Laissez les bon temps rouler!

"Let the good times roll!"

and we did.

Here's a brief run down:

Day 1 - Saturday

We drove to Baton Rouge to meet my mom and her husband to drop the boys off.  I was worried about a major freak out with Logan, but he went happily.  Chase was really excited to head to Texas.  

It was so odd having an empty back seat.  After driving around for 5 1/2 years with at least one munchkin behind you, it's hard to get used to the quiet of a child-free backseat.  As we headed southeast, a HUGE storm rolled in.  It was thundering, lightning, and pouring buckets of rain.  I was so worried that it was an indication of what our weekend had in store for us.  I'm happy to report that I was wrong!

We checked in to the hotel and went up to our room.  To our surprise, we had a jacuzzi tub.  I wasn't expecting that, but I sure didn't complain!  We also had a balcony.  The view wasn't fantastic (the balcony was about 2 feet from a brick wall), but I enjoyed the vines and greenery right outside.  Plus we had the added bonus of being able to have the door open without anyone seeing in.  ;)

We headed out for some lunch.  It was a LATE lunch, at 3:30.  We traipsed a few blocks down the road to the Acme Oyster House.  We had some oysters on the half shell, a good beer, and split a seafood platter.  The cocktail sauce at this place was heavy on the horseradish, and I seriously could feel my nasal cavity BURNING with every bite.  It was fantastic torture.  After lunch we went wandering through the French Quarter a bit.  It's so nice to check out the iron work on the balconies, and admire the architecture.  I also enjoy the people watching.  

We got to town too late to do much of anything touristy, so we got dressed up and went to Harrah's for a while.  We played some penny slots, and left with a few more dollars than we came in with, so that was good.  Nothing too exciting to talk about, though.

We ended up hungry after a lot of walking in the sweltering heat, and weren't sure what to try for dinner.  If you've not been to New Orleans, the restaurants in the French Quarter usually have someone standing out front with a menu trying to entice you inside.  That really turns me off, and I didn't want to eat somewhere like that.  We found this little hole in the wall bar called Yo Mama's.  It wasn't very busy in there yet, and we sat down and had a drink and ordered burgers.  I had a mushroom burger, and Stuart got a plain one.  It was so good.  The mushrooms tasted like they had been marinated in whatever the meat was marinated in.  Soooo good.  The potato salad left a lot to be desired, though.  On the way back to the hotel, we walked down Bourbon Street, and we each got a Hand Grenade.  I have no idea what's in this drink, but it's the new "must try" beverage in NOLA.  It was tasty and VERY strong.  

Day 2 - Sunday

Sunday morning we woke up to rain.  Lots of rain.  We were planning to walk everywhere, because parking tends to be pricey and inconvenient.  Because of the rain, though, we couldn't even get to a shop to purchase an umbrella without getting soaked.  We drove to a nearby Walgreens and purchased two umbrellas.  Our plan for the day was to head to the Aquarium of the Americas, and maybe check out the IMAX.  

By the time we found a parking spot, the rain had almost stopped.  We hadn't been to the aquarium since August of 2002, when I was about 6 months pregnant with Chase.  It was really fun.  We both loved walking around and checking out all the exhibits.  I had a great time watching the penguin feeding.  The seahorse exhibit is one of my favorite.  I think they are amazing animals.  

Our movie didn't start until 2, so we had some time to kill after the Aquarium.  We strolled over to Bubba Gump's for lunch.  This was where we'd eaten almost 6 years ago.  It was really yummy, and our waiter had a good sense of humor.  This is also where I was introduced to Purple Haze.  I have a tendency to be a beer snob after living in Humboldt County, the land of breweries.  Purple Haze is a fruity, summertime beer, and very refreshing.  

After lunch, we headed to the IMAX to watch the Dolphins and Whales movie.  It was a 3D movie, which was fun.  It's hard for me to get used to the effects since I wear glasses.  It's hard to get everything lined up just so.  I love marine mammals, and was prepared to fall more in love with them during the film.  The effects and majesty were great.  The narration was not.  It was disappointing that the movie turned into an environmentalist guilt trip.  I have no problem trying to save the earth.  I want our children and their children to grow up being able to appreciate the various forms of life here.  I was just frustrated that the movie wasn't more about the animals and less about the not-so-hidden agenda.  stepping gracefully down off my soap box now

We took the car back to the hotel and changed clothes.  There was a creole tomato festival at the French Market, and we wanted to check it out.  We wandered down and walked around.  It was hot and crowded.  We did make one purchase, some Mardi Gras beads with a Coast Guard pendant.  It was the only one she had, and it was a great find!  We got the heck out of there, and walked through some shops.  Most of the souvenir shops were various layouts of the same crap, but the galleries and small businesses were fun to look in.  

Because this get away was such a treat, and an opportunity to explore ourselves as adults, individuals, and as a couple aside from being Mom and Dad, we made a pact to try new things and step outside our normal limits.  It was a nice challenge, and we had a much better time than I would have in the past.  I was really able to let go a little and have a good time.

Dinner on Sunday was at Pat O'Brien's.  I somehow managed to get to dinner without my camera.  I tried a drink called the Rainstorm, which was completely delicious.  Stuart and I shared a trio sampler of cajun cuisine, which included gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and jambalaya.  Oh.how.yummy.  It was spicy enough without being too spicy, and really a taste of home for us.  We also had the strawberry hurricane cheesecake, which was divine.

Day 3 - Monday

For whatever reason, Mondays are dead in New Orleans.  All of the museums, the Audobon wildlife parks, and quite a few businesses are closed.  We went down to the Riverwalk, though, and walked.  We watched a cruise ship moored up getting ready to leave.  We looked in nearly every shop in that center.  It was surprising to me how many shops in New Orleans had belly dance costumes and accessories.  

We had lunch at the Jackson Brewery, at a place called The Lazy River.  It wasn't until I checked the bank account that I realized it is a Pat O'Brien's restaurant.  LOL.  You'll see the humor in a minute.  I enjoyed another Purple Haze with my red beans and rice.  Mmmmm.  Southern cuisine.  

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and took advantage of the pool.  It was a beautiful day, and the saltwater pool was really soothing.  We were the only ones there for a while, so that made it even better.  

I really wanted to go back to Pat O'Brien's for dinner Monday night.  I wanted to dress up a little bit, have another Rainstorm, and go back armed with my camera.  I'm really glad we did.  I had crawfish cakes and Stuart had shrimp creole.  I had a Rainstorm and a Hurricane.  Our waitress informed us that the Rainstorm had 3.5 shots of liquor and the Hurricane had 4.  Uh, yeah.  I was a little giddy when we left.  OH!  I almost forgot the pecan pie we shared.  The pecan pieces were large, and the portion was generous.  It was yummy.  Beyond yummy.

We did a little more walking around and then turned in early.  I wasn't in any shape to do much of anything else.

Day 4 - Tuesday

I woke up at 4:30 Tuesday morning.  I was a little green around the gills from Monday night's beverages.  We had an early breakfast and got everything packed up.  We left early to head back to Baton Rouge to meet up with the kiddos.  The treat for me this day was that my mom, both sisters, and my grandmother were coming to bring the kids.  We hadn't all been together in about a year and a half.  We had lunch at Chili's and walked around the Tanger Outlet Mall for a few hours.

Our trip was fantastic.  I really want to take advantage of the boys being able to get away on their own with our family and Stuart and I being able to get away and recharge our relationship.  It was so nice to remind ourselves how fun it is to be friends and just hang out together.  I told him that the trip, for me, wasn't about me "falling in love all over again."  He looked at me a little funny.  I told him that I didn't feel like we'd fallen out of love at all, so I couldn't fall in love all over again.  We are completely head over heels still, and I love that.  We held hands, laughed, and completely enjoyed one another.  

I'm ready to plan our next trip now...  I know it'll be a little while, but we've got to make a point to reconnect like this more regularly.

The album of photos is available here for your viewing pleasure.