10/17/2026
Lex Electrifying Goulas blog from our Grand opening! Great job Lex! Well, today was the Grand Opening of the Shade Tree Cafe by DREAMS as I’ve been telling you all about! We were all employees on deck today because we had tons of customers, probably more than ever so far!
My mom took the day off of work for this special day, and my grandma decided to tag along, so they dropped me off and finally got to see the café in person! I had to help my friend Spencer unload some ice, Ms. Amie Clostio had to help me with the doors because my hands were BURNING, it’s weird how ice is supposed to be cold but gives that burning sensation lol! I saw my friends John Edward Clostio, Gabe, Luke Gardner, Mason Malbrough, Jonah, Mary Claire (However you spell her name), and all the rest of my coworkers! While the kitchen was still firing up for the day, a couple of my coworkers and I took around samples for the customers already here! I was taking around the spinach and artichoke that we stuff in the pies (I call that one the veggie pie since it’s not meat lol), I would also tell everyone I served that it’s one of my favorites, and that seemed to convince some (A couple of people even got seconds)!
After we handed out samples, John and I were talking about playing Fortnite with my friend Gabe sometime soon, and I plan on being Donkey Kong for Halloween because I was Sonic two years in a row already!
After a while, it was time to cut the ribbon! But before we did that, Ms. Donielle Gaubert Watkins got to speak and tell everyone about why D.R.E.A.M.S. FOUNDATION OF ACADIANA does what it does, Ms. Amie told her story as a mother, and Mary Claire got to talk about her experience! And then a priest from a church led us all in prayer for our business to succeed the best way possible! And then we gathered around the ribbon for a picture and the cutting process, my friend Cameron was making people laugh during it, which helped us smile at least lol!
After we cut the ribbon to officially open our business, we got to walk around and introduce ourselves to the customers! Most already knew who I was, my dance teachers Ms. Lisa M. Breaux and Ms. Annette, Ms. Ava Hebert and her brother Royce, Ms. Jamie, just to name a few! I met some STM girls that help out with the softball program of D.R.E.A.M.S., I showed them my puppy Penny (Yorkiepoo) and showed them a wild Yorkie named Tino on TikTok asking if they would raise that dog (I’ll leave the link to his video in the comments, the lady claims he doesn’t need to be sedated for the dentist, I think he needs a whole exorcism instead 🐶🐾😂), some of the Tri Sigma-Alpha Mu girls that came by today (Logan and I are looking forward to the trick or treat event later this month on the 23rd from 5:00-7:30), and my mom got to talk with Ms. Desiree N Albert for a bit!
And then we eventually began taking out orders! Ms. Amie had to sit because she wasn’t feeling too well, I remember she reached out towards me as we walked inside, I stayed close so she’d catch me if she fell, Luke held the door open but he didn’t know why we both entered, so she thanked both of us! Shortly after, John told me my own order was ready, so I took a short meal break and ate with mom and grandma!
While I was eating, Cameron told me he liked my ponytail while he was talking with the Tri Sigma girls inside! He offered to use his apron to clean one of the girls’ hands but she went wash them in the restroom instead lol! Ms. Donielle once said “Cameron, Cameron, Cameron” when it comes to ladies and it reminds me of “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” from that show Brady Bunch 😂! And then a guy named Dave I think came to greet me again, he was with the STM students in that program I think, when they came over as a field trip and watched us work for that News story we were featured in (I posted it a while back)!
After I finished eating, let’s just say it was a good thing I ate when I did, because when I got back, I could BARELY stop! Apparently someone in the kitchen left without notice, I went around the place at least three times looking for them until they told me not to worry about it! Ms. Amie reminded everyone to not do something like that because it’s not fair for everyone else, and because of that, the kitchen got backed up! Ms. Amie had to leave to take care of her health, John left with her, but she did make us promise to help out any way we can, and we already formed a working system before she left! One worker takes each order by turn, and it’s a cycle that repeats itself!
Eventually more employees left which narrowed us down to me, another worker (I forgot his name but since he loves Spider-Man I call him Spider-Guy), Jonah, and Mary Claire, but we still made it work! Jonah eventually got tired but Mary Claire gave him courage to help me with taking the trash out! Well, I took it to the dumpster but he replaced the bag so it worked out! After a few more orders, Jonah had to leave because he got hurt somehow, and because we were just about finished with orders at last, now the dishes had to be done! So after I caught my breath a bit, Spider-Guy and I got to work! We started with me washing and him drying, then Spider-Guy got called outside (I guess he left because I didn’t see him again), one of the kitchen workers took over the washing place which worked well because he was a lot faster than me at it! So I went get a towel to dry off every dish the best I could and put them back where they go or at least put the unknown into a fitting place! I came across a dish that looked like a flat piece of gemstone and I said “What the heck is this?”, Ms. Geri thought I said “I hate doing dishes!” lol! After we finally finished, I washed up and asked Ms. Geri if I was needed for anything else, she told me to go home! I guess she saw the exhaustion in my eyes and I laughed thanking her lol!
On the way back home, I told my mom and grandma about everything, and that I even got some tips from some customers! My grandma said she loved the way I serve people because I always smile, make small talk, and end it with a “Have a great day!”! And when mom and I finally got back home, Penny bombarded me with kisses, up my nose, on my cheeks and chin, etc. 🐶🐾😂!
Now that I’m finally back home after a refreshing shower, an Asian cup noodle dinner with a side of Korean pizza chips (Both from Lafayette’s Asian Market, a place I now love), and lots of love from Penny, I can confirm I’m exhausted but satisfied! I knew today was going to be big, but it was a bit bigger than I expected lol, which is a good thing in a way! So before I chill and eventually snooze off, I want to thank everyone that came out today, Ms. Amie, John, Gabe, Luke, Mason, Jonah, Mary Claire, Ms. Donielle, Logan, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Annette, Ms. Ava, Royce, Jamie, *inhale* the Tri Sigma ladies, the STM ladies, Cameron Cameron Cameron, Spider-Guy, Ms. Geri, the priest, and everyone else that came out to celebrate with us today! And a special shoutout to the kitchen employee that helped me with the dishes after Spider-Guy left, I felt like I could collapse lol! Also a big thank you to my mom and grandma for taking me to and from the café and being customers themselves to support our business! And I’m very thankful that I didn’t hit my head on a tree branch this time or have to tell a passing train to “SHH 🤫” because of its horn 😂😂😂! Stay tuned for Treats at the Village on Monday October 19th from 5:00-8:00, Ms. Amie’s business Creatives Without Limits will be there alongside D.R.E.A.M.S., and the theme is video games which I was happy to hear!
