Jack's New Orleans Style Birthday Celebration

There is probably no city in the United States more associated with celebration than New Orleans.  O.K., maybe Las Vegas.  I've never been to Las Vegas so I can't compare the two cities.  All I know is that during our stay in New Orleans it seemed that there was a festival, a party or a parade going on all of the time.  New Orleans is the city that Jack has liked the best during our cross country tour.  He would move there in a heartbeat if I would agree to it.  For me, Las Vegas is a nice place to visit but not a place that I would choose to live.  Too hot and buggy.  Since Jack loves New Orleans so much, I wanted to find a restaurant here in Portland with Creole/Cajun food for Jack's birthday celebration yesterday.  Luckily, I found the perfect spot only a few blocks away from where we are staying.

 Acadia is located on a residential street in a block of buildings that includes a wine bar, an Irish Pub and a coffee shop.  It is close enough to our apartment that we could have ridden our bikes there although we took our car last night. 

The decor is reminiscent of New Orleans and features Jazz Fest posters and Outsider art, which we both like.  The purple and gold color scheme reminded us of the purple and gold drapes in the living room of our former home in Joliet.  (I loved those drapes.  They were worth every penny of the exorbitant price we paid for them.)  

The fleur de lis on the seat covers, light fixtures, and even the bill took us right back to our time in New Orleans.  

It turns out that I made a great restaurant pick.  (Thank you, Yelp)  Everything that we ordered was delicious and the service was excellent.  Jack and I started out by sharing the Barbeque Shrimp appetizer.  It wasn't a typical barbeque but more like a spicy gravy with Worcester Sauce, butter, and pepper.  It was great for dripping our bread.  If I had had a spoon I probably would have eaten the sauce like a soup.  It was really good.  

For our main course, Jack had the Pasta Jambalaya

and I had the Goat Cheese Gnocchi with roasted chilies, toasted hazelnuts and corn.  

Both dishes had the kind of heat that seems to be typical in Cajun food but they weren't so spicy that all you could taste was HOT. The portion sizes were just right because we were saving room for dessert.  After all, what's a birthday celebration without dessert?

Take a look at the amazing bread pudding that Jack ordered! 

When I saw his dessert I almost wished that I had chosen the bread pudding but after one taste of my own banana cream pie with salted caramel sauce I knew that I had made a good choice for my own dessert.

This did not stop me from drinking the leftover vanilla sauce from Jack's dessert.  (I'm breaking my own rule and posting an unflattering picture of myself.)

Bad manners, I know, but after two glasses of Pinot Noir it seemed like such a good idea! 

Even though no one said, "Who Dat?" or threw beads, I think that Jack really enjoyed his New Orleans style birthday celebration.  It seems as if he's aging backwards rather than getting older. The kids always tease Jack that there is a Dorian Gray-type portrait hidden somewhere that ages while he looks younger and younger.  Whatever the secret is I'm just glad that Jack was born 59 years ago and that we are spending our lives together.  He is such a great guy.  I always tell Jack that he is my gift from God. 

St. Patrick's Day - NOLA Style

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Today was a beautiful sunny day in New Orleans.  Jack and I got moving early this morning so that we could go for a run in Audubon Park before heading back to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  We took the bus up to the Park and the Trolley back home which costs $1.25 each way.  We didn't want to move our car because we were told that traffic and parking would get crazy this afternoon as people poured into the area for the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Public transportation was easy and convenient but I've got to learn to relax and WAIT for it to show up.  Things seem to run at a little more casual pace in the South and I find myself getting impatient. I'm not sure why.   

Audubon Park is beautiful and we had really enjoyed our run there.  Jack and I are so grateful that we are healthy enough to get out and run, especially considering that Jack could barely walk last year at this time.  It was a wonderful day to get outside; sunny and breezy and not too humid.  Audubon Park has century old oak trees which offer a lot of shade, lots of open green space, a lagoon, a zoo and stables.  We like the 1.8 mile paved path for running and biking that goes around the park.  It's right in town, surrounded by beautiful homes and near to Loyola and Tulane Universities. 



After our run we headed home to eat lunch and head over to the parade.  You couldn't ask for better weather to enjoy the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Jack and I staked out a good spot on Louisiana Avenue which is a few blocks from where we are staying. We brought Coco with us but ended up bringing her back home mid-way through the parade.  As usual, she was a hit with everyone sitting around us but the noise got to be too much for her. While we only brought over lawn chairs and a few drinks, many people arrived early with tables, coolers, portable tents and lots of food.  

People really seem to get into the spirit of the parade and lots of people were in costume which was fun and added to the party atmosphere. 



There is a strong Irish presence in New Orleans which was a surprise to me.  Of course, on St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish or pretends they are for a little while!  Jack and I were surprised that to find that the parade was primarily made up of walking groups from Irish bars and Irish organizations along with parade floats. 

 In addition to throwing LOTS of beads, marchers in this parade have a tradition of carrying styrofoam sticks with silk flowers stuck in them so that they look like floral parasols.  Women on the parade route are then given a flower in exchange for a kiss on the cheek.  





Along with beads and flowers, groups gave out items like garters, stuffed animals, plastic cups and underwear. 



The most unusual things we saw thrown from the floats were heads of cabbage and little packets of carrots for soup.  The streets were littered with beads, trash and vegetable bits.  

The floats were bright and colorful and played lots of fun, upbeat music. We enjoyed the music but were disappointed that there was very little Irish music played in the parade.  We were hoping for lots of bagpipes!  In fact, there was only one band in the parade.  The kids did a great job but looked like they were worn out by the time they reached our spot on the parade route.  Jack and I enjoyed all of the floats and terrific people watching. 

Neither one of us has been to Mardi Gras but if today is any indication, it must be a LOT of fun.  I think that a person would really have to build up to it.  How do people get the energy?  I'm not sure that I'm up for the challenge.  It was great to go to the parade and celebrate but then it was great to come back to our little place and enjoy the quiet.  Jack and I had a great time sharing in a New Orleans tradition and would recommend the parade for anyone. Despite the huge

huge amounts of alcohol being consumed (you can walk around with open alcohol here) it's very family friendly.  Lots of multi-generational groups were there along with the younger generation of partiers and everyone got along beautifully.  Just remember to keep your head up if you are standing in the front or you might get conked on the head by a cabbage! 



I'm Sorry, It's Almost Like A Christmas Newsletter

I swore that I would never, ever write one of those obnoxious year-end recaps that people tend to send out ("Biff was promoted at work, Biff, Jr. is the President of the Debate Club, and our little Muffy is at the top of her class") but as I reread this post I realize that I've done just that.  It's just that 2011 was a big year for the Payton's and the Spurr's.  Lots of change - most of it good, some of it bad but overall it was a good year for us.  As Jack and I talked over our coffee this morning we agreed that we were very, very lucky in 2011.

For us, 2011 started off on a high note.  On December 31, 2010 we were celebrating the wedding of Heather Meszaros and Juan Aleman and the party lasted until the wee hours of January 1st.  Their wedding was such fun.  My brother-in-law and sister, Bob and Deb Meszaros, Heather, Juan and our nephew Craig Meszaros put on an awesome party.  Best New Year's Eve ever!

In April, we sold our home in one week (thanks to our wonderful realtor, Jeff Gregory at Realty Executives) which was unexpected and miraculous.  Although Jack and I had been planning our road trip adventure for several years we just didn't think that things would move so quickly and it took some quick readjusting.  We loved our little house and it was a bittersweet thing to walk away from the home where we shared so many good times with our family and friends. 

On August 20, 2011 our daughter Kathryn Spurr married Ben Loeffler and and Jack and I had two special events to celebrate that day.  What a gift that our daughter was happy and marrying such a terrific guy, and that we had all 6 of our children together under one roof.  It had been almost 10 years since the last time everyone was together.  Such a happy day!  Good food, good booze and the people you love most in the world.  Life doesn't get much better than that.

  

The happy times of 2011 helped us get through the challenging times.  Jack somehow developed a herniated disc (could it have been all of that snow shoveling????) and he suffered with back and leg pain for most of the year as he tried to avoid surgery.  Shots, pills, chiropractics, and yoga were not able to take away the pain and in September, Jack had surgery which was successful.  He is now pain free.  My Dad used to say, "As long as you have your health you have everything." and I would think to myself, "Yeah, yeah but I need a bigger house."  I think that you don't really appreciate the gift of good health (and the simple joy of being able to sit and stand pain free) until it's taken away by injury or ill health. 

In November we packed up our car and our little dog and set out to have the adventure of our dreams - visiting all of our children across the country and seeing the places we've always dreamed of seeing.  We arrived in New York City and shared a happy Thanksgiving celebration with our girls and their guys, pinching ourselves and unable to believe our good fortune.  Oh the plans I had for shopping, sightseeing, and blogging! The following week our 29 year old daughter, Emily Spurr was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and my plans

changed to doctor visits, medical tests and post surgery recovery.  We were (and are) so grateful to be here to provide moral support and to take care of our girl.  Never have I enjoyed fluffing pillows, washing dishes or cooking more!  It was a scary time for all of us but again, we feel very, very lucky.  Emily's cancer was caught early (a miracle with ovarian cancer) and was categorized low malignancy.  She is cancer free and requires no radiation or chemotherapy. 

As we close out 2011 and look toward 2012, Jack and I have a lot of uncertainty about what life will bring in the coming year but we're o.k. with that. (As much as a control-freak/planner can be) We've been reminded that each day is a gift and each day with family and friends is the best gift of all.  Everything else is just extra.  Happy New Year!

Much To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving to All of our Friends and Loved Ones!  We hope that your day was filled with family, food and fun and that the sun is shining wherever you are today.  

It was a beautiful day yesterday in New York City which made it perfect for viewing the 85th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  The parade route passed 1/2 block from our apartment - how lucky is that?  We didn't have to get up early and fight the crowds we just walked out the door at about 9:00 a.m and walked down to the corner.  The sidewalks were super crowded but we were able to see the parade pretty clearly, especially the giant balloons and the floats.  Jack was able to take some great pictures of the parade, especially when you consider that these shots were taken while holding the camera over his head!

Each balloon has scores of handlers to keep it under control as it travels down the street.  I'm not sure how they manage it on cold, blustery days because it looked like they were having a tough time yesterday which was relatively mild. The Buzz Lightyear balloon got hung up briefly while we were watching but the balloon handlers managed to disengage him from the tree branches and keep the parade moving.

Jack and I particularly liked watching all of the marching bands pass by.  The kids seemed so excited to be a part of the Macy's Day Parade.  You just know how much hard work and how much fundraising went into making such a trip possible.

 

After the parade, Jack and I grabbed our contribution to this year's Thanksgiving feast which was wine and a quinoa and butternut squash stuffing.  Jack and I feel so blessed to have celebrated Thanksgiving with some of our children.  We headed off to our daughter Emily and Grant's house to spend the day with them and our daughter Kate and her husband Ben. Jack and I, along with Kate and Ben had a completely vegetarian Thanksgiving and we didn't miss the turkey at all. Emily and Grant had pork chops and they seemed pretty pleased with the feast as well.  My highlight of the meal was the roasted brussels sprouts made by Emily and the homemade apple pie made by Kate. We finished off the evening by watching a family favorite movie, A Hard Day's Night.  

This morning I'm feeling a little twitchy to get out and take advantage of all of the Black Friday deals but I'm holding off.  I can only imagine how crazy the stores are here.  Instead, we took Coco for a walk in Central Park (it's another beautiful day here) and we're heading back to Brooklyn to eat leftovers, set up the Christmas tree and hopefully catch The Muppet Movie.  Sounds like a perfect day - hope that your day is wonderful, too!