Ok.  New Orleans was fun with a capital F.  Heather and I had fun every second we were there.  Firstly just being in that amazing city was energizing.  The drive from the airport revealed the remaining work to do from the damage of the hurricane.  That was quite sobering as we’d only seen images on tv.  Definitely different being there…

We arrived at the beautiful home of our fantastic hostess Carro Gardner.  She and her husband Billy and three children live in the gorgeous Garden District of St. Charles.  I was stunned by all the great architecture- house after house was so interesting.

She knew just what to do to get things happening.  This gal was is on the ball.  She made yummy snacks and we cracked open some vino, set up and waited for the guests to arrive.  Here she is with her daughter Cheney, who was quite the excellent shopper.

Her pals arrived and shopped.  They were such a nice bunch of gals.  I wanted to be their best friends right off the bat.  There’s an easy going spirit in the women there.  The ladies seemed so relaxed.  Here they are shopping: 

We had a great set up since we’ve moved mostly to acrylic displays.  They really make a difference as they don’t interfere with the jewelry- they just show it off.

We got a big kick out of our youngest shopper who piled it on- just like we like it!

And here’s the adorable Tallulah on her first NOLA visit from Baton Rouge:

Let’s talk FOOD- Dinner Friday night:  Martinique- Yum, Lunch Saturday, Carro took us to Domilice’s for Po’Boys.  OMG, that’s all I have to say about that, except go there yourselves, drink a beer and eat in the restaurant and don’t leave anything in the car.  Best fried shrimp sandwich I’ve EVER had.  Dinner Saturday night at Emerils.  Excellent tapas menu and we ate a huge selection of great appetizers and cheeses.  We had some fantastic wine and that set us up for our walk to the French Quarter.  That in itself was a total blast.  Heather and I danced like fiends and actually turned a blues bar into a dance fever locale.  We went in there because the band was amazing.  They had a trombone player & a trumpet player up there!  Heather and I were so impressed and of course they were amazing players.  They had a 10 piece band up there.  Impressive- so we danced.  In fact we danced until our feet were bleeding from blisters from new shoes (purchased pre-show, Thursday night in traditional Macy’s run at 11th hour.)  Here we are with our feather boas- natch!!!

Well, we obviously had a fantastic time and we really hope to get back there some day.  Next time we will wear more comfortable shoes and eat two Po’ Boys instead of just one!  NOLA is our place!