Autumn Leaves

Since I was born and raised in Louisiana I had never really experienced a proper fall. The leaves here go from green to brown in the blink of an eye, while the red, yellow and orange leaves usually associated with the season are never to be seen.

I got back to the states in the beginning of October and about a week later I was off again to New Hampshire to visit my boyfriend’s family. I FINALLY got a chance to see the beautiful colored leaves!

Taken on my iPhone, and no, I didn’t photoshop at all! So pretty!

We went off roading in a six wheeler through the mountains. This was my view from inside of the truck!

It doesn’t even look real in the pictures!

Another fun activity that we did was ziplining! I am extremely terrified of heights but I refused to let it get the best of me. We went on a two hour SkyRider tour that took us on five zips. We started at the top of the mountain and zipped along the tree tops to the bottom!

My first zip! You can see the look of terror on my face as I’m about to jump. Definitely worth it once I let go! :)

We took suspended bridges to get from zip to zip.

Two of the zips on our course let you race! I lost against my boyfriend both times but still had so much fun!

Flying through the air!

The company that we did the tour with is named Alpine Adventures and I highly recommend them! My favorite zip of the five was 45 seconds long and took us over a valley of trees. The views were absolutely breathtaking! Apparently, we picked the best time of year to go! :)

MIA

The past few months have been completely insane, and I mean that in the best way possible! As a result, I’ve completely neglected my blog and I feel terrible about it! But I’M BACK…and here to stay! :)

Europe was absolutely AMAZING! I had planned on blogging while I was over there to keep everyone updated on my travels buuuut….

1. The Internet in most hostels SUCKS! I’m talking slow…like watching paint dry.
2. I was deathly afraid to upload my pictures to any foreign computer after my friends got permanently deleted from her camera. AHHH!
3. Who has time to blog when the most beautiful/exciting/wonderful cities are 2 steps away waiting to be explored?
4. When you only get three hours of sleep for four consecutive days and it comes down to blogging or sleeping….you choose sleep, trust me!

Over 45 days I visited eight countries and 15 cities:
Ireland (Dublin and Galway)
England (London)
The Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Belgium (Gent)
France (Paris)
Italy (Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Venice)
Greece (Athens and Mykonos)
Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid)

Quite the whirlwind adventure, if I do say so myself. I knew that I would be doing A LOT of traveling, but I totally underestimated how exhausting it would be. We were constantly on the go! Trains became our second home and getting an adequate amount of sleep was usually unheard of. In the end, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I met so many amazing people, saw so many beautiful places, ate so much delicious food and have a million memories that will last a lifetime! I’d love to share all of the pictures but we took over 1,000! Here are some highlights and personal favorites:

We couldn’t resist making Guinness mustaches while at their brewery in Ireland!

You can’t go to London without taking a picture in a red phone booth, right?

At the Notting Hill Carnival in London. It was a bit like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and definitely just as fun!

EVERYONE rode bikes in Amsterdam! They even had their own lane with specific stoplights. The canals made for a confusing, but beautiful city.

It’s true what they say, Belgian chocolate is surely the best!

We finally got to see the Eiffel Tower light up on our last night in Paris!

Cinque Terre, Italy. Hands down the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. No picture could ever do it justice!

The Trevi Fountain at night! I’ve wanted to visit my entire life. And yes, I made a wish! :)

Mykonos, Greece. ALL of the houses are painted white with blue doors. It definitely gave Cinque Terre a run for its money!

Our backpacks and portable homes for six amazing weeks.

The three amigos celebrating our last night in Madrid!

Beach Fun!

I just recently got back from a fun filled week at the beach and couldn’t have had a better time! I was so happy to escape the dreary Louisiana weather and soak up the sun with my toes in the sand.

While in Gulf Shores, Alabama I visited The Hangout, a restaurant and bar located right on the beach.

The restaurant had a really cool “wish wall” where you could write a personal wish on a piece of paper and place it in a slot. All of the papers were different colors so it made a really cool effect once they were all up.

I loved this sign in the bathroom so much that I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it.

I don’t know what it is about sunsets at the beach but they’re always twenty times prettier than the ones here in Louisiana. I took a picture of this one on the way home.

I got home on Friday night and woke up early Saturday morning to participate in Red Dress Run, a yearly New Orleans tradition. Everyone dresses up in red dresses, guys included, and crowds the streets to drink and party New Orleans style. It was such a good time, and I highly suggest that you check it out if you’re in the city during the festival!

Only in New Orleans do people walk around with their pet parrots! Meet Ruby!

I’ll be leaving for Europe in THREE days! I really can’t believe it and feel completely unprepared. I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day in order to get last minute supplies together. I should be packing instead of blogging but I couldn’t resist posting the pictures from my awesome trip. Next stop Ireland! Yippeeee!!! :)

Wise Words

“Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."


          -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Sunset

“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun.”
-Anonymous

Move

My friend and fellow travel enthusiast, @lindzeemccain recently posted a link to this video on her Facebook page, and I instantly fell in love with it! I’ve watched it at least 30 times now. I’ve also come to the realization that my trip is LESS than three weeks away! AHHHH!!! If you love to travel, or just want to see an amazing take on a 44 day trip around the world, watch this video!

Nola Baby

Since I’ll be leaving the city soon I’ve been spending a majority of my time trying to soak up as many “New Orleans” type activities as possible. On Sundays you can usually find me enjoying a Bloody Mary on Magazine Street, a favorite destination for locals who enjoy the atmosphere and outdoor seating provided by most restaurants and bars.

Bloody Marys are a staple in New Orleans. They’re made with vodka, tomato juice and your choice of fixings. My favorites are tabasco and worcestershire sauce, salt, peppper, olives, and green beans. Since each bartender puts their own spin on it you can request that yours be made with more or less zest depending on your taste buds. I personally think the more spice, the better, but I guess that’s just the New Orleans girl in me!

Forest Gypsy

It’s been a whirlwhind summer so far. Since this is technically my last summer EVER I’ve really been living it up. After graduating from Louisiana State University this past May, I am definitely ready for a break!

In June I attended this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN. For those of you who haven’t heard of the music and arts festival I highly suggest that you check it out! The four day festival is held every June on a 700-acre farm, and with over 80,000 in attendance all of that space is much needed. Music performers range in genre from rock and roll to hip-hop to electronic. This year marked the tenth anniversary of Bonnaroo and my very first festival experience.

Our entire crew! Very excited to be there! :)

One of the things I enjoyed most about Bonnaroo was the overall atmosphere. Everyone is incredibly friendly and is truly brought together by the music. It’s no wonder that Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll. I got to see a lot of favorites, (Florence and the Machine, STS9, Cold War Kids, etc.—the list goes on and on) and became a life long fan to a lot of new bands (Beats Antique, Explosions in the Sky, The Strokes). Let’s just say, I’ve been on music overload lately, but I’m perfectly happy with that. :)

In just three short weeks I’ll be leaving the country to go backpacking through Ireland, England, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Greece AND Spain! Over the course of my six week adventure I’ll be sure to keep track of everything on my blog. I want to look back in twenty years and be able to relive the whole thing again! Soon after I get home, I’ll be moving to Orlando, FL to pursue a Master’s Degree at Full Sail University. I’ll be extremely sad to leave my home state but I’m definitely ready for a new challenge.

Before all of that, I’m off to the beach. It’s been raining nonstop in Louisiana, and I can’t take it anymore! Crossing my fingers for sunny skies in Florida!