Holiday Inn & Suites-Opelousas

Our Room #318 was a king, non-smoking room.



We arrived around noon and our room was ready. Check in was easy, no problems. I was somewhat surprised they didn't offer the typical complimentary continental breakfast I have been accustomed to receiving at other Holiday Inns. But, they do give a $5 coupon per night that can be used in their "gift-shop" that consisted of cookies,chips, ice cream & drinks.

The room was neat & clean and roomy.







They were painting guest-rooms during our stay but it created little disruption. The view out the window of our room was a parking lot.



There was a comfy chair, a desk with lamps, fridge and microwave. There was an inroom coffee pot but the coffee had a foul odor so we got our coffee from the lobby.

The staff was courteous, I would stay here again.

Cajun Country~Day 2

We had a nice breakfast at a local diner.




Good strong cajun coffee, eggs, grits and spicy sausages, my diet is out-the-window this weekend.

Today is The Preakness horserace, part of the Triple Crown, for those who don't follow Horse racing.











Hubby spent the rest of the day at Evangeline Downs, while I got the chance to explore old familiar places.



I stocked up on a couple of my favorite Cajun boudin & boudin balls for the freezer at home.

Early evening we drove the 20 minutes to the wedding @ St. John Frances Regis church in Arnaudville, Louisiana.



Rich in history the church was dedicated in 1855. It is a beautiful church.



The wedding was lovely and the bride was gorgeous.



The reception was held at a hall across the street.


Randi and Paula, Brides Father & Mother








The grooms cake was very unique.




We returned home the next day. I shot the photos of  the Atchafalaya and Whiskey Bay, those are the tops of trees you are seeing, not bushes!











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Location:The wedding Day

Cajun Country~Day 1

Today we packed some clothes in a small bag and headed west. Where are we headed this time? My birthplace, Lafayette/Opelousas.

We traveled to Opelousas to attend a family wedding. My husband is a Horseracing fan so we chose a hotel near The Evangeline Downs.

We checked in around Noon. Hubby spent the day at the track while I visited old familiar places.

We both had a large breakfast so we skipped lunch.
Supper was at our favorite restaurant,







Prejean's in Lafayette.








Hubby chose the seafood platter which included alligator, fish, oysters, shrimp, frog legs, stuffed shrimp and crab.




I chose catfish pecan with a crab topping and asparagus.

I purchased their cookbook for home on the way out.

After supper I joined Ron to check out the new track.




Evangeline Downs relocated from Carencro to Opelousas 2005 when Lafayette voters refused to allow casino slot machines. The newly built racetrack is beautiful.

It allows you to stand extremely close to the action.




It is quite obviously a family institution. It has picnic tables for parents & children to share next to the paddock which allows the children a closeup view of the horses/jockeys.









After a night of racing and making donations in the casino we returned to the hotel exhausted after a full day.





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Location:Opelousas

Cajun Country-Memories

My youngest memories are traveling in the car with my sisters and brother to travel to "the country". We could never pick it out on a map but it was always a big deal because it took many hours in the car. We always knew we were close when the car was filled with an awful smell as we drove over the bridge in Baton Rouge.

My Mother and Father's family lived there and visited once or twice a year. My Aunt and Uncle had a big family and we loved them. Most of our female cousins were older than us and all very beautiful. As young girls we loved listening to their dating stories and watching as they dressed before they left with their friends.

My sister and I were closest to Paula who was our age, while my brother found plenty mischief to get into with Randy and Johnny. My Aunt Sybil was a fabulous cook who could bring any cable TV chef to shame. She would feed an army of us kids with little effort. My favorites were her pancakes with yummy cane syrup and her fish couvillion. Since she never used a recipe, I created my own recipe for this delicious dish.

Not all my childhood memories from "the country" were as fun. We went blackberry picking while visiting my Grandmother Hattie and Papa Ed (2nd marriage) in Crowley, Louisiana. It was hot, humid as all hell, but as kids we loved running around it.  Until.....we got home and felt the sting of red bugs all over our bodies. We were miserable. Still, I wouldn't trade my childhood memories with my cousins for anything.





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Location:  Opelousas

Fish Couvillion Recipe

FISH COUVILLION
 
3 lbs fish
3 medium onions
1 large bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions
3/4 can tomato paste
1/3 cup parsley
1 can rotel (original)
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper to taste
3 cups water
1/2 cup celery
Put all vegetables in a pot with a tablespoon of cooking oil and saute for about 15 minutes. Add paste, rotel and water. Cook on a low fire for 45 minutes to an hour. Then add fish and cook on low for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Just move the fish around easily, so it doesn't break into little pieces. Serve over rice.

Crawfish and Oysters

Today we attended a huge crawfish boil held by Hubby's financial company.  It was held in a large covered pavillion and the weather was perfect in the 70's with a gentle breeze.
  It was great to visit with friends and former co-workers and very relaxing.

Along with tons of boiled crawfish, they had a firetruck from Drago's serving their fantastic charbroiled oysters (all you can eat).

Charbroiled oysters and beer...Yummmm.

Afterwards we were treated to delicious snowballs.


(Photos taken by coworker John)

Hampton Inn-Orange Beach

I found a great rate on Trip Advisor for the newly built Hamilton Inn on Orange Beach.  This hotel was absolutely perfect for a quick getaway with the family.  It is not as large as some of the major condos that line the coast, not as crowded either.  A big plus for me was the covered parking which kept my car protected from the sun.

We chose a non-smoking room with 2 queen beds and a balcony with a partial view.  The room was spacious with a long desk/counter with drawers and free Internet access.   It also had a seating area with a door leading to a small balcony with a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.

It also included a microwave, a small refrigerator and large LCD TV

Our room was immaculate.  Every employee, including housekeeping,  provided excellent service and we always ready to help with any questions.  Breakfast was included and was pretty good, it included various cereals, rolls, waffles, fruit, juices and delicious coffee or Cocoa. 

I loved the outdoor/indoor pool.  Part of the pool is covered and also the hot tub.   It was cleaned daily and there is a walkway leading to the beach with a child lock.

I will consider staying at this hotel for future visits to Orange Beach.

I did not notice any tar balls other signs of oil on the beach from the BP catastrophe.  We did however notice oil covered shells which we avoided. 

Mothers Day Trip~Day 2

The kids and I awoke around 7am and we wandered down to the lobby for breakfast.  It was the usual Hampton Inn style of eggs, cereals, rolls, waffles, juices, fresh apples and oranges.  After breakfast, I grabbed a coffee and we strolled the beach to search for seashells.



After our early morning walk along the beach, we decided to get some extra pool time in before check out.

It was a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day weekend



Mothers Day Trip~Day 1

I booked a hotel room in Orange Beach Alabama as a girlie weekend.  A chance for some sun & sand for Mother's Day weekend.

Brooke Is growing up so fast and they will soon be moving 90 minutes away.  This trip was perfect to spend some alone time with them before the summer rush.

We packed our swimsuits, towels and a few clothes and hit the road, 2 1/2 hours later we were parking at our beachfront hotel.  I found a great price on trip advisor for a newly built Hampton Inn and it was fantastic!

We arrived 11:30 and was delighted to find our room cleaned and ready for early check-in.

After dropping off our things we walked across the street for a quick lunch at Subway.  We stopped at Publix for a few groceries and headed to the hotel pool.  I really liked the design of the pool.  Part of the pool is covered, really great for giving Paige an occasional break from the sun.

After enjoying the pool for a bit, we decided to get in some beach time.  I was amazed at how quickly Paige made friends with the other vacationing children.  It was fun watching her enjoying the beach surf, building sand castles and of course, collecting seashells.

After a full day of beach and pool, we were exhausted and headed back to the room to cleanup.  The girls were too tired to attempt a restaurant so we ordered from Pizza Hut.  DO NOT order from these people!! It took them over an hour to deliver a single pizza. 



After supper we walked along the beach during a picture perfect sunset.  Later we sat on the balcony drinking Hot Cocoa while listening to the lull of beach waves.

Thank you God for a wonderful Day!