A REAL Tree

At first I was hesitant about a real tree. I had been fine without one for the past 6 years. And for the past two, I'd been putting up this very tiny fake one to go in my very tiny apartment. First of all, my tiny tree is free. The needles don't fall off. It doesn't die. But when my roommate was so excited about going to get a real tree for our much-larger-than-my-last-place apartment, I knew I couldn't disappoint her. I set a price limit and we were off to find a tree. As soon as we got to the tree lot, I remembered something that real trees have that my little fake tree never will....that smell. The smell of all of those trees immediately brought me back to Christmases from my childhood. I had changed my mind about getting a real tree. (I think the viewing of "Miracle on 34th Street" at the Prytania before tree shopping had made me a little less of a grinch.) So we brought the tree home, watched Home Alone, and decorated! Is there anything more cozy than a home decorated for Christmas?

Happy Birthday to Cody!

Sunday, Novermber 27th, was Cody's birthday and I did the best I could to make it special for him. I know I was always sad when I spent my birthdays away from my family. On Saturday night, we went to St. Joe's on Magazine Street (famous for their mojitos) to have drinks and hang out with some of our friends to celebrate. St. Joe's has a really great patio and although they were quite busy that night we were able to commandeer a few tables so we could all sit down together. We all had a blast and it was great to catch up with some people we hadn't seen in awhile.

On Sunday, I continued my Mom's tradition and made Cody breakfast in bed. As everyone probably knows, I'm not what you would call a "cook," but luckily, Cody loves waffles and even I can throw some Eggo's in an oven (the toaster is broken). Along with breakfast was a card where I had written our surprise destination for the day...The National WWII Museum. Cody hadn't been and it was on our list! First we had lunch at The American Sector, which is a John Besh restaurant and it's located in the museum. I had a shrimp po-boy with fries and Cody had a french dip. This is the third time I've eaten at this restaurant and I just love it. And they bring homemade pickles to the table! Sooooo yummy. At the end of the meal, I was full, but the birthday boy ordered a Peppermint Pattie, which was basically mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate covered cookies. After lunch, we headed to the museum. The museum is really wonderful and I love the layout. I do get a little overwhelmed with all of the information and seeing and reading a lot of horrible images and words. It's quite an experience. Speaking of "experiences," we also saw the Tom Hanks produced movie, "Beyond all Boundaries." It's in 4D!! You may ask, "What does that even mean?" Most people do. The seats shake, the theatre itself is part of the movie, and it snows...inside. I highly recommend it.

Happy Birthday Cody!

love you.

So Thankful

I work six days a week and very rarely make it home to Gonzales to see my family, so I was so thankful that my Mom, Heidi, Jackson, and Sadie came to New Orleans on Wednesday to see me! We had a wonderful day, starting out at New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. This restaurant is a chain, but it's great for kids (complimentary soft serve ice cream) and their garlic herb fries are ridiculously delicious. Next we went to Storyland in City Park. This is one of my favorite places in New Orleans and a dream come true for kids and grown-ups that are still kids at heart. You can walk around Captain Hook's pirate ship, be swallowed by the whale that also swallowed Pinocchio, and visit the houses of the Three Little Pigs. After Storyland, we came back uptown and took a streetcar ride. Here are some photos of our day:

Wednesday night, Cody and I drove to Gonzales so we could be there on Thanksgiving. I have to say that this year was one of my favorite Thanksgivings so far. To me, Thanksgiving is what Christmas should feel like, but Christmas, although I do love it, can be a little stressful and at times, overwhelming. On Thursday, we woke up and watched some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (loved all the numbers from Broadway shows). Dad smoked a turkey and we also had ham, green beans, corn, green bean and artichoke casserole, cornbread dressing (and a veggie cornbread dressing for me!-thanks mom), and lots of desserts. After we ate, we relaxed, watched some t.v., and visited with Mom and Dad, Nanny, Uncle Frank, Ma-Maw, Heidi, Sadie, Jackson, and Ryan. It was such a fun day. I wish we could do Thanksgiving once a week. Cody and I left Gonzales Thursday night and went to Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge and saw "The Muppets." It was such a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving: