Thirty on Thirty

In case I haven't mentioned it, I turn thirty on Saturday.

I started looking through a lot of posts about people doing thirty things before they turn thirty.  A lot of them are very introspective and things that make the world a much happier place.

And decided I was probably never going to come up with thirty things that I would actually do.

Except on a weekend.  In New Orleans.

So here you have it folks...

My Thirty on Thirty.

1.        Have a banana daiquiri

2.       Get my tattoo.

3.       Get my picture taken with the Hand Grenade Person.

4.       Take the street car to Cooter Browns.

5.       Visit a New Orleans cemetery.

6.       Buy a daisy, put it in the river for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

7.       Go to Tipitinas.

8.       Buy street art at Jackson Square.

9.       Eat chicken at Willie Mae’s.

10.   Get picture with cash register guy at Vieux Carre Pizza.

11.   See New Orleans Brass Band.

12.   Go to WWII museum.

13.   Go to Vaughns.

14.   Go to Ninth Ward.

15.   Get a drink at French 75.

16.   Get a drink at Snake and Jakes.

17.   Have a unique po’boy.

18.   Bowl a strike at Rock N Bowl.

19.   Have an absinthe at the Old Absinthe House.

20.   Have a beignet from a place we haven’t been to yet.

21.   Take ferry to Algiers and have a beer (bonus points if dogs are there and get a picture)

22.   Get a stranger to reply War Eagle.

23.   Buy defend New Orleans shirt at favorite clothing store.

24.   Play a slot machine at Harrahs.

25.   Enjoy snow in New Orleans

26.   Have a prohibition drink at Bar Tonique.

27.   Walk through Louis Armstrong Park

28.   Buy a 2014 Christmas Ornament.

29.   Have a drink at Checkpoint Charlie’s.

30.   Tip a street performer I haven’t seen.

Puppy passed out on the floor of Crown & Anchor in Algiers.

 

Christmas in KC

Want to be jealous for just a sec?  (Well unless you live in the arctic circle of the US)

I had a white Christmas!  

It was so great to be able to spend Christmas with my dad, step-mom and step-brother & new wife.   It was great to be able to just get away from work for awhile, to drink, eat, and watch Packer football.  Even to actually get my back hot, because it was cold enough to sit in front of a fire.

Which I did.  Even when it was burning the crap out of my back, because well, down in these parts, a fire is hardly called for.

I don't have too much to say, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

saying good-bye to my baby girl.

dad's christmas tree.

irish coffee after dinner.

half marathon training don't stop just because it's christmas.

brats for the packer game.

z-man from oklahoma joe's.  oh yes.

                            

                            

                            

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas filled with fun, family and friends!

Back to Ballroom

This past weekend, a really great opportunity just happened to fall in my lap.

Last week, my dance instructor asked me if I was available to do a holiday show with him this weekend, both waltz dances, and paid!!!!  I could hardly contain my excitement.

It had been awhile since I'd danced in front of an audience, being almost a year since I've competed, but I figured, dancing makes me happy, and hey, any chance to dress up!

Friday night my instructor and I met up, came up with two very short routines, and met at Mountain Brook High School for a little show..

               

 Yes!  We performed with the Voices of the South!  The men of this A Capella singing organization were incredible!  They were all so sweet and gracious for us to be there!  It was incredible!  It truly was an experience.

Me and Mike getting ready for our first dance.

It honestly was a really great experience, and since it wasn't a true competition of any sort, I was really happy that I got to wear my new short hair down.  And getting to wear that white dress is always a plus.  I love that white dress!  

It made me miss ballroom dancing just that much more.  Probably just because of how happy it makes me.  Even if I wouldn't have gotten paid to dance in this show, it would have been well worth it.  Plus getting to wear stage makeup (lots and lots of super red lipstick and glittery eye shadow) is always a great time.

Maybe I'll get back into dancing, as it truly was a fantastic time.

And also, if you get a chance to see the Voices of the South, I definitely wouldn't pass on that.

The Twin Cities

Or more like the red-headed stepchild of Eagan, MN is where I traveled last week for some corporate training.

Everything started out innocently enough; as always, I was super early to the airport.  For some reason that I can't explain, I always feel better if I'm at the airport with at least an hour and a half to spare.  So I sat down, waited for my flight (which was on time), boarded my flight and got to sit next to the drunkest man you'd ever meet at 8am.  

oh yes.  An entire flight sitting next to a drunk man, because he didn't like to fly.  Yes, I understand this very well, all too well, but not at 8am.  Maybe an 11am flight, maybe, but most certainly not at 8am.  And then to top it all of, he didn't get the universal signal of opening up my book and putting in my earphones.  Because the man continued to talk.

Great fun.

And guess what?  Laura forgot her GPS.  Yep, going to a city where she has never been before.  No problem right?  Because your car rental company will give you one!  Hooray!  No!  Probably should have checked it for functionability before starting the car and leaving the airport.

I would go into the joys of roaming around a city that one doesn't know while trying to operate a cell phone while driving, but I won't.  I'll let you imagine about how fun that was.

I finally get to the hotel, run my five miles, and decide that after driving and seeing nothing but this...

that it was time to get something to eat.  And normally while traveling I like to try some place new, but I wanted something familiar and warm, so I hit up Houlihans, my favorite haunt from back home in ATL.  Where I promptly enjoyed happy hour (2 for 1!!) and this lovely spinach dip..

Yep ate all of this by myself.  

That night I get back to the hotel, promptly turn the heat to eight million, and fall asleep.  But not really stay asleep, because I'm always terrified that I won't wake up for my alarm. 

But I did, got dressed, went out to the car and saw this..

Yep, -6 degrees.  You want to take a guess at windchill?  No?  Ok, I'll tell you.

-22.  Yep, NEGATIVE 22!!  So fun right?  Only challenged by how much fun the actual leadership classes were.

So after the full two days of training, I had a little mental breakdown since my phone GPS routed me to the actual airfield instead of the airport.  Crying and all.  But I'm guessing that the car rental guy noticed my blood shot eyes, and decided to not charge me for the gas that I didn't have time to put in the car, because I was deathly afraid of missing my flight, and having to spend another night in MN was my biggest nightmare.

I get through security, walk through the terminal saying multiple times, "Beer, Beer, Beer," and then it appeared in the form of this....

Summit Beer!  Hooray!  

And then since I had a horrible week, I rewarded myself with this...

And since I think it was still pretty obvious that I was distressed, the bartender gave me a warm cookie and some ice cream!  For free.  Nothing better than free ice cream and cookies.

And then the pilot must have known that I really wanted to get home because the flight was thirty minutes early.  I was never so happy to pay an airport parking fee in my life.  

So sorry, Minnesota, I can't say that I ever want to go back to visit you.

Chop Chop

This past Saturday, I realized that in just three short weeks I turn 30.

Yes, 30.

I have been dreading this birthday for a long time, and I'm not really sure why.  It's honestly just another day, and since I've started running again, I'm starting to feel better.

So why, oh why does turning thirty scare the bejesus out of me?  

And I guess it's even scarier, because I can't answer why it scares me.  Could be that I'm thirty, and all I have to show for it is a career in transportation?  Although, the job I'm at right now is completely fulfilling, and I for once, love the company I work for.  Could be that I'm thirty, and I don't have kids, while everyone around me is throwing up their pictures of their dogs all like, "I can't wait for my baby brother to get here!"  Maybe even the scariest part about that is, I don't know if I want to have kids.  

Maybe I'm not where I want to be financially (not even close), or where I want to be geographically (again, not even close).  But I couldn't tell you.  Quarter-life crisis?  Yep, in full swing.  

So that's when this happens... bye bye hair!  

Yep, I'm a very cliche kind of girl.

When the going gets tough, a girl cuts her hair.  And to be honest, I haven't cried about it at all.  It feels so much better to not have all that hair on my head.

Anyway, I'm hitting NOLA for the big day, so that should alleviate a lot of my concerns!

Here's to being almost 30!

Trombone Shorty

Today I'm flying up to Minneapolis for work.  The high up there is 5 degrees...the low ... -13.  I'm going to die.  

I'm just praying that it doesn't snow (20% chance), and that I don't get stuck up there. Because that would be no fun.  

Anyway, last Thursday night, we saw Trombone Shorty at the Workplay theater here in the Ham.  We've gone to several shows there and seen plenty of people, but this show by far was the best one I've been to.  He's a trombone/trumpet player/singer from New Orleans, and has been playing since he was tiny.  Hence, shorty.  

It was an absolutely incredible night.  It only made me wish for a more immediate move to New Orleans.  It's going to happen one day, y'all.  It just has to.

If you get the opportunity, download his new album.  You won't be disappointed.

Auburn Winning and the Tie to Life

This weekend, Auburn won the SEC championship in Atlanta.

Then, Michigan State proceeded to lose to Ohio State, giving Auburn a clear cut road to the national championship.

Auburn, who was 3-9 last year; they did not win a single conference game last year.  They are now going to play for a national title.

So many things had to come together this season for this to happen.  And while playing Alabama, they started saying Destiny over Dynasty.

I've mentioned before that I'm not really a strong believer in fate or destiny.  I come from the school that you make your own fate; you decide how you want your life to go.

In everything you do, you have to make a choice.  You make the right one for yourself at the time.  It may be the right decision; it may not be.  But you made it for a reason, so stick with it.  You can own mistakes and use them for future decisions.  Everyone on this planet has things they wish they could do over; but you can't.  Own it.  You chose your own destiny.

Then there's this little thing called luck.  Since the Georgia game, everyone's been saying Auburn is lucky.  And sure, maybe luck had a little to do with it, but here's a quote from someone I'm not that fond of, but love it because, well, I do.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,"  - Paul "Bear" Bryant

On to more fun things, I did get to go out and celebrate with a few Alabama fans on Saturday!  I know, crazy, right?!  Went to Cahaba Brewing Co, had some lovely beer, stranger hugged, and ended the night with Taco Bell.  You know it's a good night when you get Taco Bell at the end!  Some photos from the weekend!

So here we go.. team of destiny?  

I guess we'll see!  War Eagle!  See you in California!!

That Time I Tried to Do an Outfit Post, but Bombed Because I'm not a Model

Need proof?

I feel like I've been putting up an awful lot of awkward photos of me recently, so what the hell?

Here's a few more.  

Outside my house.

By my Auburn wreath.

In terrible lighting.

Big nose and all.

Plus once I got to thinking about it, I couldn't remember where I got half of the crap I was wearing, and my friend gave me that dress because she let me wear it one night and told me I looked better in it than her.

So there ya have it folks.  Probably the one and only fashion post that I'll attempt ever.  You're welcome.