It’s March Madness and all I have to say is “Let’s go Jags.” On Sunday while sitting in front of the television anxiously waiting to see who would be playing in the 2006 NCAA tournament, I was very pleased to see my 2006 SWAC champions, Southern University Jaguars among the name of the 64 team selected to play in this year’s tournament. The Jaguars are a 16 seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1993 when they upset Georgia Tech. The Jaguars will face off against the number one overall seed in the tournament, the Blue Devils of Duke University.

Than later this week I encountered Déjà vu!! SU women to play Duke! Southern against Duke. Only the location, the date and the gender changes. The Southern women’s draw in the NCAA tournament was exactly like that of the men’s. This will be the Lady Jags third time appearing in the tournament in school history, all under Sandy Pugh.

The SWAC is traditionally known for being the lowest ranked conference among the NCAA. We won’t let that hold us down. It’s all about the Jaguar Nation Baby!!!!

I would first like to say that we are eternally grateful to all of the sacrifices that you, and your family have made on behalf of every person of color. It doesn’t seem to be enough to say “thank you”, but THANK YOU. We have always heard that behind every great man, there is a great woman, and no one showcased that more than Mrs. King.

I recall being a child, I always wondered about the beautiful woman that married such a great man, and I always admired Mrs. King. I pray that her children find comfort in the knowledge that myself and others loved and admired their parents so much, and are praying for them.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is suggesting that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that “God is mad at America” and at black communities too.

Speaking at a Martin Luther King Day event, Nagin said that King wouldn’t have approved of the war in Iraq and that he would be “upset at black America” for not taking care of itself. Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again. Many of the city’s black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

“It’s time for us to rebuild a New Orleans, the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don’t care what people are saying in Uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day. This city will be a majority African-American city. It’s the way God wants it to be. You can’t have it no other way.”

He explained that “chocolate” represents diversity, a combination of chocolate and white milk to form what he called “a delicious drink.”

So what do you think???

Last weekend we came home and found this unidentified man sitting on our couch. He looked as if he had a long hard day. We didn’t want to disturb him, so we took this picture.

Looking back on this year’s NFL football season, it has been very interesting. We would personally like to congratulate our boy Kenderick Allen for a successful season. The NFC East champion Giants ended their season with an 11-6 record. The Giants’ playoff express never really started before it was derailed by the Carolina Panthers. Never the less the season was a great achievement.

Thanks for the trip to N.Y.C., Ken!!!!

Just to let everyone know, my parents and my extended family all are accounted for after Katrina. I also took a trip down to Louisiana and will be posting them soon. Thanks for your prayers and continue praying, because the battle to rebuild still isn’t finished.

I was just thinking… Do the people in Florida that didn’t evacuate for hurricane Wilma not have any regards to the lives lost and people displaced by Katrina? We were looking at the news last night and saw a few people who decided to wait out the hurricane even after the mandatory evacuations. These are probable the same people who made suggestions that the people of New Orleans should have left after been told so.

There was this one woman and her three boys who stayed home, hiding in their bathroom until the storm passed. Afterwards a reporter interviewed her and she stated that she would never do that again, she wished she had evacuated.

I understand that Wilma was not as powerful as the previous two storms but the danger is still there. After talking to my family who decided to wait out hurricane Katrina, the frightening experience they went through during and the long waterless, powerless, foodless days after. They’ve made it a promise that no matter what category storm is coming their way they will be leaving.

Our prayers are going out to our family and friends back in Louisiana. Southeast Louisiana braced for a catastrophic direct hit from the powerful Category 4 storm. City officials estimated that 1 million people had evacuated the area as the storm approached. About 70 percent of New Orleans is below sea level and is protected from the Mississippi River by a series of levees. Forecasters predicted the storm surge could reach 28 feet; the highest levees around New Orleans are 18 feet high.

We just received the preview images for our “Wedding Magazine.” This book is being designed by Julie Krofcheck form Cirino & Harper Photographers in Mentor, OH. They did a great job. We just want to share with everyone what we will cherish for a lifetime. Thanks to everyone who had a part in making this day the best of our life.

THANKS Dawn and Larry

Hello everyone!! Sorry we haven’t put anything new up in a week or two, we’ve just been doing newlywed things.

OK… We attended our first sporting event as a married couple; it was a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington D.C. Nationals. Also the USDA Forest Service was celebrating the 100th Birthday of Smokey Bear. So we went to support my employer, while sitting in the heat for 7 innings of the game (Dawn was ready to leave…so was I). We also got the chance to view Southern University’s own Rickey Weeks, how is now playing second base for the Brewers.