Five Hundred Miles

 500 miles. That is the distance between my homes in Texas and Louisiana. Since the age of two, I have been traveling between my broken homes. To be honest, I feel like an automobile has been more of a home to me than anything else. This past Saturday at 8am, I took the well known journey back to New Iberia, LA. I have had a lot to think about for the upcoming months, and the drive was a much needed therapeutic session. I made a pretty solid playlist, ordered a giant iced soy chai tea latte, and sang at the top of my lungs for four hours straight. I felt some hefty weight lifted just by the sight of the Louisiana sign and the smell of bayou water. I'm feeling pretty good about some life decisions I am making, AND to top it off, I had the pleasure to record a cover song with my sister-in-law! The song is pretty spot on for my life at the moment, and I felt so blessed she decided to help me. Click here to treat your ears <3

We Get Together Every Time We Can

I had the pleasure of spending 12 days with my glorious friend, Little Miss Ashley . Normally, I only get to spend 3-4 days with long distance friends, so this was quite a treat. Us Southern gals discovered new places, movies, and music while prowling through the state of Texas. We are both park/nature fanatics, so finding a place to bask in the outdoors was a must. Even though I have lived in Texas for a good three and a half years, I have yet to really explore. 

Our first discovery was Hermann Park. There was a new sculpture installation that was literally a time machine back to Labyrinth. Check out Ash's blog to see the pics! Once this awful wind, rain, and coldness disappears, I will be back to play some tunes and soak in the sunshine. After our park fix, we headed on over to Cactus Music for vinyl hunting and Stag's Head for Abita's and pub hummus.

Next Tejas discovery was Old Katy. This town is the perfect example of a southern small town. Stores and restaurants are not very updated, and the architecture has stayed the same. I had heard of this place before, but I tried to avoid it like the plague. I came from a very very small town, and I moved away as soon as I could, but as I get older I have come to appreciate and adore my roots. Even though it was 29 degrees on this day, my heart was warmed and I felt at home. Seriously, put me on a front porch and a guitar in hand, and I am the happiest of happy. Guess I am a southerner for life, no matter how many places I have lived. PS if you are looking for amazing and fairly priced vintage jewelry, Old Katy is the place to go! There is a whole strip of Antique shops near 2nd Street, and both Ash and I found amazing furniture, posters, and other knick knacks. 

After our long days of Tejas discoveries, we needed a little "wine-ing" down. For the menu we chose to make a vegetarian and gluten free pasta dish with a salad made out of basically everything that sounded good that was available in my pantry. And of course when I am doing any activity (even sleeping), I need a soundtrack. I have really been digging Maggie Koerner since my friend Curtis discovered her. If Bonnie Raitt and Norah Jones had a baby, it would be Maggie. This little Southern Belle is amazing and everyone should check her out. After dinner and a few white wine spritzers. we had a Phillip Seymour Hoffman movie marathon and our very own karaoke show on my outdoor balcony. Does it really count as a karaoke show if the only song you choose to sing is Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man? (We also apologize for all of the videos we sent to our friends, but face it, you guys LOVED it. Kodak moment for sure.)

Now that our little bestie trip is coming to end and our next Nola reunion isn't until Jazz Fest in April, I will go back to regular Ash-less life.

Have a good Sunday Funday, y'all!!

The Swamp Hippy Witch Bash

It has been a whirlwind of a week filled with numerous reunions, 30 hours in my Mazda (which I have renamed Felicia- because of her bodacious black hatchback), and 96 hours in the glorious city of New Orleans, LA. The first 24 hours consisted of picking up my favorite witch bitches from the airport, "wine-ing" down with white wine spritzers and completing our super Aquarian moon rituals.

I am going to skip over the arrival into New Orleans since I had to circle our hotel 11 times in order to find appropriate parking. First night was the best night- we really set the bar high. The swampy and humid city provided us with Fried Green Tomatoes, Duke's Sweet Tea, karaoke, and an improptu appearance of your's truly on a mechanical bull. Let's just say my birthday hangover lasted the following 48 hours. I will also admit that I twerked all the way from Bourbon St. to Magazine St. like a champ.

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Once we were able to crawl out of our beds on the glorious Saturday morning  afternoon, we prowled down to our favorite witchy stores. First stops were obvioulsy Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo and Voodoo Authentica. Marie Laveau has some pretty amazing tshirt selections and some super cheap incense bundle deals (36 sticks for $5), and Voodoo Authentica has some of my favorite ritual candles along with some beautiful altars.

P.S. The gals and I went to my favorite restaurant Atchafalaya to partake in the Bloody Mary buffett, live music, delicious food, and really cute bartenders. I highly encourage any and every Nola visitors to stop by. (And if you are an AHS: Coven fan, this was the same place where Fiona and Madison had their pre- Supreme witch bitch brunch)

Next stop: St.Louis Cemetary. Not much to say about this magical place because the pictures that we all took really say 1000 words. We didn't really speak that much once we were in the cemetary because it is so much to take in. You can feel the history, the sorrow, and the eerie beauty. It was also kind of picture perfect that the Louisiana fog was thick as soup on the day we took our mournful adventure.

To conclude my trip, I always end it with sad notions of not living in my favorite city. I want to live in a Nola fairy tale apartment, listening to late night jazz and cajun music, and learning to speak French on my amazing balcony while smoking black cigarettes (and I can add a cute bartender musician boyfriend frying pickles in the background too - might as well.) I know I will be back in a permanent state one day, but until then I will be visiting 4-5 times a year, and have a constant tab open for jobs and apartments.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER Y'ALL!!

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