2016 Janus Ball

It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, y’all! Parades have started, and ball season is in full swing. People are getting fancy around here.

Kenny and I are invited to the Krewe of Janus Ball every year; we have lot of friends very involved in it. They do not parade; they just host a ball. However, we had never gone before until this year.

Our friends Tony and Amee had a special tie to Janus this year: their daughter Angela was queen! It was the perfect excuse for Kenny and I to finally attend, and I’m so glad we did.

The ball was held at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. Once we got into the ballroom, we found our table, got settled, and sat back to watch the tableau. The court was presented (Anglea looked beautiful!), the krewe members performed a few skits, and then it was time for the call-out dances.

I received this card in the mail earlier in the week: Tony put me on his call-out list! We chatted about the queenly preprations Angela had to go through while we danced, and then he gave me a very nice gift (which is customary) for sharing a dance with him: two stemless wine glasses with the Janus logo etched on them. So very nice. And useful! Thanks, Tony!

After the call-outs, everyone adjourned to a nearby room for the king’s champagne reception. We got to see Angela and tell her how pretty she looked. The staff also turned over the ballroom and the band got set up while we were sipping bubbly.

Crescent City Soul took the stage next, and they cranked out some great music for three solid hours. Everyone had a fantastic time. Josh hid cookies inside his box of wine, we helped Jerry kill an entire bottle of Goldschlagger, Ryan and Chad did a repeat performance to “Uptown Funk,” and I took a questionable picture with Ashley and Jerry. Good times.

We were served breakfast in the ballroom at midnight and got home just before 2am. I hadn’t stayed up that late in a very long time; it was a lot of fun.

Grandma and Grandpa kept the boys overnight for us, so Kenny and I slept in and then went out for a late brunch on Sunday. We ended up at Willa Jean, John Besh’s newest restaurant in the CBD. It was really good; the biscuits and mixed berry jam were amazing. Also, only in New Orleans will you see a racy float pass by while you’re having brunch.

Glad we finally got to see what all the Janus fuss is about. Thanks for continuing to invite us, Tony and Amee. We’re so glad we got to go this year!