You'll Shoot Your Eye out Kid............

In keeping with the holiday spirit this post is about my most favorite Christmas movie ever.... A Christmas Story. I don't know why, I can't really explain it but I love this movie more then you can imagine. There is just something about it, maybe its just that it reminds me of a simpler time. When families actually spent time together and not just sat around and stared at phone, tablet, laptop, and T.V screens. When kids actually went outside to play, even in the snow (not that I would know anything about snow... I'm from south Louisiana after all ya'll). 
Just about everyone knows that this movie plays for 24 hours on Christmas day. Starting at 7pm Christmas Eve and playing through 7pm on Christmas day. Needless to say it is on in my house on at least one TV for its full 24 hour run. If we are in that room or not.
I have an A Christmas Story themed Christmas tree, the A Christmas Story Christmas Village by Dept 56.

 lets just say, you name it I got it, if its A Christmas Story themed. 
A local restaurant chain, Raising Canes, had all their holiday stuff Christmas story themed this year. including their annual Christmas stuffed animal. A golden retriever puppy dressed in Ralphies pink bunny suit! (My younger brother bought me one, he is the best brother ever! Oh and lets not forget to mention that my lovely sister got me a leg lamp stocking for Christmas this year! Yea my siblings rock! )

I mean, come on, look at it! LOOK AT IT! Isn't that the cutest thing you have ever seen, like ever! I want to get like 5 more of them and have a pack of Ralphie dogs around my Christmas Tree. 

But you know this being a travel blog and all I have to some how tie in something to do with traveling to this post. Well Guess what!?!? 

The house that was used in the filming of this movie, as the Parker house, Aka Ralphies house. In Cleveland Ohio, is open to the public. Yes, the A Christmas Story Home and Museum! OH MY GOSH People! I have to go there! It would be like taking a kid to Disney World for the first time. 
Im actually thinking about going to Nashville in April and well you know what Nashville is halfway to from New Orleans! Yep, Cleveland , Ohio. 
I am pretty sure that would be the best trip ever! 


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!! 

Pinspiration Wed.

Here we have yet another Pinspiration Wed. post. I love these. Well likely because I am a Pintrest addict. Through it I have found so many places that I have added to my bucket list. There is so much beauty in this world, and I want to see it all. 

:) 

To see my other travel pins go Here!

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree!!!

Its such a wonderful time of the year. I love Christmas. Definitely my favorite holiday (Besides Mardi Gras, and yes Mardi Gras is indeed a holiday)

This year while decorating my tree I realized how many ornaments i have collected over the years while on vacation. Never really realized that I was doing that. But here are a few of my favorites and the places they remind me of. 

My Key lime Pie Ornament that I got while in Key West last January. Nomnomnomnomnom

Bahamas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

A beautiful bird I got at the Germany Pavilion while at Disney's Epcot Park.

A pickle. From Disney also. This one was a gift from my wonderful sister when she went to Disney for the first time. If you don't know the story behind this then you can read it here. :)

Belle Meade Plantation I got while in Nashville this past April. Just love this one. 

What a beautiful place that was to visit.

Another "Pretty Bird" haha I got this one a few years ago from one of the many Christmas store in Gatlinburg, TN

So there you have it. Christmas ornaments from my travels.

RoadTrip SoundTrack

Every good roadtrip needs a soundtrack. Something to sing along (in my case, usually badly) to while you drive. There are so many good road trip songs out there. 

I tend to have what my family refers to as Music A.D.D. I love music, music of all kinds. Anything from country to rap, metal, pop, & well pretty much everything else including Broadway Musical scores and old 80's Hairbands. 

I have noticed over the years that a good roadtrip soundtrack can vary depending on who you are traveling with. If I am with my family its usually old country and some blues with some Michael Buble` and Elton John mixed in there somewhere. If I am with friends, well there really is no rhyme or reason to what we listen to. Just whatever we are in the mood for, sometimes Metalica, sometimes Garth Brooks or even REO Speedwagon. 

I tried to come up with a top 20 song list but I failed miserably because well lets face it, it was ending up to be a top 150 (seriously). I enlisted some help, and who better to ask for help with a musical emergency but a musician. Skot Bradley  is an extremely talented guy who is living now in Nashville TN. We met Skot last January while on our cruise to Key West and the Bahamas. So with some help from him I have come up with a list of must listen to albums for your next RoadTrip.

Garth Brooks - Live Album

Darius Rucker - True Believers

Lie To Me - Jonny Lang

 Poets and Prisoners - Granger Smith

The Gold Album - Prince

VH1 Storytellers - Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson

Pride - Living Colour

Paradise Valley - John Mayer

Jaron and the Long Road to Love - Getting Dressed in the Dark

Journey - Lourney's Greatest Hits

Kenny Chesney - Be As You Are

Highway Rider - Brad Mehldau

Wheelhouse - Brad Paisley

Areosmith - Big Ones

Bon Jovi - Cross Road

George Straight - Lead On

Guns and Roses - Appetite for Distruction

Goat Rodeo Sessions - Chris Thile, Yo Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer

Triology - Kenny Garrett

Lionel Richie - Tuskegee

Marc Broussard - Carencro

Matchbox Twenty - Yourself or Someone Like You

Meriwether - Make Your Move

Michael Buble` - Crazy Love

Zack Brown Band - The Foundation

There you have it, a top 25 Albums to Plan your RoadTrip Soundtrack to.

And since he is such a super cool talented guy I am posting the link to Skot's latest music video! Enjoy! I am sure you will be adding his tunes to your own RoadTrip Soundtracks soon! :)

 

Wow What an Amazing Sunset

Sometimes you don't have to leave home to see something completely amazing. 

Evey year swallows migrate south and roost in the sugar cane fields in St. James Parish Louisiana. This year they happened to pick the fields behind my house to nest in. I got some AMAZING photos! 

Just take a look. 

Oh and a word to the wise. When photographing that many birds, wear a hat, O_O. Yea I got bird poop in my hair. lol

Such an amazing sight. and a beautiful sunset to-boot! 

Pinspiration Wed.

Ok, so I always knew I loved Leonardo DiCaprio. This quote just makes me <3 him even more. 

I wholeheartedly agree & I could not have said it better myself :)

To see my other travel Pins go HERE!!

Road Trippin!

We were blessed with such a beautiful weekend this last weekend that my cousin Brandy (Aka RoadTrip Co-pilot, aka Assistant Photographer) and I decided that Saturday was a good day for a Road Trip. 

Where to go? Where to go? 

After talking about it we decided to go north to Natchez, Mississippi. Only about a 2 & 1/2 hour drive and pretty scenery along the way.

We didn't really have any plans and did not know what we wanted to see and do so our first stop was the Natchez Visitors Center. We looked at some brochures and decided on taking the Horse and Buggy Tour through the historic part of town. We got to see all the important landmarks and learned about the history of the city. Lots of fun! 

We found this little place on Pearl Street for lunch, called Pearl Street Pasta. It was awesome. Good food, good prices and of course, good wine! :) The Flatbread Pizza and Lasagna were amazing!

Unbeknownst to me Pearl Street Pasta is the go to place for my Uncle and Aunt when they visit Natchez. They go every year and when I told him where I was and where we ate his response was "NO WAY! That's our favorite dinner spot."

You may remember from a few moths ago, one of the Pinspirtaion Wed. posts was about a place in Natchez called Longwood Plantation. Click here to see the original post.

Well we were in town so we decided to head on over and see it. I was so excited because I have wanted to see this home for awhile now I have always thought it looked so beautiful and well have REALLY wanted to see it since I saw it on TrueBlood awhile back. And I figured between Al d' Gator, Brandy, and I we could search for Eric and Bill and rescue them if need be. Haha.

When we got there after purchasing our tickets we continued to drive to the main parking area, which is a long windy driveway through a wooded area. It was a little spooky but we braved it and boy did it pay off. After the last bend in the road you see the Mansion peaking out through the trees, sitting there in all its glory, so beautiful, sitting, like a crown on the hilltop. It truly is one of the most beautiful historic homes I have seen. Brandy, who was in charge of photos while I was driving, immediately took out her camera and started taking pictures (See bottom of post for the photos).

The history of this home is pretty unique. The man who owned the property was Dr. Haller Nut. He and his family lived in a home which sat on the same location. After living there for a number of years they decided that their home was not grand enough, had it torn down and had the current structure built. But the home while beautiful on the outside has a secret. You see the exterior was nearly completed and the interior basement was nearly done when the Civil War began. The workers, upon hearing about the beginning of the war. Literally dropped everything and left to enlist, leaving the interior of the house unfinished forever. The family lived in the basement until the 1970's until it was handed over to the Historical Preservation organization that runs it today. It is a beautiful place with such an interesting story. If you are ever in Natchez, Mississippi, make sure to stop by and visit it. You won't regret it. :)

What a beautiful day for a Roadtrip! 

After making our way to the Natchez Visitors Center, Al d` Gator, decided it would be a good idea to hangout in some pretty trees. 

I fell in LOVE with this house while on the Buggy Tour of downtown! It is so pretty,

 I would love to know its story! 

The Kind of Spooky driveway to Longwood Plantation. See Told ya! 

Longwood Plantation

Standing on one of the porches. You tour the Basement level where the family lived and they bring you also through what was intended to be the first floor of the home. No one is permitted any further upstairs though.

 Standing in the first floor in the center of the home looking up towards the top. I am sure this would have been absolutely gorgeous if it were completed. I do have to admit it is still a pretty cool sight.

Probably my favorite shot of the day. From the first floor looking out onto the front porch. This would have been the original intended entrance to the home. To bad it was never completed.

Well, you know Al had to get a photo in front of the house!

Hmmmm I think I have roadtrip fever. Where to next time? 

P.S. Go over and like us on Facebook!!!

Pinspiration Wed.

This coming Saturday I will be taking a roadtrip!

Where will we end up?? (We know but we will keep you guessing till next week)
When will we return?? 

To see other travel Pins go Here!!!

:)

Flashback Friday

Well the popular thing now on Facebook is posting old embarrassing photos on Thursdays. So I'm starting a new trend, lol. Not so embarrassing photos posted on Fridays. Or.... Flashback Friday! :)

Family vacation circa 1985. On our way to Tennessee. I was 4 years old. With my Great Uncle & Aunt, my Grandfather and yes that is my Dad, totally rocking the red gym shorts, white t-shirt and blue tennis shoes. Fashion icon that he was. Ha! 

All kidding aside, I am so thankful that my family traveled when I was a child. I am certain it is the reason I love to travel now. 

Pinspiration Wed.

Another installment in Pinspiration Wed. :)

Pretty much all my family vacations end up like this. haha

To see my other Travel Inspired pins go here!

P.S. Looks like I will be visiting Nashville again next year!!! Don't worry, I'll keep you posted!!

:)

A Day in New Orleans

New Orleans is one of those places you just fall in love with. The music, food, culture, people, architecture, well basically everything about New Orleans is something that makes you feel at home, no matter where you are from. True Southern hospitality at its best. Rich with a history that seeps into the heart of anyone who has lived in or visited this eclectic city. A place where it is normal to have a second line stop traffic, or wearing a Saint's shirt can start a "Who Dat" chant any time of the day or night any-day especially game day.  Where there is nothing a po-boy can't fix.
Where the sounds of great musicians like Dr. Jon, Harry Conick J.r., Trombone Shorty, Fats Domino, and Louis Armstrong fill the streets. 
New Orleans is awesome. If you have never visited, you should. Like now!  

Two Saturdays ago I spent the day in New Orleans with some friends. You know maybe because New Orleans is so close, I just don't go to the city often enough to really enjoy it. A friends Aunt came in from Dallas and we decided to spent the day doing all the normal touristy things we never do while in the city. Here is the rundown of our itenerary for the day:
First Stop:
Deanie's Seafood Restaurant- 
A very well known Restaurant by both locals and tourists. They have some great food and wonderful service. There were 4 of us girls. We got an order of New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp and a Giant Seafood Platter to split between the 4 of us. According to the menu it is large enough for 4 people to split. Well, we all ate till we were stuffed and had enough left to feed another person or two. You know only in New Orleans is it perfectly acceptable, that when your food is served, people from neighboring tables walk over and ask if they can take pictures of your food before you start eating. Yes seriously this happened to us. at one point we were surrounded by no less then 5 people taking pictures. Ha. 

New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp....mmmmm

Excuse me Ms. may I please take a picture of that before you all start eating it? Why, yes, of course ya'll can. Would you like a piece of fish? lol

Before^^^^^^ After vvvvvvvvv

Deanie's was great, we ate till we were sick and even spotted Santa Clause. 

Steamboat Natchez:
Next up was a cruise on the Steamboat Natchez. Click Here to read the history information of this beautiful piece of New Orleans history. 
We took a 2 hour cruise, traveling 7 miles each way starting near Jackson Square and traveling down river and then returning to the dock. As we neared the dock on our way to board we could see the Steamer sitting there waiting for people to board. Listening to the sounds of the Calliope play it was certainly a sight to see. So beautifully New Orleans. Unfortunately we had to walk through some construction to get to the dock (They are remodeling the River Walk Shopping Center) and I was unable to get any good pictures of the Natchez :( 
I was able though to get some beautiful shots while on-board. 

St. Louis Cathedral as seen from the Mississippi River on-board the Natchez Steamboat. it was a gloomy rainy day but we had a good time.

The Creole Queen, River Boat docked at the Battle Fields,  seen from the Natchez Steamboat while on the cruise.

And Lastly but certainly not least, how can you spend a day in the city and not ride the Street Cars? We hopped on right there by the dock next to the Natchez and rode to the French Market. We walked, shopped and then finished off the day by enjoying some Beignets and Coffee at Cafe Du Monde! 

 

Street Car Photo by Me..... yes I was a little to close to the track... I still have all my limbs though ;)

Famous Cafe Du Monde Begnets..mmmmmmmmmmmm

We had such a good day. New Orleans is such a wonderful city to spend the day, or a week, or a lifetime.... 

And since  I listened to nothing by Dr. Jon while writing this post... Here you go... Enjoy... & "Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet"

Pinspiration Wed.

If you know me you know I love to read. Which is why it is no surprise that when I saw this picture on Pintrest I imideatly thought, "OMG I haveee to find out where this is! And go there like Now!"

The Abbey Bookshop in Paris France. I could easily spend hours there, the fact that they give away coffee spiked with maple syrup just makes it even better.

~ ~ Taken from their Facebook page. 
"The Abbey Bookshop / La librairie canadienne de Paris
Imagine a bookshop designed by a partnership of Kafka and Dumbledore and a bookseller, part antiquarian, part Vishnu, part camp counsellor. That's the Abbey Bookshop, and that's me. The Canadian coffee we give away here is just an Arabica with a dash of maple syrup, but hey, Canada is as multicultural as it gets, with English, and French, and millions of others, just like the shop...."


To see my other Travel Pins go HERE!

Pinspiration Wed.

Helloooo Travelers. 

I love this.  
Maybe because its my second language. 
Found it today and thought... "Yea that's me!"

Ich sehne mich zu reisen und die Welt sehen.

(I long to travel, and see the world.) 

To see my other Travel pins go Here!

~~ D

:)

Pinspiration Wed.

Hello fellow travelers! 

This weeks pin comes all the way from Norway.
 It is officially called  Kjeragbolten and if you can pronounce that, well you are better at Norwegian than I am. :) 

For months I kept coming across this picture on Pinterest. 

Is that not one of the most amazing things you have ever seen. I can only imagine what it would be like to stand on that boulder. All I had ever seen about this place was that it was in Norway, but nothing about where in Norway it was located. Then, the other day I remembered I have a friend on facebook who is from Norway. So I took a shot and sent him a message. (Thanks & again you are awesome!)

I am very happy to report that I now know where this place is! :) 

Kjeragbolten is a 5 meter boulder which is wedged in a crevasse, at the edge of Kjerag Mountain.

Now keep in mind that while it is possible to walk on onto the boulder there is a 241 meter drop from it. So it would defiantly not be for those of us who happen to not like heights. Personally I think the view would be worth it. 

To see my other travel pins go HERE!!

Pinspiration Wed.

Hello fellow travelers! 

This weeks Pinspiration Wed. post is a place that is near and dear to my heart. One of my family's favorite places to vacation. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge TN. 

Many family vacations have been spent there. Such a wonderful place with so much to see and do. We always rent one of those log cabins up in the mountains. Always from Cabin Fever Vacation Rentals, They are Awesome! 

I will have a Gatlinburg, & Pigeon Forge post soon. There is just so much to do there that it may be broken up into two posts! 

To see my other travel pins go HERE!!! 

Come on, you know you want to!!! 

Happy Trails! 

:)

Key Lime Pie & Wild Chickens!

 We all have those places that we dream of visiting. For me one of those places was Key West, FL.

Last year when my sister and I started planing our cruise for this past January, we made sure to pick the itinerary that included a stop in Key West. 

For months I planned, and organized. I visited every website I could, to find any info available about the different places I wanted to make sure I visited while we were there. 

I knew for sure I wanted to visit the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. This was the one place I wanted to see most. I was blown away by the home, gardens but what I enjoyed most was meeting the famous 6 toed cats that roam the grounds of Hemingway's home. Ernest Hemingway was given a white six-toed cat by a ship's captain and some of the cats who live on the museum grounds are descendants of that original cat, who's name was Snowball. There are about 40 - 50 of them that live on the grounds. They are everywhere, inside the home, in the gift shop, at the ticket booth, and well just about everywhere else. They are so friendly! and LOVE taking pictures! 

My next stop was Blue Heaven. A very unique Restaurant. with some really good food. But most importantly some AMAZING Key Lime Pie! And I mean come on, how can you go to Key West and not have some Key Lime Pie?! This was the place I was attacked by a flying chicken! Yes, you read that right! A chicken! Did you know that there are chickens just roaming the streets of Key West, yep wild chickens just walking the streets. We gave them names. Names like: Nugget, Gumbo, Fricassee, Alfredo, and Stew. 

Key West was everything I thought it was going to be. It was beautiful, and laid back. Pretty much one of the most interesting places I have been so far. I can't wait to go back! 

Here is my day in Key West! 

 I forget this cat's name. But he was so friendly and followed us all over the house while we were on tour. Can you see how his front paws have a 6th toe?

 Upstairs balcony of the Ernest Hemingway home. I just love this shot!

 The first in-ground swimming pool every built in Key West was the one Ernest Hemingway had built at his home. And at the time of it's construction was the only pool within a 100 mile radius.

 Blue Heaven! This place was awesome!

 Bahahahahahaa!

 The FLYING Chickens!!!! They were sneaky!

 My My My, My Key Lime Pie!

 We took a tour on the Conch Train. It was about an hour and a half long and took us all over the old part of the island. I really enjoyed it.

 It was definitely good for a history nerd like me. :)

Oh and speaking of Key Lime Pie... Here's some Kenny Chesney for you! 

Pinspiration Wed.

While searching through my travel pins I came across this one. It looks like it would be an awesome place to spend a day swimming. 

Jacob's Well, Wimberly, Texas

Jacob's Well is a natural spring fed by a series of underground caves. The 80 acre preserve that surrounds it is open to the public. Tour hours and information can be found on their website Jacob's Well Natural Area. 

TO see my other travel pins go HERE!!!!

 

Pinspiration Wed.

This weeks pin is a place that I have always wanted to visit. 

In Natchez, MS you will find this beautiful home.....

Longwood Plantation

An Octagonal home, it's story is pretty interesting. Construction was started in 1860, and with the exterior mostly finished and work progressing on the interior of the home, the construction site was abandoned by the craftsmen when the Civil War began. 

Now you can tour the home and gardens. Inside they say you can see where the carpenters left their tools when the war started.  The basement of the home was finished by that time and was lived in by the family of a Dr. Haller Nutt. 

Does it look familiar to anyone???? 

Who out there is a TrueBlood fan???!!! 

Longwood plantation was used by the HBO show as Russel Edgington's Palace! .. Season 3.. Check it out! 

Looks like they must have used it for exteriors only as the inside is unfinished. I wonder where they shot the interiors at?? 

Want to see my other travel pins? 

Well go Here if you do! 

:)

Oh and did I mention that this place is just a few hours drive from my home... Looks like I will be making a trip soon! 

Yer a Wizzard Harry!

A few weeks ago when I went to Orlando, I had the chance to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The moment I walked through the turnstile at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, I was looking for "PotterLand" as I like to call it. Then, off in the distance,there it was, I could see it, Hogwarts Castle! And off I went across the park on my quest to find a pin, from PotterLand, for my board. OMG I was so excited!

Hogwarts Castle!

How awesome is that?! While I'm sure it's smaller then the real one, it's still such an amazing sight.

 The Entrance to the "PotterLand" area

 Hogsmeade rooftops, I love this picture. 

I walked and shopped while my friends rode rides. It was just so cool. All of the shops and restaurants really looked like they were out of the movies. Right down to Zonkos and Olivanders Wand Shop. There are 3 rides in the Harry Potter area. Two are roller-coasters and there is one simulated ride which is housed inside of the replica of Hogwarts Castle.

But the best part was finding this!

I waited in line, in the heat,  close to 20 minuets for ButterBeer. And OMG it was sooooo worth it. I opted for the frozen over the soda. It was so good. The best way to describe it is that it's sort of like a frozen cream soda float all blended up.
Since I have been home I have found a few recipes, some of which look pretty promising. I will definitely be making some soon!
And of course I have a shinny new pin for my board, It's the Hogwarts Crest and it's all sparkly and shinny and  bejeweled and stuff. And I love it!