Minutes to Memories

I took a vacation day yesterday to celebrate Hillary's actual tenth birthday. We spent the day together in New Orleans, and the official minute that made her ten years old came while we sat at lunch at one of our favorite places: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company on Decatur Street. There weren't many people in the restaurant yesterday, so the waitress elicited help from the family at the table next to us in an off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday!"

Earlier, we had walked around the Riverwalk shops, stopping to watch the working singers at the Fudgery, and pausing for beignets at the Cafe du Monde store there.

Our original intention (in addition to Bubba Gump's and the Riverwalk) was to spend the bulk of our day at the Aquarium of the Americas and IMAX. When we arrived, however, we learned that they were closed on Mondays! Sheesh! I felt a little bit like Chevy Chase in Vacation, but since we had been to Wally World (uh, I mean, the Aquarium) before, it wasn't quite so bad.

We ran into a guy afterwards that reminded me of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum down on Decatur, so I convinced Hillary that this would be a super-cool thing to do - I tried to play it up as even better than the Aquarium of the Americas. She was hesitant, but I think she was buying it.

Then we found out that Ripley's had shut down.

Sheesh again!!! I was starting to get that crazed Chevy Chase look after all!!!

But my little girl is cool, so we moved on to Plan C. We went on a carriage ride through the French Quarter, which was really neat. The guide pointed out lots of interesting things, not the least of which was Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's house (if you ever need to know where it is, I've got the scoop). After that, we drove back to Gulfport where we went to a movie together - Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer - which, if anyone cares, I thought was a fun movie.

Ten years, though. An entire decade. They go by quick, don't they? Which is why I value days like yesterdays... Memories...