The last weekend of February, a good friend from grad school was in town for work and stayed the weekend. We had a great time catching up - and I'm sure she enjoyed escaping the frozen tundra of Minneapolis.
March started off with a bang - Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Not quite your typical Mardi Gras weekend - David, James, and their friend, Charlie, were all riding with the Krewe of Endymion this year. Mom, Dad and I flew in early Friday morning to join in the fun. Our group (including Ashley and a couple friends and their parents of David) had lunch at Emeril's to kick the weekend off - so delish! Since there were so many of us, we got to eat in the wine room.
We spent the rest of Friday and most of Saturday wandering around the French Market and the French Quarter. Despite the rain (and its postponement of the Endymion parade Saturday afternoon), we had a great time. The signature event - the Endymion Extravaganza - was a blast! The floats rode through the convention center, and it's fun to get all dressed up with somewhere to go! Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa were the parade's grand marshals, and Train put on a great show!
And last, but not least, last Thursday was St. Patrick's Day. James came up from Jacksonville to see it for himself. One of my favorite things about St. Pat's in Savannah is listening to all the bagpipers all over downtown. Green fountains, bagpipers, and a great parade - I'm not sure how many more St. Pat's I'll have as a Sav'h resident, but it's definitely been fun!
I feel like I've been spinning my wheels a lot recently - all of the above has certainly be fun and a welcome diversion from stress in other parts of my life. I don't want to go into a whole lot of detail, but would welcome prayers for peace and guidance. My mom has been frequently reminding me of Jeremiah 29:11 - it was the verse my parents' selected for my senior dedication page in my yearbook, and it's a verse I would do well to remember, pray on, and live into.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."
