Hi There!

I don't know if anyone will even read this since I've left you all for so long, but just in case, Howdy!

Halloween was super fun. J was Darth Vader and S was a cat. She was going to be Alice in Wonderland, but she changed her mind. I didn't care so much because I found this costume for $5. J also dressed as Abraham Lincoln for a presentation at school. They did Historic Halloween. It was really cute. My favorite part was when he said when he was born and when he died before he said anything else.

B and I had the chance to go to New Orleans last week. He had a conference and I tagged along. I. Am. So. Full.

It was my first time in New Orleans, and I had nothing planned other than Lunch and Dinner each day. And we barely scratched the surface, people.

Here is how our days went.

Wed: arrived at 8:30 pm, checked into our hotel (which I got a great deal on through Living Social that included our hotel stay, restaurant vouchers, free drinks each night, free breakfast, jazz club vouchers, and a voucher for a cafe) at oysters and shrimp. We also ate a salad because it was on the menu and I didn't think we'd eat many more of those. Walked to Cafe Du Monde for Beignets.

Thurs: Took a tour of New Orleans with other dental people. Ate lunch at Muriel's Jackson Square (it's haunted!)

Ate dinner at Emeril's. The service was outstanding and the food was just as great. Hail to the barbecue shrimp and the oysters. Oh my.

Listened to some great jazz.

Fri: Lunch at Dooky Chase's. Obama ate here when he was campaigning and it has been said that they have the best fried chicken in the country. Well I am not a fried chicken conoisseur because I have never even made it before, but it was so good that I had four pieces.

Dinner: Cooking class! B said that he was reading some magazine and they wrote that people always remember the experiences they have on trips, so he wanted this to be our experience. It was so much fun. Our class was taught by a native of Louisiana, who grew up on the Bayou and has so many stories to tell. We listened. We helped with the roux, we laughed as Canadians marveled at ingredients they had never seen before, we ate. Shrimp and Crab C'est Si Bon, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Dirty Rice, Creole Fish, Bourbon Pecan Bread Pudding. I am seriously thinking of making that shrimp appetizer right now. In fact, I've been thinking about it since Friday.

Sat: Lunch at a French bistro that was charming, but the food was too salty. Oh well.

Long walk in the Garden District marveling at the enormous homes.

Dinner at Cassamentos. More oysters and shrimp. More great jazz afterwards.

Sun: Jazz Brunch at Commander's Palace. So much fun.

We took a drive to Oak Alley Plantation. It's beautiful and right on the Mississippi. The story of the woman for whom it was built reminded me of the Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian of the 1800s. I guess things don't change much over time.

Appetizers at Felix's Oyster Bar. Because we hadn't had any oysters that weren't fried yet!

Dinner at Upperline. At this point, when they brought out dessert, B and I both looked at each other and laughed. We couldn't do anymore. I think we put forth a valiant effort.

I hope we get to go back sometime. I had heard all of these stories about how New Orleans never came back after Katrina. We definitely saw places where things are not being rebuilt and are still in shambles, but we saw lots of places where people have rebuilt and that things are moving in the right direction. The people we met were extremely friendly and couldn't do enough for you. I'm starting to sound like a tourist commercial, so I'll stop.

Now I have to go think about how I'm going to cook our shrimp for dinner tonight since I'm pretty sure I cannot do as well as the cooking instructor did on Friday.