NOLA-Weekend with the Reis’

We spent this weekend with some of our favorite people…Chris and Michelle. They live in New Orleans, a city that we have grown to love…for the culture, the people, the architecture and the food!  This weekend, we ate…a lot…but we also spent the weekend in the Crescent City because of the Mardi Gras Half Marathon (so fun…people wear costumes, eat donuts and drink beer as they run!)

Since Chris and Michelle have lived in New Orleans for 4 years, we have gotten to spend a lot of time here and we have come to LOVE a restaurant called Slim Goodies!  On our first trip to New Orleans, Gavin and I were driving around this really great area that we now know as The Garden District and we saw a very eclectic looking breakfast joint with a line out the door.  My favorite meal of the day is breakfast so we got in line…and we were not disappointed.  It was DELICIOUS!  So, on our next trip to NOLA, we decided that Chris and Michelle had to try it…and now it is tradition.  Fly into New Orleans, get in the car, and head to Slim Goodies.  This trip to Slim Goodies did not disappoint, we all tried something new…the favorite of the table was the ‘Orleans Slammer…crispy hashbrowns smothered in chili, topped with runny eggs and gooey cheddar cheese….YUM-O!

So, we finished our breakfast and made the next logical move across the street to a local favorite called Sucre.  They are known for their coffee, macaroons and gelato…we were totally stuffed, but the aroma of a lovely coffee and a little post lunch dessert was too tempting to resist.  Because Mardi Gras is right around the corner, Sucre had King Cake…so we ordered some slices, some coffees, and some gelato and thoroughly enjoyed it!

After all of that eating…I was really excited to get some exercise and run the half marathon on Sunday morning…So fully fed, I (and my sweet husband and wonderful friends) got up very early, drank coffee, and headed down town for the start of the race.  The morning started out very chilly but the sun quickly came up and the day was absolutely amazing.  Perfectly sunny and about 60 degrees…in my opinion, the perfect running weather!

So, with the optimal weather and the super fun running course, I accomplished a personal record!!  I was NOT expecting to run beat my old time…but the adrenaline kicked in, and I did it!  It was such an amazing feeling because I know that I did not do it on my own…I completely relied on Jesus running with me…and it was so much fun.

The night after the race, we were all really hungry and I was really excited to try some of the new Thai dishes that we learned on our trip.  We found a great Asian Market and went to buy the groceries (if you have an Asian Market near you, I would nightly recommend going to check it out.  They have great produce, awesome spices and authentic soy sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk, palm sugar…everything you need could need!)  We made Papaya Salad, Red Thai curry, and Cashew Chicken.  It was the perfect end to a really fun, satisfying day.