Jazzfest and old friends..

This post is way over due but alas duty calls and I have been swamped at work lately. So now it's time for catch up!

At the end of April we went to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to see the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. It was our umpteenth time seeing TAB but we had never seen M&S before and had been looking forward to it for weeks. And of course, you can't beat a quick trip to New Orleans in spring. The weather was perfect. Not the usual hot mess of mugginess that I have experienced on my previous trips to New Orleans, but cool and breezy and every day.

Adam's mom Denise and our friend Meagan were supposed to originally meet us there but it ended being just Adam and myself for the weekend. We arrived Thursday morning super early and met the people whose attic apartment we were renting for the weekend (thanks to Denise!) Ray and Karen Baker, a very friendly and enthusiastic couple. Ray had worked in Paris for 20 something years and while they were there they had acquired practically a museum of French antiques and artwork decorating their second floor apartment.

After dumping our luggage we headed for breakfast at Croissant D'Or and a walk around the quarter.






Because it was Jazzfest weekend there were tons more street performers than normal in town and one of the best ones we saw was this guy and gal playing awesome covers of popular rock songs classical/jazz style. Perhaps I was most intrigued by their Auburn bucket.. I finally asked them the third time we passed them what the significance was.. if they went to school there etc. and they said they just found it and that depending on the person it tended to help or hurt their tips. :)

One highlight of our trip (besides the shows) was meeting up with two of my favorite people, the Grahams. Laura and I worked together at Shannon, Strobel & Weaver back in the day and were neighbors at Westshore Landing in Auburn. So we have been friends for years. It was so awesome to see both of them! They were delayed for a few hours because of that horrible storm that passed through Birmingham the day before, but thankfully they made it safely. We met them for dinner for tons of oysters. Good times! This was their first trip away from their Fennway, but it didn't take long for them to get adjusted to being sans child.

Jazz Fest was fabulous although we only went for one day. We were way far away from the stage but they had big screens so we didn't miss too much.. Mumford & Sons were great.. sounded just like their recorded music and they had lots of energy like TAB as well. There was mucho dancing on my and Adam's part.. probably the most we have ever danced at a TAB show cause there was LOTS of room even though there was tons of people there. 

 TAB ended the day so afterwards we walked around back to where the tour buses were and met the fabulous Joe Kwon. Adam also met the drummer who no one really recognized. Mumford & Sons were also around drinking straight out of bottles of whiskey.. such a contrast to the avetts who don't drink while on the road. Good southern boys. Jake Gyllenhaal was also there which was very cool and all the girls (including me) were going crazy trying to catch a peek at him.

Some guy tried to pick me up at the bar.. 

 Laura and Erik unfortunately had to leave early Saturday morning so Adam and I had two days to ourselves to walk around.

Saturday night we decided to take a vampire tour which was a total waste of money. There were two stops at bars during the tour of which we got stuck at the first stop and enjoyed some low country boil of crawfish... yum!

We headed out Sunday afternoon just as the weather started getting muggier. All in all a great trip although we were both ready to get home to miss Maia. :)

Maia's 3rd Birthday = 3 parties

Maia turned 3 on April 17th and had no less than 3 birthday parties. 

The trip to Tuscaloosa to see the Avett Brothers was also a trip home for me. But while we were there, we decided to plan a birthday party for Maia with the family. Brianna (my niece) and Carson (my cousin Jennifer's youngest son) both had birthdays around Maia's so we did a big joint birthday party... which was fun but also chaos with so many kids running around.

My cousin Joni's youngest little girl Ella and Maia were fast best friends! I wish we lived closer and they could see each other more often!

My mom's friend and coworker Freida made this Dora cake for Maia which she absolutely loved! Looks just like her!

Brianna had a tier cake which Maia talked about non-stop for about two weeks after...

The hit of the party by far was the pinata that Mom and I bought. We made Jennifer's boys wait until last cause we knew one of them would bust it open before the little girls got a chance, and they did! I think it was Carson who knocked it completely off the string. 

A pic of me and my cousins Joni and Jennifer at Mamaw and Papaw's house where we went after the party.

My favorite picture of the day, Papaw and Maia being silly!

Maia's second birthday party was at our house on her birthday and Emilie and Bailey came over to celebrate! I spent forever making her a tier cake since she wanted one like Brianna's. 

Here is little miss priss licking the icing off the knife...

 The coolest present.. a Mickey Mouse Camper!

 Maia's 3rd birthday festivus was the Monday after her birthday at school with her little friends in her class! We did cupcakes and passed out goody bags!

Until next year! Happy Birthday to our little stinker!