86 days and counting...

From my blog inactivity (sorry Mom) you'd think nothing was going on. Not the case! Things have been busy and about to get busier! We are 86 days away from the BIG DAY. Gulp. I'm getting ready to get on a jet plane and fly back for dress fittings, a bridal shower and countless other details that my mom and sister-in-law will remind me of.

But as for what has been going on in South Louisiana, here is a quick rundown.

•  I'm now volunteering with the Community Fund for the Arts (Like our Facebook page!) It's fun, gives me something to do on a regular basis and is a great way to meet new people down here. 

• Brian and I are continuing our day trips around Louisiana. We did another day in New Orleans but stayed away from the Quarter this time. We went to the New Orleans Museum of Art and saw a great exhibit on the past 100 years of the museum, including some beautiful pieces by Dale Chihuly. (If you don't like to buy from wedding registries, I know that Brian and would be open to any Chihuly works you would care to surprise us with. :-) )

Vanilla Gelato and the macaroon

We also walked along Magazine Street and went to some of its great antique and vintage shops. We also stopped in at Sucre. It is a very popular sweet shop and bakery. ( I think the main guy has competed on one of the Food Network competition shows that I can't get enough of.) It is adorable inside and I started salivating immediately. Unfortunately, I again, had order envy. Brian and I wanted to try several things to get a feel of what they offered. I got a S'mores cake (it came with vanilla gelato) and a salted caramel macaroon. Brian got an AMAZING Chocolate and Peanut Butter gelato concoction and a King Cake Macaroon. I've never had a macaroon but they always look so pretty on TV. In reality- meh. I don't know what I was expecting but I was bit disappointed. The S'mores cake was good but not great. So, when in New Orleans, definitely visit Sucre but stick with the gelato (or their handmade chocolates- we didn't get any but Brian vouches for them, which is good enough for me.) 

We concluded our day in a great jazz bar, DBA. It is just off the Quarter on Frenchman's street. We went to listen to John Boutte.He's a little guy with a great big voice. It was so much fun!  A lot of people have gotten to know him recently through the HBO series, Treme. Check him out!

Before

 

After

 

• Brian and I got our office set up. The biggest task- assembling the desk. It took 5 hours. 5 long hours. And we're still engaged, so I think that's saying something!

• A couple of weeks later, I was invited to a real English Tea by my future mother-in-law -Ms. Murray is what so many call her. It was completely charming and the food was delicious. But the best part was meeting the other women Ms. Murray invited to the Tea. They were completely charming and welcoming to me. They were funny and had great stories. It was like something out of Steel Magnolias.  They wanted to know all about our wedding plans ( I assured them my colors were not Blush and Bashful), how Brian proposed, how I was liking South Louisiana, etc, etc. It was great!

• And I saw my first Mardi Gras parade- sort of. We went to the Mystical Krewe of Mutts parade in downtown Baton Rouge. Instead of the big floats, the stars of this parade were the four-legged citizens of Baton Rouge. There were so many dogs in costume (along with their owners)! It was great. They paraded through downtown (and it was a big parade!) Beads and dog treats were thrown to the crowd. The parade started with the King and Queen and was followed by the Prince and Princess (who paraded in absentia- for obvious reasons). It was a beautiful and sunny day and a lot of fun! The perfect introduction to Mardi Gras. 

That's about it for now. I'm sure there will be lots to share after this trip back to Kansas. I'll be sure to tell you What's Next.