the not-so-exciting update...

At this point, I had sugarplum dreams of updating you on a few of the summer festivals we had gone to, the concerts we attended (sorry we missed you Alterbridge), the restaurants we visited, and blah blah blah. I can promise, when we moved to New Orleans, the life we had pictured was for sure not being dictated by a global pandemic named 'Rona and a terrible mayor named Latoya. *If you hadn't heard, all of Louisiana is able to enter Phase II of reopening the state, and our mayor has decided that New Orleans and Orleans parish cannot. We are thankful to be healthy, still working and feel more blessed than most, but there isn't much excitement in our world lately.  We are currently riding out Tropical Storm Cristobal, who thankfully, has caused less havoc near our home than originally planned. I'm watching Harry Potter for the ump-teenth time, and Cory is in his office recording some music (I started writing this on Sunday)-- the life of the fabulous here in NOLA.  Below are just a few of the things we've done in the last month or so since my last post.                                                                                                                                                                                  

Naps

Stella is LOVING quarantine life. We take her on two walks a-day now and she knows exactly what time of the day it is and when it's time to go. She is napping all over the house, and we are getting a weird glimpse into her day to day. She barks so much y'all, as she thinks she is head of security of the O'Bryant household and hates the poor mailman. But naps are life, and she is the queen of quarantine. 

New ride, who dis? 

We have now lived in New Orleans for almost a year (SO hard to believe!) and have barely had the occasion to need more than one car. We decided last week that it was time to just bite the bullet and get one whip. Cory doesn't think his office is going back into work until at least September and I'm only going to start going once a week or so, so we traded both of our vehicles in for this fine girlfriend, who I definitely think we should name Car-Rona. We've had fun driving her around for the last week or so, but since everything is still basically closed, there aren't many places to go or things to do... but she looks SO good in the driveway. 

Flowers and plants, everywhere! 

I don't know how it happened, but my whole family got a green thumb, besides me. But, during Quarantine, I sure have tried to be better and do better (not just for plants, mind you). I have a few potted plants inside now, and only one has died from overwatering! Praise! But, we decided a few weeks ago that the front "yard" needed a bit of help. We took a trip to Home Depot and got a few plants for out front and some pavers and mulch. We got home and unloaded the car to get started. But then, we realized as we started digging that the 100+ year old Oak tree out front would not make things easy. Back to Home Depot we went to get a saw to cut through the roots and after a few hours, the following was our result. It looks great, and Cory only had to curse a few times. It looks oh soooooo good, and I'm proud of how it changes the front. 

Out and about..... barely. 

We are on day 80 plus of being in Quarantine. Since our Mayor decided that New Orleans couldn't enter Phase II like the rest of the state on Friday, there are not many things that are fully opened or fully operational. We are still trying our best to stay home as much as possible, but we are itching to get out and have done so a few times. Here's a review of two places that we have gone to in the past few weeks that I highly recommend if you visit New Orleans: 

                Justine:  A few Friday's ago, we went to a restaurant on Chartres St. in the Quarter for dinner named Justine. We had to wear a mask to walk in and to our table, but could remove it while eating. Y'all, it was YUMMY! We got steak tar tar and Field Pea Hummus for an appetizer and I got Gulf Shrimp while Cory got Duck for dinner. We left very full and very happy, and walked around a very eerie and quiet French Quarter. If you're in the Quarter soon, definitely go! 

                Vessel: Vessel is a former church that's been converted into a bar and we went to meet some friends there this week. It's usually the best spot for craft cocktails, so of course, we all participated. I got a Mai Tai, and it came in a Tiki inspired wooden glass and was very good. We got a few appetizers (Crawfish Croquettes, Fish Dip and more Fish Dip) and had a great time catching up with friends and being "normal." 

I hope you're all doing well and getting to experience a bit of freedom. I'm VERY sorry this update on our life here in this amazing city isn't more interesting. I look forward to the days I can post about very fun stuff that we've done that makes you green with envy. :) 

Red Beans and Ricely Yours, 

B