Trip to New Orleans
WRAPPING UP NAUVOO: After finishing the pageant on Saturday night, we had a short night’s sleep and woke up to tackle the packing. It took FOREVER, but we finally managed to get the car loaded with all of us crammed in there. We said goodbye to all of our friends, but living in England, it feels like we have the best chance of seeing ALL of our friends again. I feel so incredibly lucky to get to associate with these good people. “I have to pinch myself!”
We stopped off at a little cemetery just south of the condos at a place called “Golden’s Point” to locate the graves of a few of our ancestors! All these years I’ve been to Nauvoo, and I had no idea this place even existed! It was nice to learn a little about the Golden family and see where they lived. (Abram Golden is Rachel's 10th Great Grandfather, and his daughter (Eveline) joined the church, had 10 children, and died at Winter Quarters.) Then we made the trek down river. The girls were surprisingly good, and Paul drove us the whole way. We stopped for lunch and once at a rest stop with an awesome park! Poor Caleb was sick with a fever and strep throat the whole time, but he was a trooper.
NAWLINS: Rachel was so excited to get to Mimi’s house. She and Alice were bouncing around at 1:30 am when we rolled in and explored the whole house. It was nice to know we could sleep in the next day, and we took full advantage of the next few days to recover from exhaustion of Nauvoo. We did lots of swimming in the pool and took some trips to Walmart for fun! It’s kind of like going to Disneyland after living in England. Ha! We just really like shopping as a family.
Karen and Addie joined us on Wednesday, and we LOVED having them around! There was great cousin bonding time, Karen and I played and sang around the piano, and it was fun to just be together wherever we went. We all went to “Insta-Gator Ranch” and learned about how they rescue Alligator eggs, hatch them, and release them back into the wild when they’re big enough. Some of them are used for gator products like leather and meat. Our tour guide was funny, and we got to feed the gators some marshmallows.
Ben arrived on Thursday evening and brought his girlfriend Emily with him! (Emily and I were in the same freshman ward. She’s awesome!) Paul and I went to pick them up from the airport and got stuck on the causeway (25 mile bridge) with no gas! AH!!!! We eventually found them at the airport, but we got caught in bridge construction on the way back too! Hilarious. Anyway, it was great to have them around. Rachel wanted to give them a full tour of the house and the pool. So cute.
PLANTATIONS: Friday, we went to Evergreen Plantation which is STUNNING. I’d never been to this one before, but it has two gorgeous alleys of trees, and the slave quarters are still preserved on the grounds. There was such a sweet reverence as we learned about the slaves and saw how they lived. The tour guide was so passionate about the contribution of the slaves to life then and now. She talked about how slaves in the other states were “Americanized” by being stripped of their instruments and taught to play violin, flute, or piano. But slaves in Louisiana were allowed to keep their African drums, and that is why the music of Louisiana is so rich. It has evolved over time but is based on their African roots and true to their experiences and identity. No wonder everyone loves the music of New Orleans. It is sweet!
FAMILY TIME: The girls were miserable in the BLAZING heat, but we survived and went to eat lunch at a family favorite: B&C Grill. When we got home, we all took a nice refreshing swim, and Juliet came over to say hi! Of course we had to play a celebratory round of “Things” while we waited for Paul to get Jordan from the airport! Finally, we were all together again!!! (Well, except for Jakey Snake, but he has a good excuse.) Had a great family discussion about seeing miracles in our lives. Juliet reminded us that it’s a miracle we were all there together! So true. Everything is honestly a miracle.
SATURDAY: was our only full day all together, so we had a big pancake breakfast and headed off to the WWII museum in downtown Nawlins. After living in England, I have a whole new fascination and appreciation for the Allies. As dark and frightening as those times were, it was also a time of great unity, patriotism, creativity, invention, and freedom. I loved reading about how much people sacrificed to support the cause of freedom -pinching pennies at home, recycling everything, working tirelessly, caring for each other and strangers, and of course those who gave their lives for their fellow men. There’s a reason they call it “the greatest generation.” I can’t wait to visit the beaches at Normandy and hopefully get to Germany later this year.
DOWNTOWN: Anyway, the girls were pretty wiped out after the museum, so we took a nap in the car while everybody explored the French Market, and we all met up for beignets at Café Du Monde. During our little tour of Jackson Square, we thought we’d go get a picture under the Bourbon Street sign as a joke, but we forgot that not only was it Saturday, but we hit the “Red Dress Run” which meant there were hundreds of drunk men and women parading the streets in tiny red dresses. We quickly turned around and headed back for the car, but it was interesting to feel such a stark contrast in the atmosphere there compared to last Saturday night--closing night of the Nauvoo Pageant. It only made me feel sorry for these people who may never get to have an experience like we had in Nauvoo this summer. I’m so grateful for the sacred grounds of Nauvoo and the safety and peace I feel there.
MULATES: That night, we danced and ate at Mulates! I love the Zydeco music, and I appreciate that there is a place I can bring my family and dance all together. Our culture has lost so much of that, and I am so grateful every time we get to “move with joy.” On the way home, we witnessed an AWESOME lightning storm which unfortunately meant we couldn’t take the bridge over the lake. So, on our long way around, poor Alice had HAD it. Sweet Emily helped me do everything we could think of to cheer her up or calm her down, and she eventually fell asleep just a few minutes from home.
Sunday was sweet--all of us sharing a pew at church. Alice decided to start screaming for no reason, so she and Paul missed quite a bit, and Rachel had an anxiety attack in nursery, so it was a rough block, but the lesson in Relief Society was awesome. We learned about the power and importance of the Book of Mormon and our responsibility to share it in any way we can.
(Side note: If you’re reading this and don’t know about the Book of Mormon, I’d love to give you a free copy!)
NURSING HOME: That afternoon, I stayed with the napping babies so the rest of the family could do a little program at the nursing home. Paul sang “Bring Him Home” a capella, and there were poems, songs, and whatever talents they could think of. One woman just started crying seeing them all stand together and said “You just don’t see families like that in the world today.” It made me realize again what a miracle it is when we are able to get together-that we all love each other and love doing things together. I love my family!
SWEET RACHEL: We went on a nice walk around the golf course that evening and said goodbye to Jordan. During our walk, Emily asked Rachel if she had a favorite princess. “Yes.” Emily asked “Who?” “Momma.” Rachel replied. AH! Melt my heart.
CARTWRIGHT TIME: We took a little trip to the park at the Lakefront on Monday and had fun seeing the giant trees with the low hanging branches. It was SOOOO hot, but that never seems to hold us back. We had fun shopping at Walmart and going swimming too! We joined everyone for gourmet burgers at Mugshotz in honor of Caleb’s birthday. I can’t believe he’s 14!!! AH!!! Such a good boy.
THE LONG ROAD: There’s a collection of poems about the life of Joseph Smith called “The Long Road from Vermont to Carthage”. Mom and Dad decided to invite a few friends over and have us perform these poems in the living room for Family Home Evening. Paul and I generally avoid informal performances--they just feel really awkward 99.9% of the time. But we pulled it together for my parents and their friends, and I’m glad we got to do that as a family. We followed it up with a fun run of Catchphrase Boys vs Girls. We won.
SWAMP TOUR: We always go on Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, and it never gets old. Mom, Ben, Emily, Karen, Addie, Rachel and I saw TONS of alligators this time, and Rachel loved holding the baby one. The raccoons were especially cute this time, and in honor of Aunt Becky, we yelled “We love you!” to their little family. Haha! Rachel and Emily tried their first Snowballs, and Ben and Emily decided to go fishing in our backyard before they left that afternoon.
SECTOR 6: Karen stayed up really late that night changing her flight so she could party for 2 more days, but because Addie didn’t sleep well either, we had to leave them at home while we went to Sector 6--a giant warehouse full of trampolines and foam pits. Rachel was IN HEAVEN! Paul would chase Rachel all over the grid of trampolines, and even Alice loved climbing up the trampoline wall!
RED FISH, AQUARIUM, AND RIVERWALK: Since we were near the city, Dad offered to take us to lunch at the Red Fish Grill, which is famous for BBQ Oysters. I decided to get something light and ordered a salad… ha! It was huge. We decided to make a day of it and go to the Aquarium while we waited for Dad to get off work. Alice loved the seahorses, and Rachel thought it was so cool when the scuba diver feeding the fish waved right to her! Even though we were all tired and missing naps, we enjoyed watching the big tank full of sharks, sea turtles, and other big scary creatures. There was a guy cleaning the glass (facing us from inside) while his two assistants faced the sharks with big sticks to protect his back. Crazy! As we walked around the Riverwalk, people kept stopping us to talk about Alice’s cheeks or legs or the rolls on her arms. Haha! Everybody wants to squish her!
SICK: I got chills and a fever on the drive home, and by the time I woke up the next day, I had a HUGE migraine. WOW. (I have a whole new found empathy for anyone who suffers from migraines.)
PAUL: Anyway, while I tried to sleep it off, Paul vacuumed, did the dishes, took the girls on a walk, and made Mongolian beef in the crock pot for dinner. AH!!! I love him. He’s been reading the biography of Gordon B. Hinckley, and we’ve had a great time discussing how the Lord prepared him for his service in the Church. We both love President Hinckley, and learning about his choices, opportunities, marriage, and service has inspired us!
JULIET: Juliet showed up late Thursday night with cute little matching dresses she sewed for Alice, Rachel, and Addie! It was such a miracle because the girls have grown out of a few of the dresses I packed for them. And it was sure nice of Juliet to make them so quickly! She’s so thoughtful. We all adore her.
RACHEL’S CORNER:
• Loved reading all of Mimi’s books and making sure everyone has a good book to read
• SO brave! She can jump in the pool all by herself (with her arm floaties)
• Loves to “skip”-a really big hop with one leg in the air
• Says the cutest things: “Would you like to join me?”-as I come downstairs for lunch, “Can I holdja Bean please?”-when she wants me to hold her, and then in the middle of the night she appeared by my bed and said “Mommy, there’s a frog in my bed.” There wasn’t.
ALL ABOUT ALICE:
• Looking at Rocky (the dog) through the window and said her first word!! “Dog!” (sounded more like dug)
• Can stand up all by herself, but she likes to sit down most of the time
• Can clap her hands and wave to people
• Likes to chase us crawling around
• Thinks it’s really cool to put the whole ping pong ball in her mouth
• Really into waking up around 3 and again at 6 and then at 8. I think those top teeth are going to poke through any day now.
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