Katy is Eighty – Mardi Gras 2019

*My two daughters Jete’ and Renée and their husbands Tommy and Craig enjoying lunch at Brennans Restaurant!*

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”. It is the last day that one can eat rich food before the ritual of fasting takes place during the Lenten season. The Mardi Gras season is a Christian celebration that actually begins on the Epiphany January 6th. The colors of Mardi Gras are purple symbolizes Justice, green which represents Faith, and gold signifies Power.

*Reneè and Craig walking through the French Quarter!*

It’s madness in the Quarter during Mardi Gras. It’s a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun! There are all kinds of costumes, some funny, some strange, and some you cannot talk about. People on the balconies throw beads to you so you have to be very careful not to get hit in the face. The post to the balconies are greased so people on the street can’t climb up to the balconies.

Bailey and Katy at the Hermes Ball!
Katy and her Dad
Katy with her parents

Katy was a returning maid at the Hermes Ball; her father will be her escort. The Krewe of Hermes always puts on a show for its ball and parade. Hermes is one of the favorite parades because the floats are so beautiful!

**Bailey and Max at a Mardi Gras event!**

There are parties all over the city. New Orleans is a city that never sleeps so you can go from one venue to another and from one jazz club to another and end up at cafe du Monde for coffee in the morning. It’s like no other city in the world! You just have to experience it once in your life.

Whitney and Parker
Christian and Austin, Whitney and Parker

Everyone loves to dress up in costumes at Mardi Gras. It puts you in a festive mood. Christian and Parker are brother and sister and two of my grandchildren.

Gunner brought four of his friends from California home for Mardi Gras. They all go to Stanford and are all in the Phi Psi fraternity. They are loving all the excitement!

Gunner, Nate, Abe, and Tyler
Gunner, Nate, Sean, Tyler

Gunner took his friends out to the House of Blues and partied until 2 am! This was a pretty early night in New Orleans. Ops there! where did Sean go . Oh there he is hiding behind his i-phone.

Rex has hand painted floats and is the King of Mardi Gras! The traditional song of Rex is “If ever I cease to Love.” The story goes that the song was adopted because the Grand Duke Alexis had a fondness for the actress who sang the song in the musical which was playing at the time of his visit to New Orleans.

Even though Mardi Gras doesn’t end until “Fat Tuesday” every one has to return to their Universities. So my three grandchildren, Katy, Gunner, and Christian want to say “Happy 2019 Mardi Gras” to all! We had a grand old time!