happy mardi gras!
i've had the *best* mardi gras! i arrived in nola on friday afternoon, and went to the following parades: krewe d'état and morpheus. the parades were rained out on saturday, but i saw my entire family, then went to the silver slipper casino in gulf port, ms for their all you can eat crab buffet. on sunday, i had a poboy from parkway before heading out to watch bacchus and endymion parades. we had a great spot on the neutral ground and i got to relax with family and friends while watching the parades. on lundi gras, i bought the materials for my mardi gras costume, had lunch at willie mae's (the *best* fried chicken in the world!), then went to watch proteus and orpheus, followed by dinner at deanie's. i woke up before dawn this morning to get ready and head out to watch zulu. i caught 4 coconuts, so it was a major success--winning! i skipped rex, however, because i was too exhausted and my feet hurt too bad to watch anymore parades. rex is always stingy anyway, so it's no loss. i've spent the afternoon relaxing and recovering from all the parading. tomorrow morning i'll wake up bright and early, go to mass, then go to the historic new orleans collection to see the julien hudson exhibit (see my profile pic) for a little dissertation research. i have my priorities straight. then i'll leave for my long, sad drive back to mid-missouri. leaving new orleans is always awful. i should be used to it by now, but i'm not. nola has my heart!