The Big Easy

On Saturday, March 19, mom, my great friend Amy, and I flew to New Orleans. The initial idea behind flying to New Orleans was to have a Bachelorette Party, but most people were not able to fly to New Orleans, so it turned into a reunion with old friends in NOLA instead! Here is the re-cap!

We got to the Colorado Springs airport with plenty of time to spare, only to find out our flight to Denver had been delayed. We decided to go grab some lunch instead of sitting and waiting at the gate, and then the fun began. Apparently the airlines were giving away cab vouchers to get up to Denver for people with close connections, but we did not receive the memo until it was too late! Our flight was further delayed and at this point we were not going to make our connection in Denver, so I spoke with the gate agent to get re-booked. Every single flight to New Orleans was not only booked, but over sold, and we were told, we would not be able to get to New Orleans until Monday! At this time, we were getting very stressed until we found out our flight from Denver was also delayed!!! Our flight finally left Colorado Springs at 2pm (3 hours late) and we made it to Denver with 15 minutes to get from gate 86 to 31!! I sprinted to the gate and made it in the nick of time (our initial flight from Denver was supposed to leave at 1:34, and because of the delay, did not leave until 2:53)!!!! I am still not sure how we made that flight, but I am so glad we did!!!

We landed in NOLA around 6:30pm (without our bags), took a taxi to the hotel and then hit the town! We walked up and down Bourbon Street for a little while, and then walked over to a very well known burger joint, Port Of Call. When we got there, the wait was 2 hours, so we went to find a different restaurant! We ended up back in the heart of the French Quarter at a restaurant named Felix’s. Mom had a dozen raw oysters, Amy had a burger, and I had the sampler platter (jambalaya, etouffee, and red beans and rice). The food in New Orleans is AMAZING!! We finished the evening off with a visit to the Pat O’Brian’s Piano Bar complete with Hurricane’s! It was a great welcome into the City!!

First drink of the trip - Hand Grenade. Thanks for letting me borough the shirt, Amy!!

This was one of my Dad's favorite stores on Decatur. Like the other guy posing in the picture?

Amy and I drinking Andygator beer at Felix's.

Mom loving her oysters! 

Proof that I tried oysters again!

My sampler platter of red beans and rice, jambalaya, and etouffee. 

We each got flowers from a man in the parade!

Pat O'Brian's Piano Bar!

Having a blast!

Trying to be sophisticated!

On Sunday, we met up with a great friend of mom’s, Alice. We met at Café du Monde, but then went to eat at a different restaurant (can’t remember the name). Alice mentioned that there was a parade later in the day just by her house, so we decided to experience a true New Orleans Parade! It was great!! It was the Irish-Italian Parade complete with beads, cabbage and other veggies, flowers, garters, moon pies, and many other goodies!! I made out like a bandit!! After the parade, Alice grabbed an overnight bag to stay with mom, and then we went to a live music bar named Tipitina’s. We wanted to give Amy the true Cajun dance experience, with music and dancing, but got distracted when we walked in the door and bumped into another great friend of mom’s, Diane! Here is a little background about all of these friends: When I was a baby, my mom went to the Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital. She met Alice and Diane at the classes offered at the parenting center, and they all eventually formed a playgroup with their kids (all three of us were, and still are, only children!). We have maintained contact with them throughout the years. So we changed our plans and went to grab some dinner at Parkway Bakery, known to have the best Po Boys in town!! Alice’s son, Paul and Diane’s daughter, Eva, were also able to join us for dinner and turned into one, huge reunion! It was so incredible to see everyone again!! We ended up back at the hotel around 11pm, and called it an early night!

Alice, Mom and I before the parade started. 

The Irish-Italian Parade. Lots of Green, Red, and White.

Me and my cabbage! 

Me, Mom, Amy, and Alice after the Parade. The streets were a mess!

I told you I made out like a bandit! Most of this got left with Alice to donate to the ARC, but I took a few. 

Friends since birth! Eva, Me, and Paul! So great to be reunited!

The Mom's - Alice, Diane, and Mom

Monday was our last full day in NOLA, so we decided to spend some time shopping! We started the day off with lunch/breakfast at the Camellia Grill – my parents used to take me to this grill when I was a little girl, and I remember they had the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches! My memory served me right…they still do have the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches in the world!! We walked up and down Decatur Street shopping for about 3 hours and then stopped to get some beignets, I mean, what trip to New Orleans is complete without eating beignets!?! They were fabulous! We finished our shopping trip with a stop at Marie Laveau’s Voodoo Museum. This stop was just for mom, so we waited for her in the lobby. Mom and Amy were interested in seeing the Katrina damage, so Alice took us on a trip to see the 9^th Ward. It is still so heartbreaking to see all the damage! Alice also showed us some of the rebuilding, which was great to see…but there is still so much to be done! Once we had enough depression for the day, it was time for dinner. I had my heart set on boiled crawfish, so we went to a local restaurant called Frankie and Jonny’s. We sat down to order, and the first thing the waitress said was, “I’m sorry, we are out of boiled crawfish!” So we got up and started searching for another restaurant! We ended up back in the French Quarter at a restaurant called Deenie’s, and I ate 2 pounds of crawfish!! I was a happy camper! Our last planned adventure for the trip was to see Charmaine Neville perform at Snug Harbor. When I was younger I used to dance on stage with Charmaine, so it was surreal to see her again, especially for mom! Mom decided to go back to the hotel and call it a night and Amy and I spent a little more time bar hopping on Bourbon Street. We went back to the hotel to pack and get some rest.

The best grilled cheese sandwich in the world! 

Jackson Square.

YUM! Beignets!

At the Voodoo museum, I got to hold this 7 month old Pibald Python! His name was Sam. 

A house in the 9th ward that still hasn't been touched. 

This is a neighborhood that Brad Pitt is helping rebuild. The houses are very unique. 

This is the Musician's Villiage, another neighborhood to be rebuilt.

My 2 pounds of crawfish!! 

My mother did teach me not to play with my food, however in this instance, she was encouraging it!

SO HAPPY!

Charmaine Neville and friends - including her son!

Amy and I at Paloozza on Bourbon Street. 

On Tuesday, mom and I flew from New Orleans (The Big Easy) to New York (The Big Apple), and Amy flew back home to Colorado Springs. I am so glad to have shared this experience with mom and Amy! It was such and incredible trip!!

Christmas in March

For Christmas last year, Kevin and I gave our parents tickets to see Jeff Dunham at the World Arena. The show actually took place on March 3, 2011 and we all (Kevin and his parents, and me and my parents) had a blast! Here are a couple photos!

Jeff Dunham in junior high school....he has been at it for a while!

Walter!

Achmed the Dead Terrorist.

Achmed, and AJ - Achmed Junior!

Peanut and Jose Jalapeño on a Stick!

Just Peanut!

Singapore, Singapore

February 23 – February 28 Kevin and I were in Singapore. Kevin was feeling pretty under the weather so we spent a lot of time at the hotel resting. On Friday, February 25, we spent some time on Sentosa Island. This island is full of tourist attractions and beaches! We spent some time at the beach, and walking around the island, and then went back to the hotel and slept for about 16 hours! On Saturday, we worked, slept some more, and went out to Boat Quay for dinner. Sunday consisted of shopping and eating in Chinatown. Unfortunately, there was nothing too exciting to write about from this trip, but I still wanted to document the few things we did do. Here are a few photos from our adventure.

We had 2 buckets O'beer at the beach.

Soaking up the sun!

Very Gaudi-esque (Barcelona).

The Songs of the Sea mascott - we will see this show next time. 

Where's the Fairy? 

The Merlion at Sentosa Island

Sentosa is like tourist central!

There is a Universal Studios in Singapore, on Sentosa Island. We didn't go in this time, but maybe next time!

Boat Quay

Neat fountain in Boat Quay

Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown.

She hand carved our name as a stamp!

We had this stamp made with "OUR" name - Branford! Very exciting!

Our stamp!

Kevin being a total goof on the never-ending flight home!

Thanks for checking in!!

Don't Cry for me Argentina!

On February 7, Kevin and I flew from Panama City to Buenos Aires! This was the first time either Kevin or I had been to Buenos Aires so we had lots to see and do! We arrived late on Monday evening so we went straight to the hotel and crashed. On Tuesday, we went out and explored the area around the hotel. Our first destination was Avenida 9 de Julio - a 12 lane street that runs in the middle of town. This road is similar to the Champs Elysees in Paris. The road is lined with shops, restaurants, and well-known landmarks. We saw the "Obelisco" which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the Capitol's founding, and then we went over to the Teatro Colon. The "Colon Theatre" is the main opera house in Buenos Aires and is very similar to the opera house in Paris (the city seems to be similar to Paris in many ways). The theatre was completed in 1908 and has become one of the top five opera houses in the world. The interior was absolutely spectacular!! Unfortunately, we were unable to take any photos of the inside of the theatre, but if you click here, you can get the "general" idea! After our tour of the opera house, we walked over to Plaza de Mayo. Plaza de Mayo is a large space opposite of Casa Rosada - the building that holds the executive government offices, including the office of the Argentinian President. Casa Rosada is also the building in which Eva Peron stood on the balcony and gave her famous speech (Don't Cry for Me Argentina)! We did a little shopping on Florida Street before heading back in for the night.

Over looking Avenida 9 de Julio

On the Grand Staircase in Teatro Colon

Stained glass on the roof of the theatre.

Outside the main entrance into the theatre

The view of the theatre from Avenida 9 de Julio

Casa Rosada

And again!

Wednesday was the day we worked on the ship, and we had a heck of a time getting on the ship! We probably spent about 2 hours trying to find our way! Every person we asked had a different answer, and the language barrier sure wasn't helpful, although Kevin spoke as much Spanish as he could. We finally found someone who escorted us to where we needed to be, and everything else was smooth sailing. We sure know better for next time! We took a brief nap after working, and then went out for an incredible dinner! We went to a restaurant called Desnival and had phenomenal steak! This restaurant was recommended to us by my 6th grade teacher, and now great friend, Lynn Sommers! Thanks Lynn for the recommendation!! We walked back to the hotel by way of Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada. 

Our delicious bottle of Malbec with dinner.

Just us. It was such a nice date!

Outside the restaurant.

Casa Rosada all lit up!

We flew out late Thursday night, so we decided to make the best of our day! The first stop of our day was a bookstore called El Ateneo. This is the largest bookstore located in South America, and it is located in what used to be an old theatre. It was exquisite! Unfortunately there were not many English books, but I did find one! The next stop of the day was to the Recoleta Cemetery. This is the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, so it seemed to be a must on our trip. The graves and mausoleums were so elaborate and beautiful! I am so glad we took some time to see this attraction. We spent the rest of the day eating, shopping, and packing to board our flight home at 10:30pm. It was a great trip and I look forward to exploring more of Buenos Aires in the future! 

Such and incredible bookshop! It was huge and beautiful!

One of the very few English books in the store :)

The entrance into the Recoleta Cemetery

Looking down one of the many, many rows of mausoleums. 

This one was HUGE!! 

Such beautiful designs and sculptures!

The line to see the grave of Eva Peron.

Familia Duarte Mausoleum. 

Eva Peron's Grave.

Proveletta - grilled provolone cheese! YUM!!

Panama City, Panama

February 5-7, Kevin and I were in Panama City, Panama. We got in pretty late on Saturday evening, so we went straight to the hotel. We drove about an hour and a half to the Port of Colon to work on Sunday, and got back into town around 2pm. Kevin's friend Rachel, picked us up and took us to this great little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for Empanadas! They were delicious! We spent some time with Rachel and her family, and then went to the Hard Rock Cafe to meet up with one of my good friends from high school, Lindsay, and watch the Super Bowl. I know this seems "Americanized," but we thought of all the places in Panama, this would be a great place to see the game in English.....Wrong! The only part of the game we could understand, was half-time! Lindsay and her husband had been living in Costa Rica for a few months, and it just so happened that they traveled to Panama City the same weekend we were there! It is such a small world, and it was so fun to catch up with her! It also seemed appropriate to watch the Super Bowl together, because we cheered together in high school! We went back to the hotel after the game, and got up early on Monday for our flight to Buenos Aires! It was a quick trip to Panama, but a memorable one!

The welcome sign, outside the port.

All of these ships are waiting for their turn to go through the canal...it takes each ship about 8 hours to get through the length of the canal!

On the way back to the city, we passed the Panama Canal....this photo is very blurry, but proof that we saw it! Check here to see other photos of the canal from our trip in 2010!

This is outside a mall in Panama, in which Rachel owns a restaurant. I just liked the look of this Palm Tree...not something you typically see in COLORADO!!

Hard Rock Cafe - Panama City. 

Lindsay and I at the Hard Rock, watching the Steelers and the Packers in the Super Bowl XLV!

Linsday's husband Dan, Lindsay, Me and Kevin! We had a blast! I am so glad we were able to meet up!