The First Entry!

---

00
DAYS 

00
HOURS 

00
MINS 

00
SECS

Until Our Road Trip!

Hello All!

This is the first post! Today is 12/13, and we're leaving for New Orleans next Thursday. Right now I'm just trying to get everything done-laundry, money (wanna give to the A and B Smith travel fund?), puppy, etc.

This is our first time traveling with a dog, so I'm a little nervous about that. I'm a planner by nature, so I think Ozy will be okay. He's got a little limp right now, but it's getting better.

I guess I should explain why this trip is so important to me. New Orleans isn't just a city to my husband, it's home. It's my second home. Before Katrina, most people saw NOLA as a place to party, to get drunk, to lose your inhibitions. That may be true for tourists, but for us it's much more than that. To me, New Orleans is where I spent my honeymoon. It's where my husband looks happy. Where I feel more and more like a native and less and less like a tourist-I haven't been to the French Quarter in years. 😊 This is a homecoming in more ways that one, and I'm eternally grateful to PFG for this opportunity. That' doesn't mean I don't want raises! 😊

During Katrina, we were just paralyzed. It was surreal being here in DSM watching your home being flooded, your people dying, and no one seeming to care. For about a week, we didn't know where B's family was. Most folks went to my father in law at Houston. My sister in law and her kids went to who knows where. I wish I could explain in words what we felt, but I would say powerless would be apt. Luckily no one died, but homes were lost. Possessions were gone. Everyone was homeless.

After the storm, most of my inlaws relocated to Houston, then eventually made their way back to the city. This is the first trip we'll be making home since the storm, and I don't know if we're ready.

I have a picture in my mind of what my New Orleans looks like, and I know it's not there anymore. I've seen the news, I've seen Spike Lee's documentary, but I don't know if I'm ready for this. I hope this blog will remind you that New Orleans still needs your help and support.

My husband and I are experienced road trippers-we drive everywhere. We haven't been on a long trip in awhile, so we're both looking forward to this drive. This is our tentative schedule:

December 21-leave Des Moines and drive to Grenada, Mississippi
December 22-leave Grenada and drive to Franklinton Louisiana (the home of B's mother's side of the family)
December 25-30-New Orleans Baby!
December 30-drive to Sikeston, MO
December 31-spend the night with my sister in O'Fallon, IL
January 1-back in Des Moines

Here's a Google Map of our route Here .

We're doing this trip a little differently. Instead of staying at a hotel or with family, we're renting an apartment in the city for the week. Many people in NOLA live in shotgun houses. It's kinda like a duplex, but instead of the rooms being laid out like a regular home, the rooms are in a straight line. People either live on one side and rent the other, or convert it to one home (a shotgun double). This is a new experience for us, so I hope they like us and we like them.

I'll try to update this blog daily. If there's something that you want me to see or do while I'm traveling, drop me a line. And if you just want to drop me a line to let me know you're reading, that would be great also. If you subscribe to this blog, you'll get an email letting you know everytime I update the site.

In the mean time, here are some links for you to peruse:

Principal Financial Group My wonderful employer!

Ozy's Page My dog's webpage. Yes I know I'm crazy, but in the wise words of GI Joe, knowing is half the battle.

Where exactly did you get that name? I get asked everyday where my dog's name came from. I encourage all of you to read this book-it's perhaps the greatest comic book ever written.

Visit New Orleans! New Orleans is open for business! Please come and spend your money in the city-they need you.

Volunteer in NOLA If you can use your time to make a difference, please consider helping New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Here are ways to help.

Shotgun Houses More info on shotgun houses. If I ever get to move to the city, I want one of these.


Well, that's it for now, and I'll get back to you before we leave on 12/21!


Laizzes Les Bon Ton Rouler!

Andrea

---