Happy Mardi Gras!

Laissez le bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll! A year ago I took a road trip with friends from Charlotte to the Big Easy. It was my first time to New Orleans, and I'd never experienced anything like it! We spent 4 nights (including Mardi Gras) full of parades, hurricanes, jazz music, cajun food, dancing - and adorned ourselves with an excessive amount of feathers and beads. It's definitely something everyone should do once in their lives!

I'm proud of the headdress! They cost a fortune at the costume stores so I bought feathers and sequins from a craft store and made it myself! And it somehow got out of New Orleans in one piece! I still have it. You know, incase I have an occasion calling for a headdress again - you never know!

I think the history of Mardi Gras is fascinating, and all the different kinds of celebrations around the world celebrating the day before Ash Wednesday - the start of the Lenten season in the Christian Church. Besides New Orleans, celebrations in Venice, Italy and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are also extremely elaborate. "Fat Tuesday" is traditionally when we eat all the fatty foods in our home before beginning the ritual fasting of Lent. A last time to have what you will give up during Lent - whether it's chocolate, soda, coffee, sweets or any other bad for us vice. I'm still deciding what to give up this Lent, something I haven't given up in years past.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!