​The memory...  So many memories of so many things.

This year is the New Orleans Tricentennial Year. The Tall Ships were planning to come to New Orleans.  My husband Jack and I, along with 10 friends, had the special opportunity to sail from Pensacola to New Orleans on a 100-year-old sailing vessel called the Oosterschelde - a three-masted schooner from the Netherlands, built in 1918. Her home port is Rotterdam. We worked with the crew hoisting and adjusting the sails as well as serving the meals. There were 22 guests on the ship and 12 crew members. Sailing across the Gulf of Mexico was such fun, we had great winds. Once we reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, we could only imagine the awe the Spanish and French explorers felt as they tried to navigate the mighty river. Thirty hours up the Mississippi, and we had sail and motor power. In 1718, they would have only possessed sail power and it would have taken 2 months to reach the current city of New Orleans.  We anchored 6 miles below New Orleans with the five other tall ships, lowered the sails and raised the party lights. In true New Orleans style we played the music of New Orleans and had a big party with the crew including a 2nd line around the ship. The next morning our pilot arrived and we sailed with the other ships to Jackson Square at the big bend of the River. New Orleans – the Crescent City was before us. As a history lover, I felt like the young brothers Iberville and Bienville in 1718.

The color...  Well Pink, Orange and Aqua - the colors of Festi ti Gals (the way we pronounce FestiGals). This is a non-profit I created in 2011. This year FestiGals just completed our 8th annual women’s weekend experience event. It is all about women coming together to be inspired and connected to like- minded women and celebrate all the amazing things that women do as wives, mothers, business professionals and caretakers for society every day in a city that is perfect for celebrating, New Orleans.

The friend... my husband Jack. We have been married 46 years and he is my confidant and my rock.

The pet... Dora the Russian Blue Kitty - We bought her for Christmas after Katrina. We needed a reason to laugh and kitties are so silly. She is completely devoted to me, sleeping all night on my shoulder.

The smell... Magnolia - nothing like it! Every May they bloom… I call it the room freshener of 1830 because the fragrance fills the air and the blossoms last for a week and The smell of  a pot of crabs, shrimp or crawfish boiling… unless it is the smell of sautéed butter for trout almandine!

The book... My favorite business book is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

The piece of advice... Ob La Di Ob La Da-Life Goes On – Get Up, Brush yourself off and Show up - Persistence is the key to success, learn from your mistakes and try again.

The joke... My 3 year old grandson, John Morgan Lyons IV has a funny joke he loves to tell  – The Momma and Daddy tomato are walking down the road with the baby tomato. The Daddy tomato turns around and stomps on the baby tomato that is very slow and says Katsup!! Get it!! Hahahha (he says it as he laughs and laughs).

The exercise... I walk, ride my bike, work out with a trainer and we have Yoga in the office with a teacher 2 times a week.

The alternate job... media personality - love interviewing people.

The song... New Orleans has the Best Music EVER – We have so many Grammy award-winning songs and song writers: Dr. John – Such a Night, Irma Thomas - You can Mess with My Husband But Please Don’t Mess with My Man, Professor LongHair - If You Come to New Orleans You Gotta Go See the Mardi Gras, The Dixie Cups -  Going to the Chapel and Iko Iko, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald – Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.

The taste... The sweet savoury flavor of Louisiana Lump White Crab Meat… OMG the Best!

The accessory... My cell phone -  the only time I am without it is when I lose it… I never really lose it - I just can’t find it.

The TV show... The Crown.

The quote... so many, but this is my favorite for New Orleans:

“Dear America, I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We're South Louisiana...You probably already know that we talk funny and listen to strange music and eat things you'd probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard. We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don’t”.  Chris Rose

One more from Tennessee Williams that I love!

"America only has three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland".