All sorts of screwed up

This summer, while Nick was deployed, Nick's parents let us know they'd be going up to WI to surprise Nick's grandparents for Thanksgiving.  Family was coming in from all over the country and Nick's parents told the grandparents they couldn't show, just to surprise them.  After Nick returned, he and his cousin started talking about how cool it would be if he could come up there.  He asked me if it was okay if he went up and surprised both the grandparents and his parents.  I was okay with this, I was planning on taking the kids to LA to spend time with Andrea.

Well, about a month ago, Andrea lets me know her and her husband are getting a divorce.  No big deal though, they were splitting the time with the house and the kids and I'd still be able to bring the kids.  It would be her week for the house and he wouldn't have a say in what went on while she was there.

Last week, I get an IM from Andrea, telling me the week is off, her husband is being a jerk and has decided that he's not leaving this week and he doesn't want her to have company.  I asked her if she'd come here and she said she'd have to see what was going on.

Saturday, Nick left for his grandparents.  He met his cousin, aunt and uncle at the airport in Chicago and drove to WI from there.  He surprised his grandmother and grandfather, nearly making his grandmother cry.  He managed to trick his grandmother into not calling his parents, to keep him from blowing his cover that he was up there already.  Back here, we've been working under the excuse that Nick has to work for an inspection that's coming up at and has to stay really late.  So my in-laws don't call at all.

Today, I get an IM from Andrea telling me that she's got a job up in TN, where she's moving to, and that she can't come this week.  Which totally blows.  I'm working on plans for the kids and I for thanksgiving because none of our family will be in town.  

And now, Nick's aunt gets a call from his mother.  Nick's other grandmother is in the hospital with chest pains.  Nick's parents blow their surprise to the rest of the family.  Then Nick gets on the phone and blows his part of the surprise to his parents.  

So, all the money that's been spent to get family together that hasn't seen each other in 6 years might go to waste and Nick's grandmother is in the hospital.  Everyone is stressed out and worried and people might not get to spend the holiday together.

I think this is my shitty luck.  Me being in the family has somehow screwed up their luck.  I'm hoping that his grandmother is doing well enough by Wednesday so that the in-laws can go up to WI and they can all get together like they planned.

Photo Journal, New Orleans

Andrea and I went to N.O. on Sunday.  Mostly because the N.O. you see at night is very different from the one during the day.  The night is full of drunken debauchery, and the day is full of culture.  It's hard to pick a favorite.  While I went mostly to take photos of the buildings, I managed to get a few of the atmosphere:

We also went and took photos of two large catholic churchs

St Joseph:

St Louis Cathedral:

While in St Louis, we managed to set off the alarm.  It actually happened when we opened the door to the sanctuary.  I call it the heathen alarm.  They must have known.  

A nun working the gift shop told us that it did that randomly and by opening the door, we couldn't have set it off.  That made us feel only a little better.  Finally we found our courage and actually went in.  The inside is just as beautiful as the outside

The Sanctuary:

I took a few random photos of the buildings as we walked around.  I really do love how the buildings look.  There is a lot of detail work in them, even the 'common' buildings.

Random Buildings: