NOLA

New Orleans is just a hop, skip and a jump from home for us so JP and I try to make it over their as often as our time and money will allow. Well, this past weekend we used my birthday as an excuse to "laissez bon temps rouler". And "rouler" the "bon temps" they did! I always feel like I'm in another country in NOLA since the city is so rich with culture and tradition.

Our adventure always starts at Pat O'Brien's for hurricanes. That's the best bar to chat people up and get their story. This time we met a man who lived next door to my family in FWB. What a small world! After that, we meander (stumble) all through the quarter popping into whichever store, eatery or bar that piques our interest. The first time we went together, we were in search of a unique place to eat for dinner and happened upon this little alley with a restaurant called The Pelican Club. After taking a look at the menu, we made a reservation for later that evening and no regrets. It was so good, JP treated me to a fabulous birthday dinner there again this trip. We had scallop-stuffed artichokes (or maybe it was the other way around) and the perfect steak and wine pairing. We then made a donation to Harrah's...haha...and called it a night. We would have loved to hit up The Dungeon or Frenchman Street for dancing but the hurricanes did us in earlier and we were spent.


Our hotel had a Bloody Mary bar Sunday morning. I tried bacon-infused vodka with mine but I honestly couldn't taste it. That might have been due to too much A1 because I have a slight affinity for it. JP tried his with pepper-infused vodka and we both agreed they were some of the best Bloody Marys we've had. We got a little New Orleans history from our bartender, Rex, and walked to Central Grocery for a muffuletta breakfast. Did you know that the owner of Central Grocery started making the sandwiches to feed the men who worked nearby at the wharves? And obviously they were just so freakin' good and took off like nobody's business. Now for the coolest part of the trip. On the walk back to our hotel, we took some random streets to try and avoid the hustle and bustle. We passed a decrepit old building that had abandoned slot mailboxes. JP flips each one of them up and comes to one with a folded piece of paper in it. We unfold it and it was a kind note from a stranger for whoever found it. So we paid it forward and replaced the found note with one of our own. I think next time we should see if it's still there or if there's a new one. It's fun to find and spread good vibes!

Halloween

Dia de los Muertos, Spanish for Day of the Dead, is a beautiful Mexican holiday that brings families together every year on November 1 to remember and pray for loved ones that have passed. Graves are decorated, small toys left for deceased children and bottles of liquor for the adults. Foods such as candied pumpkin and pan de muerto ("bread of dead") are left out as an offering. The most common symbol of the holiday is probably the skull. This can be seen in masks, as well as sugar and chocolate skulls inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. I thought it would be really fun to dress up as a sugar skull this year. I already had a long purple hi-low skirt and I found a black lace peasant looking top for only $10 at Charlotte Russe. The most expensive part was actually the head piece. Fake flowers aren't cheap, y'all...even with coupons! I probably spent $30 on that thing. Not to mention fighting with the hot glue! It turned out awesome though. If anyone is in the market for a really obnoxious headband, I'm your girl! The most time consuming part was the makeup. I'll NEVER do full face paint again. I definitely underestimated on time. I figured an hour tops. But two messy hours later...crikey! Pretty cool though, huh? I had a wicked awesome night with my girls too!

Hello, Fall!

Yesterday was officially the first day of fall and the weather even showed up for it! It was a refreshing 66 in the morning. As much as we love our summer beach days here in Florida, we can only take so many triple digit heat indexes before we start getting antsy for the relief of fall. Sticking to your leather car seats = not cute. These are few things I've been looking forward to this year!

1. Boots (I love a good stomp.)
2. Hocus Pocus (Obviously!)
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (Just so good.)
4. No Shave November (See below!)
Yeeeah...