{Weekend Adventure} Old and New

Today was a day of hitting up some of our favorite New Orleans spots, as well as checking out a couple of new sights, too, as we ended 2017, looking ahead to 2018!

 

We kicked off the day down at Mardi Gras World where we learned a little more about the history of Mardi Gras and the science behind building the parade floats...

 

We got to get up close and personal with float figures in every stage of production...

 

and the Chick Fil A billboard cows, too...

 

L loved the dress up area best...

 

Definitely a FUN way to start off the morning in The Big Easy...

 

 

After our tour, we booked it down to the French Quarter and grabbed a delicious local lunch with a side of history at The Original Pierre Maspero's...

 

 After lunch, we caught the Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year's Eve Parade and let the kids brush up on their bead catching skills...

 

 

...raising them right, I tell you...  Ha!

 

While watching the parade, we got in line for Café Du Monde...

 

and enjoyed some beignets as an afternoon snack...



Can't believe how much this one has grown up...



since the last time we ate here!

{July 2012}

We walked around a bit and checked in on President Andrew Jackson...

 

and secretly wished that the weather was a little more like it was when we visited him back in July 2012...

 

{July 2012}

Bundled up and still freezing, we headed back to the hotel to rest up for the BIG day tomorrow!

The fun didn't end there, though...

Hubby & and the girls had a little "celebrity sighting" - Clemson-style - in the lobby...

and ran into Ben Boulware, member of last year's championship team!

Go Tigers!!!

{Weekend Adventure} Family and FUN!

Wow!  I feel like I was JUST saying how "Clemson seasons like this don't come along every year..."

 

BUT...  Here we are, the reigning College Football National Champions, heading into our THIRD straight appearance in the College Football Playoff...  PHEW!

 

Our favorite football team just keeps bringing its BEST, so we just HAD to book it down to the Gulf Coast to support them in their semifinal game!

 

With my mom in tow, we arrived in Ocean Springs, MS late last night, and spent most of the day hitting up a couple of favorite spots and visiting with family, before continuing on over to New Orleans, LA, a short hour and a half drive away...

 

We grabbed a fun breakfast from one of my favorite local doughnut shops, The Tatonut Shop, located downtown...

 

 

and went out to visit with my great aunt and uncle at their farm on the outskirts of town.  For as long as I can remember, Uncle L has always had something ready to be picked and has always sent us home with some sort of fresh produce...even now, at 89 years young...

 

Today, it was kumquats...

 

 

A couple of happy pickers...

 

 

So, let me know if you have any good kumquat recipes, as I now have 3 full bags to bring home!  Marmalade, anyone?

 

After getting our fill of kumquats, we headed back into town and dropped my mom off at my aunt and uncle's house, where she'll stay for the next few days...

 

Believe it or not, we picked a few more kumquats there, too!  Along with kumquats, we added a couple of lemons to our haul as well...

 

Seriously, I really need a good marmalade recipe, stat...

 

We grabbed a quick and yummy lunch at Aunt Jenny's Catfish Restaurant...

 

 

and headed on into Louisiana...

 

 

After getting settled in our hotel, we headed out to the Uptown area of New Orleans...

 

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and grabbed dinner at Juan's Flying Burrito...

 

 

Heading downtown tomorrow!

{Girls Trip} - Christmas 2017 - Nutcracker Ballet at The Fox

Today the girls and I headed to see the Nutcracker at the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta, much like we've done the past couple of years (2015, 2016)...

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Sharing the magic of The Fox with my sweet girls just never gets old!

After the show, we headed over to Lenox Square to ride the Pink Pig!

Until next year...