Then I married a dude with a June birthday.. so it became even more special! <3
Not to mention one of my best friends, his Grandmother, his Aunt, a couple of my favorite cousins... it's a good month to celebrate!
I was definitely excited about June this year because it meant I was going to get to spend some time with my sister, brother-in-law and niece! They had been planning a trip to Louisiana for many months, and that week couldn't get here fast enough for me! My Instagram and Facebook has lots more photos, but here's a quick glimpse at our June!
Hubby helped me get my business space set up, and then I spent the entire weekend before my family came getting it completely organized. It makes me so much more focused and efficient with the hours I do spend working my business when my space is ready for me. I love it!
He was also a trooper at helping me celebrate a good sale this summer! Ha!
We had such a fun time shooting this. If you haven't used your burst photo option on iPhone, you really need to get on that. Hilarious!
My version of the sale-excitement. :o)
For our birthdays, Damion's parents took us to see Warcraft!
I think most people know, but in case you didn't, that's actually how Damion and I met. :o)
We were in the same (brand new) guild together. After a few months of being gaming friends, that turned into being phone/Facebook friends.. the rest is history. So, for lots of reasons, we were excited for this to come out!
And then it was time to head off to see my family! (Thank you again to my buddies at work for making it possible for me to be off the entire week to spend time with family! <3)
We left out Saturday morning to meet up with them in New Orleans. They had taken an extra day to rest during the drive down from North Carolina. It's a long haul, so I completely understand!
First things first, walking around the French Quarter, checking out the little shops.
And my sister found a friend. Chomp chomp!
For dinner, we headed over to the Garden District, to eat at Joey K's.
Delicious! My sister talked about her Fried Oyster Sandwich for days!
We definitely recommend this place! Great service, great food, cool neighborhood.
After dinner, we walked down the block to try out Sucre.
I could spend days in a place like that. Such beautiful creations!Dessert like that is definitely an art!
On Sunday, we toured around different parts of the city.
A few graveyards, New Orleans City Park, then the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Incredible! It's an easy walk around, and wasn't overly crowded.
We grabbed a late lunch at Raisin' Canes. :o)
Where we come from, it's all things Bojangles. So, we had to show them the light!
(even though this NC girl would love some Bo's once in a while!)
Dinner was delicious and fun at The Blind Pelican!
And dessert at Cafe du Monde! <3
This was my second time eating here. Going late at night was definitely the best choice.
It's still hot at night in the summer, of course, but the crowd is way smaller, and parking was easy.
A first-timer's MUST for visiting the city.
p.s. - We ended up going with AirBNB for lodging.
The hotels can be pretty expensive, plus paying for parking, so this worked out great for us!
This is a super cute mother-in-law type cottage behind the owner's home.
We were only a short drive from the main part of town, with safe and private parking, as well as plenty of space to enjoy our short weekend away. The hosts were so kind!
We recommend this Cute Place for sure!
We left on Monday, which was my birthday.
Hubby left to go get us some yummy breakfast from Wakin' Bakin'!
If there's one thing you need for a vacation to Louisiana, it's an appetite!
We drove back home after breakfast, with a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Baton Rouge, of course!
My family got checked in to their hotel and we all rested a bit.
For dinner, we met up and headed to L'auberge Casino and Hotel for dinner.
The buffet is crazy big, and of course.. delicious. :o)
No time for photos until dessert.
Creme brulee for days.. and a mini key lime pie. Ha!
My niece stayed the night with us... and made sure to let me know that SnapChat was pretty dumb.
But, she is 12 and thinks everything we do is dumb. Haha... so fun to annoy her. <3
On Tuesday, we loaded up together and headed south.
The Creole Nature Trail was first on our list.
(seriously.. she hates my camera. LOL!)
Hi there, buddy... we just wanted to say hi!
Next up, the Gulf! We let them walk around a bit at Holly Beach.
It was SO HOT... so I stayed in the car. Ha!(plus, I hate sand.. so unless I'm getting some time in the waves, I'm not down for strolling)
Next, the Cameron Ferry. Which, of course, takes more time to wait for and load than it does to actually ride across the water... ha! But it's free and fun to experience.
We grabbed some drinks..
Yep - drive through frozen daiquiri shops, friends.
You really need to come visit us!
Hello to my new friend, Strawberry Mango Colada!
And my cutie birthday cake from Jo's!
Wednesday, Hubby had to work.
So, the rest of us slept in and grabbed lunch before heading out to the state park!
It was such a pretty day!
Damion was busy cutting grass when we got there,
but he was able to join us for the very end of our time out there.
And sweet Maggie came to say hello, too!
Our last day together was very relaxed. We got some donuts together, then they spent some time resting at their hotel and enjoying their pool. For dinner, we ate at our house (cooking happened while the boys went off to enjoy a couple of hours of man-time at Cigar Club), and said our goodbyes! <3
Over the next weekend, Damion and his brother headed off to crab for a few hours.
They came home with a few.. enough for us to enjoy a little bit of their efforts. :o)
After my family left, I was in a super funk for a few days.
I really miss North Carolina. I really miss my family and friends there.I'm definitely not unhappy here in Louisiana, and I love being married to Damion so much.
It's just a different kind of place than I've known my whole life, so I think I'm still adjusting, I guess.
Thankfully, he's very understanding and promises that we can keep visiting as much as possible. <3
We don't know where we will end up when he's finished with school.. but a part of me always hopes that we travel back toward that familiar stead.
And God was so sweet to me in this.. because just 5 days later, my parents floated through our town again! It was another quick visit, but dinner together is always nice. :o)
