The Anderson Chronicle

New Orleans - Mardi Gras and a Snow Day?!?!

2010-02-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when Mobile, AL goes straight from Christmas to Mardi Gras. It was fun to take down our Christmas and put up Mardi Gras decorations. We haven't been to every parade like last year, but we are still having lots of fun...as usual.

Today I am home from work because there was a threat of snow here in Mobile and the schools closed today. Well, I was just about to write 'so far this morning it has just been a cold rain' and I decided to look up from the computer and it is actually snowing!! I guess this is the 20 year snow that everyone talked about. Of course it is nothing compared to what KC has seen this year, but I know there are a lot of Mobile kids that are seeing snow for the first time.

Last weekend we had planned to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and when the Saints won the championship game, we extended our stay to watch the Saints play in the super bowl. The joke is that when Hell freezes over the Saints would win the super bowl. The Saints won and now there is snow in the South...coincidence?!?!

Anyway, we had a great time last weekend. It started with parades on Saturday. It wasn't really crazy like I expected, but the difference was that they don't put up barricades like here in Mobile, and you can walk right up to the float. On Sunday, the parade started at 11am and there was definitely a Saints theme. I decided I was only to wear gold or black beads, so by the end of the parade I looked like Mr. T. Don't worry, I didn't have to show any skin, it isn't really like that during the parades. The only place where people show skin for beads is on Bourbon Street, and besides it was really cold last weekend...

After the Saints won the Super Bowl, we decided to head from our hotel to Bourbon. It was crazy with the street full of people. We snaked down Bourbon for about 5 blocks and decided that was fun enough, so we turned and made a loop by the cathedral and then headed back to the hotel. There were so many people, but everyone was so happy. Everyone you walked by gave you a high-five. The streets were packed with cars going nowhere and everyone was just having a great time sitting in traffic. Since we had started having fun at noon, we were happy to be back at the hotel by midnight. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I am glad we had decided to stay the extra day to be there for the Super Bowl party.

Since we have been home it has been really cold (for Mobile), so we didn't attend any of the parades during the week. Hopefully the rain/snow will stop this afternoon and we can go tonight. With my new camera, I was able to video some of the parade, so you too can experience Mardi Gras with us. Opps... could not upload... we will work on that!

Long time, no blog!

2009-11-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I actually painted this?!?!?! Martha would be so proud! We have this place in Mobile called Paint Party Studios and you can choose a painting to paint in about 2-ish hours. I thought it was going to be a fancy "paint-by-numbers" thing, but it wasn't. They sketched the lighthouse on a blank canvas and had a plate with all the different acrylic paint colors I would need, but I had to mix the colors to my liking for the painting. This is the color I wish the bay was... It took me about 3.5 hours to do this, but don't worry they were nice and didn't kick us out. I went with my friend, Melanie, and she painted one as well. This is the Middle Bay Lighthouse here in Mobile and I think it is such a unique lighthouse. As I was working on it, I thought maybe I should have chosen something less complex, but oh well. I also thought it would be fun to make it more of a sunset picture than their example. There was only one moment where I thought I was going to have to call it "the burning of mobile bay"... Anyway, it was very fun and I would love to take Mom there next time she is in town.

Andy and I had a fun impromptu weekend in Nashville last weekend. We went to see Nashville Opera's performance of The Fall of the House of Usher by Phillip Glass. Other than studying Phillip Glass in 20th century music class at Jewell, it made me think of that Christmas episode of South Park... If you have seen that episode, you know what I mean. It was 2 hours of repetitive minor thirds. On the other hand, it was actually a really cool production with these awesome video projections as the set. That was the reason we wanted to see it. The same lighting designer is doing the video projections for Mobile Opera's Flying Dutchman in March.

Next week the holidays begin and we are really excited to see the fam in Tulsa. It will be a fun week with my b-day kicking it off!!! Too bad there aren't any good restaurants open on Mondays in Mobile. I guess Andy will just have to cook for me... Tonight he made some chicken noodle soup. I think it might be getting cold here...just kidding, we haven't even turned on our heat once yet. Ahhh, the Gulf Coast! We did get to use our chiminea for the first time last month. We made taco soup and toasted marshmallows in the chiminea.

We wish you all a Happy Turkey Day!

Having Mom and Dad visit is the best!

2009-07-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

After visiting Andy in Tulsa, Mom and Dad were kind enough to give me a ride home. Just a short 11 hour drive from Tulsa to Mobile... It was just like old times. Mom and Dad drove and I slept in the back. When we got to Mobile, we had lots of fun. First of all Dad helped remodel our guest bath. The people that lived here before us put in a nice double sink, but left the original medicine cabinet/mirror that was placed in the center of the two sinks. We (I mean Dad) took it out and we found about 50 used razor blades from the 60's - Yuck! Whoever thought of that great idea, didn't think to far into the future. Anyway we got rid of those and dad re-wired a new light fixture. It was my job to find a mirror that would fit (and not break the bank). I finally decided as a last effort to check out Kirkland's in the mall. To Mom and my surprise, we found one that was even on sale! The funniest part of this is that we left Dad at home and I then had purchased a 24 x 48 framed mirror that I thought I was going to have to walk through the mall to the car with... Luckily, they have a service door and all was well, we even fit it into the Avalon back seat with a bit of maneuvering. Don't worry we didn't scratch the leather. Anyway with much anticipation, here is the progression of the new guest bath.

Yikes!

Getting there.

Wow, Dad rules!

Don't worry we did have fun! We enjoyed Pensacola beach and found about 50 big sand dollar pieces, so Mom was able to bring home more shells... We had a great plan to watch fireworks on a hill outside Fort Conde, but 20 fire ant bites later (on my left foot), we decided to stand under the overpass and enjoyed a bit of wine in Mardi Gras cups as we watched the show. I actually cooked fish and shrimp for Mom and Dad a few times at home, but we did splurge their final night for Mullet Monday at Ed's Shed. On Sunday, we went over to Fairhope and unfortunately all the shops were closed, but we went to the Grand Hotel - Point Clear and had a yummy mixed fruit Mojito.

Stella and I are getting excited because Andy will be home in 2 days. I will have to take him to the beach this weekend. He has some catching up to do with his tan...

It was a bit windy on the bay... nice antennas Megan...

The picture was too cute to leave out.

Enjoying the backyard, but missing Andy.

2009-05-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

While Andy is in Tulsa conducting with Light Opera Oklahoma, Stella and I have been very busy in the backyard. Amanda and I went to the farmer's market on Saturday and found the herb lady. We were then inspired to plant herb gardens! Since I had a bag of dirt, she and I decided to go buy pots and make an afternoon of herb planting. It was really fun, but of course, we ran out of dirt with more to plant and had to run up to Lowe's. I then preceded to find a green pepper plant and a tomato plant, because I knew if I didn't get it all done that day, it probably wouldn't get done.

We finished planting and invited her hubby Justin over to grill some tilapia. I had planted some lemon balm and was excited to try it out on some fish. It is a great herb and we ended up making an herb butter to spread on the fish as they were grilling that consisted of lemon balm, dill and chives. It was fantastic! Well I ended up planting 3 pots and the kitchen window box of herbs and such. I guess now I just need to learn how to cook and I will be good to go. :) Ha, ha! I definitely am missing Andy and his cooking! Hopefully I can keep the herbs alive until he comes home. Here are some pics of the herbs. I couldn't resist that green pepper plant, it already had one almost ready to pick!

Stella is even checking out the herbs. She isn't trying to eat them...yet...
I then woke up on Sunday and decided that now the only thing missing on my deck, was a fountain. And I decided I could make my own. I have watched enough HGTV that surely I could make it happen. Well, I decided to go to HGTV to get some ideas, so I found instructions to make a rain chain bamboo fountain. I thought...we have lots of bamboo in our yard, so I went behind the shed and cut some down. I then went to Lowe's...again...and found all of the rest of my fountain necessities. The only thing that I was missing, was a copper chain. I went to the local Ace Hardware, but they didn't have it either. They did have a copper hanging basket, so I bought that, took the chain off, and actually ended up using the basket upside down to have a little waterfall effect. Now the basin I decided to use, was a copper bucket that we have had in the house. I sealed the seam at the bottom because it wasn't so water-tight. I was supposed to let that dry for 24 hours, but I really wanted to see if it worked. I weaved the rubber tubing through the bamboo, and connected the two pieces with some copper wire, to keep with my theme. I was almost ready to try it out and it started raining, so I moved it all inside. The rain didn't stop, so I decided to give it the 24 hours and then I would take it outside after work on Monday. As I was putting the finishing touches on it, I wanted to put something in the bottom of the bucket to have some depth or color. When Andy and I were first married, I went through this mosaic phase and bought lots of small colored glass pebbles from the dollar store. Now I never did much mosaic work, but now I could put all of the rocks in the fountain! Anyway, enough babbling...get it, babbling...it worked and it makes sitting on the deck that much more relaxing! (I just still have to wear my bug spray.)

Here are some fun pictures of Stella enjoying the back yard!

Well, Ryann and Tara are coming to visit this weekend for Ryann's 30th birthday!!! I am sure I will have some fun blogging after this weekend... Hope you have a Happy Memorial Day and I leave you with this, my next project...the Anderson Jungle!!!!
Yes, that is wild fern growing...

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has had a happy Easter! Since Andy is in KC working, in good King/Wightman fashion, here is our Easter photo...minus Andy. I thought about photo-shopping him in, but I didn't have the time today. :) Growing up, our Easter photo would be taken in front of whichever tree or bush would be blooming in the yard. Since the blooming season here in Mobile is February, I didn't have anything substantial blooming, so I went for the green backdrop. I did manage to get St. Francis in the photo, (thanks Mom and Dad!)

I went to Spring Hill Presbyterian church this morning because they are known to have the best music in Mobile, and since Andy and I are still looking for a church, I went to check it out. Everyone was right. The choir was great and they were accompanied by brass and timpani. I also was seated by this little old woman who was very sweet. I felt like Grandma Wightman was looking over me this morning only this woman sang all of the hymns down the octave. ;) The service also ended with the Halleluia Chorus which made me very happy because I thought I wasn't going to hear it this year for Easter because I wasn't at Valley View.

Stella and I then went to the beach with our friend Carly and her dog, Tony. Stella had not been to the beach yet and had a great time. She was off her leash and just was frolicking almost like she was in snow. The best part was when she ran up to the water. She was bounding at a good clip and then slammed on the breaks. She did her little head tilt as if trying to figure out why the water was moving and then backed up. I will be very surprised if she ever gets her feet wet. Oh well, she is our big baby. She did love the wind and the sand. It turned out to be cloudy and quite windy, so I didn't get in the water either and didn't get much of a tan. It was still nice to just be there.

I then came home and after talking to the "fam" in KC who were having steaks for dinner, I decided that sounded good. Unfortunately the grocery store that I wanted to get my steak from was closed, so I had to settle for the pre-packaged filet. I did have to call Andy to get his mushroom gravy recipe, but other than that, it turned out really well. I had a baked sweet potato, steamed asparagus and the steak with mushroom gravy. I think I am enjoying this cooking thing. I didn't feel like waiting for the grill outside to get ready, so I used our indoor electric grill (one of those great wedding gifts that we forget to use). It works really well, except it takes twice as long to cook anything. My steak turned out to be a delicious med-rare with 10 minutes on each side. I also opened a bottle of red wine (for the mushroom sauce) and enjoyed that as well. It was a bottle that we purchased at the Mobile Opera wine tasting. It is called Layer Cake Primitivo. Yes, I did have to get it because of the name. Anything with cake must be good... Anyway, if you come across it, you won't be disappointed.

Well the Sound of Music is on and it is at my favorite part, so I must go. Until next time.

From Snow to Torrential Downpour

2009-03-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have returned to Mobile. With Andy and I on different airlines both making 2 stops, we finally made it back home. 6:30 AM was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be today, but I think that was because my body was just totally shocked to be up at that time. Work was very busy for both of us today and we have an opera wine tasting event to attend tonight.

I guess I should have looked at the weather last night, because it started raining about 10:30 am and has not stopped yet. Now these aren't light spring showers. For all of us that have been on the "Fury of the Nile" at Worlds of Fun, remember that water fall at the end? That is what it was like coming up to our front porch after I got off work, and obviously I didn't have an umbrella. Down here in Mobile, people don't have gutters on their house, so the rain literally just pours off the roof. Everyone says that it is not normal to have this much rain right now, so hopefully it will stop soon. I am glad that our house doesn't have a basement and we don't have to worry about any flooding. I just hope we don't find an alligator in the swamp that is becoming our backyard. ;) Mom - I am just kidding!

Here is a pic of Andy and I at the theater. I played the role of Frasquita in Carmen. Nice make-up...eh?

We both had a great time in Billings. It was really fun to actually get paid to sing and not have to be working/teaching during the rehearsal period. When I wasn't in rehearsal, I read my book and enjoyed the views of Billings. Andy on the other hand, is heading off to KC to conduct Pirates of Penzance on Friday, so he did have to study some during his free time. (When were weren't at the Montana Brewing Company.)

Mom and Uncle Jack came to visit to see our Saturday performance and we had a great visit. Here we all are after the performance.

Well, I promised some pictures of the view that we had from Shirley's house. This is looking out her back door. One with out snow and one with. It was very serene. She also had a wind chime behind the house that we could hear faintly from our room. I think I missed that last night. Maybe that will have to be a part of the backyard plans.

The first week Andy was there by himself and he was welcomed with snow and freezing temperatures, but when I got there, the weather was beautiful and in the 60's. We even played golf that week!! Then the next week, it snowed twice about 6 inches each time. We definitely were able to see both sides of Billings and luckily, the snow didn't interfere with either of our performances.

It is nice to be back home and with Stella. Now I just hope that the backyard will dry out soon, so Andy can cut the grass before he leaves...

Here is the picture I leave you with until next time...Don't worry, we were drinking Guinness on St. Patrick's Day not Miller Lite. Maybe there really is a Leprechaun in Mobile?

From Mobile to Montana

2009-03-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

Andy and I are here in Billings, Montana performing the opera, Carmen. Andy has been in Billings since the 8th, but I arrived on the 15th. I am in my second day of rehearsals, and it is going very well. We staged so much yesterday, that we had one of our afternoon rehearsals cancelled. So here we are at the local coffee brew. Andy is studying and I am playing on the computer. :)

We are staying at this great house literally at the base of the rimrocks. It is so gorgeous that I had to take some pics. Yesterday was a beautiful day that was in the 60's until about 6pm. That is when a front came over the rimrocks and brought about 3 inches of snow. So again this morning I had to take some pictures to show the difference 24 hours can make.

Well, the temperature did warm back up today and all the snow melted. I am not even wearing a coat. I am glad that I have not been too wimp-a-fied living in Mobile.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to everyone. I am a bit sad that I am not able to make my customary green Rice Krispies® treats today. I did remember to bring my Guinness shirt for today, so I am prepared. I don't know if we will be able to find a Guinness tonight after rehearsal, but we will be toasting you from afar.

In Mobile on Saturday, the Morton's and I had some St. Paddy's Day fun. There was a festival downtown that had samplings of corned beef and cabbage and beef stew for all and a small parade. Sorry, I forgot my camera. It was funny because I recognized some of the floats that were from the Mardi Gras parades. Only they had shamrocks painted on them and everyone was wearing green. Nice! I did also bring a set of Guinness beads for Andy to wear today, so he wouldn't get pinched.

Well, I am having some technical difficulties downloading the pictures from the camera, and we have to get to rehearsal, so pictures will follow tomorrow.

Post Mardi Gras reflection

2009-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

WOW! Is pretty much all I have to say... No really, we had a great day! It started at 9 am. Yes, I did get Andy out of bed with the promise of beer and parades. :) We headed downtown for the fun-filled day. The first parade was at 10:30. Amanda and Justin, our Mardi Gras comrades, met us at the barricade. We brought a fantastic breakfast of Chic-fil-a and Bloody Mary's or Mardi Gras Mash. We got creative on Monday night and Andy decided I needed a "Mardi Gras Virgin" sign, so we had the sign and I was basically pelted with all sorts of stuff. I did get thrown some good stuffed animals, which are supposedly the best throws off the float. Here is the "Barbie and Ken" float from that parade.

Next, we went back to Andy's office for a short break and then headed off to the loading area for the next parade where our friend, Terry, was riding. We made it through the barricade just in time to see the riders come out of the Civic Center. They were led by one of the marching bands in the parade.

We then went to the float that Terry was on and waited to see the parade start. It was fun because the other riders on the float were getting warmed up by throwing us lots of beads. Terry finally made it to the float and then they were off. Directly following the KOR parade was the Comic Cowboy's parade. They are the crew where most of the members are in drag and each float has a political message written on it. Now with my "virgin" sign still being held above my head, I did have an opportunity to show some "skin" for a set of Jagermeister beads, but alas, I decided to save my dignity and pass on the beads...Sorry, Ryann & Josh. Here are some pics of the KOR floats whose theme was breakfast cereals and the Comic Cowboy Queens.

We then went back to Andy's office to change for the KOR reception. The dress for the reception was spring suit or dress and a hat. So pretty much I went to Sears to find a hat. Since my head/hair is not gigantic, it was hard to find a hat that fit. No worries though, I found a lovely fuchsia one that happened to match a suit coat that I already had. Anyway, Amanda and I fit in well with our hats.

We had a fun time at the KOR ball. It was supposed to last until 5:30, but we left about 5 and headed over to the Broadwater's house that was only 2 blocks from the Civic Center. We had a bit of food and some more beverages, sang some show tunes and just had a nice rest for a while.

We then realized that we had almost missed the last parade, so we headed towards Government street and in the direction Andy's office. We were able to see the second half of the parade as it was making its final pass down Government Street. I did catch a cup that said "floats like a moonpie, stings like a bead" by that time, I fully agreed! After a full day of Mardi Gras fun, we were ready to head home. We made our way back to Andy's office to change. While Amanda and I were changing, Andy and Justin went up to the Music Center's balcony and were throwing beads at the mob of people below. Although they were having fun, the girls were ready to crash, so I pried them back downstairs and we let the evening come to an end.

Just for fun, today I put all of the stuff that we caught at all of the parades over the past 3 weeks on the dining room table as the final picture. As I might have said before, I truly appreciate the season of Lent even more now. We definitely had a "Fat" time not only Tuesday but throughout all of Mardi Gras. I highly recommend experiencing it at least once in your life and Mobile does it right. Well, I am definitely going to bed early tonight, so until next time. Have a moonpie and think of us.

Notice the sunburn...We are just not in the habit of wearing sunscreen in February...another lesson learned. :)

Mardi Gras Part III

2009-02-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

I decided to give you an update before the final culmination that is Fat Tuesday. In all of this Mardi Gras-ing I did realize that it is much easier to give up something during Lent after participating in Mardi Gras. I am also having flash-backs to my undergrad years and the visits to K-State... Anyway, the festivities started again last Thursday (We got a day break last Wednesday from parading), we went back to our friend's office (Hargrove) on the parade route up on the balcony. I forgot the camera, so sorry no pics. One of the things that they were throwing besides the usual beads and moon pies was rolled up calenders. I caught the Anne Geddes one and another one caught was a kitten calendar. Hello, random. :)

Oh! Our friend, Paula, was handing out feather boas and decided that I needed one, so she returned to the balcony with an electric blue one for me. Being the nice person that I am, I wore the boa for the rest of the parade, even though they aren't really my thing... After the parade, I took off the boa and realized that my hands were blue...and so was my neck! I looked as if I had been attacked by a smurf! It had even turned my fleece jacket a brighter shade of blue. After I got home and 4 biore cleansing cloths later, I wasn't so blue and luckily the shower the next morning removed the rest out of my hairline. Needless to say, the lesson learned, was stay clear of the feather boas unless you are trying to dye your skin/clothes.

Friday night we returned to Hargrove (free food and beer) and this time decided to try our luck at street level. We had another fun evening, and since our friend Amanda fractured her foot last weekend, we were using her crutch to get the beads that didn't quite make it to the barricade. We finished the night at our favorite coffee/gelato/beer spot. (Strawberry chocolate chip gelato goes quite nicely with Peroni.)

The parades started at noon on Saturday, so we arrived about 11:30 to our usual spot in front of the Presbyterian Church which is only 2 blocks from Andy's office for easy access. The first parade was the Floral Parade which was all kids and teenagers. All of the floats had to have a floral theme and it was cute to watch all of the kids throwing the beads. We then went home to visit Stella and rest a bit before the evening's festivities.

We were invited to the Mystics of Time ball, so we dressed up and headed to the parade before the ball. The MOT's are known for their dragon floats. They have 3 dragon floats named: Verna, Dean and Vernadean... We then went to the ball and after the "call outs" which all members of the crew come onto the dance floor and bow to the King and Queen. The king was "Father Time" who managed to have a 20 year old Queen. She had this great train on her dress, so here is a pic of that. The craziest part about the call outs, is that each member must bow to the King and Queen and then threw doubloons (Coins with the crew theme and logo). They are metal, so I am sure after being pelted with 1000s of them, they probably had a few bruises the next day, but that is a sign of respect...I guess. This ball was very fun and they had brought in a band called the Velcro Pygmies. They were a "Hair Band" cover band, so they were hilarious. If Josh and Ryann haven't seen them, they must! Check out their website to see their outfits www.velcropygmies.com

Sunday is supposed to be the biggest Mardi Gras day in Mobile. It is called Joe Cain day with the people's parades. Joe Cain was credited with bringing back Mardi Gras to Mobile after the Civil War. He started it back by parading down the streets of Mobile in costume. Now it is a really fun parade with over 30 floats. The crew parades usually have a marching band between each float and this parade had the floats right after one another. They are more low-budget, and more risque. I still didn't see too much craziness, but it was very fun. You had to keep your head up at all times as to not get any beads to the face. :) Before the parade, lots of people go to Joe Cain's house and the widows of Joe Cain come and throw black beads to the crowd. It was very interesting and we definitely need to get there earlier next year. We were too far away to catch anything or to hear the presentation.

After that parade, we had to get home to Stella, and didn't think we could get back for the parade at 5:30, so we decided to stay home. It was nice to relax and then I was sucked into the Academy awards. I guess I need to see Slumdog Millionaire, since they received lots of awards last night. Happy Mardi Gras and I know you will be waiting in anticipation for the final installment!

Mardi Gras of Mobile Part II

2009-02-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well we had a fun-filled Mardi Gras weekend that started Thursday. We were invited by our friends Justin & Amanda to have dinner and adult beverages at Justin's office (which happens to have a balcony on the parade route). So we were able to watch the parade from the balcony. Here is a picture of the "Wicked" float. This parade had a Broadway theme...except that the sign introducing the float stated that it was "Wizard of Oz." I guess the Crew didn't think that Mobile would be that hip on newer Broadway shows.

The crew that put on the parade on Thursday was called the Order of Polka Dots or OOP. It was an all female crew, so needless to say, we didn't get a lot of beads thrown up to the balcony. One lady did have a good arm and about took us out with a moon pie.

We took a break on Friday night for a Valentine's dinner party, which was very fun. We did have some excitement though when our friends, Carly and Khristian, came to our house to pick up Andy's tux pants to be hemed. Andy accidentally set the alarm before we left and so when they used the key that we set out for them...the alarm went off and because Andy and I were in at the party, we didn't hear our phones. You know that AT&T commercial... well thankfully they didn't get taken to Jail, but the police came and our alarm was going off for about 5 minutes. At least we know that the alarm works....we just feel really bad that we tried it out on them.

On to Saturday! We started our morning off in southern style with a visit to, of course, Waffle House, with Amanda, Justin and Lucy. We then came back to our house to make some Mardi Gras Mash, fill the cooler with beer and headed to the parade. Here are some pics from the afternoon parade.

After that parade, we went home to visit Stella and to get ready for the evening's festivities. We met the gang again at the parade where there were 3 parades in a row. I think the most random thing I caught was a Hannah Montana candy-filled tin. We also scored more beads and moon pies. Here is a picture of the Pink Panther Float. (Notice the awesome costumes that the riders get to wear!)

After the parade we went and ate Sushi and then finished the night out at "Club Insanity" (which is not really insane, but I like saying the name) playing darts. It was a very fun and memorable Valentine's Day!

Finally we made it to Sunday, where we had been invited to attend the Ball put on by the crew of Neptune's Daughters. Andy and I got all dressed up and went to the parade. Now the girls of this crew could throw...I actually got a handful of beads right in the face. Note to self...don't put your head down until the float is out of throwing distance... No worries, I was fine and then had a nice shimmer of glitter on my skin for the rest of the night. After the parade, we were to go to the Civic Center for the ball and had to be in the doors by 8:45. As guests of the ball, we were able to watch the "call-outs" from the upper level. That took about 90 minutes, but it was very fun to people watch. It is really just like prom for adults, only thousands of people are invited. After the call-outs, we were allowed back down stairs where there were numerous rooms with food and beverages.

With all of the excitement of the previous 3 days and the looming 6:30 am start to my Monday, Andy and I had some food, took it all in and then headed home. It was definitely an experience. We have 2 more balls to go to before the end of Mardi Gras, so more fun to come. I will leave you with some pictures from Sunday night.

Notice, the koozie matches my dress. Wouldn't the Stegings be proud... And also Andy's new set of tails!

Mardi Gras of Mobile Part I

2009-02-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

I survived my first Mardi Gras parade. We had a great time. We were there really early that we were able to stake our claim on the barricades! So that meant that we were up close to all of the action. So here are some cool pic of some of the floats. Above is Star Wars (in case you didn't catch it) and below was the Zorro float.
This parade had 16 floats all with different themes, and in between each float were men on horses also throwing beads or roses. It was really cool.

Oops, I just got caught multi-tasking writing my blog and web-cam-ing with my parents, so I better go. There are 5 parades that we are planning on attending next weekend, so until then...have a great week. Here is a photo to linger in your minds until then. :)

Ready for Mardi Gras in Mobile

2009-02-03T14:32:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am again slacking on my blogging. I realized since I don't have any children, I don't have the mothering urgency driving me to blog...and I also feel like I need a picture to blog, so whatever... But... I do have three nephews, so here they are with Grandma and Grandpa in KC at Christmas.

On to us...we are here in Mobile where it is second in Mardi Gras madness to New Orleans. Actually for you history buffs, Mardi Gras was first started in Mobile and then moved to New Orleans and the rest is history.

The first official Mardi Gras parade is this Friday, so I will give weekly updates as to the Mardi Gras Madness that I will be experiencing. Also just to let you know, Mobile boasts its Family-friendly Mardi Gras, so I don't think I will have to show anything to get beads here. :)

So right after christmas, people in Mobile almost turn their christmas decorations into Mardi Gras decorations. The "Giant red bow house" that was down Dauphin street, took the red bows down to reveal giant beads and put up purple toole. I will try to get a picture, because words just don't describe. As everyone in my neighborhood started putting up their Mardi Gras flags, I was feeling very under-decorated... I decided I needed a flag! Now I have never owned a flag for my house, but no time like the present!

So the flag mission began. Do you know how difficult it is to find a Mardi Gras flag that doesn't have a scary jester or mask on it? Well, Holly came to visit me this past weekend and I took her shopping in Fairhope, AL. It is a really cute bay-side town that has lots of great shops. We actually found a really nice flag that came with a pole!! So thanks again, Holly, now we don't feel like outcasts in the neighborhood.

Side Note: I am finding it very strange that our Northern Magnolia started blooming in January. In KC, we were lucky if it was blooming for Easter. :)

We had a great time with Holly this weekend! Andy had his "Songs of the South" concert on Saturday night, so it was really nice to have Holly in the audience with me, so I wasn't the only "Yankee" in attendance. It was a really great concert where I finally got to hear the "Stars Fell on Alabama" which is the quote on the AL license plate. The theater was sold-out which made it even more fun and the encore was the Mobile opera singers, symphony, pick-up band, and the entire audience singing "Sweet Home Alabama." Holly and I even sang along. :)

The best Southern story of the weekend though was when the three of us went to Callaghan's (the one Irish pub in Mobile). We showed up about 11:45, right at last call, and talked them in to two Guinness and a Harp. There were about 10 people in the bar, including staff, with 6 of them being us and the three at the table right next to us. The table next to us was having a bit of an argument, and about 15 minutes later, the woman at the table stood up and yelled to the entire bar "I hate you! I hate this place! And I f***ing hate the South!" She then proceeded to leave the bar. Before she was out the door, the bartender started singing "Dixie" and the entire bar chimed in! The other bartender then walked over to the front door and pad-locked us in, so she wouldn't come back. It was AWESOME! Only because Holly came to visit, would we have ever been witness to that! Ahhhh, the South...

Anywho, until next week when I will have pictures of parades, here are pics of the other Mardi Gras decorations in our house.

Ready for a Holiday!

2008-12-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I should be in bed because I have to be at work at 6:30 every morning...instead, I just finished putting the Christmas letter together. I thought, I need to put on the blog the picture that didn't make the cut. Yes, there is a bar downtown that is "dog friendly." This was Stella's first time at a bar and she felt right at home...no pun intended. So after we took the "real" Christmas card photo, I had to take this one for the blog.

It doesn't really feel like Christmas to me here in Mobile because it has been in the 70's the past few days. Now it has gotten cold and thankfully I didn't take the scraper out of my car because at 6:30 am even in Mobile there is occasionally frost. Well, we still have a bit of Holiday shopping to finish up and we are getting excited to come to KC for a visit. I know there has been lots of snow in KC, but knowing our luck, it won't snow next week. :)

Hope everyone has very Happy Holidays and talk to you next year!

Not the best blogger...

2008-11-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm not quite the best at blogging. I don't want to think that we were blown away by the hurricane over Labor Day weekend, so I'm finally back on the blogging scene...

Anyway, since our indestructible iMac's hard drive crashed a few weeks ago, I don't have any new pictures to post yet (well I did, but they are gone now), but I promise I will soon. I do love the mac, but was very disappointed that it crashed. No information has been able to be recovered, so let's just say, Andy and I learned a very important lesson about backing up you files on an external hard drive... Oh well, you live and you learn!

We just had a great visit in KC last weekend and drove home the 14 hours yesterday, so needless to say, I'm a bit sleepy and not quite sure what day it is. I actually sent an email to Sara and told her to have a "Happy Monday"...I guess it is my Monday, but felt a little silly after the fact. It was great to get back to KC. It was a busy weekend though. Andy conducted his "farewell" concert with KC Civic Orchestra and it was great with the violinist Mark O'Connor. It was definitely a great send-off. We also put on our Puccini Festival appetizer party and then went to O'Dowds to see Eddie Delahunt and the boys. It was great to be there and to have an O'Dowds pint of Guinness.

Monday night was Opera Supper at Californos. It was fun to be back there and to see some of our opera friends. Also on Monday, I was able to have lunch with my KCAA girls, Kate and Andrea, at Cactus Grill. I really miss good Mexican food. You would think that there would be good Mexican food here in Alabama because it is closer to Mexico than KC, but alas, it is not the same. Andy and I are still in search of good Mexican food in Mobile.

Anyway, I promise to be a better blogger and also to put some new pictures up of the house now that our computer is fixed. Maybe this weekend I will get to that... Well, have a Happy Wednesday as I am now having a great Monday of my 3-day week!

Gustav is on his way!

2008-08-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, what a welcome to the gulf coast! Since we have been here for 2 weeks, we have had Fay which luckily pretty much missed all of Mobile and now Gustav. We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday and spent a lovely day down in Gulf Shores. We were told it was really quiet for Labor Day weekend, but we enjoyed the lack of crowds. :) As Gustav is approaching, we looked to our neighbors as to what to do. Nobody is really doing anything different! Our next door neighbor took her wreath and flag down, so just to be on the safe side, we put all of our patio furniture in the garage. Better to be safe that sorry. Andy is now whipping up some Hurricanes and Mid-Atlantic Crisis beverages for our adventure. Thanks for everyone that has called to check on us. We are doing fine and will update later. There are no evacuation recommendations for our area as we live north of I-10, so we are just hunkering down for a bit of wind and rain.

We made it to Mobile!

2008-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long to blog, but it took about a week to find the computer. We have been in our new house for just over a week. We love it! We are cooking our first meal at home and Andy just found the silverware (just in time)! Wow...moving is just really not the most fun thing to do. We are so excited to be here, but I am still waiting for the unpacking fairies to come and make these boxes disappear! Oh well, I guess we really have to do it ourselves.

Here is the best pic of our unpacking thus far. Well, first of all the moving truck didn't get to our house until Monday, so Monday night 9 and 1/2 hours after the two movers unpacked the truck... Needless to say, we were pretty tired! Stella too and she found a very tight path to the back of the office full of boxes to her bed. She didn't mind that a box was even on her bed.

Anyway, 1 week later and we have a den, kitchen and the office is almost put together, so hopefully by next week, I will have some updated pics of our house to post. We miss all of our friends and family in KC, and hope to see you all soon! PS. Tropical Storm Fay just gave us a little rain, so no torrential down pours this time. :)

Packing...Fun?

2008-08-08T15:56:00.001-07:00

Well, here we are in the final days of living at 101 E 49th. As you can see, we are having tons of fun packing! Stella has been a great help...she is not quite sure what is going on, but I know that she will love her new house. The packers come on Tuesday followed by the movers on Wednesday. I can't imagine having to do this without movers. Well just a short note, I just heard Andy pull into the driveway, so Stella and I better get back to work. :)

Mobile Humor

2008-07-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it is funny enough that I, who have spent all of my life north of the Mason-Dixon Line, will be a transplant to Mobile, but here is some humor I have found since the big news...

Now Ed's Shed was one of the first places we ate at in Mobile. And I actually took this picture for Josh, because when he and Ryann come to visit, he better bring his mullet wig for Mullet Mondays! Then I learned that a Mullet is not only a bad hairdo but also a fish! I wonder which one came first?

Now here is something that Ryann brought to my attention, so I can't take the credit for this. I guess there was a leprechaun sighting in 2006 in a Mobile neighborhood. So if you would like a good laugh, please check out the website www.wheredagoldat.com. There is the original news story. It is a must see. My favorite part is the sketch...enjoy!

Well, I am sure that there will be more humorous stories to come, but I will leave you with the thought that while you are all land-locked and freezing next January, we will be enjoying Fall temperatures and the ocean. But again, you are always welcome to come visit!!

A busy week in Mobile, Alabama...

2008-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Andy and I have been very busy in Mobile. In less than one week, we are pretty much ready to move to Mobile...except for that whole packing thing in KC. We found a great house with lots of room for us and for people to come visit! Actually, now we have a bit more house than furniture, but that won't be too hard to deal with. :) It is very strange and wonderful that we are moving to the gulf coast. We went to Gulf Shores for dinner on Thursday. The sand was so soft and the water so warm, it brought back summer memories on the Gulf for both of us. I can't believe that we are a 45 minute drive to those beautiful beaches!! Mobile is a beautiful city that has the architecture of New Orleans and supposedly a Mardi Gras that is just as fun! I think I ate seafood every meal down there. Pretty much any entree on the menu that had crab meat was what I ordered! It is so nice to have fresh seafood available, and Andy was excited about the turnip greens and fried okra that was offered as a side even at the BBQ place.

Well, I thought I would fashion myself after Ryann and start a blog, so here it goes. I know that I am not as comical as she is in her writing... :) but I'll try, and at least we can keep everyone up on our adventures. Until next time...Here are some pics of our new house. PS. notice the two huge palm trees just off our deck!!