Southern Decadence in New Orleans?? & Cross Country Road Trip

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So my brother & I turned 26!!! NO!! It sounds SO old! I don't like it at all! I feel like I should be 22. You're only as young as you feel, right? I'll just keep telling myself that! No, it's cool, I love where God has put me & what he's doing in my life right now.

So, my mom treated my brother & I to New Orleans for our 26th bday. My Aunt Pam joined us. I had never been before so it was really cool. We had a bit of a surprise. A couple days before leaving, we found it out it was the annual 'Southern Decadence' Labor Day weekend!! The weekend we would be there. Of course, out of ALL the weekends to go during this huge, international event. Go figure. I guess that will teach me to do my research of my vacation destination! It was fine, just a bigger, crazier Austin. Lots of 'different' sites to see, especially that weekend. We stayed 2 nights. We ate a ton of really good cajun food, did a lot of walking, went on a steamboat ferry that gave us history of New Orleans & showed some of the damage, listened to some amazing jazz music, stayed in the French Quaters in a cute hotel, and did some shopping. I must say, I wasn't impressed with the customer service at all. Other than that, it was so great to go on a trip with my family. We don't do that often so it was just good to be around them.

A few days after we got back, my mom & I started a long road trip, cross country. We drove from Dallas to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Yep, that's right, my new home for the fall. The drive was long, but not too bad. We stopped in Enid, OK, where I grew up & stayed the night with some family friends. Then we continued on our journey, through Kansas, Missouri, Iowa & finally to Minnesota. I'm living with Becky, a Pelican, super sweet, & another roommate, Nikki, in Shoreview, MN. The house is awesome! Becky totally redid it, it's a loft, has hard-wood floors, split level, view of the lake. It's GOREGOUS here! The other day I looked outside & there was a deer in our neighbor's backyard!! My mom stayed & helped me move in, although there wasn't a lot to do, all I brought was clothes & my bike! So there's a huge pond (I prefer to say small lake) in our backyard! We've got a paddle boat & kayak. The leaves are starting to turn & the weather is lovely! In Shoreview it's really pedestrian friendly so there's a ton of bike & running paths. Anyway, if anyone wants to come & visit in the fall, before it gets cold, let me know! I would love to have you visit!! Minnesotans are a lot like Texans, super friendly, just with a funny accent;)

We had our PPM staff reunion last weekend. We had a bunch of meetings in Duluth, MN. Then, we played Splattag (paintball) in Wisconsin. It was AWESOME! We divided up in teams, they gave us guns & masks, we were all in camoflauge because we were in the woods! It was intense! Felt like the real thing! So the second to last game I was hiding behind some tree. And all of a sudden I heard a buzzing sound, I was being attacked by bees! They got up in my mask & started stinging my face, neck & other parts. I screamed, dropped my gun & ran. It was SO scary b/c I've never been bit before. Oh well, just hurt & got swollen.

Anyway, that's all from me for awhile. I'll be traveling a lot this fall going to Youth Specialities conventions. I'll be going to San Diego, St. Louis, Atlanta, Dallas & Oklahoma during Thanksgiving, and Vancouver, Canada. Give me a ring! Love & miss you!

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