Weekending - May 8, 2015

This weekend was nothing but fun, fun, FUN!!  Eric and I drove to New Orleans and arrived on Friday afternoon.  We headed down to NOLA for the wedding of our friends Lauren and Justin.  The entire weekend has been wonderful.  Here's a little recap.

Upon arriving on Friday, we checked into the Sheraton and headed straight to Bourbon Street.  The hurricanes at Pat O'Brien were calling our names and we were hungry.  We decided to share their trio sampler which consisted of gumbo, red beans and rice and jambalaya.  Was it good?  It was delicious!  Great way to start our stay in The Big Easy.

We wondered around in the French Quarter until dinner time then chose The Gumbo Shop to continue our southern eating.  Eric dined on their crawfish etouffee and shrimp poor boy.  I picked the grilled cheese (I know, it's not very southern -- but it just sounded so good).

Later in the evening we headed to Lauren and Justin's welcome party at Hermes Bar.  It was fun to see some of the folks that would be at the wedding and start the wedding festivities!  Just look how happy they are!

Saturday we went to Cafe du Monde for a little beignet action for breakfast.  We were joined by friends Rachel and Amy who had also traveled south for the wedding.  These little puffs of dough are so incredibly tasty! And they are served mounded high with powered sugar.  I wore black -- not necessarily the wisest choice in clothes, but I somehow managed to not be covered head to toe with the white stuff when we left.

After filling up on beignets, we meandered around the Jackson Square area until lunchtime.

For lunch, we were looking for oysters and found them at Le Bayou Restaurant.  We also shared their muffuletta.  To sweeten our dining experience ever more, we dined on their second floor balcony overlooking Bourbon Street.  People watching at its best!

After lunch it was time to go get ready for the wedding.  Lauren and Justin was so kind to their guests.  We had great welcome bags in our rooms and they provided transportation from the hotels to the wedding and reception.  Wonderful touches for out-of-town guests.

We were excited to experience our first New Orleans wedding and it definitely did not disappoint!  Lauren made a stunning bride and you could see the love in Justin's eyes every time he looked at her.

The reception was held at Rosy's Jazz Hall.  We dined on some mighty tasty appetizers like mini crab cakes, oysters cordon bleu, feta onion tartlette, tuna sashami canapes, crab tarts, jambalaya pasta, and New Orleans BBQ shrimp,  Plus the wedding cakes!!  They had a beautiful traditionally white wedding cake with strawberry filling and a King's Cake.  Yum!!

In traditionally New Orleans style, we got to participate in our very first second line.  So much fun!  Wish I had gotten some pictures, but you know, I was too busy participating in the fun to stop long enough to snap a pic.

We partied like rock stars!  It was fabulous seeing some old friends we hadn't seen in a while and making some new friends as well.  I know you've heard me say it before, but I just LOVE weddings!!

Congratulations Lauren and Justin!!  Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day.  We made memories we'll treasure for years to come.

Sunday (after sleeping in a bit) was our day to explore the Garden District and tour a cemetery.  Such history in this part of town!

To celebrate Mother's Day, Eric and I went to Emeril's NOLA restaurant for dinner.  I got to pick the location and it did not disappoint.  Eric had the fried chicken and I picked their shrimp and grits.  Best shrimp and grits we have ever had!

 Monday we're heading over to Gulf Shore Plantation for a few days of rest and relaxation.  I might be setting myself up for failure by thinking I'm going to catch up on my emails, plan some future blogs, learn the features on my camera, read a couple books -- the list goes on but I'll stop there.  We'll see how much I actually get done.  One thing I know I'll get accomplished is sitting on the beach with my feet in the sand!

Hope you had a great weekend too!  I'll be posting a couple times this week from the beach.  Hope you stop back by and check it out.  Hey -- I wanted to mention too that something else special happened over the weekend -- I was featured on my friend Michelle's blog.  You can check it out HERE.  So cool!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
Oak and Oats
A Cute Angle
The Quinntessential Mommy