Happy 30th Birthday Dan!

Dan turned 30 yesterday!  Since this was a big birthday, I decided we needed to "go big or go home".  So we went back to the place we met, New Orleans!  We spend the weekend in New Orleans.  We decided that we enjoy New Orleans better as tourists than as residents!  We got to do the things we love in the city and avoid that things that we didn't really enjoy.  What Dan didn't know is that I had invited both of our families and lots of friends to dinner on Saturday night.  This had been planned for about a month and so far he had no clue!

That was until his mom showed up!  She loves Saks and since there isn't one in Lafayette, no trip to New Orleans is complete without going.  Dan and I were stuck in traffic in the French Quarter so I told her it was safe to walk over to Saks.  Traffic cleared quicker than I expected and as we pulled into the hotel, I spotted his mom.  She saw us as well and immediately dove between two taxis.  I knew Dan saw her too because he giggled, but I played it off.  The next clue came when Dan saw a truck that looked like his dad's parked in front of the hotel.

We parked our truck as I tried to change the subject from these two coincidences.  We walked around the quarter and enjoyed looking at artwork that in the past we didn't pay attention to.  We walked back to the hotel to change for dinner.  We were going to Drago's (one of Dan's favorite restaurants) so he could have some chargrilled oysters (one of his favorite foods).  Side note: I dislike oysters, so he eats the slimy things and I dip bread in the delicious butter and garlic sauce- OMG it s so good!

As we walked down to the restaurant, Dan was making comments about liking to spend time just the two of us.  As this point, I knew he knew!  I managed to find my way to the table when I went to the bathroom and asked the waitress to bring him over.  While it wasn't a total surprise, he didn't expect to see EVERYONE that had shown up.  The stories began and his mom told everyone about diving between cabs and her conversation with the drivers!

Great birthday weekend for a great husband!

New Year's Eve came late

I'm what you would call a "grandma".  I like to be in bed early.  Dan has accepted this about me, but it has been an adjustment in our marriage.  As a teacher, I have to be to work for 7 a.m.  This means I get up around 5:30, so in the evenings, I get tired early!  Call me a grandma, but this teacher needs her sleep.  My Christmas break hasn't been any different.  We're in bed for 10:30 and awake by 7 or so.  My body must be used to the early morning wake ups.  When New Year's Eve rolled around, this sleep pattern was no different.  We didn't have big plans.  We watched the Chick Fil-A bowl (huge LSU fans, despite the embarrassing game) with his parents and when the game was lost, came home and I was ready for bed. While the rest of the world was drinking champagne and popping fireworks, I was complaining that they were too loud in my pajamas. 

Dan felt the need to ring in the New Year still conscious and so stayed up to read.  Grandma loves her grandpa!  The next day I made cabbage, pork, and black eyed peas like momma taught me to, but something was missing.  We didn't have champagne the night before!  So while Dan was busy cleaning the garage, I put together a tapas dinner, started a fire (with a starter log) and opened a bottle of champagne that we had left over from our wedding.  It was perfect!  We got to have our champagne be in bed early too!  Even grandparents can bring in the new year with style, even if it did come a little late!