Many people have asked us about our trip to the "big n' easy", "dirty" ol' South! Well, actually they usually ask me how I liked it, since they know Johnny already loves it. Before I tell you what we did, I have to tell you that although the southern part of this country is so different then the one I live in, I actually loved it! The people there are really friendly, the food is unbelievably good (and no one cares how fattening it is, it's just good), and absolutely no one is in a hurry.
We flew into New Orleans on Monday March 11th, 2013. I had just worked a night shift the night before so I was exhausted and restless, I could barely sit still in my seat for the 4 hours on the plane. Finally we got to our GORGEOUS hotel room (thank you SO much Jess) and went to sleep. The next morning we slept in until 11am and got dressed up for an afternoon in the French Quarter. We walked down Bourbon street, which I was actually not that impressed with... I only saw like one naughty poster, it definitely wasn't as bad as the Vegas strip. As we got closer to the center of the city, there was music on every corner, it was my kind of city! One of the groups we saw was amazing!!! The guy playing the guitar was also singing, hitting a tambourine with his right foot and his left food was playing a makeshift bass drum that was an old suitcase. I wish I could go back and capture that moment and play it forever. I loved the music!
Later that day we went to St. Louis Cathedral, which was breathtaking, walked around town square, and shopped at the market. Because New Orleans is practically below sea level, their cemeteries consist of cement boxes stacked on each other above ground. We visited Metarie cemetery where there are elaborate designed tombs that families are buried in.
This was inside one of the tombs, it's called the "weeping angel", isn't she beautiful???
The next day we tried to go to a state park to try and canoe in the Bayou to see some gators...yeah, there were not canoes to rent and no gators. We just took a very long walk looking at the Bayou and a few snakes.
We also went on a boat tour, that left from downtown New Orleans, travelled along the Mississippi, to the battle ground of Chalmette. The battle of New Orleans took place here in the War of 1812, it was the last invasion attempt of the British in this war. I know all of this not because of the park ranger tour guide but because I'm married to a history buff. In fact, that's probably why we went on a boat tour to a battle ground in the first place haha.
While driving around the city that day, we visited the church that Johnny lived in when he was in New Orleans helping clean up after Katrina. We also happened upon a little gem, a place he used to go to get rootbeer freezes... holy freak... these were my weakness!! I think we got a total of 5 in the 3 days we spent in New Orleans. haha
After a few days, it was on to Baton Rouge. An Elder that Johnny served with lives there now with his wife so we had dinner and dessert with them, his wife is a nurse too (like 5 of these Elders married nurses) so we got along great while the guys reminisced about old mission times. Baton Rouge was also where we went on a gator tour at the Swamp People gator and turtle farm. This was not "safe", at the beginning of the tour, the guide told us that there was a 5 1/2 foot gator on the loose in the turtle area so to be on the lookout for this gator on the loose! Sketch!!! Then, we got to sit on a gator, who's mouth was taped with just electrical tape, and take our picture. As we are progressing through the tour with this 5 foot gator still wandering around, the tour guide tells us a little story. He was doing a gator show in the summer (gators are more active and aggressive in the summer) and had his back to a gator talking to the tourists. When all of the sudden, a gator jumps 6 feet in the air behind him and grabs his hand! He drags the tour guide around the pond until the other tour guide jumps on the gator's back and startles him enough that he lets go of the guy's hand to deepen the bite. The tour guide says that an alligator only lets go in order to get another bite so he yanked his hand out of the gator's mouth and they booth booked it out of the gator pen. All the while, all of the tourists are screaming and cussing up a storm. Needless to say, I sure was happy it wasn't summer....
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| Yes, this is a pet pig. Just like a dog, but a pig. Her toe nails were painted and everything! |
A couple of the last days of our trip we took a few road trips to different areas that Johnny had served. Now, everyone that reads this probably knows me well enough to know that I love Johnny but I don't say mushy stuff publicly very often. Well, here it comes.... I was really able to see just how great of a missionary he was. Everyone we visited absolutely loved him! They raved about how great he is and reminisced about times he'd come over for BBQ's and crawfish boils to teach and even how one of the husband's cried when Elder Baucom left the area. Even though some of those great people we visited were not still active members, you could see the impact that Johnny had on their lives and the impact they had on his, it was a really cool experience to see and be a part of it.
The only part about of visiting Louisiana that I didn't like was the racism. We went to dinner with a fella that Johnny had taught and holy moly was I uncomfortable with the things being said!!!! I will never repeat them but just know that it is a whole other world down there and racism definitely still exists!
Anyways, this post has gotten extremely long so I'll just post a few more pictures and be done. But it was a great trip! I loved the south and Louisiana and especially getting to see where Johnny spent two years of his life.
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| Crawfish. You buy it like that and de-tail it yourself. Yum! |
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| They have these gorgeous purple bushes everywhere! So pretty |
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| From the top of the state capitol building |
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| Windy top of the capitol |
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| Wayla, one of the ladies Johnny taught |
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| Johnny has this exact same picture 7 years earlier in missionary clothes |
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| BOGALUSA!!! |
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| Mike the tiger, LSU's mascot |
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| We drove 2 hours to the only nice beach in Louisiana, Grand Isle |
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| Tiger Stadium |
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| Grand Isle |
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| Oak Alley Plantation |
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| Albino Peacock, I just thought this was purdy! |
