NEW ORLEANS – Smoke billows from the grill and the bounce house wobbles in the corner of the backyard as the gathering swells on this humid June afternoon.
Cousins, both second and once-removed, aunts, uncles and friends fill up the house of Tyrone and Sheila Mathieu. All are hoping to get a moment with their son, Tyrann, who now lives across the country in Arizona.
Hugs and handshakes meet Tyrann every couple of steps. More than one Cardinals Mathieu jersey is the clothing of choice. Mathieu floats around to greet as many people as he can, before settling down on a couch to say hello to his godson, a toddler named Titan.