New Orleans, Part I: Hammond, LA

So this weekend, we got together a group of friends and decided to travel to Hammond, LA. 

Okay, not really. We decided to travel to New Orleans, LA, but ended up spending some quality time in Hammond. Here's what happened:

We met at the train station bright and early. 

Sarah had the goods.

And on to the train we went! This was Christopher's and my first ride on good ole' Amtrak. I enjoyed the comfy seats.

So did Charlie and Sarah.

And Darrin and Jenny.

And Matt...and especially Laura.

It was a little dreary, but interesting to see the country side.

Then, the train stopped. Not slowed down, but stopped. We waited for the "smoke break" to be over. And, we waited some more. Finally, we were told that the bridge we needed to cross was broken....in the 'up' position. Not good.

So we were able to get off the train and enjoy Hammond, LA. Well, enjoy the train station and grounds. Thankfully, it was a pretty day, and we were all in good spirits.

See: love and good spirits:

Love, good spirits and laughter!

Love, trains and flowers:

Even the guys had some love for Hammond.

And each other.

 Have I mentioned that I love the self portrait? Maybe a few times?

Laura is a real photographer. See her real camera?

Thankfully it was sunny, and we got to enjoy Hammond. We even looked cute doing it!

Three hours later, the bridge was fixed and we were on our way! We arrived in New Orleans to a welcoming parade.

Seriously, we stepped out of our taxi at our hotel, and this parade turns the corner immediately behind us. Thankfully, we were all able to grab our luggage and get out of the taxi before it got run over. Such a nice touch to be recognized for the famous and important people we are, but really New Orleans, we don't need a welcoming parade every time we visit....maybe just the next several. 

And there was this guy!

What could be more exciting than that?

To be continued...

I was born! Let's celebrate!

Last week was my birthday. We like to celebrate birthdays in my family, and this year was no exception. On Friday, my actual day of birthday, Sarah and Charlie came and stayed with us, and we had such a fun time. We miss having them in the same city! We decided to be able to really enjoy seeing each other and hang out, we would cook dinner at the house. No need to try to catch up with good friends while yelling at each other in a loud bar. There's a time and a place for that, of course.

So the guys grilled out, and Sarah and I chatted in the kitchen.

Here's the birthday girl cleaning mustard greens from the farmers' market. Note the outfit. Chris bought me clothes for my birthday, and before all you girls cringe at the thought of your husbands buying you clothes, Chris has better taste than I do, and I wish he would shop for me ALL the time. I had been complaining that I didn't own any "weekend wear." You know, the stuff you put on to run errands that's not quite sleepwear and and more comfortable jeans and a sweater. So he got me this super comfortable, outfit, plus a weekend dress that will be unveiled on the blog soon.

 Here are some of my favorite people about to enjoy dinner!

I was there too.

Birthday Girl and spouse.

As if Friday night wasn't enough celebrating my birth, Saturday brought mom and Jack and Jenny and Thad to come see us. I was so excited that Jenny and Thad were able to come see us because they hadn't seen the house yet. We all had lunch together, did a little driving tour of the city and generally hung out before dinner.

I decided that I wanted to cook dinner for everyone, and I put mom and Jenny to work making a cake. How cute are we all in the kitchen together! Note the apron: it was my birthday gift from Sarah and Charlie, and it came with matching recipe cards. So thoughtful!

Thankfully the guys had some entertainment while the ladies cooked. Did you know my grandfather is a cat guy? Porter was glad someone appreciated his cuteness, and his ability to play/fight.

Chris and Jack were there too, but sorry guys, since you weren't loving on a cat, Thad won out on picture time.

Thank you to everyone who took time out to celebrate my birthday with me. It was such a good excuse to see everyone!