The Big Easy!

So why did it take so long for mama to update the blog? Because she and papa were en route to New Orleans! They dropped Henry and June off at Nama and PawPaw's and hopped a plane to New Orleans to go visit Aunt Lillie. They had a connection in Memphis and were (voluntarily) bumped from their flight out on Thursday night. But bumps are great if you're not in a rush. They were put up at a hotel (mama was hoping for the Heartbreak Hotel, but the airline would only pay for the Holiday Inn). They got a ton of meal vouchers, which treated them to a pretty plush breakfast this morning and filled their bags with plenty of bottled drinks for the trip. And they got vouchers for free flights in the future! Anyone want to babysit?

Not only is Aunt Lillie a gracious host and marvelous company, she also happens to have a spare apartment just off of Bourbon Street. She spent the afternoon with them reveling from the balcony and then had the good sense to get back home before nightfall.

Mama and Papa spent some time walking around Bourbon Street before they remembered that they don't really like bars or large crowds of drunk people. They stopped at Cafe Begneit to escape the madness. It's actually just a space between two buildings, but they served red beans and rice, some great local beer, and had a fun band playing old timey jazz music. Convinced they had sufficiently lived it up, they headed back to the apartment, only to realize it was only 7:30 pm. So much for a wild and crazy time without the kids.

But luckily for them, the apartment has a big screen tv and wireless internet. (Plus Aunt Lillie stocked the fridge with fancy cheese, shrimp and pate! Not to mention the place is filled with plenty of refreshment of the liquid variety.) They settled in to watch the Sugar Bowl, which is taking place just a few miles away and will probably head back outside to the balcony to watch all the Utes come back to celebrate the big win over Alabama.