Road Trip! - Louisiana

I had a pretty awesome childhood.  It's hard for me to choose the BEST thing that my parents did for me because, well, they were pretty spectacular parents, but for sure at the top of the list would have to be all of the trips that they took me on.  My dad loves to travel, and it was very important to him that my brother and I see the world.  We were always on a trip - spring breaks, summers, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays - if we weren't in school, we were exploring the world.  My dad took us to many, many countries on five of the continents, but his main goal for us when we were young was for us to see all fifty states by the time we graduated high school, and when I was a junior, he took us to the Kentucky Derby, making Kentucky our fiftieth state.  He did it!  I scuba dived in Hawaii, whale watched in Alaska, flew over the Grand Canyon by helicopter as well as hiked it, swam in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, drove through a Redwood tree in California, skiied in Colorado, ice-skated in Rockefeller Center, etc. etc. etc. all before I turned eighteen.  I'm so unbelievably grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to see so much of the world and so much of the country that I live in.  I truly believe that I am the person I am today because of all the people and places that I've seen.  So it's very important to me that Eden and Ila also get to do all of these things.  I've made it MY goal now to get my children to all fifty states before THEY graduate high school.

My cousin got married this past Saturday in Alabama, and pretty much the second he got engaged last fall, I decided that we would be taking a road trip to this wedding.  It doesn't seem like a big deal - a drive through Lousiana, Mississippi and Alabama - but to me, it was a HUGE deal because it was Eden and Ila's first states.  (though they'll need to be repeated one day, mainly for Ila's sake!)

During our treks across America, my mom would mark down the states that we had made it to in an old, giant atlas.  Before our trip, she gave Eden and Ila each an atlas so we can keep track of the states that they go to.  Each time we crossed a state line last week, I pulled them out and wrote down the date on that state's page.

The wedding was on Saturday, May 23rd, and we left our house on Sunday, May 17th.  Eden and Ila were amazing in the car all week.  Seriously, AMAZING!  Eden was completely perfect, and the few times that Ila fussed, Eden was right there to hand her toys and hold her hand and talk to her.

A few months ago, we hung a map of the United States up in the kitchen.  I've been teaching Eden some of the different states (the ones we were going to go to on this trip and since Dustin is always traveling, where Daddy currently is), and before we left on Sunday, she pointed to the correct states and said, "Louiszeeabana, Mississippi (she says "Mississippi" REALLY good) Alabalama".  She was pumped for this trip, and she talked our EARS off every time we were in the car during the week.  "Is this Louiszeeabana yet?  Where are those cars going?  Are they going to Louiszeeabana too?  Why don't you know?  Is this a gas station?  Why are we stopping at a gas station?  Why did we run out of gas?  Did those people run out of gas too?  Why is this bridge so big?  Why is there water there?  Where is that bird going?  What are we going to do in Mississippi?  Who will be there?" and on and on and on.  If we were in the car, she was talking.  She never stopped.

We arrived in New Orleans late Sunday evening.  We got to our hotel, and all we did that night was order room service.

I obviously never know what Eden is thinking, so I have no idea where she thought we would be staying when we got to all of these states, but she flipped out as soon as she saw our hotel room, and told me AT LEAST ten times that night that, "Mommy, I want to stay in a hotel EVERY DAY!"

our first night in Louisiana:

We stayed at the Windsor Court Hotel, and it was absolutely beautiful!

Soooo.... Monday, May 18th

Ila all dressed and ready to go explore New Orleans

We pretty much spent all of our time in New Orleans eating.  It feels that way at least.  When I started searching for things for us to do in New Orleans a few weeks ago, I just kept finding restaurants that I wanted to eat at.  "How are we going to fit seven restaurants into a day and a half?", I asked Dustin.  Guess what?  We succeeded!  We left the hotel on Monday morning and drove to the Cake Cafe and Bakery.  

Oh so yummy!  Dustin had a crawfish omelette, and I had a crab and brie omelette.  Eden had bacon and eggs and the biggest, flakiest biscuit I ever did see!  It was so good.  Poor Ila just got yogurt.

After we ate, we dropped the car off back at the hotel and set off to explore the French Quarter by foot (and stroller).  New Orleans is actually a city that my dad never took us to, and my only other trip to this city was in college for a New Year's Eve.  I arrived with some friends after it was already dark, went straight to the hotel room to shower and get ready, went out to some bars, went back to the hotel room and left the next day as soon as we woke up.  So this was my first time to really see the city, and I fell in love.  Big time.  Absolutely, positively head over heels in love.  Walking around the French Quarter... I didn't even feel like I was in America anymore.  I loved the old buildings and the architecture and the little shops and restaurants and the fact that everything about it was just so unique.  Most American cities are pretty dang similar to all the other American cities, and I love how different New Orleans is.  

We just walked and walked and walked and went into all the different shops.  We stopped here:

And we put together boxes of candy to take back home to all of the grandparents.  And we got giant pieces of fudge for ourselves even thought it was only like 10 am, and we were still full from breakfast.  Also, I learned that I've been saying "praline" wrong my entire life.

We went into a little toy shop, and Eden picked out presents for her cousins.  I discovered the Cajun children's book section, and I had too much fun picking out a book for us.  I had a hard time deciding between The Cajun Three Pigs, Cajun Cinderella and There Was An Old Cajun Who Swallowed a Gnat.  I had to go with There Was An Old Cajun Who Swallowed a Gnat.

We walked and shopped our way through the French Market.

I spy Dustin, buying a bottle of wine to accompany us on our walk.  He loved New Orleans too.

For lunch, we ate at Mother's.

I don't like ham, so I had fried chicken (uhhhhh, so good!), but I got the ham for Eden - since it's the world's best and everything.

She devoured it, and then started in on the red beans and rice.  She looked at me after her first bite of beans and said, "yum, yum, yum."

After lunch, Dustin asked what I wanted to do, and I said "walk!"  I was so freaking full, I had to walk it off.  So we walked some more.  We had walked through Jackson Square that morning, but we went back and spent more time there.  Eden watched all of the artists and musicians and dancers, and we gave her money to go put in all of their buckets.  

This next picture cracks me up!  I had been pointing things out to Eden all day and telling her how pretty I thought everything was.  So she found this little area, told me how pretty she thought it was and then asked for her picture to be taken in it.

I had planned for us to take a ride on a riverboat that afternoon, but it started raining.  We made a mad dash back to our hotel and made it to our room just in time - it started POURING.  So we relaxed in our room for a couple of hours, Ila took a nap, and we took our time getting ready for dinner.  I let Dustin choose our restaurant for dinner, and he chose Emeril's Delmonico.  Fortunately the rain let up, and we headed out to dinner.  

Okay, this restaurant was straight up amazing.  One of the best meals I've EVER had in my entire life.  Top five for sure.  Maybe number two.  The only other meal I can think of right now that has been better was in Florence.  I don't even know where to begin... the wine, the cheese tray, the steak, the dessert... there are no words to describe how good my food was!  The whole evening was just wonderful, and I really think Dustin needs to take me to New Orleans at least once every year to eat here.

And since we hadn't stuffed our faces enough that day, when we got back to our hotel room, we ate cupcakes that we had bought that morning from the Cake Cafe and Bakery.  Even though we had just had dessert with dinner like twenty minutes before.  

When Dustin was getting dressed on Tuesday morning, he said, "I think I gained some weight yesterday; these shorts are usually looser."  I had the same problem.  But that didn't stop us from going to Cafe Du Monde to eat beignets for breakfast!  

Tuesday, May 19th

I told Eden we were going to go eat Louisiana donuts for breakfast.

After breakfast, we spent the morning at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

I asked Dustin to take our picture in front of the water wall.

Thanks, sweetie.

We got to feed sting rays.

New Orleans, good job on your aquarium!  We were impressed!

After the aquarium, we wanted some gumbo, so we went here:

Dustin asked the hostess as she was seating us if they had the best gumbo in town.  She replied, "second best".  I told Dustin at least she was honest.  And second best gumbo in New Orleans is still pretty dang good!

After lunch, we watched one of the river boats take off.  Eden thought it was really exciting, and I'm bummed that it didn't work for us to get to go on one while we were there.  Next time, next time!

Before we left, I insisted that we go to one more place to eat:  

This gelato was the real deal!  And it helped me with the depression I've been suffering from since this whole Blue Bell fiasco happened!

And that's it.  After our gelato, we packed up and headed out.  Eden was very concerned about us leaving the hotel.  I assured her that we would be at another hotel that night.  

"Okay, remember, tell Daddy I want to stay at a hotel every day!"

Next up, Mississippi!