Oh hai! Megan here. Yes, I still exist. I was almost swallowed up by the terror of finals, but I came out victorious. Miracles happen, people. I am still not out of the woods quite yet, but I have done the worst of the things. There were many things.
So 'bout three weeks ago I went to New Orleans! True story. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
We took a six-hour flight with one stop and one layover. The skies that day were ferocious, and having watched the first episode of LOST not 48 hours before, I was a bit terrified. Turbulence is a fun feeling when you're riding a roller coaster, but when you're on a plane, no bueno.
Apparently it was stripe day.
New Orleans has great book stores. Great book stores have cats.
Beautiful architecture
The streetcar that we took. We inadvertently toured...
...the garden district. A beautiful place where there are gorgeous homes and, of course, gardens.
Pralines are said "PRAW-leens" They're super sweet. But my favorite sweet things in NOLA were...
Beignets! Imagine a scone and a hootnannie (AKA German Pancake) are madly in love and they have a child. Imagine that child is sprinkled with so much powdered sugar that it looks like the snow on the top of the Himalayas. This is a beignet. Because of the amount of daily powdered sugar avalanches that occur in this 24-hour, seven days a week joint, the flour is caked in the white stuff. It's a bit sick, actually. But those man-catching beignets are divine.
You guys... this is the Mississippi river. I'm not sure if this picture is on the East or West side of it (it's nigh impossible to judge directions without mountains, mmmkay?) The point is, I know that I did cross this mighty river. So I HAVE BEEN EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. This fact is so wonderful, I put it in caps. Big deal for me. I'm just happy this has happened. By the way, this river is gross and big, but it's an American legend so you just have to love it anyway.
The true reason for going to NOLA -- the conference. There was a lot about grammar. You just had to be there. If I told you all the things I learned, you'd probably be super bored. But suffice it to say, I was entertained and enlightened by grammar nerds from all around the country.
New Orleans is loud and windy.
I wish I got a better picture of Cassandra, our instructor for the cooking class we took. The food was delicious and it was prepared before our very eyes. We had unlimited lemonade and as she cooked, she talked about the history of the area and how it related to cooking. Add that in with an amazing accent and charm, and you have the most adorable cooking class ever!
The Audubon Aquarium was fantastic because it had beautiful sea horses and jellyfish, among other exciting sea things.
Oh the trees in Audubon Park! Their branches bend low to the ground, and some go underneath the ground and come back up again. How this happens I do not know.
Live Oaks.
I loved being in Louisiana for a million reasons, some of which being that it was hot (and I heard it snowed back home); Sam was once here, and it made me feel that much more connected to him and his past (he served a mission in Louisiana, although he never served in New Orleans); I loved being with my Chrony friends and getting a break from school for a few days; I loved learning about copy editing and journalism. The conference was really great.
I want to give a big thank-you to everyone who helped us get to NOLA. It was real.
-Meg
