NOLA

Memorial Day for me usually just means a cookout with the fam and no work on Monday. It's one of rest and relaxation and a day of remembrance for the men & women who have lost their lives fighting for our country.

This Memorial Day was a bit different. We were lucky enough to head down to New Orleans for the weekend to celebrate the wedding of Brian's cousin, Jenny and her fiance Cooper Jumonville.

I love weddings and I love to travel for weddings. There is nothing like weaving a little vacation in with a wedding. Case in point...my parents joined us. They LOOOOVE New Orleans and offered up their services as babysitters for the weekend. So, the six of us (Brian, me, McKenna, Ben, Mom, & Dad) flew out on Wednesday and we met Brian's parents at the hotel. They drove down on Tuesday.

Officially, I have 245 pictures on my camera from the weekend alone, don't worry I didn't post them all...but I did post a lot. Sorry, but this blog is mostly for me and I didn't want to forget one single second of our fantastic weekend! :)


riding the bus from the parking lot to the airport at Midway

It was McKenna & Ben's first time flying on an airplane and I was terribly nervous. I wasn't sure if Benny was going to cry the whole time or if Kenna was going to struggle with being held the whole time. The other passengers were probably cringing when we got on the plane, but, both kids did GREAT! We had to transfer planes in St. Louis and due to the weather, we were delayed big time. We were worried we weren't going to making our connecting flight to New Orleans. Thankfully, it was still sitting there when we finally arrived in St. Louis. But, then we were delayed again due to mechanical issues. We finally arrived in New Orleans around 2:30am and checked into our hotel around 3:15am.



passing the time


soooo tired


my girl & I snoozin' on the plane

On Thursday, Barb & I were invited to the Bridesmaid's Luncheon at Galatoire's restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and were able to meet Cooper's aunts and cousins and Jenny's friends from D.C.


Elizabeth, Barb, & Aunt Martha


beautiful bride-to-be, Jenny


Caitlin & I sat next to each other at lunch and became fast friends!


Brian & Jenny on Bourbon St.

After the luncheon, Brian & Rich picked us up and we headed back to the hotel to meet up with my parents and the kids. They were about to take McKenna swimming!


little fishy



laughing at GP!


the view from where Benny & I sat


The plan for Friday included the Wedding Rehearsal Picnic. Before we headed out to the picnic, we decided to jump on the streetcar and head to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets and Cafe Au Lait. After breakfast, we walked around the French Market and Bourbon St. just taking in all of our surroundings.



Kenna loved the people watching...just sooo much to look at!


Rich, Dad, Benny & I


absolutely delicious


going back for more powdered sugar!


NOLA wears this girl out!


hmmm...a hurricane and my sleeping baby...don't judge on how happy I look


sweet boy on the street car with his Daddy...I love Kenna in the background in Grandpa Witkowski's arms


beads hanging in the trees

Later that afternoon we headed out to Haphazard, an area in the bayou owned by Cooper's family, for the Rehearsal Picnic.


Kenna & Uncle Doug


their pool was filled with Artesian well water, don't get scared by the color...Kenna sure didn't!


swimming with GP


just beautiful


check out the front flip! Nice air, Daddy!


Benny doing what he does!


McKenna loved all things New Orleans...especially the food! Here she is enjoying some jambalaya.


view of the party


Brian & his cousins, Casie and Jenny


had to get a picture of McKenna sharing her brownie with Benny...we'll have to teach her that we eat with our mouths not our foreheads! (thank goodness she didn't get any in his mouth though!)


puppy enjoyed New Orleans just as much as Kenna did!




Later that evening (we packed a lot into our days!) Barb offered to stay back at the hotel with the kids, so we took advantage and joined the party on Bourbon St. Needless to say, we had a great time. What a city. Wow.


Acme Oyster Bar for dinner ...a dozen oysters and an abita light? yes, please!


Brian tried oysters for the first time, he loved 'em!


Dad and I like them too!




the men...Doug, Brian, Dad




The next day was the wedding, so we took it easy and headed down for more swimming.


me & my wide eyed boy snuggling before getting our suits on


Benny's first time dipping his toes in...he's like his mom...he likes it a bit warmer!
But seriously how cute is he in his bathing suit and rashguard?! We called him Surfer Ben.


big sister doesn't care about the temperature of the water one bit!



My mom's twin brother lives down in Ponchatoula, LA which isn't far from the city limits of New Orleans. We were very lucky to get a chance to see Uncle Tim and his wife Alyson, we weren't sure it was going to work out. They came over to our hotel to hang out and then when Brian & I left for the wedding, they went out to dinner with my parents and the kids.


Alyson kept kissin' on Kenna's back and it would make her laugh so hard!


sharing her pretzels with Uncle Tim!

Jenny & Cooper's wedding was at this beautiful mansion just a few blocks down from our hotel. They were wed on the front steps and then we headed inside for the reception. It was really beautiful.


Jenny's Mom, Martha and her husband, Ed


Cooper's Mom & Dad


Mr. & Mrs. Cooper & Jennifer Jumonville!




this was the Jack & Coke they served, look at it next to my flute of champagne!


my girls! Lorelei & Claire (Brian's cousins, Doug's daughters)


blue was the color of the evening
(this is our red carpet pose!)




The reception ended around 10pm, so afterwards, we met a bunch of people from the wedding, including Jenny & Cooper, out at a bar down the street.




here's to a most fantastic weekend!

We headed back to Chicago on Sunday evening, with no airplane/airport delays, thank goodness! I can't believe I didn't get a single picture of the two kids on the airplane! UGH! Oh well, I'll just have to next time!

Congratulations, Cooper & Jenny! We are so happy for the two of you. Thank you very much for including us on your most special day.

A special thank you to Granmom and GP for traveling with us and helping us with the kids. I'm not sure we could have done it without you. Love you!