowl and watched the last half of the game with Dan in the rain to see the victorious win!

All in all, this trip was refreshing and fun.  Clay and I plan to make a trip either every Thanksgiving or at least every other so we can keep growing close to the family.. something that Danielle started, we will continue.



--Sorry I don't have pictures! Forgetful me forgot to pack my camera.. hopefully I will be getting some sent from Aunt Camila and Padan soon!