My 36th Birthday

I turned 36 last Thursday. My day was filled with much of our normal routine, being that I still had to get Riley off to school and feed the little one and such. But I had a great day.

Nola and Nopsi picked me up around 11am, and we headed downtown to Uncle Jeff’s fancy new office to take a look around before going out to lunch. Jeff works for a software development company, and they recently moved into a really tech-forward, creative, and inspiring new space that they designed. I mean, everyone should have a giant mosquito on a wall in their office, right?

From downtown we drove over to Brown Butter on Carrollton Avenue for lunch. It’s a fairly new, small restaurant. Nola and Nopsi had been for dinner and raved about it. So I decided to have my birthday lunch there. The fried pickles appetizer and my side of Brussels sprouts were delicious; however, my decision to order a salad instead of the chicken and waffle sandwich was a poor one. I just was trying to be good since I knew I was eating out again for dinner!

QP was at my house watching Rory, so she rode with us to get Riley from school that afternoon. Then we picked up Kate from her school, and everyone came back to our house. I got a few birthday selfies with the three kiddos before going to get ready to meet Kenny. We planned to meet at a bar in the Quarter before dinner. Luckily, QP was going straight home from my house, so she dropped me off. And Nola and Nopsi kept the boys overnight. Winning!

  

Kenny and I met at the Grapevine on Orleans right behind the Cathedral. Why, you ask? Entirely because of their BACON HAPPY HOUR. Every drink during happy hour comes with a complimentary glass of bacon. BACON!!! I even elected to have their nightly specialty cocktail of a Louisiana Swampdog, a play on a Colorado Bulldog. It was a mix of Jack Daniel’s Fire, Rumchatta, and chocolate bitters. It was quite yummy and tasted like the holidays in a glass. I’ve already told Nopsi he needs to recreate it this Christmas!

 

Slightly full from the bacon, Kenny and I departed the Quarter for our next destination: dinner at Avo uptown on Magazine Street. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, eating and drinking wonderful Italian food and wine and lingering for almost three hours in great ambiance. I definitely want to go back.

Many thanks to everyone who helped make my birthday a really special one. I appreciated all of the messages, calls, thoughts, and warm wishes sent my way that day. 36, let’s do this!