October 30, 2010

Newlyweds, Knucklehead, a Steamboat and Beignets

New Orleans is one of Mr. B’s and my favorite cities. We love the character (and all the colorful characters) of the French Quarter, the elegance of the Garden District, the music, and of course. . . the food! Even in our Florida home, we’ve incorporated sentimental reminders of the Crescent City--like the gas-flame copper lantern that hangs on our front porch, our collection of Jazz and Heritage Festival posters and the oil painting of sweet Emma and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band that hangs over the piano on our sun porch.

Our fondness for New Orleans goes hand in hand with our friendship with the M family. Who would have thought a spontaneous hike in the Austrian Alps with their son D 15 years ago would have grown into one of our most treasured friendships? They are so special to us and we love them like family. Every visit with them includes some sort of adventurous, hilarious, delicious, or once-of-a-lifetime experience to be forever etched in our memories and hearts. We've dressed to the nines to attend a Stephen Spielberg film premiere, met Tom Hanks, sat next to famed historian Stephen Ambrose (who was Mr. M’s best friend) at a D-Day landing reenactment, and even got to ride around town in a limo complete with police escorts (we still laugh about getting out of that limo with a crowd of people gathered around with cameras in hand—obviously expecting some big celebrity to emerge—then looking at us like “Who are these people? Should we recognize them?” and some of them even snapping our picture anyway!) Mrs. M even helped orchestrate Mr. B’s romantic marriage proposal to me on the roof of the Omni Hotel!

Mr. and Mrs. M are truly gifted when it comes to entertaining and hosting a party! From the moment we first heard the news of D’s engagement to adorable E, we began excitedly looking forward to the wedding, knowing it would be an unforgettable event.

The Big Day (actually, the Big Weekend) took place earlier this month. We were excited to take our girls on their first trip to New Orleans, a city they have become familiar with largely as a result of watching Disney’s Princess and the Frog. Although several of the functions were adults-only, Mr. B didn’t want to spend a weekend without our girls on the eve of his trip to Rwanda. Mom B was missing our girls like crazy after spending a month in Colorado, so she joined our entourage to watch our girls in the evenings (I am so thankful to have a mom-in-love that I love to death and truly enjoy spending time with! She rocks!) The weather was perfect, the wedding festivities were even more over-the-top than we were expecting, and the weekend was just an all-around blast!

We love the Leows Don CeSar in St. Petersburg--a favorite overnight date night destination. This was our first time to stay at the Leows Hotel in New Orleans. We were on the 15th floor and had a fabulous view of downtown New Orleans and the river! They had great service and plush accommodations. Our girls love traveling and staying in hotels. In fact, “hoe-tail” (said with a bit of Southern twang) was one of Miss A’s first words! And they’re turning into little room service connoisseurs. If you ever have questions about a restaurant’s ladies room or a hotel’s room service, they’ve got some expertise! We hear the Leows has outstanding mac-n-cheese, chicken fingers and french fries and the nicest deliverymen/servers around. In the lobby before a day on the town. The girls brought these masks from home, certain that wearing them would make us look like locals rather than tourists! If you ever want to do a carriage tour of New Orleans, look for David Carriere and his mule Knucklehead with their purple buggy. He is the BEST guide in the city! About halfway through our carriage ride, Mr. Carriere invited Miss M and Miss A to move to the front seat and help him steer: He took us by fellow Ethiopia adoptive parents Brad and Angelina's house: Rewarding Knucklehead with a carrot after the tour: Jackson Square: Our little artist enjoyed the displays around Jackson Square: Cajun buffet, jazz lunch and dancing with daddy while cruising on the Mississippi River aboard Steamboat Natchez: Dog-walking with Uncle Louie! Getting a Dum-Dum from Robot Man: Back at the hotel, Miss M pretended to be Uncle Louie and Miss A was Little Willie! Friday night, we took a cab from the hotel to the rehearsal dinner. Right away, we picked up on the fact that our driver was speaking Amharic on her cell phone. She chatted away during the whole ride, so we didn’t get to have a conversation with her, but when he paid her, Me. B said amesege'nallo' (thank you in Amharic). Her mouth dropped open and she got a huge smile on her face. Maybe she’d been talking about us?!? She seemed super sweet, so probably not, but we definitely surprised her! “You know Amharic?!?!?!,” She exclaimed. He told her we know only a little and showed her a picture of Miss K on his phone. She told us “Thank you for bringing her here” and we replied that K’s been more of a blessing to our family than we could have ever dreamed.

Rehearsal Dinner at the National WWII Museum’s Stagedoor Canteen. The shrimp and grits was sooooo good! Performance by the Victory Belles: Serenading Mr. M: Serenading the Groom: Blue Dog wedding print personalized and signed by Rodrigue himself! One of my good friends from junior high and high school now has her own restaurant in the French Quarter. She happened to be in Florida for a wedding while we were in New Orleans for a wedding (what are the chances of that?!?!), but we just had to stop by and see her place! So proud of D and what she’s done with the Royal Street Deli! The St. Charles Streetcar Line is our favorite: No trip to the Big Easy is complete without hot beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde! The wedding and reception were held at the Pavillion of Two Sisters, City Park (wedding pictures by MQ photography).

Beautiful Bride: Lovely Outdoor Ceremony Love this picture taken while E's dad was toasting the couple. I think he was saying something about D helping with the housework :) Classic New Orleans wedding exit--holding umbrellas, leading a train of guests out the door to When the Saints Go Marchin' In! Leaving in a vintage Bentley--off to Hawaii! D and E, we were so honored to share your wedding day with you. You are so special to us and you have our best wishes and prayers for a happy and everlasting marriage!

2 comments:

  1. Haven't been to the Big Easy for a long time....and we only live a few hours away. Glad you all had fun! And glad daddy is home too....can't wait to hear more :)

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  2. Thanks for the fabulous New Orleans Post lady! Loved seeing what you guys did over the weekend (aside from all the wedding festivities!) The girls are just so cute with Louie! LOL He is my favorite NOLA character! So glad that you guys were there for our special day :)

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