weekend in new orleans, la
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Personal, family, friends, photo, travel
Diana and I met Mike (my college roommate) and Camie (his wife) in New Orleans for Jared Barcenas and his wife, Ezgi’s, reception/celebration. Elek stayed with my mom (we owe her big) for the weekend and had apparently come down with the flu, though we thought it was a 24 hour virus or something of the sort after Diana took him to the doctor. We almost had to turn around halfway there. We left later than we thought we were going to, but we arrived in New Orleans at exactly the same time as Mike and Camie. No really. EXACTLY. We drove under their plane as it was landing. Sure enough Mike called me 2 minutes later and we went directly to the airport to pick them up.
We had just enough time to drop by Target for a couple of things we needed and to get settled in the Biscuit Palace.
The first night we got ready and wandered around looking for a place to eat. We got some general directions for cajun food from a local shop keeper. Ralph and Kacoo’s was where we ended up eating. It looked just as good as any other place. It turned out to be sub par and I’m really upset we didn’t get a chance to try out Mr. B’s! After the disappointing meal, we walked to the party which was in a luxurious suite with a large balcony and an open bar. As you can see everyone there had a great time. We met some new people and celebrated Jared and Ezgi’s marriage.
After waking up and walking to Cafe du Monde (which we did make it back to), we decided we didn’t want to wait in a line that long. On the other side of Jackson Square there was another recommended restaurant called Stanley’s. Despite the almost equally as long wait, the food was amazing!
After that meal we HAD to walk off the food. With no real agenda, we walked up to the trolley station and hopped on. When the trolley came to the end of the line there was the aquarium, right in front of us. I’ve been before, but it had been a very long time. We decided to go in and luckily both Mike and I had our triple A cards with us for the discount. The aquarium is a must see if you’re ever in New Orleans.
Afterward, we got a transfer on another trolley and went back to Cafe du Monde where we ate some wonderful beignets and drank coffee (hot chocolate for me).
After a fun filled, touristy morning most of us took a nap with the exception of Diana who walked about 4 miles to get a sweater. What a great nap! We were all recharged and ready for the reception that night at a beautiful inside courtyard. The food was exactly what I love about New Orleans. Everything was perfect. The guests, the food, the dessert, the location. Later that night we went out on Bourbon Street again, but unfortunately that was the night that Diana woke up shivering. She had gotten the flu from Elek. I was sent out at 5AM in the French Quarter to find some place with Sprite and crackers. Luckily I didn’t come back empty handed. It took Diana about 6 days to recover from the flu thanks to Tamiflu. We drove back after breakfast at a 24 hour diner across the street from our hotel.
It was a wonderful weekend in New Orleans and I wish Jared and Ezgi the best! You can see more pictures from the festivities below.
Tags: biscuit palace, bourbon street, cafe du monde, french quarter, new orleans, stanleys
brandon dill
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Personal, family, friends, photo
Back when Diana and I set a date for our wedding, we knew we would have to get a wedding photographer. We had no idea where to start. We had a couple of leads from a few friends, but each one seemed too cookie-cutter. The examples we saw of these photographers were exactly like every other wedding photo I’ve ever seen. Bland. Fortunately for us, we happened to attend a party at the Dill’s residence on Lawrence Avenue. This was the first time we met the Dills and it was a pleasure. We found out that Brandon was a photographer after that first party and we looked at his website brandondillphotography.com. At the party, he had a cool mini-studio set up with a white backdrop and was taking snapshots of people. By the second party we asked him to be our photographer.
He took wonderful pictures at our wedding and since then we’ve become friends. While we don’t see each other as much as I’d like, the Dills are next on our “people to have over” list. Brandon is an intellectually stimulating, talented, and funny guy who is a pleasure to hang out with. He also managed to make an appearance on the blog Cute Boys Make me Nervous. We have seen the Dills at a couple of themed potlucks which were a lot of fun. You can see some of the recipes that were made at thehornofplenty.blogspot.com.
We love our wedding pictures. Brandon was exactly what we were looking for and we didn’t even know it. I just want to say Thank you, Brandon Dill, for taking our wedding photos and hopefully we’ll be seeing you soon!
You can see most of our wedding pictures that he took here and here. Also here’s a gallery of some of our favorites, though it was really hard to pick.
Tags: brandon dill, brandon dill photography, Memphis, photography, tn, wedding photographer
elek’s first wiffleball experience
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Games, Personal, Picture, family, photo
For Elek’s birthday, Diana and I got him a whiffle bat and ball. The other day when the rain finally decided to take a break, we played together. He has done really well. He’s actually hit the ball many times, which means good hand eye coordination. I’m excited and can’t wait to get him involved in organized sports. I remember playing baseball, basketball, and soccer which I loved.
Tags: Elek, pictures, whiffleball
zach’s party and republic club oct. 16
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Memphis, Personal, Picture, friends, photo
Diana’s mom, Nilda, babysat for us the other Friday night so we were able to go out. Zach and Slam had a party that Friday which we were lucky enough to be able to attend. Turns out three of us, Dave, Ben, and I, were wearing chucks. We decided to take a picture of all of them, but in an odd angle. Diana took a few, but I liked this one the best. We enjoyed posing for the pictures. Slam was playing old music videos on their large screen TV in the living room while we were scaling the walls in their kitchen.
Tiny Dancer Connie Gomez, Becky, and Amy all came with us as well. Annabeth also showed up a few minutes before we headed out. 
As usual, Diana and I took our liquor with us. It always seems less confusing and easier/cheaper that way. Who knows when there will be liquor where you go unless you bring it yourself.
The girls were getting restless and wanted to head to Republic downtown on Beale. Usually I don’t go with something like that and prefer to stay at house parties, but that night for some reason I decided to go.
We met Cory down at Republic along with Rubi (Diana’s cousin’s cousin) and Sarah, Rubi’s girlfriend. I think Rubi and Sarah both work down there, but that night Rubi was bar tending. The last time I went to Republic was opening night and it was absolutely PACKED. This night the people were few and far between, which through me off. It was still fun dancing, though apparently Tanya had her fill of alcohol and needed to be taken home.
Diana and I exchanged looks and discussed it with Cory, Amy, and Becky. It was time for Tanya to go to sleep. We decided it was best for her to spend the night at our house so we made our way toward the exit. Turns out there were so few people there, they locked the large entrance and we couldn’t get out. The front entrance on the corner of Beale and Second was the only one open. (Haven’t people in night clubs died because of things like this?)
Well, when we walked out, Tiny dancer got ambushed by about 4 or 5 guys who were having a good time (you can see more pictures below), which was pretty funny. We also ran into a guy looking for change for a $1 bill? I don’t know what that was about. Connie Gomez was walking and it was like another gravitational force took hold of her and drug her to the ground. Finally we got her up after that first spill, but then it was happening again and she slammed her head into a car and fell on the ground at which point I took this picture. After we got her up again, we were able to stabilize her enough to get her in the car and she passed out on our couch around 2:30AM. All in all it was a pretty good night.
Tags: Memphis, party, republic, slam, Zach
cooper young night out
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Memphis, Personal, Picture, family, friends, photo
Cooper Young Night Out was last Tuesday night despite all the rain. Brett and Sharon Ammons were hosting again this year for our block. Again the Cooper Young Night Out was sponsored by Target. The reason it was so late this year is because last year the weather was so hot that they decided to move it to a cooler date. It was much cooler this year and rainy and wet, but that didn’t stop us from having fun! Diana, Elek, and I showed up a little early to help with the preparations. The picture above is of the Huseriks’ arrival.
Brett fired up the grill and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs while we talked about the neighborhood and last year’s party. Everyone entered for a chance to win a new bicycle from Target. I think our odds were better this year than last since not as many people came probably due to the gloomy weather. Target also left us with some early Halloween candy, beach balls, and reusable Target shopping bags. As usual the boys played together in the ball pit, tent, and with all the other toys with minimal involvement from the adults.
I am hoping that next year the weather will be a bit more cooperative. This year everyone is really sick of the month long monsoon. Our family is also trying to become more involved so we can participate in more family oriented and neighborhood oriented events. Ever since Elek was born (3 years ago!), it has been one continuous metamorphosis from one lifestyle to another. Because of get togethers like these, Cooper Young is a wonderful neighborhood to live in especially if you have children.
Tags: cooper young, neighborhood, neighbors, night out, target
elek’s 3rd birthday party
Posted by Peter Owen | Filed under Personal, Picture, family, food, photo, video
This past week we had a few celebrations for our son Elek who just turned three years old. We sent miniature cupcakes to his class on the day of his birthday and made Mexican layer dish for dinner since he loves chips so much. That night he got to open a couple of presents including a soccer ball and a couple of books from Mama and Daddy as well as several puzzles from Diana’s sister Kristen. The next day, Elek got a bright red retro Radio Flyer tricycle from Gran. Grandaddy also made a visit from Beaufort, SC. He brought Elek a small fishing rod.
Thursday began his party preparations for Saturday. Nana gave Elek a ball pit (pictured to the above) that was a hit at the party. We bought ingredients to make our own pizzas. It was a great success. We used premade crusts, mozzarella, peperoni, sausage, and pasta sauce. They were quite tasty and there are enough leftovers to feed an army. There were cupcakes and single serving ice cream that the kids just loved. Annabeth was nice enough to come over and play a few songs for the children. There are some videos of that on the previous post. Elek also received a brown horse stick toy that he can ride around from Gran. Elek loves galloping sideways. Mama and Daddy gave him a small piano like in Peanuts and a whiffle bat and ball.
The next night we went over to Nana’s house to celebrate with their family. I think at this point Elek was sort of worn out, which is a good sign that he had a great birthday. Dave gave him a soft rocket launcher that shoots the rocket when you jump on an air pouch. Elek quite enjoyed this toy, though at the party he seemed a bit overwhelmed by how many people were there. He was also a little sick or maybe it was due to allergies just like his Daddy. It seemed like Elek really had a great time for his birthday this year. We hope in the future we can think of constructive things for his birthday that he will enjoy.
Tags: birthday, Elek, home made pizza, party
