This past Saturday was the couples shower for my brother and Erin. Their wedding date is rapidly approaching….only 6 and a half weeks to go until the Big Day! It was a great night; good times were had by all. Here are some pics from the party. Enjoy!
Sorry I couldn’t write more; I am frantically trying to get things together for our trip to New Orleans for tomorrow’s Turkey Day. A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Today was the Center’s Thanksgiving potluck luncheon, and both Gaye and Gabe said I had to come, even though I’m no longer working there. It was quite a diverse spread of food, and I, of course, contributed yin-yangs to the dessert table (thanks, Mom!). I did a fairly good job of controlling myself around the food, opting instead to save room for the real deal next week. However, everything I did try was delicious; there are some good cooks working at the Center! I even left with a new recipe to try out: broccoli cornbread, thanks to Joey, one of the awesome IT guys. It was great to see everyone again; I’m already anticipating another visit around Christmastime!
I had previously decided to see New Moon after I left the Center, so I headed to the closest theater and arrived in time to catch the 2:30pm showing. I must admit that I have jumped on the Twilight bandwagon, although not as thoroughly as others. I really enjoyed reading the series, and the first movie (which I actually saw before picking up any of the books) was better than I expected. It’s hard not to get caught up in the whole Edward-Rob/Bella-Kristen drama and gossip, but please…..must all of the younger girls in the theater giggle and laugh every time a shirtless guy appears on the screen? There were more times than not that the giggles occurred during a serious and somewhat pivotal scene. Granted, this is not a movie that will garner an Academy Award, let alone a nomination, but the titters from the crowd just weren’t necessary.
That being said, I really didn’t mind all that much. Girls will be girls, and after all, there is something undeniably and unmistakably sexy about Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of Edward. I’d want to be Bella if I could have him opposite me (I love you, Ken!). However, don’t discount Taylor Lautner as Jake in this movie either. He certainly grew up between the two films, and in a very nice way that shows on screen. A lot.
The movie was really good, sticking close to the storylines developed by Stephenie Meyer in her books. Bella still annoys me, but I guess that’s just the nature of her character. The introduction of the werewolf pack was great; I’ll be glad to see more of those guys in the next film. And Victoria, the little that there was of her, was played perfectly. There were also some undertones of humor sprinkled throughout, but the laughter resulting from those scenes (mine included) was A-OK. :)
Another big event that occurred at the LSU game this past Saturday was the unveiling and first official tasting of Kenny’s homemade beer. He ended up with 40 bottles of his brown ale concoction and brought 10 of them to the game so everyone who wanted to could have a little taste.
While it wasn’t at all disgusting and undrinkable as some warned us the first attempt could be, I must admit that it is way too hoppy for me. There is a good flavor to it, but I just can’t get past the taste of the hops. Hopefully his next brew will be more palatable. And I won’t have to wait too long to try it: he started his next batch on Sunday, and the fermenting Irish ale has already taken up residence in our guest bathroom.
Once again, thanks to Adam for giving Ken yet another hobby to enjoy!
Kenny and I were in Baton Rouge again this weekend for the LSU homecoming game against Louisiana Tech. However, this one was a bit different: lots of our friends chose this game to come up and tailgate with us at the camper. And we even gave Eddie and Mary a break by preparing and bringing all of the food and drinks ourselves instead of them always doing the work. There were way too many yummy things out there on Saturday!
We started off the weekend Friday night at Chimes for a late dinner and ended the night downtown at Punchers. It was just like old times, with a table for 18, cheese fries, blackened alligator, good friends, and lots of laughter. We relived our college days through the telling of old stories, and Ashley summed it up best by exclaiming more than once, “my cheeks hurt!”
Saturday was a great day (although a bit hot out), and there were even some birthday surprises for me and Ashley later in the afternoon, thanks to Kenny and others. We had lots of fun at the tailgate, and the Tigers hung on against the Bulldogs to claim their 8th win of the season. Only one more home game left!
Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, the Saints are now 9-0! Geaux Black and Gold!!!!
I turned the big 3-0 yesterday. I received lots of phone calls throughout the day, and the overwhelming question was, “So how does it feel to be thirty???” To be honest, I don’t really feel all that different, and I’m not having a hard time letting go of my twenties. I still feel like me, and that’s just fine. However, getting that question a number of times allowed me to go back and reflect on my previous decade of life. Lots of great and wonderful things happened to me in my twenties:
*Finished up my college years at LSU
*Started dating my would-be husband
*Moved all by myself to North Carolina for graduate school at UNCW, where I also met one of my dearest friends, Jackie
*Became engaged and then married my amazing husband and went on the honeymoon of a lifetime in Hawaii
*Moved with said husband to a new city where we didn’t know many people
Those are just a few of the many things that I remember about the past ten years. I have a great life, and I consider myself lucky to have the things that I have. A beautiful home, good health, a wonderful husband, great family and friends.
Speaking of which, my parents drove over yesterday to keep me company on my birthday. Mom and I had unbelievable spa treatments (facial for her, massage for me), we shopped at Loft, we lunched with Dad at Cafe Roma, and then we relaxed at home with Kenny before dinner. We had reservations for 7pm at Jolie’s Louisiana Bistro, and when we walked in I discovered Kenny’s parents already seated at our table! They had driven up to surprise me and join in on the birthday fun. The six of us had a great time eating, drinking, chatting, and gifting (What? That’s a word, right?). It was after 10pm when we finally realized we should probably call it a night and leave the restaurant!
For some reason my dessert had “Happy Anniversary” spelled out on it instead of “Happy Birthday.” We all thought it was hilarious.
Thank you, everyone, for making my day such a special one! Same time, same place next year? :)
Three of my best girlfriends and I turned 30 this year, so we decided to grab our husbands and head down to the Quarter for a celebratory dinner at Irene’s last weekend. I’m not sure any of us had been there before, and we all liked it a lot. It’s a small, cozy, crowded, loud place with a great atmosphere. Our waiter Joseph was fabulous, the food was delicious, and the company couldn’t have been better. Happy Birthday to us, girls! Can you believe we’ve known each other for almost 20 years???
My good friends Lizzie and Doug recently started a dinner group called the New Orleans Restaurant Club. As she says,
“NORC is a social dining club we started in July. Our goal is to eat at delicious restaurants in NOLA with friends. We arrive at the restaurant, sit in tables of 6 or 8, eat too much, and you only pay for the food/drinks you order.”
Sounds good to me! Kenny and I unfortunately were not able to make the inaugural meeting at Commander’s Palace in August, but we heard nothing but great things from a few of the 26 people who did go. On account of that, we made sure not to miss the second meeting last Friday night at Ralph’s on the Park.
This time there were 38 people in attendance, sitting in the main dining room at five tables. Ken and I got there early enough to have a drink at the bar before our table was seated. We caught up with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile, met some new people, and I even discovered a high school classmate in the group!
A few of us didn’t want the party to end, so in lieu of going home we elected to drop by the Bulldog instead. No Nick or Jeff, but we somehow still found a way to have some fun!
Thanks, Lizzie and Doug, for a truly great night. Kenny and I are already excitedly anticipating the next NORC event (restaurant yet to be named) on Friday, March 5, 2010. If anyone wants to join us, please let me know!
Kenny and I travelled to his parents' house in Mandeville on Sunday morning for a joint birthday celebration, both for his dad (Nov. 1) and for me (Nov. 12). We spent the whole time we were there outside on their patio since the weather was still fabulous. Steve and Zac were there from Baton Rouge, and Dad and I both scored some awesome gifts. Thanks for everything, you guys!
Campus was not in its normal crazy gameday mode for Saturday's contest against Tulane, but then again, it was Halloween. And, perhaps more logically, it was Tulane. Kenny and I were late arriving to the BR-ah, but we headed straight for the practically empty camper lot across from the vet school to find Eddie and Mary. We spent the glorious fall afternoon with them and some of their friends, as well as Lizzie and Doug, who came up just to see us. It was a wonderfully relaxed and carefree atmosphere, which was welcome after the previous weekend against Auburn and in anticipation of this weekend's grudge match at 'Bama. LSU solidly put one more in the win column, shutting out the Greenie Weenies 42-0. Here are a few pics, including some of fans who chose to get into the Halloween spirit! GEAUX TIGERS!
