Da Beach and Nawlin's

A couple of weeks ago, I flew to New Orleans and met up with Heather and Nicole who flew in from Utah for a little vacation getaway with just the girls.... I arrived in New Orleans first and had a few hours to kill before Heather and Nicole got there so I drove into the city and walked around the French Quarter for a bit.

Then I picked up the girls at the airport and we started our small road trip to Pensacola, Fl to see Emily! It's only about a 3 hour a drive or so through parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and of course Florida. 4 states within 3 hours...not bad.

The next day the four of us went to Destin Beach in Florida. It was gorgeous. The sand, the water, the sun..everything was perfect.

I am so addicted to the sun and beach! I can't get enough of it. I kept thinking while I was there that I need to move somewhere warmer and live on the beach. I can't freakin' wait for the beaches in Thailand (only 3 more weeks!!).

After lying on the beach all day.... we went to the outlet mall near by and went shopping! Which was so much fun. I finally bought a few clothes that fit me. Then we grabbed dinner and headed back to Emily's.

Day 2 in Florida...After my 11 mile run in the morning....Emily's husband, John, invited us to the base (where he is doing his Air Force training) to see one of the planes he flies. We got to get in and he showed us what all the little gadgets were and how things worked.

It was pretty cool. I have always thought that it would be fun to learn how to fly...so I was intrigued with how everything works. I think the jet was a T-34 or something like that. Thanks again John!

After the base we went to a nearby river to go.... Canoeing. So - I guess I hadn't been canoeing since I was like 12. Oh...and Emily and Nicole were nice enough to put me and Heather together who weren't all that familiar with the ways of a canoe. It took us (me) a little while to figure out how to make the canoe go the direction we wanted it to. So I wasn't all that comfortable sitting in this thing at first. Especially since Emily told me that there are alligators in that water.

Once I accepted the fact that the canoe probably wasn't going to flip over...and I got the hang of the whole stirring thing...It was a lot of fun.

After canoeing, we headed to Pensacola Beach... We got there kinda late in the day so we just hung out and watched the sunset.

It was gorgeous. The water was surprisingly really warm so I wish it had been a little earlier in the day cause I would have definitely gotten in.

Seriously...I need more beach in my life. Maybe I should move to California. The thought has definitely crossed my mind more than once that's for sure.

After the beach we went to Hemingways...a restaurant on the beach..for dinner. It was really good. I ate a little too much (hence my post below). But it was worth it!

It was a perfect couple of days in Florida! Emily was such a great tour guide and hostess! Saturday...we all (including Emily)...headed back to New Orleans to hang out for the day.

We stopped at all the border crossings and took pictures. This is the one at the Alabama border.

This is the French Quarter in New Orleans. Such a great city. It has so much character...at least this part of town. It's a very different city that's for sure. But I really enjoyed it. They have a bunch of shops, markets, and street entertainers all over the French Quarter. We walked around the shops, got some Gumbo, and took in the sights. It was great.

We walked up to Bourbon street which is where the fun of Mardi Gras always takes place....and we ended up walking right into a Pirate Parade. There were SO many people dressed up as pirates...It was crazy!

They were handing out Mardi Gras beads and just walking down the street with their floats...and they were singing. My personal favorite was when a group came rolling by on a horse carriage singing "What would you do with a drunken pirate" and then some pirate lady stumbled out of the carriage and fell on her face.. They were most definitely a bunch of drunk pirates!

And I, of course, had to get my picture taken with a couple of them. (PS..note the beads around my neck...they were NOT earned. They were given freely).

The next day Heather, Nicole and I headed to the airport way early in the morning and flew home. It was a short trip...but SO worth it! I had such a good time. It was so relaxing and so needed.