The Big Easy

This year's Spring Break, while seeming miraculously shorter and more rushed than last year, was pleasant and restful. We actually kicked off the whole holiday by heading out to New Orleans for a friend's wedding, and made a long weekend vacation out of it. Everything about our trip was great. The wedding was the most fabulous wedding I have ever had the pleasure of attending, the food was great, the weather was perfect, and the people were friendly.

Before this trip, the last time I visited New Orleans was well before Katrina. We were only there for a day, but the city left a strong impression on me and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had changed very little over the years. The day we arrived was the day of the wedding, so we had only a few hours to eat, dress, and make our way over to the gathering place for the wedding party. We ate at Acme Oyster House, apparently a famous New Orleans eatery as there was a line out the door only 20 minutes after they had opened for lunch. While our meal was good, the confusion was such that some other people took our place in line without us realizing it and we ended up waiting about an hour to eat lunch.

Once we were finished, we headed back to the hotel to dress then took a cab to another hotel where all the wedding guests were to meet. When I say this was the most fabulous wedding I've ever attended, I mean it the most fabulous...period. The actual wedding venue was an old plantation about an hour outside of the city. Charter buses were scheduled to take all the guests out, and back. Once we arrived at the plantation there was champagne and enough time to walk around the property for a bit. After the ceremony ended we were led through the actual plantation house where there were drinks, food, and a woman hand rolling cigars for guests. There were also tiny shot glasses available with the couple's logo on them. The reception was in another building where there was a buffet dinner, a 12 piece band, and more drinks flowing. Guests danced for several hours before the couple was led out of the plantation property, and sent off under a show of fireworks, riding back to New Orleans in a classic Rolls-Royce. Fabulous.

The next day, we got up and had the most spectacular brunch ever at Commander's Palace. Then headed right across the street to walk through the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. One thing I wasn't aware of was the fact that people are still buried in this cemetery today. Some of the tombs are falling into disrepair, but others have clearly been updated and refreshed as the years have gone by.

After a great brunch, Dad headed off to the casino and Mom and I made our way through some of the more famous streets of the French Quarter. I thought the architecture and people were more interesting than most of the shops we visited. As far as my adventures on Bourbon Street go, well I have nothing to tell. Not because I'm trying to be coy in some kind of "what happens in New Orleans" way. Quite simply, that is just not my scene. I've never liked being around masses of drunk people, or just drinking to get drunk. Actually the whole idea is rather stupid, if you ask me.

He might look like he was walking, but he's actually one of several mime's we saw.

Our last morning in New Orleans was marked by rain and a required trip to Cafe Du Monde. It was just as good as I remember. Fluffy white piles of powdered sugar over hot chewy beignets accompanied by a side of hot coffee. It was the perfect way to end a mini vacation, and start off Spring Break. Now that my week off has passed swiftly and sweetly by, it's time to get back into work mode again. At least I will have the memory of those little beignets to keep me going.

New Year, New Look

While the new year has long since come and gone. I decided it was time to give my blog a face lift and return to my weekly posts. It's hard to believe I stopped writing for an entire year, but I suppose the stresses of life are bound to take hold and derail you from your hobbies and passions. It's a daily struggle to find even the tiniest amount of balance in this life.

As I write, the rain - freezing rain really - is failing steadily outside my window and people seem tucked away in their homes looking for refuge from the damp chill under thick blankets and in steaming cups of cocoa. In short, it is the perfect day for rest to take a priority over stress. As the rain slowly coats the ground with thick ice, I am feel more and more carefree. There is nothing like a bad weather day to restore the soul. For me, bad weather means an unexpected day off work of which I, like most people I know, am in desperate need.

So, what will I do with my extra time? As much as I would like to be that industrious person who does the laundry, cooks several delicious meals to freeze-and a fabulous dessert-and cleans the house top to bottom, and knits a blanket; well, that's just not me. I waste my day away on the sofa listening to the hum of the furnace, and watching my neighborhood woodpecker go to work search for food in a frozen tree. Well, maybe the TV has been on too. Mostly, I luxuriate in the little details I don't get to enjoy on a daily basis. Like enjoying a full pot of properly brewed tea during breakfast, and sipping from my fragile Russian teacup. This afternoon I even decided to make a pot of hot chocolate.

Now the day is slowly coming to a close. Ice still lingers on the ground outside, and I am now just waiting for the call that work will be canceled yet again tomorrow. I feel relatively confident that Mother Nature will help me out with this one as temperatures are dropping back down into the mid twenties tonight and will not rise above freezing until noon tomorrow. For now I am keeping my fingers crossed and burrowing deeper into the sofa.