Hi loves!
After being away from home for almost a week, I'm glad to say I'm back in action and jumping right into normal life. I do love a good routine.
My time away was filled with lots of fun and laughs as I returned to New Orleans (last trip was in January!) not only to visit my longtime bestie, but also to celebrate Nicole's Bachelorette Weekend! I will, of course, give you the rundown in pictures.
WEDNESDAY
I got a free upgrade to first class (holla!), so I enjoyed some extra coffee after squeezing in an early round of Pure Barre before my flight out.
Coffee first, 1st class luxuries next.
I literally threw on a cardigan and headed to the airport straight from class...hence the sticky socks. :)
August late afternoon PSLs are even better with your bffie!!!
THURSDAY
I woke up early and enjoyed a Starbucks K-cup in a Starbucks mug.
And, of course, I induldged in a little KUWTK, my guilty pleasure.
Mark and I don't have digital cable, so I enjoyed catching up on the episodes I'd missed.
Then Ash and I hit up the 9:30 Pure Barre in New Orleans!
And we walked to and from there too, adding an extra 4 miles. Boom.
Ash spoiled me with lots of good home cooking (she made the best veggie burgers ever from scratch) and peanut butter bars for dessert each night. Hellooooo, YES. (I need to at least attempt get on her level in the kitchen. But I'm very aware that it might not happen. Girl has skillz. And Italian in her blood. :))
FRIDAY
Arrival goodies at the apartment...!
Lizzie found an awesome apartment via VRBO called "Jolly Folly."
It slept 12 and was right off Bourbon St, so we could walk everywhere!
Lizzie and I shared this room, which reminded us of when we were campers and counselors together at summer camp.
Of course we slept with our heads facing each other, too.
After most of the gals arrived, we headed to Deanie's Seafood for some Po' Boys and drinks.
Next stop? Cat's Meow. We stayed there for the rest of the afternoon...and went back every day after that too.
Can't beat good karaoke and 3 for 1 specials.
Friday night was wig night. It was a hilariously amazing.
And we all got nostalgic using water and paper towels like the good ol' days to apply some golden tats to ourselves.
Creepy bathroom selfie. We were obviously cracking ourselves up with the extreme weirdness.
The beautiful bride with her special rainbow/Lisa Frank/My Little Pony wig.
Wiggin' out!
Lizzie's PicStitch...so many wigs!
For dinner we headed to Bourbon House. I had a wedge salad there that was divine....so divine that I've been thinking about wedge salads everyday since. I didn't take any pictures, but it was gorgeous, and the service was impeccable!
SATURDAY
It straight up monsooned the WHOLE morning and afternoon, so we took some cabs to Magazine St. for a change of scenery. Luckily the rainstorm cooled things off, so we didn't experience any typical NOLA heat until Sunday.
For lunch on Magazine we dined at Charcoal's Gourmet Burger Bar, which reminded me SO MUCH of Bad Daddy's in Charlotte. Good stuff. As a dog person, I also puppreciated appreciated that Charcoal's is named after a black lab. They had a big painting of him upstairs where we ate, and there were fun little accents like dog bones on the paper the food was served on...and the salads were even served in big dog food bowls! They have a good theme going on.
Meanwhile, at home in Wilmington...
And our husbands enjoyed the beach in the sun while we braved the torrential rain.
I was really glad that Luke and Mark (and pups) got to spend the long weekend together while Lizzie and I were away in Nola.
(And how cute are they for bringing each of our wedding koozies with them out on the beach!? Love them.)
Back in rainy Nola...
Luckily, the rain stopped in the evening. It made for a perfect nap that afternoon though. :) Saturday night was all gold errythang night.
Nicole, Lizzie, and me
(How cute is this dress that Rachel let me borrow!? She ordered two from Rent the Runway and didn't wear this one by Haute Hippie...so I channeled my inner Beyonce and loved it.)
Love these pretty ladies!!
Everyone in our gold...and with 12 "Flat Skylers."
The 2-D version of Nicole's fiance joined us in various hilarious rendezvous throughout the night.
Sami, my fellow Wilmington LTB-er, and I couldn't help but tuck a little in the bathroom.
Saturday dinner was by far my favorite. If you go to New Orleans, you MUST try Domenica!
1) I love pizza.
2) The restaurant was drop-dead gorgeous. I mean...incredibly gorgeous.
3) Amazing service.
4) They have a pizza on the menu that was made for me:
The roasted carrott pizza ($13) was the equivalent of two meals and was made up of things I stinkin' LOVE:
goat cheese, red onion, shredded Brussels Sprouts, beets, and hazelnuts.
Domenica chandeliers
SUNDAY
We brunched at Mr. B's Bistro. The ambiance was perfection! A jazz trio and a special serenade for the bride.
By night we ate at Royal House Oyster Bar, where nearly all of us ordered a good New Orleans meal for our last dinner in Nola. My dish, Taste of New Orleans, was a trio of seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and chicken and andouille jambalaya (which was my favorite).
We sat upstairs and dined al fresco. This was our fabulous view!
Post-dinner, these girls and I wanted to end our Nola experience with none other than a piping hot beignet from Cafe du Monde!
If you made it through that extreme photo dump of documentation, cheers to you! :)
A BIG THANK YOU to Meredith and Lizzie (the maid and matron of honor!) for planning such an awesome weekend that went off without a hitch! Can't wait to celebrate our sweet bridey Coley and her marriage to Skyler so soon in October!
Cheers to New Orleans!
