New Orleans, Louisiana

My good friends and I planned a girls trip to New Orleans so celebrate our collective 40th birthdays.  I have know Pam and Sara since 4th grade and we have been blessed to be able to stay connected and get together about once every 5 years.  This year we all turn 40 so we wanted to go someplace special.  I have always wanted to go to New Orleans and sort of convinced my friends to come with me.  It was such a fun city!  I loved all the live music, artists, sunshine, food and vibe of New Orleans.  I would definitely go back and explore some more...one weekend is simply not enough time!

April 21:

Pam and I wandered around the French Quarter.  It's a very different place at 9:00 AM as opposed to 9:00 PM.  Very quiet and peaceful.  Lots of old buildings and beautiful flowers on peoples balconies.

Funny sign we spotted

This is really a city of Art.  You see artwork everywhere, people are dancing in the streets and so much live music!

We took a walking tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.  I have always loved old cemetery's but this one was amazing!  Instead of burying people in the ground (which is impossible because the water table is only 3 feet underground) they bury them in these really cool monuments.  It really makes sense that in New Orleans they call their cemeteries "Cities of the Dead" 

Some of the monuments were just beautiful and well taken care of.  Others were really falling apart.  I guess if the family that owns the monument moves away or die out there is no-one left to care for their little "house" and it really falls apart.

We got to know our way around this city riding on the street cars.  Super fun!

Sara flew into New Orleans in the afternoon and joined us.  RSP...back together again!  

RSP...Rachelle, Sara, Pam...Really Special People 

We walked along the mighty Mississippi

We had to make a stop at Cafe Du Monde...

...to try the delicious beignets:)

As the sun went down the party started on Bourbon street.  It was so fun to walk around, listen to all the live music and enjoy the pulse of night life as the city came alive at night

April 22:

We took a guided walking tour of the French Quarter.  It's a really unique city because it went from French to Spanish to French to American.  There are so many styles and interesting architecture because of this.  We also learned a lot of history of the city and heard some fun stories.

Sara was excited to try some original New Orleans craft beer:)

Tennessee Williams wrote "A Streetcar Named Desire" while living in New Orleans so Sara and Pam showed us some desire while riding the street car!

These plastic Mardi Gras beads are everywhere!  I liked how the trees had beads hanging in their branches

We took a quick glance into the Court of 2 Sisters.  They were setting up for a wedding but they let us in for a very quick peek.  It was a beautiful courtyard

Another night on Bourbon street.  We went to a piano bar and enjoyed the music and singing along to the tunes

Had to buy a New Orleans king cake...yum!!!

April 23:

We decided to take a walking tour of the Garden District.  It started in another cool old cemetery, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.  I could probably spend a whole day wandering in these cemeteries...so cool!

The Garden District is where all the old, big beautiful homes are.  When the Americans came to New Orleans they hated the crowded together streets and living quarters of the French Quarter so they created their own neighborhood.  It's a completely different vibe in the Garden District, but still so much beauty and culture.

I tried alligator on a stick:)

The smell of these Jasmine flowers was so amazing.  I don't know if they smelled so strong because of the time of year we went or if they always smell this amazing but it was beautiful.

After seeing all the big beautiful houses of the Garden District we went over to the 9th Ward.  This was the neighborhood that was hardest in by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It's crazy how many houses are still abandoned or boarded up.  People can't afford to remodel them after the flood destroyed their homes.  It's super sad

There is a little museum dedicated to telling the story of the 9th Ward.  It's an amazing community with deep roots.  Generations of people have lived in the same place, and it really feels like a community that looks out for each other and helps each other out.  I hope they can rebuild again.

Back on Bourbon street loving all the live music

We saw quite a few wedding parades while we were here.  I guess for a price you can walk down the street followed by a band and all your wedding guests.  People clap as you go by and it's a super festive way to celebrate a wedding

Pam and Sara were getting cold waiting for our "Haunted Tour" to start.  My sister Paige told me I had to book a haunted tour while in New Orleans.  She was right, it was super fun, a little creepy but I loved all the spooky stories that we heard.

Supposedly there was a crazy ghost that was causing havoc at this restaurant.  The owners hired a medium to try and find out what was going on.  The medium said the ghost was angry because there was always a party going on in the restaurant and he wasn't invited.  So now the restaurant sets this special table for him each night with bread and wine.  You can pay an extra $50 and eat at this table.  If you look closely you can see some purple "orbs" in this photo.  Those are supposed to mean that some supernatural spirit is in the photo...what do you think?

This is us with our haunted tour guide.  He was great!

Touchdown Jesus!!

April 24:

Very sadly our trip had to come to an end.  We took a photo outside our cute little airbnb house

Sara enjoying a bloody Mary for breakfast.  Pam had to catch a ride to the airport right after breakfast was done.  It was so sad saying goodbye but I know we will get together again...love that girl!

Sara and I did a little more exploring before she had to leave.  We visited the St. Louis Cathedral

We also went out to the Metairie Cemetery to see the "Weeping Angel" monument.  I think I want one just like this for my grave.  After this Sara had to head out.  Again, it was super sad to say goodby to my good friend...love that girl!  I was left alone in New Orleans for 5 hours until my flight left

I decided to hop on the ferry boat that leaves New Orleans and heads across the Mississippi river to the Algiers district.  It was fun being on the muddy Mississippi:)

I took myself on a self guided walking tour.  Again, such a different and unique neighborhood.  Nothing like the French Quarter or the Garden District.  I really liked it, it was a lot less busy than the other side of the river.

Cool old gas station.  After walking around Algiers I got myself to the airport and headed home.  I had such a fantastic weekend with my friends.  It was wonderful to catch up and to enjoy being together.  I love the history we share and the good time we have to look forward to in the future!

Happy Easter

Each year we like to celebrate Easter with a fun egg hunt hosted by the Doxey's.  They have been getting together with a few other families for the last 15 years and it's fun to be part of this big group. We hosted Easter dinner this year and had the Doxey's and the Holt's over.  It was a delicious meal and a fun group of people to chat with.  I'm so gad we live close enough to the Doxey's that we can spend holidays with them!

Super cute lamb cake that Hannah Holt makes every year

The delicious feast!

Spring Break in San Francisco, CA

We had hoped to go to Hawaii this year for Spring Break but that plan fell through.  We decided to pack up and drive down to San Francisco.  We had gone last year for Spring Break but only stayed a few days and there was so much more to see so we were all happy to head back down there.  Hyrum's Mom joined us on our adventure which was super fun.  I love that my boys get a chance to know their Oma.

March 26:

We made a quick stop in Klamath, CA to visit Paul Bunyan and his big blue bull "Babe."  It was so pretty driving through Northern California where the Redwoods grow.

Monkeys getting some wiggles out after a long drive in the car.  We stayed in a nice little house near the Redwoods so we could explore a bit the next day before heading out for San Francisco.

March 27:

It was raining a bit the next morning but we decided it was worth it to stop for a quick hike in the Redwood forest.  We went to Humboldt State Park to explore among the giants.  I love how the sunlight is trying to break through the canopy.

My happy boy Julian

Oma, Julian and I at the base of a very big tree!

We got to San Francisco just as the sun was going down.  We drove up into the foothills a bit to get a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Driving across Golden Gate Bridge

March 28:

Chinatown!  The boys love all the little shops along this street full of inexpensive trinkets for souvenirs.

We stopped at the free cable car museum.  It was amazing to watch the giant cables as they hurried along pulling cars through the city.

Then a big hike up a giant hill to Coit Tower.  I can't believe the kids all made it up this hill!

Oma in the observatory at the top of Coit Tower

We took the 600 or so step Filbert Stairway back down to the water front.  I'm glad we were going down but still, those steps are crazy steep!

A nice way to keep tired boys happy...take a ride on a cable car:)

March 29:

Happy Birthday to me!!!  Hyrum went out early and got some delicious breakfast fixings for my birthday, it was a great way to start the day!

We went to Golden Gate Park and rented a 6 person paddle boat for a fun ride around the lake.  

We walked around the sculpture park at the De Young art museum...

...then took the elevator to the top of the museum for a fantastic panoramic view of the city

At this point we split up.  Hyrum took the twins and rented some bikes and they enjoyed biking around the city and across the Golden Gate bridge.  They even got to ride a ferry back over to the city  when they were done biking.

While the boys were off biking Oma, Julian and I spent a few hours at Alcatraz. We were here last year but it's such a fun display I didn't mind coming again so that Oma could see it.

Julian looking tough behind bars:)

After we got off the ferry coming back from Alcatraz we hopped on this cute little bike taxi that took us to meet up with Hyrum and the boys

We spent a long time (and a lot of money) at the Musee Mecanique.  This place is a treasure trove of antique arcade games.  Shooting games, creepy laughing dolls, "XXX" pictures of ladies in their long underwear...it was really fun and the boys had a blast.

We finished our day in San Francisco with a stop at Ghirardelli Square.  Delicious ice cream and chocolate!

Back at our little apartment the boys surprised me with a yummy chocolate cake for my birthday.  It was a very fun and memorable 40th birthday!

March 30:

Hyrum, Oma and I left the boys in the apartment so we could go for a quick hike around Golden Gate Park.  This place has miles of trails to walk on and it would have been fun to just stroll around all day.

We picked the boys up and headed out to the Golden Gate Bridge welcome center.  There is a very nice trail that runs along the water with a fantastic view of the bridge

Julian sitting on a cross section of one of the cables that holds up the bridge.  There are 30,000 steel cables that wound back and forth to make up this one large suspension cable...crazy

Oma and I on the Golden Gate bridge

After our adventures at the bridge we drove back into the city to spend an afternoon at Pier 39.  These are the famous sea lions that hang out at the pier.  We were pretty lucky because there was a lot of action going on with the sea lions this day...must have been mating season.  There were a bunch of guys fighting and pushing each other off the pier to claim space.  Pretty fun to watch.

We stayed and watched a performance on the main stage.  We ate clam chowder in sough dough bread bowls.  We bought cotton candy...a nice day at the pier.

After our adventures on the pier we headed back to Golden Gate Park so the boys could play one last time at their favorite play ground.

While Hyrum was watching the boys at the playground I checked an item off my bucket list...I walked down to the corner of Haight and Ashbury:)

Some crazy shops in this part of town:)

It was a total coincidence that my brother, Del, was in San Francisco for work.  We got together and had dinner and had a fun time chatting.  What a great bonus for my trip in San Francisco!

March 31:

This whole day was spent at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.  I hate amusement park rids but my kids really love them so we took them to this theme park for the day.  I made Julian go on all the rides with his stuffed bear because I didn't want to go...I'm a bad mom

Townsend and Julian on the swings.  Not just any swings.  These spin you around as well as raise you up in the air 200 feet...no thank you!  After a long and hot day at the park we drove quite a way up to Crater Lake National Park.  We didn't get to our hotel until almost midnight!  It was a long drive after a full day but we made it!

April 1:

We drove up to Crater Lake National Park.  It was crazy how much snow was still up in this area!

Hyrum dug his way down until he found the mens room:)

I'm glad we took the time to stop here and enjoy this beautiful lake, but it's so much nicer in the summer when you can hike around a bit.  After wandering around Crater Lake we got back in the car and drove all the way home to Hillsboro!  What a fun Spring Break!!