Eh la bas! (That's Cajun for "greetings")-I'm a New Orleanian, a dyed-in-the-wool, born-and-raised, gumbo-eating, Mardi Gras-parade-marching New Orleanian. That has deeply shaped both who I am and the journey I'm on.

I love life, and have tasted lots of sorrow and pain as well as danced in a whole lot of pleasure, love, and joy...

I was in a