Louisiana Trip!

Well, we survived our Louisiana trip and we had a fabulous time! It was so wonderful to see family and just relax a little bit! Warning: This post is ridiculously long. I put lots of details (because this is pretty much my journal). If you don't want to read, skip to the slide show at the bottom to see some fun pics of the trip!

Day One: Jackson's first flight and arrival in the Big Easy
We left for Louisiana on March 19. We flew from Salt Lake to Dallas, had an hour layover, and then flew from Dallas to New Orleans. Jackson actually did really well on the flight. Towards the end of the second flight he got kind of grumpy, but he did much better than I expected. We arrived in New Orleans about 8pm. My Aunt Connie AKA Kiki and my second cousin Jackie picked us up from the airport. Because it was late they had already made us food and brought it so we could eat on the way home (it was about an hour drive). The food was delish! They made us shrimp, sausage, and veggie kabobs, grilled bacon wrapped shrimp, corn on the cob, homemade fries, and fresh strawberries for dessert. It was seriously so good. I don't love seafood, but the shrimp was so good and fresh! Anyway, we got to Kiki's house around 10pm. I wasn't all that tired and neither was Jackson. So, he played with toys while we all visited. We talked until about 2am and then finally went to bed. I just realized I didn't take any pictures of Kiki's home, but it was so beautiful! She totally spoiled us and made us stay in the master suite which was so nice! We slept pretty well that night in preparation for the rest of the trip!

Day Two: Some shopping (spoiling) and a Date
The next morning Kiki woke us up with breakfast in bed! She truly spoiled us-it was five star service! After getting ready for the day we headed to this outdoor mall and did some shopping. Kiki pretty much outfitted Jackson for summer! There were some amazing deals on baby clothes and she kind of went overboard! When I told her it was too much she told me that she would decide what was too much! So, I shut my mouth and let the spoiling continue. That night Kiki surprised Alex and I with a night out. She got us reservations to her favorite restaurant and then watched Jackson so we could go alone. The restaurant was called Sno's and it was pretty good. Alex got the seafood platter and there was a little of everything on the plate! There were frog legs, crawfish, oysters, catfish, shrimp, stuffed shrimp, stuffed crab, and probably more that I am forgetting! I tried everything except the oyster and really only liked the fried shrimp. The fried shrimp was amazing! Then we had a delicious strawberry shortcake for dessert. Jackson was a good boy for Kiki. She fed him and gave him a bath and then he fell asleep. We had a really fun day!

Day Three:big Party, Reunion, and a Big Mess!
So, the initial reason we planned a trip to Louisiana was for my cousin's wedding. Well, the wedding ended up being called off, but Aunt Connie was still having the family and some close friends to a party. So Saturday was spent preparing for the party. That afternoon my Grandma Guillory and her new husband Larry came to visit. I hadn't seen my grandma in almost seven years, so it was really great to see and visit with her. She had never met Alex or Jackson so it was fun to introduce my little family to her! Her husband Larry is such a kind person and Alex and I loved getting to know him as well. We visited on the back patio (in gorgeous weather I might add! :) for a couple of hours before the party. Now here is where the big mess fits in. When I went to change Jackson into his party clothes he had pooped all over himself! So, although we were running late I had to put him in the tub. We gave him a bath then finally left for the party. The reception center was about 45 minutes away. Well, when we finally got there I got Jackson out of his carseat and he had pooped again all over his shirt! I didn't bring an extra outfit and so we had to leave and go find a shirt! Luckily there was a little store close by that had a white shirt. So we were so late to the party, but I guess what can you do! The party was so fun! Almost all of my Guillory relatives were there, except my Aunt Tina and my cousins Jason and Rebecca. It was a fun night and so great to see so many family members!

Day Four: Tour of Louisiana
Sunday was a very busy day with a lot of traveling, but also a lot of fun! Alex, Jackson, and I left Kiki's house around 10 and headed up to my Grandma Guillory and Larry's home in Kaplan, LA. It was about a 2.5 hour drive. They live in the country. Larry is a crawfish and rice farmer. Their home and property were so nice. They have a ton of land. They also have ducks, chickens, pigeons, and doves. We had a great lunch and just visited for a few hours. My grandma gave me a picture of my dad from when he was in high school. He sure is a handsome guy! Jackson loved my Grandma and Larry and would reach for them. It was so cute! It was fun to see my Grandma interact with my baby! After we left their home we headed for my Uncle Tom and Aunt Lisa's house. They live in Baton Rouge, so we had another 2.5 hour drive. It was well worth it though! Uncle Tom made us some delicious BBQ, salads, and a great dessert. My Uncle Tom is hilarious and although he teased me the whole time I still loved being with him (maybe it just reminded me of my relentless teaser father :). My dad's cousin Charles and his wife Julie and their daughter Allie also were there. It was a pleasant evening with good food, fun people, and lots of laughter! We then headed back to Aunt Connie's which was another hour drive! So we drove about 6 hours in one day, but it was worth it!

Day Five: The Best of New Orleans-Beignets, Riverboats, and the French Quarter
On every trip we make to Louisiana, my favorite part is always our time in New Orleans! It is such a beautiful city with a lot of flavor! We arrived in New Orleans about noon. We walked around the French Quarter and did a little shopping. We bought some amazing paintings at Jackson Brewery (it is a really old building that used to be a brewery, but is now a mall). The paintings are done by a local artist and are inspired by Hurricane Katrina. Kiki again spoiled us and bought me two of them! The ones I have are titled Post Katrina Blues and Post Hurricane Blues. The pics I took of them don't do them justice. They are beautiful and I can't wait to get them framed! After shopping we took a lunch cruise on the steamboat Natchez. It was so much fun! We had a delicious creole lunch and cruised up the Mississippi. We saw all sorts of interesting things including the lower 9th ward, the area most devastated by Katrina (We had wanted to go on a 9th ward tour, but the shortest one was three hours and I didn't think it would work out with Jackson-maybe next time). It was beautiful and sunny while we were cruising and it was so relaxing to just bask in the sunlight :). After the cruise we made our way to my favorite spot in New Orleans-Cafe Du Monde! The make these french donuts called Beignets. They are amazingly delicious! We bought a bunch of them and they were just as yummy as I remembered. We then took a carriage tour of the French Quarter. We got to go around the gorgeous cathedral in Jackson Square, down Bourbon Street, and just got to experience the beauty of New Orleans. It was a wonderful day, but I wish we could have spent a few days there.

Day Six: Cancelled Plans and Alligator
Tuesday of our trip we were supposed to go to my cousin Brandon's home for dinner. But, his twins both got sick with the hand, foot, and mouth virus (I am not sure of the actual name). It is really contagious and we didn't want Jackson sick, so we didn't get to go to dinner. I was really disappointed because I didn't get to meet the twins and Brandon's wife is really great and I wanted to get to know her better. So, we had to improvise. We ended up just going to the Pro Bass Shop. It is like a Cabella's store, but about three times as big. The one in Louisiana is the fourth largest in the world! We went to lunch and Alex got alligator. I wasn't a huge fan, but he liked it okay. We then toured the store and saw lots of fish and a raccoon! Kiki did some shopping and then we headed home. That night we just relaxed and visited.

Day Seven: Going Home
We came home on Wednesday from our trip. Getting home was pretty awful! We were to fly from New Orleans to Dallas and then Dallas to Salt Lake. We boarded the plane in New Orleans and taxied to the runway. Then, the plane turns off and they tell us that there was a storm in Dallas so we couldn't leave until it had cleared. They made us stay on the plane for over two hours! It was so hot and uncomfortable. I had Jackson to just his onesie because he was sweating. We finally left, but Jackson had had it. He cried pretty much the whole 1.5 hours. Alex was wonderful and took Jackson to some empty seats in the back of the plane and let him cry there. It was less disturbing for everyone and lessened my anxiety! Once we made it to Dallas we learned that our connecting flight had already left. There was only one more flight that night to Salt Lake, which luckily wasn't full. We were supposed to leave at 9:30pm. When we made it to the gate we found out it was delayed until 11:55pm. So we spent a few long hours in the airport. Alex did homework and Jackson and I slept. We finally made it to Salt Lake at 2am. Then, as we were leaving the airport Alex got pulled over for going 10 over the speed limit. It was dumb because we were about 50 yards from where the speed limit increased. Luckily we didn't get a ticket though! So, it was a long, exhausting trip home, but we finally made it!

Wow, this is a long post! But, our trip was really so great! I am so happy we were able to go and spend time with my family. It was great fun showing off my cute baby and introducing Alex to Louisiana. We owe a HUGE thanks to Kiki for spoiling us rotten and for showing us such a fabulous time!