Afternoon Tea at the Empress

The Empress Hotel is famous for its Victorian afternoon tea. Being a Janeite and a bit of an anglophile I have wanted to do this for a long time. I was so excited to make it a part of a wonderful anniversary trip. My husband really went above and beyond with this one!The tea starts with fresh strawberries and cream.

I don’t drink tea, because being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) I uphold a standard called the Word of Wisdom, But hot chocolate is also served when requested, and it was very good. Of course a variety of teas are available, including herbal tea.A beautiful assortment of tea sandwiches were served. Our selections included egg salad croissants, smoked salmon wheels, and chicken curry sandwiches. There were also scones with jam and cream, and a variety of chocolates and other miniature sweets. There is a children’s tea available and I have to say that the little children, mostly girls with mothers and grandmas, looked so adorable with their own little fancy tiered plates in front of them. I know the afternoon tea is pricey for most of us, but it is not just a meal, it is a special experience.I would like to thank my husband Jon for 27 wonderful years of marriage, and the best anniversary weekend ever. I was completely spoiled and treated like royalty. Thank you, sweetie. I love you with all my heart!

-Lynnae

Butchart Gardens, Victoria B.C.

My wonderful husband took me to Victoria BC for our anniversary. We had a great trip and a wonderful time together. Our first stop was Butchart Gardens.

You might think that spring and summer are the best times to visit botanical gardens, but the fall foliage was absolutely stunning!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Butchart Gardens.

 

We were amused by a sign in the gardens reading ‘No Unauthorized Singing.’ It seemed kind of funny, but if I started singing Jon would quickly shush me. Uh uh uh, No singing. Those of you who know me or my family will believe that he stopped me from singing at least three times. THAT’S how beautiful these gardens were.

-Lynnae

Wedding Joy

Hello my blog friends!

I know I’ve been missing from the blogosphere lately, but last month my daughter got married, and it has been all consuming! I have been busy sewing and crafting, but it has all been for the wedding, and therefore under wraps until the big day.

Then the wedding date came and went, and I have been in RELAXATION and DECOMPRESSION mode for the past few weeks. But I have not forgotten you, so the next couple posts will be about this BIG DAY!

So stay tuned for more wedding goodness!

-Lynnae

The Hunger Games Costume

Have you read the series “The Hunger Games”?  My daughter wanted to be the heroine, Katniss Everdeen for Halloween. I loved the series and had a great time helping her put the outfit together.

This Halloween was pretty poignant in that my youngest was 14 and not going trick or treating. She did have a few places to wear her costume though. And, one benefit of having an older child, in lieu of the normal hectic Halloween evening rush, she let me take her out to the woods for a photo shoot in her costume.

I love reading books and have always thought it would be fun to do a photo shoot based on the scenes and imagery of a book, so this was a blast. Jordan made a great Katniss and we had a lot of fun. Then I brought the photos into editing software and tweaked them a little bit.

Thanks Jordan, for indulging mom!

-Lynnae

July in New Orleans

While we were in New Orleans for a second wedding reception for Nicholas and my daughter Hillary we went out and about to show my husband some of the town like I had seen in June, except there was one big difference….The Rain!

It wasn’t pouring on the night of their reception, which was the most important thing. But the rain on the other days did make it tough to see the town. Our host’s Nick’s family brought a big umbrella, though no one bothered to use it except me. I still ended up pretty soaked because water was everywhere, but it did enable me to take some pictures without ruining my camera.

After a very rainy so-far summer in Seattle we were looking forward to sweltering in a Louisiana steam bath for a while. But it rained, we toured, and made the most of it. And I still loved it! I want to go back.

We went to the wax museum, where my husband was determined to get a picture that looked like he was patting a bathing Napoleon Bonaparte  on the head as he negotiated the Louisiana Purchase (not pictured).

We had a fun time being shown around by Nicholas’ family while the newlyweds were having time to themselves.

My husband and I and our two younger daughters at Jackson Square in the rain.

Then we decided to dodge the rain and drop into house of blues for lunch. The restaurant was SO cold, and we were soaked, so we decided to eat out on the covered patio. I loved the funky decorating, and the patio was the cutest part. Bring on my Po-Boy!

 

 

 

After the day on the town it was time to head back to our host’s house for family, swimming, and, yes, more food!

Thanks for reading my post.

And, OK, OK, I know you really wanted to see this………

-Lynnae

Statues In An Old New Orleans Cemetery

While in New Orleans we went to a cemetery so my daughter and I could take some pictures of the gravesites and the beautiful statuary. In New Orleans the water table is so high that they bury people above ground.

 

 

Most of these graves are owned by a family and contain the remains of several family members.

This one had some very unique ironwork.

Many graves were built to look almost like a front porch.

Most of all I loved the angels and other statues.

 

 

I can’t help but think about when these statues were made and chosen, and the love and sorrow they express.

-Lynnae

The New Orleans Reception

After My daughter Hillary and Nicholas’ reception we had a few days to prepare for our New Orleans trip. This time my husband and youngest daughter would join us and I was excited to show them the city. But first we had a few days of packing, taking clothes and tuxes to the cleaners and hoping they’d be done on time, shipping photos, and catching up on sleep. I’ve been tripping over boxes hastily packed at our reception venue and eating Jordan Almonds by the handful. Why were there so many left over?

  Nick’s family were wonderful hosts and the reception was beautiful. Here are some of my photos from the New Orleans wedding reception.The room was very elegant. We had a Rosemary chicken dinner, and the first course?……..Gumbo. My husband was in heaven.In stead of numbering the tables they were named after famous New Orleans streets.

There was a head table for the bride, groom, and their families.

My Husband and my younger daughters

Me and Hillary

My husband and I pose for a picture on the balcony

Hillary dancing with her new sister-in-law. Darling!

The single girls assemble around the bride for the cake pulls.

Cake pulls are a southern tradition. Before the frosting is completed silver charms are put into a cake attached to ribbons. each young lady takes a ribbon and they all pull at the same time.

Hillary with her younger sisters. Jordan got the Four Leaf Clover (Luck) and Arianne got the Fleur de Lis (Prosperity & Love).

The bouquet toss

Nicholas and Hillary

-Lynnae