Abby's New Orleans Dance Competition and Our Stay

Saturday morning started early. Kristi and Abby were up early to get ready for her big dance day. Abby had to be up, fed, and dressed and ready for class by 8:00am.  Mary and I decided to sleep in a bit, or should I say she thankfully let me sleep in a bit.  She had no fear standing against our 43rd floor window!  Not me though.  My knees would get weak just standing next to it.  I hate heights, but I liked the view.  The big bed also proved to be enjoyably bouncy!

Kristi's dad and step mother (Papa & Granny) arrived late the night before.  Once everyone was up we got together to have breakfast.  I decided we needed to do something right by New Orleans so we walked into the French Quarter to enjoy a phenomenal Jazz Brunch at The Court of Two Sisters.  The food and presentation was first class.  The Eggs Benedict seemed to be a favourite at our table.

After breakfast we strolled back to the hotel by way of Bourbon Street.  I'll have to come back with Kristi another time so she can have the true experience of Bourbon Street at night!

When we got back to the hotel it was time for Abby to have her lunch break.  She finally got to see Papa & Granny.

After a full day of dance classes it was time to get ready for the night's competition.  It was a team effort to get Abby ready.

Almost time!  Abby was the 8th performance for the night which was great for us, but it made for a long, long wait to find out the results.

Here is Abby's performance:



After her performance we met in the lobby for some posing include a token Toddlers & Tiaras pose!

The results are in.  Abby placed 3rd in her category!  This is the first time she has ever competed her solo and she did awesome.  Since she placed, it earned her a spot to compete her solo at the national finals next summer!  Abby was so excited to get a trophy.

As for Mary..........well this was our favorite spot for her:

I really enjoyed the view from our hotel room.  I kept looking out to this one building pictured below.  The main building was a fairly plain box high rise, but the top was quites something different.

Papa enjoyed the view too.  It was fun to watch all the activity below at night.

On Sunday while Abby was in more dance classes, Mary and I passed the time running around the lobby outside the showroom.

Mary turned 2 at the beginning of the month so she got to enjoy some birthday presents from Papa & Granny!

Once Abby was done Sunday afternoon, we all set out to see a little bit of New Orleans. 

Here is my paparazzi style shot I'm going to submit to People Magazine

The nice face I got when I told Mary she couldn't touch anything at the jewelry store

We have flown over the Mississippi River a few times now, but this is the first time Abby has seen it up close and personal.  It was a bit chilly.

I enjoyed watching the Steamboat Natchez return to her berth.  The Captain made a really nice down-tide landing.

Some MARAD ships waiting for Unc to be reactivated so they can be broken-out for our next national emergency.  Maybe he'll ask me to join him next time!

As much as I wanted to have a bit of a more New Orleans style dinner experience, it was getting late and we needed something that would work with Mary.  Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville is located along Decatur Street next to the French Market.  It perfectly fit the bill and the food was good.

After diner we walked back down Decatur Street to have coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde!  Yum, yum good!

Mary always had to be the first one in and out of the elevator.  We had to be very careful when it stopped at floors others than ours!

With stories read and all tucked in, it was time for sleep.  We had a great visit.  We'll definitely have to come back soon so we can really experience all New Orleans has to offer.

Flight To New Orleans for Abby's Dance Competetion!

With my medical firmly in hand and a few flights back under my belt, it was time for a trip. Abby has a dance competition this weekend in New Orleans which is a perfect trip for us to make with the plane. Since we are fortunate not to have to drive to New Orleans, having N424RM and good weather allowed us to let the girls attend school and take off just after lunch. We were wheels up around 1:45 pm and headed west.

I wanted to file direct, but didn't figure I'd get it because of the numerous MOAs, Alert, and Warning areas around the Florida Panhandle.  I didn't want to file an airway either so I filed direct to MAI then direct to SJI then direct KNEW and got it!  It still added a few miles to the route, but it was an easy route to fly. 

As usual with this time of year we were bucking some headwinds flying west so I filed for 4000 feet.  That kept us under an overcast layer and punching through a few small clouds every now and then.

As we approach NAS Whiting  Field the clouds at our altitude started to increase so we were cleared to climb to 6000 feet which put us on top for a while.  Even though the headwinds were a little stronger, the increased altitude was liked by the engine and our increased TAS easily offset them.

We had high hopes that Mary would quickly fall asleep after we took off since it was past her nap time.  Unfortunately she didn't want to cooperate and became quite an unpleasant handful for Mom!  Finally she relented and fell asleep in Mom's lap.

As we cleared Florida and approached Mobile, AL we were back in the clouds for about 10 minutes.  At least it was a very smooth flight and with Mary asleep and Abby watching her DVD player, we cruised along in peace.

As we approached Gulfport, MS we flew into clear skies and prepared for our descent and arrival into New Orleans.

As we descended into New Orleans Lakefront Airport (KNEW), we could see some rain showing up to the west on XM weather.  We could also hear the controllers diverting planes around New Orleans main airport (KMSY) due to heavy rain in the area.  We flew through a very light shower on approach and easily arrived into the airport well before any weather did.

The ground crew at Flightline First marshaled us to the front of the FBO and stood by to assist with any of our needs.  We felt like the Clampett's unloading the plane, but JP kindly said he'd seen much worse for fewer people!  They called a taxi for us and like it had all been pre-arranged were were loaded in the taxi, the plane was secure, and they were taking care of our fuel order as we drove off.  Their service and assistance was excellent!

We checked in to the hotel, had an easy, quick bite at IHOP down the street, and went to bed.  Tomorrow is going to be a long and exciting day!