The Superbowl

So, evidently I'm not very good about updating this every time I think of something....I know I need to put a Taylor update up here soon; hopefully I'll get to it this week, but until then, let's talk about the Saints!

Brian and I never thought in a million years we would see the Saints in the Superbowl - let alone win it. We also never thought that if the Saints defense only had one turnover against the Colts that it would be close - let alone they would win by 14 points. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and even got a little teary-eyed at the end of it. Like most people, one of my favorite moments was at the end of the game when they showed Drew Brees with his son pointing everything out to him and obviously getting teary-eyed himself. The picture in the paper was almost better - his wife standing next to him wiping away tears. One of those perfect moments you rarely get to witness.

Drew Brees has had such a heavy burden these past four years. The city really does revolve around him and the Boys....my parents have said on numerous occasions how excited the city is after a Saints victory and how amazing Mondays can be. Drew Brees has handled this burden with such class and grace. However, I hope we don't place him on too high of a pedestal - the higher the pedestal, the easier it is to fall. He deserves the accolades he is getting for being the amazing person he seems to be, but we must all remember that he is still human and therefore prone to human error (or bad days).

Sadly, when I hear of an athlete, actor, or politician falling from grace I am rarely surprised - I feel these instances are no longer the exception, but the rule. That being said, Drew Brees falling would surprise me, but none of us our immune to falling. We must be ever-viligant and always willing to ask ourselves the hard questions - am I putting myself in the best possible position? Am I subjecting myself to temptation that I may not always be able to pass? and Even if I am able to pass tempation up, am I with people who truely care about me, will help me through those doubts and will make sure nothing gets "spun" in an inacurate and painful light (painful to my family)? Are people trying to make me fail or are they helping me to succeed on a daily basis? These can all be difficult questions - some scenarios are black and white while others are varying shades of grey.

The last thought I have is on my wonderful home town. New Orleans has always had a special place in my heart made even more so when I came to Texas and realized a couple of things....All Saints Day and Ash Wednesday are not national holidays, not every place has the amazing culture and history that New Orleans has, and no place can come close to the food! Okay, so I may have known the food thing before I left, but I never fully appreciated it. Most of the restaurants there are locally-owned and therefore just a better experience then some National Chain. Don't get me wrong, there are some National chains I love, but the family-owned experience is just a little more personal. Now, I love this city, and it went through a heck of a lot with Katrina. I realize that it is also still recovering from Katrina, but this is a process that we all knew could take up to 20 years - the city was built over a couple of hundred years and isn't going to be rebuilt in 4. I just wish people would stop saying it is recovering or rebuilding. I don't think those comments help the city. My fear is that when people here that, they think it's not open for tourism and they make plans to go elsewhere. We all know that the Quarter was barely affected by the storm and floods. We also know that the reduced population and tourism closed a lot of restaurants for a time being, but I would be willing to say that almost all of them are open again and if they aren't open by now, they probably wouldn't be. I just wish the City of New Orleans did a better job of broadcasting how "open for business" they are. How it is still one of the best places to visit in the world and that regardless of the last 4.5 years, you can have the time of your life and an experience liek none other. To continue to recover the city needs money...and tourism is their #1 way to get that money, so please go visit it. Go learn first hand what makes that city so unique (or re-learn) and bring your friends while your at it :)