A Week with Margarita

Margaret “Margarita” McF spent all of last week here in NOLA. She decided that she wanted to be here for her winter break, so she made it happen. I picked her up at the airport on Saturday morning, we came back to my house to drop her stuff and have a cup of coffee, and then we headed out for the rest of the day.

We met Nola and Nopsi at the Rum House for lunch, which Margaret loved. She said it reminded her of the food in the Dominican Republic, where she did mission work last summer. And she’s going back again over her spring break!

After lunch, Nola and Nopsi went to run errands while Margaret and I stayed on Magazine Street. I took her down to Kendra Scott, where she ended up buying a gorgeous necklace and bracelet. After that we walked down to CC’s for more coffee, passing one of Jenn McF’s favorite shops Hazelnut. Then we took a quick spin through Tulane’s campus before heading back to Nola and Nopsi’s house to have a glass of wine while we figured out what we wanted to do that night.

 

We ended up snagging two spots at the bar at Peche (thus meeting many different groups of people; highly entertaining), where I introduced Margaret to their fried bread balls. I had built them up so much that she was skeptical how good they were, but I was proven right. She liked them so much that we got two orders so we didn’t have to share.

The next day was Valentine’s Day, and Margaret brought along gifts for the boys. They loved discovering their treats when they came into the kitchen that morning.

Kenny made everyone a yummy pancake and bacon breakfast, and then Margaret and I headed off to the hospital so we could see Lizzie. She was actually on a blanket outside of the ER soaking up the sunshine, so we joined her. She gave us adorable Disney princess crown valentines, and we enjoyed spending a couple of hours with her.

That night was Sunday dinner at Nola and Nopsi’s house. Margaret got to meet Luke, the kids played outside before it got dark, and then we feasted. Everything was so good!

Nola of course had presents for all of the kids, and Legos were included in Riley’s and Kate’s bags. Uncle Jeff got a small taste of what my life has been like for the past couple of years!

Margaret helped me put the boys to bed on Sunday night. It was crowded in Riley’s little bed, but they loved having both of us with them. On Monday we took Riley to school, went to Jazzercise (Margaret rocked it!), and then came home to make red beans. Nola, Nopsi, Aunt E, and Kate joined us that night for dinner. The beans were very tasty; I think John Besh’s recipe (with the addition of smoked sausage and pickled pork) is a winner!

 

We had very low-key days on Tuesday and Wednesday. But we picked up TCBY for the kids after school on Wednesday and then went out for burgers at Lager’s that night. UNC played Duke in basketball, so we came home and watched that unfortunate game. The Heels lost by one point. Margaret was not happy.

Thursday was Margaret’s last full day here. The boys allowed her to sleep in and have a bit of a lazy morning, with promises to Riley that she would ride with us to school on Friday. While Rory stayed with Nopsi, Nola took Margaret and I to lunch at Boulevard and then we spent a couple of hours at the hospital with Lizzie again. The boys had a snack dinner that night, and I picked up boiled crawfish from Rouses for me, Margaret, and Kenny. We also finished off the pie I made for Valentine's Day. SO good.

Margaret went home Friday morning to finish up her senior year of high school. She’s still not sure where she will end up come fall, but I know where I want her to go.

It was so wonderful having her here for a whole week. I loved spending time with her one-on-one, and the boys adore her. They kept asking for her days after she left. That just means she has to come back!

Thanks for spending your winter break with us, Margarita. We love you!