Mardi Gras Heaven

If you know me you know that I love Mardi Gras. I know some of you are thinking "how could you?!!" but not all of Mardi Gras is bad. There are parades that are more family oriented and some spots along the parade route that aren't as bad. It is just so much fun catching beads and stuff with friends/family and a bunch of strangers! Anyway, defending my love for Mardi Gras is not the point of this post.

I was able to go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras season this year and on my trip I got to visit Mardi Gras World. This is where they make the floats for the parades and have a kind of a museum of some Mardi Gras stuff. It was fun to see inside some of the floats and see all the beads and loot they throw during the parade. I wish my friends Kelli and Eric were there to share it with me because they love Mardi Gras as much as I do!

one of the floats



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see the stacks of bags piled up with beads in them!



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more beads and stuff to throw!



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More Food Network

We also stumbled upon a little cafe known as "Cafe Beignet's" and had a little snack of coffee and of course beignets. On the wall was a sign that said Alton Brown had featured their beignets on the show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." I know Alton knows food but I personally don't think they were all that. anyway it was fun to add to our places that have been featured on Food Network.

Triple D

You all know Billy and I love the show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" and live to visit them when we can. And so today we were able to do that in New Orleans. We went to a place called "Katie's" and it didn't disappoint! We had some of the best crab cakes we've ever eaten along with some really good fried shrimp and crawfish. I mean really good. Thanks Guy for the tip on Katie's!

Insect Zoo

While in LA we went to New Orleans, (one of my favorite cities) and visited the Insectarium, which is pretty much a zoo for insects. It was really cool. The kids loved seeing all the different bugs - big, small, some pretty, some not so pretty, colorful bugs and bland bugs. So if you are in NOLA I recommend it!



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these bugs don't look that big in the picture but they were huge!


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Inside the butterfly exhibit, daddy had a butterfly land on him. Jack wasn't too sure about it.


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these bugs were hot pink!


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New Orleans

Most of you know that I love New Orleans. I was able to visit last week while my wonderful mother-in-law kept the kids. I got to visit friends I hadn't seen in 3 yrs. and one I hadn't seen since 2003, I think! So it was a fun visit.

My friend Kristyn and her two sweet little girls


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My friend, Brenda, haven't seen her since 2003. Look Brenda you made the blog! haha!


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Me and Vanee. Vanee is such a sweet friend that she went shopping with me since I forgot my bag and didn't have anything with me for the two(ish) days I was staying at her house. If you know Vanee you know how much she hates to shop! And the forgetting my bag is another story.


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Central Grocery. Had a muffuletta (again, I had one the night before for supper1) here before I left town in the French Quarter.


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