New Orleans Feis

We just returned from balmy New Orleans, where they have flowers and palm trees in January. Why did we come back, you ask? Oh, you know, that whole "work and school" thing... We were down there for a double feis weekend for Christopher. We actually stayed just a couple minutes from the airport where the feis was being held. Not only was it a double feis weekend, it was what is called a "second chance" feis. So you actually have two opportunities each day to perform. Chris did great! It was his first PC (preliminary championship) level feis and he started with a second place overall and then earned a first place in his second chance!

The trophies at this level are getting bigger so we actually had to acquire a tote bag to carry things home, as we did not leave extra packing space. On day two Chris earned a fourth place and then a second place overall!

On the PC level, you have to get two overall first places to move up to OC (open champs). Chris is now half way there! Meanwhile, Jonathan earned a crown and scepter for sitting through two days of hornpipes and reels...

Christopher even made the New Orleans newspaper, the Times-Picayune which was cool to see...

https://www.nola.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/01/aca1a094031029/see-photos-from-the-irish-dance-competition-in-kenner.html

Two other funny, food-and-drink related things from the weekend... Not sure if you know this, but Jonathan is quite a carnivore at school. He's generally a picky eater so we were happy to see him eat anything, really, even chicken. That being said, we are now able to order him meat when we eat out, especially while traveling. One evening, after we had a 3PM lunch (so typical of feis weekends), no one was particularly hungry at our usual dinner time--except J. We decided to make a stop at McDonald's so we could get fries and we could buy Jonathan his first ever Happy Meal. We really built up the Happy Meal because it has the toy in it. He was so excited, but wanted to know why it was called a "Happy Meal." We explained that the toy in the meal made kids happy so he couldn't wait to bring the special box back to the hotel to open it...

He was fired up until, that is, he opened the box and in lieu of a toy (which they must have run out of but didn't tell us) there was an extra set of french fries. Jonathan (in his typical dramatic form) was devastated and declared that "This is a sad meal!" He then cried a bit, but in the end he finished all of his french fries and a corner of one chicken mcnugget. I told him we would try another time... Also, Chris wanted a sip of my coffee before he danced the round where he ended up winning first place...

He now claims that he must have a few sips of coffee before every competition! 

Another funny "Jonathanism" came as we were returning the rental car this afternoon. A little background-- when J got his big boy bed over the summer, it was delivered by deliverymen in a Budget rental truck. Well today we passed a sign for Budget Rental Cars and J declared, "Look, it's the truck that delivered my bed! Except I call it 'Fudge-it.'" I suppose you had to be in the car when he said it but it was so incredibly funny and very typical of him to say!

Yesterday, when feising was over, we avoided New Orleans itself like the plague, what with the rather important football game going on, but today we made it down to the French Quarter. We strolled around, checked out shops, took the streetcar and the boys got their Mardi Gras masks!