CASSREINO ONLINE

Vacationing with the family on the beach in Destin

2011-07-28T15:28:00.002-05:00

DESTIN, Fla. – As the Cassreino family continues its week-long vacation in this resort town, I finally batteries to power my digital camera. With as tropical storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico, waves and dangerous undertow currents have increased along the beach. We were warned not to venture deeper than our knees. So, click below to enjoy as photo slide show from this morning on the beach.

Col. Rebel played key role in 1998 Cassreino proposal

2010-10-16T11:32:00.004-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO MADISON (Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010) – When the Univerisity of Mississippi announced this week that its new mascot will be a black bear, my thoughts raced back some 12 years to a fateful day in Oxford that forever changed my life. Col. Rebel, Ole Miss’ much maligned mascot, played a key role that day – as did the Ole Miss cheerleaders and a large contingent of friends. With

Another day in Madison County

2010-09-14T22:29:00.005-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO GLUCKSTADT, Miss. (Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010) -- The children are long asleep and I'm back in my office in our house updating our family blog for the first time in a long, long time. My family and I have been on a whirlwind these past few months, wrapping up life in our rental home in Pearl River, La.; packing up our house in June for the move back to Gluckstadt; actually

Unmistakable odor of oil fills the Mississippi Gulf Coast air

2010-05-23T10:44:00.011-05:00

By Terry R. Cassreino GULFPORT (Sunday, May 23, 2010) – A steady, late afternoon breeze from the south cooled the beach across from the Courtyard Inn near downtown – and with it came the unmistakable, strong odor of oil. This was not the odor of gasoline or a lawn mower. This was no doubt oil, part of the thousands of barrels of crude that have continued to spew for more than a month from a

Yazoo City Tornado: Photos from the Storm

2010-04-25T18:43:00.005-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOYAZOO CITY (Sunday, April 25, 2010) -- I just filed my story for The New York Times, uploaded my personal photos and am ready to share the pictures with my blog and readers. I'll file written text and few more photos later.But for now, the following slide show must do.I will say this: The damage was devastating throughout Yazoo City. Many people lost everything they had,

Mardi Gras 2010 sadly draws to a close

2010-02-16T19:42:00.002-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINONEW ORLEANS, La. (Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010) – Weeks of balls and parades come to an end tonight at midnight when Mardi Gras gives way to Ash Wednesday.I’m exhausted. From parading Saturday night in Endymion to taking my wife and children to parades in New Orleans and suburban Metairie, I find myself drained from all the driving, the toting around of the parade ladder and this

Happy Mardi Gras 2010

2010-02-14T20:49:00.007-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINONEW ORLEANS (Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010) -- I'm still exhausted.After a full day of activities with the Krewe of Endymion on Saturday -- including the parade that night and the Endymion Extravaganza following in the Superdome -- Pam and I didn't get home until 2:30 a.m.This year's event was spectacular. The crowds were simply amazing, literally wall-to-wall all along the parade

Christmas 2009 with the Cassreinos

2009-12-26T11:12:00.004-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, LA. (Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009) -- No sleeping late for Matthew, Camryn, Pam and I.Matthew was up bright and early at 6:30 a.m., playing with his train table and eating bowl of oatmeal and bananas. Camryn followed shortly, playing with her toys before joining Matthew for cereal.Christmas was a long, quick, exhausting day -- one capped by a nice evening at my

Cassreinos celebrate Matthew’s baptism

2009-12-06T20:26:00.002-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO SLIDELL, La. (Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009) – Just a few days before we celebrate the first anniversary of "Gotcha Day" with our son, we joined with family members at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church to celebrate Matthew's baptism.The service began at 1:30 p.m. and lasted about 45 minutes. It was incredibly uplifting and moving. And a great way for us as adults to welcome our son

Cassreinos return from successful cruise

2009-11-29T17:27:00.003-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Sunday, Nov. 29) -- Well, we made it. We survived seven days at sea in the Western Caribbean with two children -- and lived to tell about it. Actually, it was a great vacation, one of the best cruises my wife and I have taken.The chief reason: We really enjoyed spending a full week with our children and watching them have a great time on the Norwegian Spirit

The First Official Cassreino Family Vacation begins

2009-11-22T07:40:00.001-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009) – The First Official Cassreino Family Cruise Vacation Adventure to the Western Caribbean begins today at about 9 a.m. when Pam and I leave with Camryn and Matthew for the cruise ship terminal in New Orleans.Hmmmm. Let’s see. Traveling with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old on Norwegian Cruise Lines. This is either going to be a major

An oyster festival without the oysters: 'We ran out'

2009-11-15T08:01:00.002-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMETAIRIE, La. (Saturday, Nov. 15, 2009) – The giant nutria, about 6-and-a-half feet tall, was within a few feet of Matthew when his face turned to pure terror and he was on the verge of a blood-curdling scream.So much for a photo with the kids and the Zephyrs baseball team mascot.At least Matthew and Camryn enjoyed the sights and rode a few of the puny kiddie rides at the

Watching football, catching a parade

2009-10-26T06:00:00.005-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Monday, Oct. 26, 2009) – These weekends just seem to fly by – especially ones that have been as nice as the just-ended Saturday and Sunday stretch.How nice was the weekend? Well, let’s look at these facts:Ole Miss FootballI couldn’t be in Oxford this weekend – alas, it’s almost impossible for me to make the trip there now that my family is in Southeast

Great weekend highlighted by trip to French Quarter

2009-10-18T18:55:00.008-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009) -- Can you think of a better weekend?Partly cloudy skies. Temperatures in the 60s. Great fall weather. The Saints win in an impressive game. Ole Miss wins at homecoming. And the Cassreinos visited the French Quarter on Saturday.Yep. We packed the kids in the car, drove to the city, took the Canal Street streetcar to the Quarter and

Saturday at the St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church fair

2009-10-10T16:32:00.006-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, LA. (Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009) -- As I watch Ole Miss play rather pathetically for the first half of its game against Alabama -- and with little hope they can pull off a win in the second -- I decided to update my Blog with some new photos.Today is Pam's birthday (everyone join me in wishing her a happy birthday)and the St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church fair in

'Unconditional Love' commemorates Gotcha Day for our daughter

2009-09-09T05:30:00.000-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, 5:30 a.m.) - I have been wanting to post this video for a while, but have never been able to find a good program to convert my video file tyo a flash video.Tonight, however, I downloaded the free Riva FLV Encoder 2.0 and successfully converted my video to flash and then uploaded it to my channel at You Tube. Then I posted it here at

Matthew’s cast comes off on Wednesday

2009-08-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, 6 a.m.) – Wednesday is the big day – Matthew has his full leg cast removed.As you may remember, I took a day off from work two weeks ago to take Matthew to the Children's Hospital in New Orleans to have his first cast removed. After our doctor examined Matthew, he decided to try a second cast to further help my son's club foot.I wasn't

Cooling off with a New Orleans snowball

2009-08-23T22:30:00.000-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINONEW ORLEANS (Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, 10:30 p.m.) – The line snaked through the small store, out the double doors and around the corner from Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, with some folks waiting 30 minutes or longer – all for a snowball.Well, let me rephrase that: A snowball from Hansen's Sno-Bliz, probably the best snowball stand in metro New Orleans. This isn't

One cast comes off, another one goes on

2009-08-12T18:44:00.005-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, 6:44 p.m.) – Mathew and I are back home this evening facing another two weeks in a full leg cast – part of the Ponseti Method our orthopedic specialist prescribed to help avoid surgery to correct our son’s club foot.Matthew’s new fiberglass cast is, like the last one, a full leg cast. But besides being Rebel Red (the first cast was

Camryn marks first day at new school

2009-08-11T20:27:00.006-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, 8:40 p.m.) -- Camryn enjoyed her first day at school today at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School in Slidell. I'd call it Big Girl School, but that sounds so corny. I will say it was her first time at pre-kindergarten.Pam has a job at St. Margaret Mary teaching kindergarten, so she was nearby for support.Anyway, I stopped by first thing

Weekends, like the one just ended, are entirely too short to spend enough time with your family

2009-08-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, LA. (Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, 6 a.m.) – Another weekend has ended and once again it was way too short.My weekend saw my wife and I attend a new parents social at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School in Slidell where Pam met some of the parents whose children will be in her pre-K class and I met Camryn's pre-K teacher and other parents.Despite my initial misgivings and

Leg cast starts to irritate Matthew

2009-07-31T17:13:00.003-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINONEW ORLEANS (Friday, July 31, 2009) – It's been two days since Matthew received his full-leg cast – and it started to irritate him Thursday night (which led to an incredibly fitful sleep for my wife and I).No big deal, though. As much as it is uncomfortable for Matthew today, he'll be grateful we did this for him years later down the road. Hopefully, this additional Ponsetti

Matthew to receive cast today for club foot

2009-07-29T11:33:00.003-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO NEW ORLEANS ( Wednesday, July 29, 2009) – In just a few short minutes, I will join my wife and our son on a trip to Children's Hospital in New Orleans where he will be treated for his club foot by having his entire right leg placed in a cast.We first saw the orthopedic pediatric specialist last week. And rather than jumping into surgery, he suggested we try to cast

The Cassreinos have officially moved to Southeast Louisiana

2009-07-28T23:30:00.003-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOPEARL RIVER, La. (Tuesday, July 28, 2009) – Friends and family,As many of you may know, Pam, Camryn, Matthew and I left Madison, Miss., earlier this month for a new start in Pearl River, La., and Southeast Louisiana after I took a new job in New Orleans. It was tough and not something we really wanted to do. But when my job with the Mississippi Democratic Party ended on Jan.

My children are the only gifts I need for Father’s Day

2009-06-18T08:36:00.011-05:00

Holt International Children’s Services asked me to write a piece for their e-newsletter, something timed to Father’s Day. Since I rarely shy away from a chance to write, I agreed. The result is below. This is my original version; it may be slightly different from the version Holt published. Enjoy.And Happy Father’s Day.By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Thursday, June 18, 2009) – Camryn sat in

Riding the rails from New Orleans to Jackson

2009-05-13T20:25:00.004-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOJACKSON, Miss. (Wednesday, May 13, 2009) -- Camryn, Matthew and I capped a two-day quick trip to Slidell with a four-hour trip on the City of New Orleans from New Orleans to Jackson.It was a perfect ending to a brief excursion in which I returned a car to my mom and toured Camryn's new school in Slidell. I start my new job in New Orleans on Monday, May 18; the family will

Camryn dances up a storm

2009-05-09T18:16:00.004-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOJACKSON, Miss. (Saturday, May 9, 2009) -- Camryn took center stage today at her dance recital held at Belhaven College.Pam, Matthew and Pam's family met at Belhave College for the event at 2 p.m.; I was there, too, taking a few photos. I was going to video the entire production, but stopped short when I heard that videos were strictly forbidden.It turns out they were filming

Matthew's birthday memories: A slide show you must see

2009-05-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Sunday, May 3, 2009) -- Sorry it's been a while since I posted here. I have been up to my neck with Jackson mayoral politics, managing a candidate in the Tuesday, May 5, Democratic Party primary.Well, I did manage to post a new slide show -- this once covering Matthew's birthday on March 16, 2009. I plan to post another slide show in the next few days for

Managing a mayoral campaign and my family -- at the same time

2009-04-13T22:44:00.003-05:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Monday, April 13, 2009) - It's been a long, long day.I got up at 4:45 a.m. and left home at 5:15 a.m. for a trip 30 minutes away in South Jackson to WAPT-TV. There, I met my Jackson mayoral candidate, Brenda Scott, for a live TV appearance on the station's morning show.It ended more than 12 hours later when I arrived home at about 8 p.m. after attending a

It's Carnival Time -- everybody's having fun

2009-02-23T19:04:00.003-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOSLIDELL, La. (Monday, Feb. 23, 2009) - Weeks of parades and Carnival balls reach a climax on Tuesday when residents across Southeast Louisiana hit the streets to celebrate Mardi Gras 2009.My trip to Slidell, which began on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009, also reaches a climax when I take my family to Mardi Gras - including my two children for the first time. They will enjoy the day in

Happy Mardi Gras

2009-02-19T13:28:00.002-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOSLIDELL, La. (Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009) -- As we prepare to head to the Thursday night parades in New Orleans, I've included a brief slide show/photo gallery for your enjoyment. I'll post a few more before Fat Tuesday. Here goes:

Endymion float show previews the Feb. 21 parade

2009-02-09T09:32:00.006-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO MADISON, Miss. (Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, 9:32 a.m.) – When the Krewe of Endymion hits the streets of New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 21, you'll witness one of the organization's best parades in recent memory.My family and I had a sneak peek at the krewe's floats during an open house at the Endymion den Saturday, Feb. 7. The theme: "Tales of Sleep and Dreams"; floats depict

Cassreinos enjoy Slidell parade on Sunday

2009-02-09T07:57:00.004-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, 7:57 a.m.)- Before I post a photo gallery from my family's trip to New Orleans for a weekend of Carnival events, below is a news report that appeared Sunday night, Feb. 8, 2009, on WGNO-TV ABC26 in New Orleans. It features our family. Check back later for photos.Press play below; the video airs immediately after a brief commercial.

Better late than never: Christmas 2008 photos

2009-02-04T17:11:00.005-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, 5:11 p.m.) - I k now it's rather late for Christmas pictures.But since Pam and I returned from Beijing on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008, we had little time to put something together with our two children. So, we cheated and took the photos in January. And we just got them back last week.So here, without, without any additional delay, are our

Former Democratic Party spokesman, longtime journalist forms consulting company

2009-02-04T09:56:00.002-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/CONTACT: TERRY R. CASSREINOPHONE: (601) 454-7419/E-MAIL: terry@cassreino.comJACKSON (Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009) – Terry R. Cassreino, former communications director for the Mississippi Democratic Party and a former longtime Mississippi journalist, announced today he has formed a media and political consulting company.Cassreino Consulting LLC offers media and political campaign

A weekend of Carnival parades

2009-02-01T18:15:00.004-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO SLIDELL, La. (Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, 6:15 p.m.) – Covered plates of steaming hot beef tenderloin, steamed green beans and roasted potatoes tumbled from the waiter's tray and fell on top of a woman sitting at my table.The plate hit her head and hot gravy fell on her husband's arm. While their formal clothes prevented serious injury, it still cast a strange feeling over the

Preparing for the Endymion Coronation Ball

2009-01-30T13:57:00.002-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, 1:57 p.m.) – After a long week at work in Jackson, much of it tying up loose ends as I leave the Mississippi Democratic Party, I'm ready for as weekend in New Orleans celebrating the Carnival season.And guess what?That's exactly what my family and I plan to do. Pam, Camryn, Matthew and I will pack up our car later today and head to

Enjoying a Carnival weekend in metro New Orleans

2009-01-25T15:00:00.001-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO SLIDELL, La. (Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, 3 p.m.) – A relaxing weekend in Slidell and New Orleans, highlighted by a trip to the Endymion den for my krewe throws, ended far too soon today.As you may know from earlier posts, I ride in the Krewe of Endymion, the largest Carnival parading organization in New Orleans. I had to stop by the krewe den on Saturday to pick up about $500

Matthew makes it through the night with his foot brace

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINO MADISON, Miss. (Friday, Jan. 23, 2009, 7 a.m.) – Matthew made it through his first night wearing the foot brace required to correct his right club foot.I'll try to take a photo of the brace and post it later. But essentially the brace is one long bar with two open toed shows o n both ends; we tie the shoes tightly on Matthew, his feet become immobile and he sleeps with

Enjoy new Cassreino photo gallery

2009-01-22T19:52:00.006-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, 7:52 p.m.) - As I prepare to drive south to New Orleans this weekend for Mardi Gras business - I will pick up my Endymion krewe throws on Saturday - I thought I'd post a quick photo gallery slide show.This isn't anything too spectacular, just a few slice-of-life shots. I'll try to throw together some Carnival photos from the upcoming

NEW: View photo gallery, Mardi Gras in New Orleans

2009-01-18T17:03:00.006-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Sunday, Jan.18, 2009, 5:03 p.m.) – It’s Carnival time in New Orleans.And with parades just weeks away, I thought I’d post a new photo gallery here to the blog. This one features some Mardi Gras photos I’ve gathered over the past three years.These are some of the nicer ones, a small sampling of the literally hundreds I’ve snapped.As we get closer to Mardi Gras

One month since we returned from China

2009-01-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

By TERRY R. CASSREINOMADISON, Miss. (Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, 5 p.m.) – Today marks one month since Pam, Matthew and I returned home from China.And it’s been an incredibly hectic month. I returned to work at the Mississippi Democratic Party. And we’ve tried to settle into a normal day-to-day routine at home.Pam is still on maternity leave and will likely stay that way through the month of February.

Matthew's first doctor visit a success

2009-01-05T21:00:00.003-06:00