So much has been going on in our lives over the past few months. Since our anniversary is in late November, it is the first domino that falls, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
This November marked thee years for us! We decided to take a weekend trip to celebrate! New Orleans is a city that I love. Not only was my dad born there, but I love the history and beauty of the French Quarter as well as the delicious food! Austin and I discussed sailing out of New Orleans for our honeymoon cruise, but the dates didn't end up working out. He had never been before, so it remained on our list of places we would like to go together. The weekend after our anniversary, we finally went!
When we started seeing water, we knew we were close!
After settling into our lovely lodgings at the Providence House at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, we headed out to our first dinner in New Orleans! We decided to go to Port of Call, a burger place that I had seen in Southern Living and that one of Austin's coworkers had recommended! It was in a residential area in a very old building, so it was pretty tiny. The decor was all pirate/nautical themed. Austin and I agreed that Captain Jack Sparrow would feel very at home there! However, it was the best cheeseburger I've ever put in my mouth! We decided to split one because the serving is so large. We highly recommend Port of Call to anyone traveling to New Orleans!
Following dinner, we walked off our burger by exploring the French Quarter in the evening. Everyone was out and about- there were people from all walks and stages in life. It was romantic to walk around the gas lamplit streets of the Quarter together. It was so refreshing to be completely out of our normal surroundings and on an adventure together.
Inevitably, our walk ended at Cafe du Monde, the famous coffee shop with melt-in-your-mouth beignets (french doughnuts smothered in powdered sugar). The cafe is open 24 hours a day and is a New Orleans staple. We went there every day during our trip.
The next day, Saturday, we set out to explore the city! The weather wasn't cooperative, unfortunately. A cold front moved in causing the temperature to drop from 66 to 36 by the evening. Most of the day there was a cold, steady drizzle. We spent most of our time dodging in and out of shops. Highlights of the day: our lunch trip to Acme Oyster House (where we had our first real cajun food of our trip!), browsing in an antique weapons store (Austin loved it!!), and going to the "Voices of the Civil War: New Orleans" exhibit in the Louisiana Museum. I am such a history nerd :-) It really was fun learning more about the history of the city together, though!
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| My dish: Fried Shrimp with Fries and Jambalaya Austin's dish: Fish and Shrimp Poboy |
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| The view of the courtyard in the museum. The property used to be the largest private mansion in the city before the owners donated it to be a museum. |
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| A view of Jackson square with St. Louis cathedral. The carriages line up there every day and offer tours. |
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| New Orleans Selfie |
By the late afternoon, we were ready to return to the guest house, change out of our cold clothes, and get ready for a romantic dinner out! I'm a huge fan of building in time to rest during a vacation!
That evening, we had our official Anniversary Dinner. We went to the Royal House, a lovely, two story restaurant we had observed during our exploring. It was an excellent decision! The atmosphere was lovely and the food was delicious!
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| The view of our table from the balcony looking in. It was the perfect example of a corner table with a lovely nighttime view |
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| My entree: Blackened redfish with potatoes and vegetables Austin's entree: Alligator poboy with jambalaya |
Following dinner, we went on a carriage ride/tour. The private carriage rides are pretty pricey, so we opted for the group one. Our driver was a colorful character who assumed we were on our honeymoon and proceeded to announce that to everyone else on the tour! We didn't have the heart (or desire) to correct him :-)
The next morning was the beginning of the end our visit to New Orleans. We wanted to see St. Louis Cathedral, so we attended the 11 o'clock mass. Although it was a totally different style of worship from what we're used to, we enjoyed being with fellow believers. The bishop talked about standing up for our faith in the public square. I was so surprised at the boldness of this older man of God. If it had been appropriate to do so, I would have applauded.
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| The picture really doesn't do it justice. |
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| The pipe organ and choir loft in the back of the church. Beautiful! |
Following mass, we ate a quick lunch, stopped one more time at Cafe du Monde and said goodbye to New Orleans! We had a lovely time and hope to go back again soon! There is so much to do and see- we feel like we only scratched the surface!
A few days after we returned from our trip, we headed east to Austin's parent's home in Dickson for the Ward Family Thanksgiving. It was the first time Austin and both of his siblings (and families) had all been under the same roof for Thanksgiving in a long time. Everyone pitched in and made something to contribute to the meal. It was delicious!!!
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| A picture of the Thanksgiving table, courtesy of my sister in law, Arica! |
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| A picture of the whole group! Photo credit: Carol Ward |
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| Our family picture! Photo credit: Carol Ward |
We enjoyed the wonderful food and fellowship so much! We have much to be thankful for.
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