Recon (cont...again.)

I've just now realized that my account of Day Two was quite flawed. It was Friday and that evening I had my first contact with the French Quarter and all the amazing treasures and experiences it has to offer. We drove in to the city and seeing all the neighborhoods for the first time in daylight was quite amazing. It was, for the most part, apparent which had been fully restored or renewed following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and which had not. Large buildings tens of stories high remain vacant, waiting for someone to occupy them.

Once we reached the French Quarter, I was amazed at how alive it was. I knew it is a big tourist draw, but I wasn't prepared for the hustle and bustle that we found. As we walked through the French Market's open pavilion, the shopkeepers and booth tenders were loading their goods up for the night. A few tables were still laid out with assorted items, but their selection had dwindled from the day's shoppers. We walked on and as we passed the last of the table and shops, the pure beauty of the aged buildings that surrounded us was awe inspiring. As we continued on, the diversity of the shops we passed and the beauty of the myriad of colors used on the storefronts amazed me and I was shortly unable to really process all the visual stimulus.

After a short detour to view the river and the amazing view of the downtown area, we made our way down to Cafe du Monde, a place famous for their cafe au lait and beignets. The atmosphere at this historic cafe is indescribable. Their menu hasn't changed in 80 plus years and once you've partaken of their offerings, its easy to see why. If any of you are ever in New Orleans, this is an absolute must!

As we made a turn to pass the beautiful Jackson Square and head toward the Stl Louis Cathedral and its regal spires, we passed several street performers. Past those were several people selling beautiful paintings, rugs and tapestries, as well as a few card readers and a caricature painter. The diversity of the people passing by and those selling goods and services struck me as quite amazing. Coming from this small Utah town, I have had little exposure to true diversity and I found it to be quite a positive experience. In this place filled with people from all creeds and walks of life, it is easy to appreciate everyone as an individual regardless of their color or lineage.

The rest of our time spent in the French Quarter that evening was filled with a pleasant stroll through the streets and then a stop at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The food was great and the atmosphere was very festive. We then made our way back to Slidell and eventually tucked ourselves in for the night.

Day 3: The Zoo and a night I'll never forget.

My third day in Louisiana was the busiest of them all. We all squeezed into the Greco's car for the drive back into the city. This was the first time I was able to actually pay close attention to the scenery and all the great sights we passed because I didn't have to drive. Once we had left the interstate, we drove through the most beautiful neighborhoods I've ever laid eyes on. Each house had its own style and the difference in architecture from house to house was astonishing. The many cultural and historical influences that have shaped this city through the centuries were apparent as we passed through the streets.

We arrived at the Audubon Zoo and after meeting the extended Greco family we began our journey through the rather expansive and beautiful grounds. The best part of the experience is that the animals held there are divided into regions based on their natural habitat. Each of these areas is designed to mimic those areas, including plant life as well as the look of the stone and history of that region. The Asian Domain has Asian plants and ancient Asian stonework and this attention to detail holds true for the entire zoo.

In an effort to keep this post short, I will simply say that our time spent there was very amazing and if ever given the opportunity, I would visit again and encourage anyone that is visiting the area to spend a day wandering through the exhibits.

After we left the zoo, we made an attempt to get to the Aquarium of the Americas before closing time, but we weren't successful. We then decided that it was a good time to check out the Riverwalk Mall. This mall sits right along the Mississippi river and is quite high-class. The courtyard we passed through to enter was absolutely stunning with its large fountain and beautiful fountain.

Once we had walked the length of the shopping complex, we stopped for a quick bite to eat and then watched the boats go by on the river. The Mississippi isn't necessarily the most appealing body of water to gaze upon, however, the twin bridges that span its breadth are quite beautiful and the activity on the surface is fascinating to behold.

It was now time for Lacey and I to part from Joe and the kids and enjoy a night out on Bourbon Street with her friends. We made this separation at the French Market and began wandering through the streets of the French Quarter once again. The buildings and people amazed me still as we made our way toward Bourbon. We stayed on the lookout for any possible future residences for me and I made sure to soak in as much history as possible.

This is all for now. I just had to get as much done as possible, and I'm not certain when I will have time to post again. I'm hoping to have the whole week's account finished this week, but I'm unable to make any promises.

Recon (cont.)

Day One: Slidell

My first day on my adventure in Louisiana was relatively uneventful. After finally catching some sleep at 8 AM following a night of talking with Lacey, we decided it would be a good idea to find some more clothes and pick up all the personal items that I had decided to leave home to avoid any trouble at the airport. While driving for the first time in Louisiana daylight, I was in awe of how much life surrounded the community. In fact, it wasn't just surrounding it. The forest and endless green was a part of the city. Wooded areas surrounded the shopping complexes and neighborhoods. The abundant greenery made exiting the freeway seem like traveling through a dense forest. Tall pine trees rise above their deciduous neighbors and create the visible sky line. It is an odd site for those like me that are used to pines being "christmas tree" shaped. These are all poles with a few branches and far more sparsely packed with needles than looks healthy. The trees also hide a plethora of other creatures that can only be heard as they go about life, their sounds emanating and creating a sort of music that becomes just another part of living there.

Our shopping trips were successful and soon it was time for bed. I felt satisfied with my first day in the South. The scenery is beautiful, the people were far more friendly than what I encounter in Utah, and thankfully I had been able to adjust to the humidity far quicker than I anticipated.

Success. Relief.

Day 2: Old Town Slidell and Lake Ponchartrain

After a late rising and playing with Lacey's brood of adorable children, it was decided that I must experience Old Town Slidell and that we were in need of a stop at the Re-Store--a fascinating store where things from old houses like doors and light fixtures, furniture and miscellaneous odds and ends are donated and sold to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

While we were exploring Old Town, we were hit with a rather intense rain. It seemed intense to me, however I found out that it was just a normal little rainstorm that happens all the time, especially this time of year. After locating the Re-Store and perusing it's treasures, I decided on a pair of cork lamps as my find. They looked rather shabby, but seemed to have potential to be quite beautiful. Meanwhile, the rain had returned and stronger this time. Getting back to the car and loading the children was an adventure, but we were successful. We then began heading back to Casa del Greco, however we spontaneously decided to go for a drive.

We passed many interesting places including a flea market and a nudist colony, however we made no stops along the way. Eventually we came to the turn to go the shore of Lake Ponchartrain. This option we did take and after a detour through a very lovely neighborhood, we stopped along the shore. It was magnificent. The lake is so large that the opposite shore isn't visible, save for the cityscape of New Orleans.

Back at the Greco's we unwound from our spontaneity and soon it was once again time for bed.

I'll be able to continue this sometime tomorrow evening. I hope I'm making this seem interesting because I had a wonderful time and want to share my experiences without boring anyone to tears. :) (And if Lacey is reading this, please correct me if I have any events on the wrong day. I have a habit of mixing up events between days.)

Louisiana - Recon

I returned from my re-con mission to the New Orleans area on Wednesday and couldn't be happier with the information I gathered. The city is even more vibrant and amazing than I could have ever expected and the general area is even farther beyond my expectations.

Before I get too far into this, I have to apologize. I fully intended to keep this blog updated daily about my adventures, however I rarely found myself in the mindset to write. This trip doubled as my vacation and apparently my mind checked out as well, stifling my need for an outlet--as well as my ability to string together any coherent posts.

I'll start from the beginning. Last Wednesday, the 16th of June, after waiting for the funds to be available for the trip, I was on my way to Salt Lake City for my much anticipated flight. While I was making the journey, my mind was busy doing its usual second guessing and worst-case scenario conjuring. This did little to suppress my excitement at the prospect of getting out of Utah and away from the daily grind, but the seed of doubt that had been laying dormant sprouted and began to grow. By the time I arrived at my Grandparent's home where I parked my Jeep for the week, I felt a definite doubt about this whole adventure. I doubted my desire to even go on this trip. I doubted my ability to be away from my family and friends for 7 days, let alone indefinitely once I move later in the year. Every possible scenario of disappointment and carefully laid plans gone awry was playing on endless repeat in my adrenaline soaked brain. I live with this sort of self-doubt every day but in this completely new and unknown situation it was impossible to brush aside or ignore. My grandparents weren't much help either. Even as they drove me to the airport my mother's parents couldn't help but relay stories they had heard about the evils of the people and the filth of the city. Thankfully this actually helped. Their attempts at "preparing" me for what I was about to experience reminded me of all the progress I had made internally in the past couple months. I was reminded of the personal breakthroughs I had while preparing for this very moment. During that car ride, I reasserted my control over my fears and once again felt ready for what was to come.

The airport experience was one that I was most anxious about. I have never been on an airplane, but it wasn't the flying that scared me. I fully understand the physics behind air travel and I had every confidence that short of a major mechanical failure, those laws of nature that have held up airplanes for more than a century wouldn't suddenly change simply because I was sitting in one of the seats. No, it was was the security checks and navigating the airport that worried me. It turns out that all of my fears were completely unfounded and most were borderline ridiculous.

My first flight was apparently quite eventful, though I hardly would have classified it as such. The take-off and first hour of the flight were filled with turbulence that had passengers around me and the small children aboard quite terrified. Having no previous experience in air travel and no expectations, I was fine and actually found it to be a fun ride--albeit quite boring once the rocking and bouncing subsided.

Once we landed in New Orleans, I eagerly awaited my turn to exit the plane. I was seated about 3/4's of the way back so this seemed like an endless wait. When it was finally my turn I headed down the isle. As I turned and started to exit, I was hit by a blast of hot, wet air. After wondering where this sticky heated air was coming from, I soon realized it was the air from outside coming in from around the portal of the gate. I was shocked. I had known it would be humid, I knew it would be hot, but having never experienced the two together I was thrown by this new sensation.

After a rather frustrating and ridiculous ordeal, and meeting a very nice woman with an adorable child that was going through the same problems as I was, I finally set out from the airport with my snazzy rented 2010 Mazda 3. Now, just a little geography lesson for those of you unfamiliar with the city of New Orleans. Louis Armstrong International Airport is located in the suburb of Kenner which is to the west of New Orleans proper. My wonderful friend Lacey, with whom I stayed with, lives in Slidell which is slightly east and north(and across Lake Ponchartrain) form the city. Now, the basic route you have to take seems simple: get on I-10 and travel east and you will get where you're going. There are plenty of signs to make sure you navigate the interchanges correctly--this should be an easy trip to make. And it was...mostly. The problem I had is that the rental company was out of GPS units. This wouldn't be problem because the Sprint Navigation app on my phone works quite well and I had my laptop there in case I had to rely on a map without real-time direction. Well, silly me forgot to make sure the phone OR the laptop were charged. So, after a short jaunt into Mississippi, a few nail-biting texts, and about two hours, I finally found the road I was looking for. I had finally arrived at the place I would call home for 7 days and was warmly welcomed by Lacey, and her three overly amped children who rather hilariously called me Mr. Pickle.

That's all I have time to post right now, but I will continue boring you all with my trip hopefully later this evening! (and please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors. I have no time to proofread or condense so this might seem rather long and rambling. LOL)

Blogging.

I've always wondered why people blog. It seemed to me to be such a pain to maintain and the stress of keeping posts interesting seemed annoying and unnecessary so I've stayed away from it. Until this one, of course. LOL. It turns out I wrong. I've found this to be an amazing way to help myself organize my thoughts and really understand all the things that life can teach a person. Most of these lessons and realizations that I've had never made it to a final post, but its amazing how writing about your life can put things into focus.

On the topic of my move and my "Big Adventure", my sister and I were able to finish up my move out of the old house with the exception of a few odds and ends today. It has been an incredibly draining and emotional process and I'm happy to be done. I have kept more things than I intended but I feel good about it because most of them are things I will actually use.

In much more festive news, I might be able to extend my holiday in Nola from 8 days to 13. Nothing is set for sure as of yet, however if the financial ends meet its going to be a done deal! "Why?", you might ask? Just what would be my motivation for such an extension? All I can say is this: Nola Pride 2010. (Is there more to say, really??)

In an unrelated note, I've decided to try my hand at writing a novel. I've mentioned the desire here before and now that I have a decently solid character set and a basic story arc, I'm going to jump on it. I feel inspired by my current situation, so for those that get to read it while its in progress or finished, you might see where my inspiration has come from. I just hope its not incredibly boring.

And there's something else I've failed to do until now. I need to thank you for reading my blog. It means a lot to me that anyone would care enough about my life and my thoughts on that life to read what I have to say. I know there aren't a lot of you, but I'd continue if there were only one. So Thank You!

And time keeps flying!!

Its been a little while since I posted and I have a few things to share.

First, I just have to say how excited I am to finally get to see this city that I've been dreaming about and making commitments to for months now. I leave in 6 days!!! OMG. I think I must be dreaming. It seems like just yesterday I made this crazy decision and started this insane adventure.

Secondly, this past weekend I continued my quest to experience all that this region has to offer in my short time I have left by attending the Utah Pride Fest for the first time. It was an amazing experience, and while I didn't do all the things I had planned, I will never forget it. The feeling of community and friendship that filled the entire grounds was something I've never encountered. Its hard to describe, honestly, and my limited abilities give me pause to even attempt it. Even as I spent some time alone wandering the booths and watching all the people, I never felt alone or judged or as if I wasn't important even in such a large crowd. I met some very nice people and their openness and kindness impressed me more than I can convey. All I can say is that I will never forget it and spending the time there was more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.

Another notable happening has been moving out of my rented house. I'm lucky enough to have two great friends that are letting me stay with them for free to help me afford this endeavor. As I've been living with them with my very few things that I allowed myself to keep, I've realized just how wasteful and shallow I've been for so long. Here I sit in a chair next to my mattress, typing on my laptop. These three things have been all I've needed the week I've been here. I don't need the TV or the movies sitting in boxes or the surround sound system sitting ready to be set up. I don't need all the things I have yet to box up and send to the trash or donate that are sitting at the old house. No, I really don't need any of the things I've become so attached to. I've been so caught up with things that I've failed to notice the people in my life and their amazing qualities.

Just in the last few weeks as I've significantly downsized my load of belongings, I've realized that even though I thought I understood how much more valuable people are than belongings, I was still placing a higher value and giving more of myself to the things in my life than to the people. The realization shocked me to be honest, but its made me much more appreciative of the absolutely beautiful and amazing people in my life. I don't think I could ask for better friends and family members, and I know that without them I could never make this move a success. So, thank you and I love you all!!

On a super side note, I've always dreamed of writing a novel, and I think I may have just had a breakthrough in the inspiration department. We'll have to wait and see... ;)