Friday, November 19, 2010
Dividing Line
Note for anyone who may be reading my blog straight through: all posts prior to this were originally posted on my previous blog in my maiden name. While some of these older posts include Michael (once we started dating) most of them don't. Some may even mention me going on dates with other people (clearly a mistake, I know!). I decided I didn't want to have to keep up with multiple blogs, so I imported everything from the old blog to this one. Just wanted to make sure there was no confusion on why the McElroy blog had Ott material on it! ;-P
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
7/12/2010
Great day today. And I have no pictures to show for it because, as previously mentioned, neither Michael and I are great at remembering to pull the camera out. Which means I'll have to describe it. And to do so, I'll have to geek out a little bit. Is that ok? Are you willing to follow me down the road to nerd-dom? Pretty please? I promise to give you some great recipes if you do!
This evening, we had our friends Frank and Deanna over for dinner and games. Since I got to Michael's before he did, I had a chance to row and set a personal best for the 30 minute row. Woohoo! I am now 18th in the world for my age group . . . of course there are only 21 in the entire group, so that isn't too exciting. Still very satisfying though.
Normally when I head up to Michael's, I don't have time to row because I need to work on dinner. Not so the case today, thanks to the wonders of the slow cooker. I assembled the ingredients in the slow cooker liner yesterday and asked him to turn it on this morning. It's always nice to walk in the door and smell pork flesh. Yum! I made the pork carnitas from The Dinner Doctor. Which, let me tell you, is a great cookbook. I have not made one thing I don't like from it. The carnitas are great because they are so easy and I have the recipe memorized. Which means when we invited Frank and Deanna over, I didn't have to search for a recipe, I just headed to the store to pick up the ingredients. So, without further ado:
Savory Pork Carnitas
Ingredients:
1 Boneless Boston butt pork roast, 3-4 lbs
3 cloves garlic (use as many as you want!)
1 onion, peeled and quartered (I normally use 2 or 3)
1 can whole chiles, drained (I normally use 2 or 3)
1 packet (1.25 oz) low-sodium taco seasoning mix
~ 1 cup water (depends on size of roast and your slow cooker - the smaller the roast, the less you need. Also, if your slow cooker runs hot, which mine does, you may want to add a little more)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours. Eat! This pork is great for burritos and salads, so be sure to have all the fixings (cheese, salsa, beans, sour cream, guacamole . . . )
To go with the carnitas, I made a corn and black bean salsa I found on All Recipes. I made several changes, though, so here's my version.
Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cans white and yellow corn (or 1 of each), rinsed and drained
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, chopped and pulp removed
1 small red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (feel free to add more!)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice (2 - 3 limes, depending on their juiciness and your juicing ability. Use a spoon to ream them out if you don't have a juicer)
Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Can be eaten immediately, but tastes even better after being refrigerated overnight.
After we finished dinner, we got to the real meat of the evening: Settler's of Catan! Ok, here's the geeking out part. I really love this game. I really love the Cities and Knights expansion, but no one plays that around here, so I have to be content with the regular version. Which, ultimately, I am. It's just so exciting to have met other people who enjoy playing it that I'll take whatever I can get. In fact, inviting me over to play was Michael's first offensive move in his "Get Naomi to Date Me" campaign. Boy, even then he knew me too well!
Anyway, we played two games. Even though I haven't won Catan in a while, I was feeling good about the first game. I was second-to-last in placing my settlements, which means I was able to place two fairly close together, but still get all the resources. Sure enough, my strategy (which involved longest road) worked out and I managed to win. Woohoo! I would have been content with ending the night then, but everyone else wanted to play again. I knew I couldn't win twice in a row, so I tried to enjoy the glow of my victory while it lasted. I ended up placing my settlements first, which (if you know the game) is not necessarily the best position to be in. I ended up with vastly separated settlements (no chance for longest road) and, within the first hand, lost my chance at getting any ore. Not a pretty place to be in. But, with my great strategy skills and (Dad, you'll love this) judicious use of various ports, I managed to emerge victorious for a 2nd time. Yay! I'll be riding that victory pony for a long time!
So yes, an altogether lovely day spent with great friends. But, I must apologize for burying the lede . . . the main reason today was an awesome day? Well, it all has to do with that ticker you may have noticed up top. We have received word that St. Luke's in FoCoCO has reserved November 20 for our ceremony. 131 days until I'm Mrs. McElroy!!!! :-D :-D :-D
This evening, we had our friends Frank and Deanna over for dinner and games. Since I got to Michael's before he did, I had a chance to row and set a personal best for the 30 minute row. Woohoo! I am now 18th in the world for my age group . . . of course there are only 21 in the entire group, so that isn't too exciting. Still very satisfying though.
Normally when I head up to Michael's, I don't have time to row because I need to work on dinner. Not so the case today, thanks to the wonders of the slow cooker. I assembled the ingredients in the slow cooker liner yesterday and asked him to turn it on this morning. It's always nice to walk in the door and smell pork flesh. Yum! I made the pork carnitas from The Dinner Doctor. Which, let me tell you, is a great cookbook. I have not made one thing I don't like from it. The carnitas are great because they are so easy and I have the recipe memorized. Which means when we invited Frank and Deanna over, I didn't have to search for a recipe, I just headed to the store to pick up the ingredients. So, without further ado:
Savory Pork Carnitas
Ingredients:
1 Boneless Boston butt pork roast, 3-4 lbs
3 cloves garlic (use as many as you want!)
1 onion, peeled and quartered (I normally use 2 or 3)
1 can whole chiles, drained (I normally use 2 or 3)
1 packet (1.25 oz) low-sodium taco seasoning mix
~ 1 cup water (depends on size of roast and your slow cooker - the smaller the roast, the less you need. Also, if your slow cooker runs hot, which mine does, you may want to add a little more)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours. Eat! This pork is great for burritos and salads, so be sure to have all the fixings (cheese, salsa, beans, sour cream, guacamole . . . )
To go with the carnitas, I made a corn and black bean salsa I found on All Recipes. I made several changes, though, so here's my version.
Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cans white and yellow corn (or 1 of each), rinsed and drained
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, chopped and pulp removed
1 small red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (feel free to add more!)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice (2 - 3 limes, depending on their juiciness and your juicing ability. Use a spoon to ream them out if you don't have a juicer)
Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients. Can be eaten immediately, but tastes even better after being refrigerated overnight.
After we finished dinner, we got to the real meat of the evening: Settler's of Catan! Ok, here's the geeking out part. I really love this game. I really love the Cities and Knights expansion, but no one plays that around here, so I have to be content with the regular version. Which, ultimately, I am. It's just so exciting to have met other people who enjoy playing it that I'll take whatever I can get. In fact, inviting me over to play was Michael's first offensive move in his "Get Naomi to Date Me" campaign. Boy, even then he knew me too well!
Anyway, we played two games. Even though I haven't won Catan in a while, I was feeling good about the first game. I was second-to-last in placing my settlements, which means I was able to place two fairly close together, but still get all the resources. Sure enough, my strategy (which involved longest road) worked out and I managed to win. Woohoo! I would have been content with ending the night then, but everyone else wanted to play again. I knew I couldn't win twice in a row, so I tried to enjoy the glow of my victory while it lasted. I ended up placing my settlements first, which (if you know the game) is not necessarily the best position to be in. I ended up with vastly separated settlements (no chance for longest road) and, within the first hand, lost my chance at getting any ore. Not a pretty place to be in. But, with my great strategy skills and (Dad, you'll love this) judicious use of various ports, I managed to emerge victorious for a 2nd time. Yay! I'll be riding that victory pony for a long time!
So yes, an altogether lovely day spent with great friends. But, I must apologize for burying the lede . . . the main reason today was an awesome day? Well, it all has to do with that ticker you may have noticed up top. We have received word that St. Luke's in FoCoCO has reserved November 20 for our ceremony. 131 days until I'm Mrs. McElroy!!!! :-D :-D :-D
Sunday, July 11, 2010
7/10/2010
We went in to Houston today to see an Astros game, courtesy of ExxonMobil (well, Michael's ticket at least. We had to pay for mine. Discounted rate, though!) We brought along his camera, but neither of us are big photographers, so here are the only two pics we took . . . hopefully it should satisfy the cries of "where are the pictures of the two of you?" ;-P
Even better than the Astros game (in which they beat the Cards, woohoo!) was dinner before-hand. Whenever we go into Houston we almost always stop at our favorite restaurant: Aladdin's. Yummy Mediterranean food. I had beef shawarma and Michael got kibbe. I was wishing we had a place like this in Beaumont, but now that I think about it, it's probably better that we don't. I don't even want to think how many WW points I consumed there! ;-)
In other news, Michael emailed me some professional photos of my ring. These are far better than what my dinky camera took. Isn't it pretty?! :-D
Even better than the Astros game (in which they beat the Cards, woohoo!) was dinner before-hand. Whenever we go into Houston we almost always stop at our favorite restaurant: Aladdin's. Yummy Mediterranean food. I had beef shawarma and Michael got kibbe. I was wishing we had a place like this in Beaumont, but now that I think about it, it's probably better that we don't. I don't even want to think how many WW points I consumed there! ;-)
In other news, Michael emailed me some professional photos of my ring. These are far better than what my dinky camera took. Isn't it pretty?! :-D
Friday, July 2, 2010
Happiness
Ok, I guess I better get writing or else I might have a mutiny on my hands . . . ;-P
On Tuesday, Michael came down to go bowling and afterward we came back to my house and he continued helping me with my living room painting project (which, incidentally, is nearly complete. Just need to steam/shampoo the carpet and I can move the furniture back in. Woohoo!). Long story short, I'd had a long day and pretty much broke down in front of him. Yes, that wonderful female tool called tears made its appearance. And then I got frustrated that I was crying which made me cry even more . . . suffice to say, not a pretty site! But Michael was wonderful, hugging me and calming me down. So by the time he needed to leave, I was pretty much back to my normal sane self. I was just about to say "See you on Thursday?" since that's our normal schedule when he said "Would you like to go to Easy's for dinner tomorrow? You could even row if you get to my house early."
Of course I said yes, but my radar immediately started beeping wildly. Date nights are not uncommon for us, but we rarely go someplace nice on a weeknight. Plus, we had just been to Easy's on Saturday with some friends for dessert. Since Easy's is the restaurant we went to on one of our very first dates, I had my suspicions. But, the more I thought about, the more I started convincing myself that there was nothing to his invite. After all, he was probably just being nice because I'd had a rough evening and he knew I'd like Easy's dinner since we had eaten only dessert on Saturday. Plus, while we were there Saturday our friends had told us about their engagement story that included Easy's and I didn't think he'd want to do the same thing. So, by the time I got to his place Wednesday evening, I'd pretty much talked myself out of any proposal expectations.
Sure enough, I got to his place before he did, so I went ahead and started a 30-minute rowing session (yes, he has his own rowing machine and man, does it work the abs!). Michael got home when I had about 10 minutes left so I finished up and talked to him briefly before jumping in the shower. Now, I had convinced myself that I wasn't receiving a proposal, but I still brought a nice skirt and top to wear . . . I figured it is always nice to look feminine once in a while! So, I took a little longer getting ready than normal because I actually put on makeup and all that jazz. And boy, am I glad I did! Who wants to look like a bum when she's being proposed to? ;-P
When I came out to the living room, I could see that there were some flowers in the kitchen, so I went to investigate. Michael gets me flowers on a fairly regular basis (yes, I know, he's wonderful!) so the fact that he had then wasn't too odd. However, instead of the normal one bouquet, here were two HUGE bouquets of the most gorgeous roses. Then, I noticed that he had put out some fancy brie cheese with crackers (yum!). By this time, my radar (and heart!) was once again beeping wildly. Michael told me something had come in the mail for me and he made me close my eyes while he pulled it out. Sure enough, he pulled out this lovely small wood box that contained the most beautiful ring. I, of course, was grinning like a mad-women and saying "Yes, yes, yes!" followed by some smooching. In fact, dinner was slightly delayed as we had a little cuddle time (which also gave me time to admire his excellent taste in jewelry!)
Anyway, that's the proposal story. We finished the evening with a lovely dinner at Easy's and some excited phone calls and texts to family and friends. And now let's move on to what I know you really wanted to see: pictures! But be forewarned . . . I have a really cruddy camera!
The roses (and my freshly painted living room wall in the background!)
Aren't they gorgeous?!!!
Uh-oh, looks like it's too sparkly for flash!
Of course, no flash means out-of-focus pictures when taking them with one hand.
But it's still beautiful even when it is fuzzy.
On Tuesday, Michael came down to go bowling and afterward we came back to my house and he continued helping me with my living room painting project (which, incidentally, is nearly complete. Just need to steam/shampoo the carpet and I can move the furniture back in. Woohoo!). Long story short, I'd had a long day and pretty much broke down in front of him. Yes, that wonderful female tool called tears made its appearance. And then I got frustrated that I was crying which made me cry even more . . . suffice to say, not a pretty site! But Michael was wonderful, hugging me and calming me down. So by the time he needed to leave, I was pretty much back to my normal sane self. I was just about to say "See you on Thursday?" since that's our normal schedule when he said "Would you like to go to Easy's for dinner tomorrow? You could even row if you get to my house early."
Of course I said yes, but my radar immediately started beeping wildly. Date nights are not uncommon for us, but we rarely go someplace nice on a weeknight. Plus, we had just been to Easy's on Saturday with some friends for dessert. Since Easy's is the restaurant we went to on one of our very first dates, I had my suspicions. But, the more I thought about, the more I started convincing myself that there was nothing to his invite. After all, he was probably just being nice because I'd had a rough evening and he knew I'd like Easy's dinner since we had eaten only dessert on Saturday. Plus, while we were there Saturday our friends had told us about their engagement story that included Easy's and I didn't think he'd want to do the same thing. So, by the time I got to his place Wednesday evening, I'd pretty much talked myself out of any proposal expectations.
Sure enough, I got to his place before he did, so I went ahead and started a 30-minute rowing session (yes, he has his own rowing machine and man, does it work the abs!). Michael got home when I had about 10 minutes left so I finished up and talked to him briefly before jumping in the shower. Now, I had convinced myself that I wasn't receiving a proposal, but I still brought a nice skirt and top to wear . . . I figured it is always nice to look feminine once in a while! So, I took a little longer getting ready than normal because I actually put on makeup and all that jazz. And boy, am I glad I did! Who wants to look like a bum when she's being proposed to? ;-P
When I came out to the living room, I could see that there were some flowers in the kitchen, so I went to investigate. Michael gets me flowers on a fairly regular basis (yes, I know, he's wonderful!) so the fact that he had then wasn't too odd. However, instead of the normal one bouquet, here were two HUGE bouquets of the most gorgeous roses. Then, I noticed that he had put out some fancy brie cheese with crackers (yum!). By this time, my radar (and heart!) was once again beeping wildly. Michael told me something had come in the mail for me and he made me close my eyes while he pulled it out. Sure enough, he pulled out this lovely small wood box that contained the most beautiful ring. I, of course, was grinning like a mad-women and saying "Yes, yes, yes!" followed by some smooching. In fact, dinner was slightly delayed as we had a little cuddle time (which also gave me time to admire his excellent taste in jewelry!)
Anyway, that's the proposal story. We finished the evening with a lovely dinner at Easy's and some excited phone calls and texts to family and friends. And now let's move on to what I know you really wanted to see: pictures! But be forewarned . . . I have a really cruddy camera!
The roses (and my freshly painted living room wall in the background!)
Aren't they gorgeous?!!!
Uh-oh, looks like it's too sparkly for flash!
Of course, no flash means out-of-focus pictures when taking them with one hand.
But it's still beautiful even when it is fuzzy.I love you, Michael! I am so thankful the Lord has brought us together and I am so excited to share the rest of our lives with each other!
Monday, May 31, 2010
5/31/2010
For Memorial Day, Michael and I went to San Antonio. We've been trying to do a little more traveling around the area (see: the trip to NOLA at the beginning of the month and various Houston jaunts) instead of sitting at home every weekend. This was a perfect time to visit San An as it was a long weekend. We left Friday after work and got in rather late . . . as in 11:00 pm late. I drove since my car has the better gas mileage (go Isabela!) but that was pushing the limits of my bedtime! Fortunately, Michael had to take a rest break, so I was able to take a little nap then. ;-P
Anyway, we spent Saturday doing a walking tour of downtown SA. After the great experience we had with Frommer's French Quarter tour, we downloaded their SA tour. I was less impressed with it. Maybe we were spoiled with the French Quarter, because there is so much packed in such a small area, but this one wasn't as exciting. Of course, I'm sure it didn't help that it was hotter and we were sweating up a storm . . . anyway, here are a few pictures from walking around.
We started off at the Alamo. Michael is standing next to a monument to the men from Gonzalez who came to help defend it.
This is me in front of the famous facade . . . which actually is anachronistic. It was added by the US Army during an 1850's restoration, long after the 1836 battle.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
It may be hard to see, but the Stations of the Cross are in English and German. That's because this church was started in the late 1860s as a ministry to the German population in the area.
Then we may it onto the River Walk. So pretty . . . and the less commercialized areas were quite peaceful and a great place to rest for a little bit.
This little guy was just hanging out on the river's edge. He didn't even budge when we came close to take pictures.
The Spanish Governor's Palace from the back.
There was no AC in Spanish Governor's Palace. And while this gave us a good feeling for what life was like back in the day, it sure made us appreciate modern technology and the invention of AC! Fortunately, the back patio was shaded and had a little bit of a breeze, so we could cool down a bit.
Spanish Governor's Palace from the front. I'm digging the historically accurate orange cone.
We finished our walk with lunch at Mi Tierra, which is a fairly famous cafe and bakery in Market Square.
There were strolling musicians (los trovadores) that came and serenaded us.
Michael doesn't look too excited. Of course, maybe this is after we realized we'd have to pay los trovadores. I expected to, but I think he was caught unawares. Oh well, it gave me an opportunity to spread some marked bills for my mother and brother.
I'm super-excited to get my meal: chicken mole. I had never had mole before, and boy was it delicious!
After lunch we headed back to the hotel for some pool time. I do love being out in the sun and in the water. Too bad the sun doesn't like me! Fortunately, through judicious application of sunscreen and wise placement of our pool chairs (in the shade) we managed to escape with no sunburns. That evening we headed back out to the River Walk for dinner. We got to eat right on the river's edge, which was fun.
Sunday, after attending a (ahem) very liberal Episcopalian church, we headed to SeaWorld. I didn't take my camera as we didn't want to fuss with carrying it and keeping it dry, so you'll just have to take my word that it was great. We managed to see all the shows. Azul was by far the best. Almost like Cirque du Soleil with animals. We like it so much we actually went to see it twice. We also got to feed the lorikeets, which was probably Michael's favorite activity, and the dolphins, which was probably mine.
Monday we went back to the Alamo since the line to get into the actual church/shrine was too long on Saturday. After checking it all out, we hopped in the car and started the long drive home. We had a lovely time, and certainly plan to go back. Maybe we'll wait until it's a little cooler, though!
Anyway, we spent Saturday doing a walking tour of downtown SA. After the great experience we had with Frommer's French Quarter tour, we downloaded their SA tour. I was less impressed with it. Maybe we were spoiled with the French Quarter, because there is so much packed in such a small area, but this one wasn't as exciting. Of course, I'm sure it didn't help that it was hotter and we were sweating up a storm . . . anyway, here are a few pictures from walking around.
We started off at the Alamo. Michael is standing next to a monument to the men from Gonzalez who came to help defend it.
This is me in front of the famous facade . . . which actually is anachronistic. It was added by the US Army during an 1850's restoration, long after the 1836 battle.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
It may be hard to see, but the Stations of the Cross are in English and German. That's because this church was started in the late 1860s as a ministry to the German population in the area. 
Then we may it onto the River Walk. So pretty . . . and the less commercialized areas were quite peaceful and a great place to rest for a little bit.
This little guy was just hanging out on the river's edge. He didn't even budge when we came close to take pictures.
The Spanish Governor's Palace from the back.
There was no AC in Spanish Governor's Palace. And while this gave us a good feeling for what life was like back in the day, it sure made us appreciate modern technology and the invention of AC! Fortunately, the back patio was shaded and had a little bit of a breeze, so we could cool down a bit.
Spanish Governor's Palace from the front. I'm digging the historically accurate orange cone.We finished our walk with lunch at Mi Tierra, which is a fairly famous cafe and bakery in Market Square.
There were strolling musicians (los trovadores) that came and serenaded us.
Michael doesn't look too excited. Of course, maybe this is after we realized we'd have to pay los trovadores. I expected to, but I think he was caught unawares. Oh well, it gave me an opportunity to spread some marked bills for my mother and brother.
I'm super-excited to get my meal: chicken mole. I had never had mole before, and boy was it delicious!After lunch we headed back to the hotel for some pool time. I do love being out in the sun and in the water. Too bad the sun doesn't like me! Fortunately, through judicious application of sunscreen and wise placement of our pool chairs (in the shade) we managed to escape with no sunburns. That evening we headed back out to the River Walk for dinner. We got to eat right on the river's edge, which was fun.
Sunday, after attending a (ahem) very liberal Episcopalian church, we headed to SeaWorld. I didn't take my camera as we didn't want to fuss with carrying it and keeping it dry, so you'll just have to take my word that it was great. We managed to see all the shows. Azul was by far the best. Almost like Cirque du Soleil with animals. We like it so much we actually went to see it twice. We also got to feed the lorikeets, which was probably Michael's favorite activity, and the dolphins, which was probably mine.
Monday we went back to the Alamo since the line to get into the actual church/shrine was too long on Saturday. After checking it all out, we hopped in the car and started the long drive home. We had a lovely time, and certainly plan to go back. Maybe we'll wait until it's a little cooler, though!
Monday, May 3, 2010
5/3/2010
This past weekend, Michael and I drove to LA to go to the NOLA Jazz Fest with Liz. We left after work on Thursday and drove to their place in Baton Rouge. Friday morning, we got up early to head to New Orleans and spend some time in the French Quarter. By dint of Frommer's guidance, we were able to spend several enjoyable hours strolling the town. The best part was that it was overcast, which kept it cool, but no rain!
All the streets had these signs with their Spanish names. Any one care to hazard a guess what this street is called today?
Gardens at the Beauregard-Keyes house. Wonder if I can convince their gardener to come do my lawn?
Some random pretty house. Wouldn't a porch like that be fun?
Liz looking pretty, as always.
In front of St. Louis Cathedral
Ceiling of St. Louis Cathedral
Andrew Jackson Memorial. I thought this was kind of strange, but it just goes to show my lacking historical knowledge. Jackson was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, defending NOLA during the War of 1812.
Jackson Brewery. Hmm, wonder who that's named for.
Stella! This was Tennessee Williams' residence. And yes, there did used to be a streetcar route named "Desire" in New Orleans.
Right near the Williams' residence was a hat shop. Michael and I both picked up straw hats, but Liz and I couldn't resist a picture with some of the more outrageous ones.
Rollin', rollin' on the river . . .
The streetcar we took to and from the restaurant. Quite fun! And cheap!
Saturday was Jazz Fest day. We were able to get discounted tickets by virtue of Shell being the presenting sponsor. Score! Plus, we got plenty of other perks, including free transportation to the festival grounds and a tent where we could cool down, get food and use restrooms that were not available to the hoi polloi. Quite nice. ;-P Anyway, we had a pretty good time, although we were somewhat disappointed in the headliner, Pearl Jam. I guess they were playing a bunch of stuff off their newer albums, which none of us knew and didn't really like. Plus, everyone around us was smoking pot. Ugh! But, nonetheless, we had fun, checking out all the different acts and, more importantly, people watching!
View of the stage. As you can see, we were super-close. ;-P
Michael is terribly interested in the music.
But not as much as Liz!
The best part of Jazz Fest: watching all the crazy people. Sorry, I don't know how to turn it.
All the streets had these signs with their Spanish names. Any one care to hazard a guess what this street is called today?
Gardens at the Beauregard-Keyes house. Wonder if I can convince their gardener to come do my lawn?
Some random pretty house. Wouldn't a porch like that be fun?
Liz looking pretty, as always.
In front of St. Louis Cathedral
Ceiling of St. Louis Cathedral
Andrew Jackson Memorial. I thought this was kind of strange, but it just goes to show my lacking historical knowledge. Jackson was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, defending NOLA during the War of 1812. 
Jackson Brewery. Hmm, wonder who that's named for.
Stella! This was Tennessee Williams' residence. And yes, there did used to be a streetcar route named "Desire" in New Orleans.
Right near the Williams' residence was a hat shop. Michael and I both picked up straw hats, but Liz and I couldn't resist a picture with some of the more outrageous ones.
Rollin', rollin' on the river . . . After stopping at our hotel to freshen up (which, thanks to Hotwire, we got for 75% off!) we headed out to Boucherie for dinner. This is a restaurant in the Garden District whose chef and owner is the son of Michael's father's friend. Did you follow all that? Anyway, the food was delicious, particularly the bacon brownie that Liz and I shared. I know, it sounds weird, but it was delicious! After all, doesn't bacon make everything better?!
The streetcar we took to and from the restaurant. Quite fun! And cheap!Saturday was Jazz Fest day. We were able to get discounted tickets by virtue of Shell being the presenting sponsor. Score! Plus, we got plenty of other perks, including free transportation to the festival grounds and a tent where we could cool down, get food and use restrooms that were not available to the hoi polloi. Quite nice. ;-P Anyway, we had a pretty good time, although we were somewhat disappointed in the headliner, Pearl Jam. I guess they were playing a bunch of stuff off their newer albums, which none of us knew and didn't really like. Plus, everyone around us was smoking pot. Ugh! But, nonetheless, we had fun, checking out all the different acts and, more importantly, people watching!
View of the stage. As you can see, we were super-close. ;-P
Michael is terribly interested in the music.
But not as much as Liz!The best part of Jazz Fest: watching all the crazy people. Sorry, I don't know how to turn it.
After we'd had enough we headed back to Baton Rouge and finished out the weekend by finding a local Episcopal church for Sunday worship before heading back to SETX. Overall, a very enjoyable weekend. Especially because I got to see Liz. Hope Shell keeps sponsoring so we do it ll again next year!
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