First, I love louisiana. It is different and new and exciting. I believe that it is always fun to try new things and see new places and Louisiana allows for that in so many ways. The first night we were there, we stayed in the French Quarter only two blocks from Bourbon Street. We had dinner at a little hole in the wall restaurant. I was going to eat chicken, but decided to be brave and try new things, you only live once right?! I tried seafood gumbo. I ate cajun bbq'd shrimp. I had fried eggplant. I tasted catfish and oysters. And... I enjoyed an alligator sausage po-boy. All of this food was surprisingly delicious and the experience pumped me up for the greatness that would be a 4 day weekend in the beautiful state of Louisiana.
We walked up and down Bourbon Street, that cool thursday night. I experienced culture shock, to say the least. I was overwhelmed with images of messy sexuality and was bombarded by the innate human nature to trivialize beautiful things, making them less important and less sacred. While I was overwhelmed and bombarded, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the experience of Bourbon St. with a group of people who are wonderful and who I sure do love deeply.
The next morning we walked the streets of the French Quarter and had a whole new perspective on the city. We enjoyed a little jaunt down by the Mississippi River. We stopped in little touristy shops. We saw new things and took lots of pictures of new and exciting adventures. Then...we drove to Lafayette. The journey in the mini-van was super fun, I got my first glimpse of the Louisiana bayou. I saw beauty of a land I've never seen before. We ate more authentic cajun food and pondered the meaning behind a really interesting mural.
We enjoyed each other, we enjoyed the company of people we love so very deeply. We toured a new town and loved it. The wedding was glorious. Everything about it was fun and perfect. The details and extras were sweet. Joey and Claire were lovely. Their love was displayed and celebrated and I honestly cannot think of a better way to describe how perfect their wedding was. Claire was absolutely ravishing as only one so deeply loved could be. Joey was, well, JOEY. My heart danced with joy. My boys looked so good and grown up and took their responsiblility as Joey's chosen few seriously as they loved him on his special day.
I loved: the ceremony, the story of the bicycle, the violin, the head-bonks, the jokes, the prayer, the vows, the simplicity, the cake, the food, the Polaroid guest book, the dancing, the pictures, the new friends, the old friends, the laughter, the white shrimping boots that the bridal party wore, Joey and Claire's choreographed first dance, the tennis balls, riding off as a married couple on a tandem bike.
Though the wedding was over the party sure was not. We went on a little adventure to try and find live alligators. We did not succeed in our goal but we did get to see a little more of the city. We stopped by Louisiana State University, Lafayette where we took our own tour of the little alligator habitat in the middle of of the campus. Then off we went to the home of Claire Walker for a good old fashioned Cajun wedding after party. We ate red beans and rice and learned the Cajun two step, not the mention the Carolina shag. How much fun could one person have?!!?...MORE!!!
While the boys made their way back to the airport to come home, I enjoyed a good nights sleep to make sure that I'd be able to enjoy my last day in LA. As we headed back to New Orleans we took a detour off of hwy 10 to check out the LSU campus. I think I'm a Tigers fan now :) We took some pictures of Mike VI the LIVE tiger mascot. We marveled in the glory that is Tiger Stadium where the LSU football team plays. We checked out where Shaq has his roots as a college basketball star, in LSU's state of the art basketball stadium. AWESOME!!!!
We lollygagged around New Orleans a little longer, taking pictures and enjoying the city on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. We watched some street dancers and photographed human statues. Before leaving, we watched the IMAX film, Hurricane on the Bayou. I'm glad that we had the opportunity to remember the tragedy that took place in Louisiana, that we might go home and remember the grander and wonder that is the beautiful state but that we would not forget the people who were affected by the natural disaster only 3 short years ago.
What a wonderful trip. What a wonderful live I live. What wonderful people I have to enjoy this life with. Thank you Jesus for Joey and Claire, may their love flourish. Thank you Jesus for my friends. Thank you for fun times and new adventures. Help me not to forget!
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