Minnesotabound

WE brought the N'Awlins to Minnesota.
Grandpa and Grandma got Joey a wagon he loved!
Christmas is just so much more fun with little ones!
Brian loves this picture he took...it's pretty typical for the Aysta household.
Joey on his first snowmobile ride! Grandpa's gift to him for Christmas!
Papa communist/reindeer came out to pass out presents.
Christmas Eve was spent with my mom cooking awesome crab legs and shrimp and playing cards! Bri and I are falling behind now that my parents UNDERSTAND the games.
WE went to see sweet lil' Madi...my cousins baby girl...so cute.
We headed up to the Ridge for some snowboarding-here's Shel and Derek being F-A-S-T.

Tart Tradition. yum
Bri's turning into a real Minnesotan! Notice a theme here? cold snow?
Shel and I and our cousing Nate on the Aysta side,...whom I haven't seen since Pre-China days and he now lives in Italy.

We were all very proud of my mom's awesome ice candles.....

Winter sports!
Bri learned to curl and played on my sister's league in place of her husband...he did really well!


Just a typical Saturday..me , a 2 year old, and People magazine. See-Joey likes them as much as I do!
We stopped in Chicago to meet Amina Lindsey Riendeau...our friends Karen and Mat's baby (She married us)... and then she named her daughter after me! She's PRECIOUS...
Baby's first bath!

SNOW?!?!?

Here's Bri's Mardi Gras snowman! Yes, it's snowed...crazy. I was just reminiscing last night how much I miss snow, and we woke up to a wonderland! Yes, everyone freaked out...the last time it snowed was the winter before Katrina, and before that --like in 1985. The schools closed, the power went out, street lights went out...it was crazy. As our landlord said, when we asked why the power went out, "Because New Orleans is held together with rubber bands!"
That's our place! It was cool to see Hispanics and Somalians on the street, freaking out and getting pictures...everyone seeing their first snow.

Palm trees and snow??? Well, it was in the 30's today, but will be up to 70 by Sunday...oh New Orleans...!

Christmas!

Here's Bri and I by the tree.....
Tonight, we went to City Park, which is two blocks away from our house. They have a huge Christmas Lights festival everynight in December. I took a picture of the cactus' for mom.
Lights Lights everywhere...

There was a super cool model historic neighborhood of New Orleans...and here's a mini-street car that we ride here.
We enjoyed the tunes....Bri said it reminded him of 1940's music.... we hopefully will be inspired to take ballroom dance sometime when our life isn't so crazy...
I love this poinsetta tree!! We bought our first poinsetta this year!
CAn you find the Binzerraptor?
Only in New Orleans! Merry Christmas!

Well, the holiday season is upon us. Lindsey and I just celebrated Thanksgiving, bought a Christmas tree, and are getting ready for the semester to wind down. The weather here is starting to feel like fall...it's actually been in the 40's and 50's but can still get up in the 70's on the nicer days. We'll be driving up to Minnesota for Christmas this year to spend about two weeks and then we're driving back down for Caitlins arrival a few days before New Years. Woohoo!

Emily and Lindz at Thanksgiving. We went to a classmate of Lindsey's who invited a lot of us over who don't have family nearby. It was a great Thanksgiving. I almost exploded I ate so much.

Mmm...cheap rolls...


A Chinese couple who used to live in our old apartment invited us over for a Chinese dinner. It was a a lot of fun to eat some great food and just hang out.

It was fun to have some of the same dishes we loved in China, but since the couple isn't from Sichuan, nothing was spicy enough!


Po Boy Fest! We went to the Po Boy Fest a week or so ago. Po Boy's are basically subs, but there on fresh baked french bread and you can get shrimp, alligator sausage, crawfish, and regular things like BBQ pork. There were a ton of restaurants from all over town. These are grilled oysters.



Shrimp Po Boy for Binzer! This one was the winner in our book.

Lindsey's post

Here's Bri learning how to devein shrimp. We have been eating so well!!! Mussels, shrimp, avocados, pomegranites, mangoes....ahh the food is just fabulous.
Our landlord had a homemade pizza dinner party this weekend which was awesome...We are so lucky to have her as a friend here and to have found this place-We call each other Soul Sista's-even though there is a 16 year difference with us...we basically have the same wardrobe and have had similar travels and experiences....
This is a picture from my recent trip to Galveston, Texas with Save the Children...nice hurricane damage, huh? We led psycho-social programing for faculty and adminstrators of schools there...everyone was so worn out and dealing with loss and a disaster...it was tough to hear, but good for them to have a chance to talk and laugh with colleagues.
Here's Tara and I-she works for Save the Children and is an Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from the Midwest. We had a nice walk on the beach and seafood!
This is so funny to me...in the South, they sell singles of beer at gas stations...they just passed a law making it illegal to be the passenger and drink in a vehicle-but it was legal before. What do they think this inspires???
These are pics from the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. I am writing a paper comparing this neighborhood that has had so many struggles and really is struggling to rebuild, as compared to a very rich neighborhood that had the same amount of damage after Katrina. It's all so confusing and sad and thought provoking....learning about all these systems.
THroughout the city, they have about 70 of the most famous modern artists from around the world ...showing a piece throughout the city. This is the one that is in the Lower Ninth Ward.


This picture makes me happy...it's me and my Social Work friends watching Election Night! WE had so much fun and I couldn't stop crying tears of joy!