the big 4-0

Jamie and I took a trip over his 40th birthday on January 18th. We spent two nights in New Orleans, then went on a five night cruise out of the port of New Orleans. We had a great time!

I had not been to New Orleans before. I thought it was a very fun city, although parts of it seemed to be pretty run down. After we checked into our hotel, we started walking to find somewhere to eat. We headed toward the main Canal Street, but nothing we saw seemed like the place we wanted, so we kept walking....and walking...and walking. Finally, we came upon a place called Mother's that had a local feel. I had a po'boy and Jamie had seafood and gumbo. YUM! After that, we went to Bourbon Street since we were very close to it – wow, was it crazy! I can’t imagine what it is like at Mardi Gras. We met a lot of nice people and had fun talking to them. We also enjoyed the famous Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's.

The next day, we walked to Jackson Square and the French Quarter. This was my favorite part of the city. We did a walking history tour and learned a lot about the past history of the area. We also visited the local market, where we tried foods such as alligator sausage. It was delicious! We also enjoyed the many street performers and artists.

The next day, we went on a five night cruise out of the port of New Orleans. The night we left port, there was such a beautiful sunset. You could actually see the sun sink, it was like it disappeared into the water. Our first cruise stop was in the port of Cozumel, Mexico. We went on an excursion to a private beach house, which included unlimited food and drink. The service was awesome – all we did was lay on a bed by the ocean, and they kept bringing us margaritas and food!! It was very relaxing and the weather was great. When we got back on the ship at 4:00, we took a three hour nap because we were so relaxed!!

Our second cruise stop was in the port of Progreso, Mexico. There, we went on a bus to see the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins. It was so interesting and fascinating! Jamie especially loved it, he said he could have spent all day there. The Mayans were so smart for their time, it was unbelievable.

We also spent two days at sea. The weather wasn't great those days – very windy! – but there was still plenty to do on the ship. We participated in group trivia, enjoyed the comedy club, spent a little time in the casino, read books and played cribbage in the library, went to the sauna…so much to do! We got along pretty well with another couple that was at our evening dining table so we hung out with them most evenings. We stayed up with them pretty late the last night, which we regretted the next day when we had to get up early, get off the ship and travel home!! Oh well, it was a lot of fun.

While we were gone, Olivia and Violet were at the Suchy farm for a few days and then my parents brought them down to our house and got them to and from school, so they didn't miss any class time. We certainly appreciated their help, and it was nice for the girls to be able to spend some special time with all of their grandparents!

Jackson Square in New Orleans

Leaving the port of New Orleans

On the beach in Cozumel

Chichen Itza Mayan ruins