O Canada!

*VIDEO*

David and I just returned from an amazing (adults only) vacation in Quebec City and Montreal, Canada. While Ford stayed home with Nonna and Grandaddy, we trekked through the historic French-Canadian cities to enjoy the ambiance and sights. We really enjoyed the cities because they reminded us so much of Europe -- especially Quebec City. Although we don't speak a lick of French, fortunately everyone speaks English and most menus include English descriptions. Whew. :)

QUEBEC CITY

Our amazing room at the B&B. Hands down beat any hotel!

Notre Dame Basilica

The Holy Door at Notre Dame Basilica. The opening of the door is a powerful moment in a ceremony that dates back to Rome in the 1400s, but has never taken place outside Europe until now. Holy doors, which are sealed after the jubilee, are opened only once every 25 years; there are only 7 in the world. And WE got to walk through it. :)

Naps are essential when walking for hours on end every day....at nearly 6 months pregnant. :)

Night tour at The Citadel....creepy!

25 weeks with baby girl!

After two nights in Quebec City, we hopped a train to Montreal.

MONTREAL

These were parked in front of our hotel when we arrived. Alas, they weren't for us. Didn't stop us from drooling over them every single day as we exited the hotel, though.

Chateau Ramezay

Frenchmen were apparently much smaller back in the day (Chateau Ramezay).

Notre Dame Basilica

Olympic Stadium

View of the city from Mount Royal Park. Took us 40 minutes to walk there, and then another 30 minutes for me to climb the 452 stairs to the top. 452 STAIRS!

$5 to the first person who can tell me what THIS creature is. I'd never seen it before. (Biodome)

These raccoons at the Biodome cracked me up!

At the Botanical Gardens

We caught our first pro soccer match! LA Galaxy vs Montreal Impact. It was an exciting game, ending 2-2.

We had great seats -- 3rd row! Up close and personal with Landon Donovan!

We flew home on 9/11...through Newark....on United! It was kind of a weird experience, personally. Here's the skyline of NYC with the Freedom Tower as we flew out on our way back to Indy.

As much as we loved being away, we sure missed our little guy. Photos of his "while the parents are away Ford will play" staycation coming soon! :)

Is It Narcissistic to Blog Every Year on Your Anniversary?....

....meh! Who cares — it's my blog and I'll post what I want to. :)

If you know me, you know I'm not a super gushy girl. I cry a lot (too much estrogen?). Sometimes I write poetry. And I like romance. That said, I'm not a lovey-dovey-hugs-and-kisses-snuggle-with-me kind of girl. But today, of all days, I feel it's my duty to shout to the world:

I'm the luckiest girl to be married to such an amazing man!

Eight years ago today, David and I said our vows before God, our families, and friends. It was a magical day, and I remember it like it was yesterday.

Looking back at our 23-year-old selves, I think, "OMG! What were we thinking?!" I honestly can't tell you why neither of our families put up a fuss when we announced our engagement. I don't know if I could do the same if Ford came to me at age 22 and said he was ready to get married. We were so young, and although we thought we knew it all, we clearly didn't. But I guess we knew enough: we knew we loved each other; we knew we wanted to spend our lives together; we knew there would be ups and downs; and we knew it would take work and communication and compromise to make it 'til death do us part. We didn't know what marriage would bring, but we knew we wanted to go through it together as partners for life.

Eight years later, I would marry David a million times over again. He's the one person who understands me in a way no one else does and still loves me unconditionally, faults and all, as I do him. It's the kind of love I can't even comprehend. It just...is.

We have a lot of years ahead of us, and I look forward to every second of every day. Happy anniversary, David. And in case you're asking....

I do.

We're In the NOLA, Baby!

*VIDEO*
Beignets. Crawfish. Blues. Jambalaya. BBQ. Jazz. Streetcar rides. Beer and hurricanes (the kind you drink, not the kind that wreaks havoc in the sky). That about sums up our vacation in New Orleans!

David and I had an awesome weeklong trip to the Deep South while Nonna and Granddaddy stayed home with Ford.

Beignets at Cafe du Monde

Walking down Bourbon Street

We stopped in an old used bookstore. I sat down while David browsed and this kitty laid down in my lap!

Wandering the French Quarter

We spent two days primarily at food festivals: the Louisiana Seafood Festival and the Blues and BBQ Festival. We chowed down on gator sausage, crawfish nachos (my favorite of the week!), po' boys, pulled pork, and ribs while enjoying authentic local blues and jazz groups.

Catching some jazz at the Seafood Festival along the river

Gator sausage

Crawfish nachos

Shrimp po' boy and the local beer

At the Blues and BBQ Festival downtown

We spent one day riding the streetcar through New Orleans along St. Charles Avenue to see the "real" New Orleans outside the French Quarter. We hopped off and walked around for a few hours to see the spectacular old houses in and around the Garden District. We stopped in at an amazing little French bakery for breakfast and did some shopping at the local boutiques and antique shops along Magazine Street. This was one of my favorite days because we got to experience New Orleans outside of the tourist destinations.

Trolley time

Some of my favorites along St. Charles Ave.

We also spent one day touring two sugar plantations about 45 minutes outside the city, near the Mississippi River. It was so neat to see and imagine how the Creoles lived and prospered before the Civil War. The tour guides told some great stories about the owners of the plantations--how they started their business, the height of their success, and their downfall after the war. The pictures just don't do justice to how spectacular these places are.

First stop: Laura Plantation. Laura Plantation (built in 1804) was run mostly by women (awesome). In the Creole tradition, the family business is passed down to the smartest child, not the eldest son (as tends to be the case in the Anglo culture). In the case of this family, the smartest children were the women (ha!). The business started out as a sugar plantation but later added wine distribution because one of the women married a Frenchman. At its largest size, the plantation was approximately 12,000 acres. The house totaled about 24,000 sq. ft. and had a 2,500 sq. ft. detached kitchen to its rear. By 1808, the estate consisted of 10 sizable buildings, including quarters for 17 slaves, a barn, warehouses and a sugar mill.

The basement where, among other things, wine was stored.

Kitchen

Dining room

Office

Now that is some good front porch sittin.

Inside one of the slave cabins.

This was Laura's great-grandmother's "retirement home" she built for herself on the property, right next to the main house. You can see it hasn't been restored yet. The old lady died here at the age of 94 when she stood on her front porch yelling at the Civil War boats moving down the Mississippi. They shot a cannonball at her and killed her.

The second stop was Oak Alley Plantation (completed in 1839), which has been featured in many movies and shows (including Days of Our Lives, Mom and Dad!!). The front walk of this majestic house is canopied by rows of 300-year-old oak trees. It was gorgeous.

Dining room

Bedroom

Our tour guide -- a fantasic storyteller

Bedroom

Second floor landing

In between all the pigging out and exploring, we caught some football (couldn't miss the Packers game!) and relaxed (i.e., caught up on our sleep).

Shopping in the French Market

St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter

Go Pack Go! The jersey was David's anniversary gift. :)

A wedding march through the French Quarter. This was so cool! The bride, groom, bridal party, and guests danced through the Quarter with beers in hand. Loved it!

We sure missed Ford (and Chase), so we were happy to be home after a week away. But we had a great trip and enjoyed celebrating our 7th anniversary without life's normal distractions. And I particularly loved being in the South again! Thanks for a good time, NOLA!