...both my trip to New Orleans and my last run workout of 2009. And both were great!We were really lucky to have the Stewart family adopt us for the Christmas holidays - everything from Christmas Eve at Galatoire's to Christmas Day at their house and then December 26th cocktails at Martine's. We all talked about how wonderful "adopted" families are...the friends that we turn into family. So sweet.
Mom, Gran, and I actually had a really lovely time together. We did a lot of run-of-the-mill things like fixing things for Gran. I love being able to do these things for her...changing out lights, adjusting automatic timers for her lamps, setting up the billing for her email machine, giving her a digital photo frame and showing her how to use it, canceling an automatic phone answering deal that was driving her crazy...and then baking (biscuits that she loves!) and cooking (chicken pot pie, quiche - spinach & cheese and ham & cheese, roast chicken, spinach Madeleine, and some other things along the way...I love that Gran enjoys being my guinea pig!). But we also did some special things like taking Gran down to the French Quarter to the Roosevelt Hotel for lunch on Sunday. Gran and Granddaddy used to go down there "back in the day" - to the Blue Room. Who knows who all they saw
perform there?! Back in its hey-day, it saw the likes of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and others. I can just see Gran and Granddaddy all dressed up and having a big old time. They aren't actually in these pictures, but I imagine them in these crowds!We at at the Sazerac Bar & Grill...known for its murals. It was very cool as far as bars go! And a highlight of the trip was seeing the lobby all decorated for Christmas. It didn't look quite like this (none of the netting this year) and a little more subtle with white
lights. But A LOT of them...a whole lot of them. (Silly me, didn't take pictures!) It was fun to be down in the Quarter (even with all of the Saints' mania) and neat to hear Gran's stories of when she used to go there with Granddaddy. Even though she's not always the most sentimental of the group, I think she thought it was special to see it again. Definitely glad that I stayed an extra day to do this with mom and Gran...it will be one of those special memories for us. Then today, it was bonding time for ETG and I-10 as I made my way back to Austin. Easy drive. Gorgeous day. Made good time (except for one hiccup between Beaumont and Houston when they had shut down I-10...still not sure why). And even made it home in time to go to the last hill workout of 2009. Woot! (Seems that I've started my New Year's resolution of pushing myself a little harder than I think I can at workouts a few days early...had some of my best efforts and paces yet. Yes, I love running in colder weather!!) As some sort of "wintry mix" creeps in to central Texas overnight, I'm looking forward to a warm yoga studio in the morning...ommmm...and for now...creeping into my warm little bed with my down comforter. No matter how good time away is, I do love being home.
No comments:
Post a Comment