My beautiful friends Kim and Camille- enjoying pre-k mardi gras activities. (two circles around the carpool pick-up line and bead throwing!)
For some reason I really miss being at Mardi Gras this year. Maybe it's because my friend Kim texted me that they were renting a house in NOLA and asked us to meet them. As a family. As in kid friendly. Well- as kid friendly as Mardi Gras can be. {no daniel tiger. no easy bathroom access on the parade routes. no clear double stroller paths. no unlimited grilled cheese or apple juice supply- really the only super kid friendly place is my house if I'm being totally honest here. but I digress...} If you haven't been to Louisiana for Mardi Gras, you don't know what you are missing. It's also probably not what you think it is either.
 Peyton in her chicken chasing gear |  Little Charlie in his Mardi Gras best |  Baby Jenna all dolled up for her first parade |
One of my best friends showing that New Orleans Mardi Gras is kid friendly and kid approved.
Beautiful masked ladies! Well, it's some of what you think. But it's not all what the non-Louisiana press makes it out to be. Sure there is debauchery- that's why it takes place the (fat!) Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. So you can get it all out of your system before lent.
But it's more than that. It's parades. It's black tie balls with women in gorgeous gowns (puts the oscars to shame y'all!) It's community. My best Mardi Gras experience was when I was at LSU and my BFF Marci signed us up for a little chicken chasing expedition in Eunice Louisiana. Yep- Mardi Gras isn't just in the big city pretty people. If you don't know about this tradition read about it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courir_de_Mardi_Gras ).
Not sure if you know this about me but I'm a city girl. I think chickens come from the grocery store. De-feathered, deboned and sometimes even cooked for me... So while there was revelry- it was more about community. My best memory of the day isn't even really about the day itself. It's about sitting at Marci's grandmother's house (hi Momee!) my making costumes with Marci, Erin and Deb. (similar to the picture of Peyton above) Giggling. Buring our fingers with hot glue guns. Joking and enjoying life and each other.
So while the chicken chasing isn't really my thing- being with friends certainly is. So next year I will do everything in my power to get down there- meet up with my friends and Laissez les bons temps roulr! (for those of you not as fluent in french as I am- that means let the good times roll!)
Happy fat tuesday y'all!
But it's more than that. It's parades. It's black tie balls with women in gorgeous gowns (puts the oscars to shame y'all!) It's community. My best Mardi Gras experience was when I was at LSU and my BFF Marci signed us up for a little chicken chasing expedition in Eunice Louisiana. Yep- Mardi Gras isn't just in the big city pretty people. If you don't know about this tradition read about it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courir_de_Mardi_Gras ).
Not sure if you know this about me but I'm a city girl. I think chickens come from the grocery store. De-feathered, deboned and sometimes even cooked for me... So while there was revelry- it was more about community. My best memory of the day isn't even really about the day itself. It's about sitting at Marci's grandmother's house (hi Momee!) my making costumes with Marci, Erin and Deb. (similar to the picture of Peyton above) Giggling. Buring our fingers with hot glue guns. Joking and enjoying life and each other.
So while the chicken chasing isn't really my thing- being with friends certainly is. So next year I will do everything in my power to get down there- meet up with my friends and Laissez les bons temps roulr! (for those of you not as fluent in french as I am- that means let the good times roll!)
Happy fat tuesday y'all!
While these are not Momee's crawfish- she makes the best crawfish etouffee on the planet. Just typing that makes my stomach growl. Thanks to my sweet friend Lee Ann for letting me use her crawfish picture. Now if I could just find some good crawfish in Memphis I'd be a happy reveler
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