Darcy (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} psyko_kitty) wrote,@ 2008-05-01 14:23:00 |
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Our trip to Noelle's wedding
Noelle is one of my bestestest friends in the world, so when American Airlines canceled our flight to New Orleans where we were traveling for her wedding, we drove.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version and to see the entire photo album of our trip.
On Wednesday, April 9, American Airlines canceled nearly 1000 flights. As the day wore on it became clear that they would be doing the same on Thursday. We were set to fly on Friday - just in time for me to assemble flowers for the wedding, to rehearse music with the other musicians, and be at the Friday night out-of-towners dinner. By 10:00 PM on Wednesday our flight had been canceled. Matt called the airline and we sat on hold for over two hours waiting to see if the airline could get us to New Orleans. The airline was unable to accommodate us, so we packed up the car for the 2000 mile dtrip. At 3:00 AM we put the sleeping kids in their seats and started driving.
The drive to New Orleans was long, tiring, and uneventful. By midday we were in Arizona. By nightfall we were in Texas. We drove all the way through the night Thursday night and by mid morning on Friday we were in Louisiana. We pulled up to Noelle and Nick's house at about 2 PM. I started working on the flowers while Matt checked us into our B&B. My friend Meech took Joseph to a park and he played happily with her. By dinner time Matt and I were both showered but totally exhausted. Matt fell to sleep at dinner. I crashed hard back at the B&B after working on flowers with Beth and Nema.
We stayed at the Mason Perrier - a gorgeous B&B with comfy beds, awesome breakfasts, and beautiful common spaces to hang out in. I loved it. By our first night there, Beth had told me that someone who preferred to remain nameless had paid for Matt and I and the kids to stay one extra night so that we could get some extra rest before making the drive home. I am so grateful for that extra time to wind down. We enjoyed it very much.
On Saturday morning Noelle was coming to our suite (which we were sharing with Nema) for hair and makeup along with her now stepdaughter Grace. Nema tried to wake me, but I was so tired that I didn't even wake up when she shook me. I did wake up in time to help with Noelle and Grace's hair, finish assembling boutonnières and bouquets, and get myself dressed. I was late for the pre-wedding rehearsal which sort of makes me the biggest loser ever, but Noelle was super-gracious about it.
The wedding was awesome. Noelle was gorgeous, Nick was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, and the food was great. Joseph was the ring bearer. Noelle opted to have him carry up the actual rings which made me a little nervous, but he did great. He was really revved up for the task so when the time came he practically ran up and threw the pillow at her. I wish I had pictures of that, but I was singing and Matt was calming a fussy Naomi, so we don't have much of the ceremony.
Me and Linda singing during the ceremony
The happy couple
The music was awesome.
A panorama of the bouquet toss.
After the wedding we went back to the B&B for a nap. Naomi was still in party mode, so Nema offered to take her for a while. They visited with Noelle's family in the main area of the house while Joseph, Matt and I got some much-appreciated rest.
That night we joined Nema, Janelle, Meech, and Eric for dinner at Mother's, a cafeteria style restaurant where Matt and I ate fried chicken and fantastic bread pudding. Joseph thoroughly enjoyed a sausage poboy.
Sunday morning we had a fabulous breakfast at the Mason Perrier along with some of Noelle's family. After breakfast we hung out in the living room with them for a while. It was nice to chat with them - especially her parents and her Auntie Frankie.
Sunday afternoon we went to the New Orleans Aquarium.
The aquarium was fun and I felt good about finally doing something Joseph-centered. He spent a lot of the time climbing around on play structures rather than looking at fish, but he had a great time.
After the aquarium we walked to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. We met up with Nema, Janelle, and the Tarman family who had been enjoying the French Quarter Festival. The French Quarter was incredibly crowded, but the music and the Beignets were fabulous.
On Monday morning we enjoyed another great Mason Perrier breakfast and spent some time with Linda and Bart Tarman (Bart officiated at the wedding). Later we went to Willie Mae's Scotch Housse for more New Orleans fried chicken. Willie Mae's is a two room restaurant, seating only about 30 or so people. We waited two hours for our lunch, but the food was fantastic.
Our original plan had been to fly from New Orleans to Chicago on Monday in order to visit with Matt's extended family there. A trip to Chicago is long-overdue for us. We couldn't afford to lose Matt's vacation time on the drive home without seeing his family. For a few hours we entertained the idea of Matt flying home on his own while I drove home with the children. Matt could have gotten home on Tuesday night and worked Wednesday through Sunday so that we would not have lost the vacation time. In the end, we decided that he would work from New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday thanks to the widely available wireless Internet in New Orleans.
After we checked out of the fabulous B&B we headed over to Noelle and Nick's place where we were spending our final night in New Orleans. We were the the last of the wedding guests and their new home felt eerily quiet in the absence of the family and the friends who had been floating in and out for days.
On Tuesday afternoon Noelle and Nick came home from their honeymoon and were gracious enough to spend their first few hours home entertaining me and the kids. We walked to PJ's (a mere two blocks from their house - I love city living!) and then on to Audobon Park where we enjoyed the gorgeous weather, the birds, and a nice long chat. I've not had many opportunities to hang out with Nick, so it was a nice treat to spend time with him.
Tuesday night we went out for one last fabulous New Orleans meal and prepared to start our journey home. By late Wednesday morning we were on our way to Dallas.
The company Matt and I work for has an office in Dallas and we had decided that we would drive to Dallas Wednesday night so that Matt could work there on Thursday. Coworkers there offered up their (fabulous!) guest room so we had a wonderful place to stay. On Thursday Matt went to work while Joseph, Naomi and I enjoyed a relaxing morning. Later we enjoyed lunch with coworkers.
After lunch I took the kids to Ikea which is just a half a mile or so from the Dallas office. While Joseph was playing with the toys an older boy (about 4?) approached him and asked, "How many are you?" I was surprised when Joseph answered, "I'm 2 1/2. I'm Joseph Wronkiewicz." It was super cute.
Stormy skies outside the Dallas office (panorama)
On Thursday there was a tornado warning in Dallas. We hit the storm hard but fast. For about 10 minutes the rain was incredibly intense, but after that the driving was safe and easy. We stopped for the night in Wichita Falls.
Friday was a long driving day ending in Flagstaff, Arizona. We stayed there Friday night and Saturday night with my long time friend (20 years!) David, his wife Chalea, and their two kids. Anwei is just 2 1/2 months younger than Joseph and Ellie is only 5 days older than Naomi.
Anwei and Joseph were adorable together. They played well, had awesomely adorable conversations and kept each other well entertained. It was great to see them and relax for a day.
The obligitory "toddlers in the bath" picture.
Naomi is huge compared to Ellie.
On Saturday morning we hit the road for one final push to get home. We were optimistic that we might be home by late afternoon, but our hopes were shot when we ran out of gas between Needles and Ludlow. I cried. I screamed. I peed on the side of the road. Luckily, David and Chalea had sent us with a good lunch so we ate while we waited for the shady tow truck guy to bring us gas. The whole thing was awful, but once we had gas we were ready to drive the final miles between us and home sweet home.
We arrived home at around dinner time to find that Sherilyn had brought us dinner and Janelle had picked up our repaired mattress at the mattress store and had made our bed up for us.
It was great to be home.
Naomi and Joseph were happy to be home with their toys.
Noelle is one of my bestestest friends in the world, so when American Airlines canceled our flight to New Orleans where we were traveling for her wedding, we drove.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version and to see the entire photo album of our trip.
On Wednesday, April 9, American Airlines canceled nearly 1000 flights. As the day wore on it became clear that they would be doing the same on Thursday. We were set to fly on Friday - just in time for me to assemble flowers for the wedding, to rehearse music with the other musicians, and be at the Friday night out-of-towners dinner. By 10:00 PM on Wednesday our flight had been canceled. Matt called the airline and we sat on hold for over two hours waiting to see if the airline could get us to New Orleans. The airline was unable to accommodate us, so we packed up the car for the 2000 mile dtrip. At 3:00 AM we put the sleeping kids in their seats and started driving.
The drive to New Orleans was long, tiring, and uneventful. By midday we were in Arizona. By nightfall we were in Texas. We drove all the way through the night Thursday night and by mid morning on Friday we were in Louisiana. We pulled up to Noelle and Nick's house at about 2 PM. I started working on the flowers while Matt checked us into our B&B. My friend Meech took Joseph to a park and he played happily with her. By dinner time Matt and I were both showered but totally exhausted. Matt fell to sleep at dinner. I crashed hard back at the B&B after working on flowers with Beth and Nema.
We stayed at the Mason Perrier - a gorgeous B&B with comfy beds, awesome breakfasts, and beautiful common spaces to hang out in. I loved it. By our first night there, Beth had told me that someone who preferred to remain nameless had paid for Matt and I and the kids to stay one extra night so that we could get some extra rest before making the drive home. I am so grateful for that extra time to wind down. We enjoyed it very much.
On Saturday morning Noelle was coming to our suite (which we were sharing with Nema) for hair and makeup along with her now stepdaughter Grace. Nema tried to wake me, but I was so tired that I didn't even wake up when she shook me. I did wake up in time to help with Noelle and Grace's hair, finish assembling boutonnières and bouquets, and get myself dressed. I was late for the pre-wedding rehearsal which sort of makes me the biggest loser ever, but Noelle was super-gracious about it.
The wedding was awesome. Noelle was gorgeous, Nick was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, and the food was great. Joseph was the ring bearer. Noelle opted to have him carry up the actual rings which made me a little nervous, but he did great. He was really revved up for the task so when the time came he practically ran up and threw the pillow at her. I wish I had pictures of that, but I was singing and Matt was calming a fussy Naomi, so we don't have much of the ceremony.
Me and Linda singing during the ceremony
The happy couple
The music was awesome.
A panorama of the bouquet toss.
After the wedding we went back to the B&B for a nap. Naomi was still in party mode, so Nema offered to take her for a while. They visited with Noelle's family in the main area of the house while Joseph, Matt and I got some much-appreciated rest.
That night we joined Nema, Janelle, Meech, and Eric for dinner at Mother's, a cafeteria style restaurant where Matt and I ate fried chicken and fantastic bread pudding. Joseph thoroughly enjoyed a sausage poboy.
Sunday morning we had a fabulous breakfast at the Mason Perrier along with some of Noelle's family. After breakfast we hung out in the living room with them for a while. It was nice to chat with them - especially her parents and her Auntie Frankie.
Sunday afternoon we went to the New Orleans Aquarium.
The aquarium was fun and I felt good about finally doing something Joseph-centered. He spent a lot of the time climbing around on play structures rather than looking at fish, but he had a great time.
After the aquarium we walked to Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets. We met up with Nema, Janelle, and the Tarman family who had been enjoying the French Quarter Festival. The French Quarter was incredibly crowded, but the music and the Beignets were fabulous.
On Monday morning we enjoyed another great Mason Perrier breakfast and spent some time with Linda and Bart Tarman (Bart officiated at the wedding). Later we went to Willie Mae's Scotch Housse for more New Orleans fried chicken. Willie Mae's is a two room restaurant, seating only about 30 or so people. We waited two hours for our lunch, but the food was fantastic.
Our original plan had been to fly from New Orleans to Chicago on Monday in order to visit with Matt's extended family there. A trip to Chicago is long-overdue for us. We couldn't afford to lose Matt's vacation time on the drive home without seeing his family. For a few hours we entertained the idea of Matt flying home on his own while I drove home with the children. Matt could have gotten home on Tuesday night and worked Wednesday through Sunday so that we would not have lost the vacation time. In the end, we decided that he would work from New Orleans on Monday and Tuesday thanks to the widely available wireless Internet in New Orleans.
After we checked out of the fabulous B&B we headed over to Noelle and Nick's place where we were spending our final night in New Orleans. We were the the last of the wedding guests and their new home felt eerily quiet in the absence of the family and the friends who had been floating in and out for days.
On Tuesday afternoon Noelle and Nick came home from their honeymoon and were gracious enough to spend their first few hours home entertaining me and the kids. We walked to PJ's (a mere two blocks from their house - I love city living!) and then on to Audobon Park where we enjoyed the gorgeous weather, the birds, and a nice long chat. I've not had many opportunities to hang out with Nick, so it was a nice treat to spend time with him.
Tuesday night we went out for one last fabulous New Orleans meal and prepared to start our journey home. By late Wednesday morning we were on our way to Dallas.
The company Matt and I work for has an office in Dallas and we had decided that we would drive to Dallas Wednesday night so that Matt could work there on Thursday. Coworkers there offered up their (fabulous!) guest room so we had a wonderful place to stay. On Thursday Matt went to work while Joseph, Naomi and I enjoyed a relaxing morning. Later we enjoyed lunch with coworkers.
After lunch I took the kids to Ikea which is just a half a mile or so from the Dallas office. While Joseph was playing with the toys an older boy (about 4?) approached him and asked, "How many are you?" I was surprised when Joseph answered, "I'm 2 1/2. I'm Joseph Wronkiewicz." It was super cute.
Stormy skies outside the Dallas office (panorama)
On Thursday there was a tornado warning in Dallas. We hit the storm hard but fast. For about 10 minutes the rain was incredibly intense, but after that the driving was safe and easy. We stopped for the night in Wichita Falls.
Friday was a long driving day ending in Flagstaff, Arizona. We stayed there Friday night and Saturday night with my long time friend (20 years!) David, his wife Chalea, and their two kids. Anwei is just 2 1/2 months younger than Joseph and Ellie is only 5 days older than Naomi.
Anwei and Joseph were adorable together. They played well, had awesomely adorable conversations and kept each other well entertained. It was great to see them and relax for a day.
The obligitory "toddlers in the bath" picture.
Naomi is huge compared to Ellie.
On Saturday morning we hit the road for one final push to get home. We were optimistic that we might be home by late afternoon, but our hopes were shot when we ran out of gas between Needles and Ludlow. I cried. I screamed. I peed on the side of the road. Luckily, David and Chalea had sent us with a good lunch so we ate while we waited for the shady tow truck guy to bring us gas. The whole thing was awful, but once we had gas we were ready to drive the final miles between us and home sweet home.
We arrived home at around dinner time to find that Sherilyn had brought us dinner and Janelle had picked up our repaired mattress at the mattress store and had made our bed up for us.
It was great to be home.
Naomi and Joseph were happy to be home with their toys.
