StewMama Says: A Saintsational Celebration

We finished out our long weekend in New Orleans with fabulous weather, friends, food, fun, and (of course) football.

When I found out that my long-time friend, Kathy, would be in NOLA taking care of her granddaughter, we scheduled a Saturday morning outing. I took care of her oldest daughter one summer, and visited her sister Ann and family in Austria during the summer of 1980. Now her girls are all grown up and mothers themselves, and Kathy and I are grandmas. Time marches on.

We went to a park, so that Annie Lou could play while we visited, and there was a festival going on, with lots of things to do and see.

There was a rock wall with a fleur de lis at the top. I did not try it.

Annie Lou did try out the bubbles.

We even managed a selfie before Kathy took me back to the hotel. Such fun to catch up!

Back at the hotel, the rest of the group was enjoying the beautiful weather at the rooftop pool.

Wake up, Jim!

The view is lovely.

It's a great place to relax on a hot day.

Parades are common in the French Quarter, and we saw several while we were there.

Adam and Courtney enjoy the view of Royal Street from our balcony.

And then they enjoyed a little snack. Yes, they ordered Papa John's. In New Orleans.

Courtney and I went out to do a little shopping, and ran into these two parrots near Jackson Square.

Because it's New Orleans. We declined the opportunity to 'meet' the parrots.

Next, we saw a wedding ceremony, right in the middle of the square. There were folks all around, and no one seemed to care if people were close or taking pictures. Of course, I did.

This little guy was a cutie.

Here comes the bride!

And her little train-bearers.

After I stopped taking pictures of the wedding of strangers, we continued our shopping. This chair was in a really cool and interesting antique store.

We especially liked the sign.

We also saw these cute fleur de lis dresses.

Back at the hotel, another second line wedding parade was passing by.

We assume it was grandparents riding in the pedicab.

And then, this. Now that's a limo!

We celebrated Adam's birthday at the Rib Room with a most delicious meal. Somehow, they even knew it was his birthday, and brought him this cake.

We walked down Royal Street after dinner, and saw this spot where a building had collapsed several days earlier. Fortunately, no one was home at the time, and no one was hurt.

We found ourselves back at the Blacksmith Shop for a hurricane, and Courtney took this photo of me just after I sent the daily Bible verse to the kids. She thought that was funny.

We also met up with Morgan, the girlfriend of Adam's friend George. She's a big Packers fan, and had come with her friend Hannah for the game. Here she was explaining something to Jim.

Our group at the Blacksmith Shop.

Morgan, Adam, Courtney, and Hannah.

Sunday morning, I worshipped online with Pastor Dave at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. It's always good to start your day with prayer. Especially game day. :)

We shared a cab with a nice couple from Nashville, Tennessee, and soon found ourselves at Champions Square. The band was good (I think they were called 'Bag of Donuts'), and the fans were enjoying the pre-game festivities.