Mindless Monday

Good Monday morning!

The Gallery Pics are from the Botanical Gardens... one of my favorite places. Mikie and I picnicked Saturday. We had good food, beautiful weather and we were even serenaded by a live band as we walked through the Gardens. (We were lucky enough to coincide our little field trip with a wedding reception. The bride had great musical taste!)

Lots of fun.

RANDOMNESS #1 - I do NOT like losing an hour each and every Spring. It's a mental thing, I know, but I truly need that hour... physically AND mentally.

However, I DO like adding an hour each and every Fall. That is a good weekend.

If there is a blank space on the ballot tomorrow (Alabama's primary), I'm going to
"write-in" my thoughts on keeping the Fall Add-An-Hour and getting rid of the Spring Lose-An-Hour.

Feel free to join me in this ever-so-important write-in campaign! I'm sure Mitt, Rick and Newt won't mind one bit!

RANDOMNESS #2 - If you decide to picnic at the Botanical Gardens in the next few days, the tulips are beautiful. I'm telling you this because the life of a tulip is brief. One giant thunderstorm and the tulips are gone and we move on to the azaleas and pansies.

If you are a tulip-lover, like myself, you will need to visit sooner than later... if you know what I mean.

Also, if you want a great spontaneous date, head to the Mountain Brook Village Western Supermarket (less than a minute from the Gardens) and pick out a fun lunch. Mikie and I had wraps and subs, a fruit plate from the salad bar, tart desserts from the bakery and Milo's tea.

They also had a full salad bar, hot soups, chicken wings, etc., etc., etc.

Mike and I walked into the Gardens with three small Western plastic bags, sat at a little bistro table under an about-to-bloom dogwood and leisurely ate our lunch... and people watched.

We then strolled through half the Gardens. Since it is so early in the season, we saved the other half of the Gardens for a weekend in April.

We were there for three hours, and it was relaxing and rejuvenating and FREE.

Well, except for lunch. We did pay for that. I don't want you to think we shoplifted food. Because we absolutely did NOT.

RANDOMNESS #3 - We did something we have never done before this past weekend. Mike booked our hotel in New Orleans on Priceline.com. And it worked!

Since we are going to be traveling by train, we wanted to stay IN the French Quarter so we could walk everywhere. Fun fact for you... The hotels IN the French Quarter are much more expensive than the ones on the outskirts of the French Quarter.

This is a City Adventure, and we want to have the most fun without spending the most money.

SO, Mikie went to the website and requested a FOUR STAR HOTEL in the MIDDLE OF THE FRENCH DISTRICT for $59 per night. And the computer did not laugh us out of the room. No, sir.

It apologized, and said they could not give us a $59 per night room at a FOUR STAR HOTEL in the MIDDLE OF THE FRENCH DISTRICT... but they could give us a $73 per night room.

Okay!

Considering the "outskirts" hotels were running $180 to $220 a night, this was very, very good.

But before we clicked the "okay" button, we had some fear and trepidation. That's right. I admit it. Although we were guaranteed a room for $73 a night at a four-star hotel, we had no idea which hotel would be picked. We also didn't know if we would be able to get a room with two queen-size beds instead of one king.

(I don't know how many of you can sleep with your entire family on a king-size bed, but The Faulkner Five are unable to do so... comfortably or uncomfortably. We just don't fit.)

And the "absolutely no refunds" clause was staring us in the face, too. It was unnerving.

Mike looked at me and said, "Well. Should we go for it?"

I squeaked, "YES!" and closed my eyes.

A mere 15 seconds passed, and Mike said, "Okay!"

And it was indeed OKAY!

We're staying at the Marriott French Quarter on Canal Street. One view is of the Mississippi River. The other view is of the French Quarter.

We have the correct number of beds. There is a heated outdoor swimming pool on the roof. There is a full weight room. There is a Starbucks in the lobby. We are within walking distance of everything we want to see and do.

As of this moment, Bill Shatner, the Priceline Negotiator, is our favorite celebrity spokesperson. I love him. I really do.

Now, we just have to firm up the itinerary, pack our bags and hop on the train in a few days.

Our City Adventure awaits!

Have a lovely Monday. I'll be back tomorrow with a new recipe and more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda