New Orleans Round 2

Last spring break while we lived in Alabama, we visited New Orleans since we were so close and I loved it so much more than I ever thought I would! (post on that trip here) I didn't really know much about New Orleans until then and I fell in love with the food, the jazz music, the Mardi Gras decorations and souvenirs everywhere, the voodoo, the accents, the alligators, and the European feel and architecture. (What I don't like - the smell, the dirtiness, the humidity) New Orleans is such a unique and interesting city with such a cool history and culture! I never thought we would ever go back, but then my brother James, decided last minute to do sales there for the summer (which threw all of my mom's potential plans to get our family together this summer out the window) and so my mom planned an extremely logistically complicated last minute weekend vacation to New Orleans and I'm so glad she did! (My mom and Elizabeth drove Thursday, Friday and Saturday to get there, we drove all day Saturday, my dad and Isaac flew in on Sunday, we drove home through the night on Monday and got home Tuesday, my dad flew home Tuesday to get back to work, and my mom and Isaac and Elizabeth drove two days straight and are just getting home tonight... did you follow all of that?!)

We packed up Friday night, left at 3 am on Saturday morning and drove for 14 hours straight.
I miss the canyons of trees in the south!
 

Once we got to the hotel, Spencer and I drove into the city to wait in line at Oceana while my mom took our kids to go pick up James and his girlfriend, Maddie, from the neighborhood they were selling at. They ended up taking longer getting to the restaurant because they both got a sale that day (whoot! whoot!) so Spencer and I enjoyed a kidless dinner alone :) We ordered the Taste of New Orleans (creole jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, and red beans and rice with smoked sausage) and the La Boheme Creme Brulee and it was all so delicious! Since it was so late, we just switched cars and took our kids back to the hotel to sleep while my mom, Elizabeth, James, Maddie and her sister had dinner.
Bourbon Street
 

Elizabeth ordered the alligator!!!
 

James and Maddie
 

On Sunday, we went to church, played games, ate pot roast that my mom cooked from the hotel room, and went to feed the alligators by Maddie's apartment (!!!). I didn't think we would actually see one but we did and I'm so glad because we weren't able do a swamp tour (It was closed on Monday) The alligator made Jack's trip and I'm grateful that Maddie and Kenzie donated their raw chicken :)
 
 






 
On Monday, we walked around the French Quarter, ate the famous beignets from Cafe Du Monde, and shopped at the French Market.
 
 
 


I love all of the buildings and architecture!
 
 


Elizabeth
 

Mom


Spencer


Jack
 

Isaac - the creepiest mask of all!
 

Our souvenirs were these masks and cute little voodoo ornaments for our new Christmas ornaments this year (I'm hoping that's not too sacrilegious!!!)
 

March 2014
 

May 2015
 

We swam at the hotel pool that afternoon.
  
 
The second highlight of Jack's trip - catching a frog in the swimming pool!
  
We decided instead of leaving early Tuesday morning to just leave Monday night and drive through the night and even though we are still catching up on sleep, it was best decision ever! We got home late Tuesday morning and Jack and David were only awake for the last two hours of the drive. We unpacked, did all of the laundry, grocery shopped and took naps all before Spencer had to go back to work the next day.
P.S. We listened to the This American Life podcasts about Hurricane Katrina on the way home and they were really interesting! If you have the app, I highly recommend listening to them ----> episode 296 and 297
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In the spirit of full disclosure, we were all a teensy bit motivated to pull this trip off so that we could meet the amazing girl that James is spending his entire summer with ;) Maddie is awesome and passed with flying colors - we all love her!