New Orleans, we have arrived. Aren't you excited? I know I am. The packing was extensive; the trip was arduous; the unpacking seems insurmountable. But it's all part of the journey. And the pay-off will be worth it.
I will never again see a moving truck packed so tightly, and I will never know how we fit everything we had in a three bedroom, two bath house, plus lawn furniture and a BBQ pit, inside. Dustin's old fraternity brother is quite the packing pro. Maneuvering three vehicles in a convoy with my cell phone not working was no small feat, either. I also can't believe that with only the help of my tiny mother, we unpacked almost the entire thing. Thank goodness one of Dustin's new supervisors was cool enough to finish up. We only had one casualty during the move- one of our Paris prints was badly torn. It was only a cheap black and white poster we had yet to frame, and none of our canvas art was harmed, so it wasn't a huge loss. I had to drive back to Texas the very next day for our Geaux Local open house at the Barking Dog. It was a great event, but I was dog tired (pun sort of intended). After finishing up some business and picking up our daughter I drove in Saturday, and swore I wouldn't be back. At least not until Thanksgiving. Now it's all over but the unpacking, and man, what unpacking there is left to do. My Dear Hubby was sweet enough to set up the bedroom, living room and den furniture while I was gone. All that I have to do is unpack each of the 2,000 boxes. Though, as I've said before and am sure I'll say again, it's well worth the work.
When I drove Shelby and I here Saturday, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the Central Business District. I was quite proud that I didn't get all stressed out, and even prouder that I knew the area enough to find my way. I rolled down the windows, and no sooner had I inhaled that sweet New Orleans smell- of fried food, roux, coffee and things not identified- than Shelby said "Mama, I like the way it smells. I think I like it here." I couldn't agree more. We had a lovely drive through the business district, a poorer neighborhood- where someone had turned their garage into an operating bar, complete with music and neon lights- and down St. Charles street. Being the weekend, there was a ton of activity and two of the grand buildings had weddings either going on or about to start. We got to see a bride in a beautiful dress posing for portraits on one of the lawns, which Shelby really enjoyed. It was almost serene with the breeze blowing, hustle and bustle of street cars, joggers and party-goers, and the ancient trees overhanging the avenue. A perfect welcome home from our new home town.
If you'll allow me to sound sickeningly sentimental, I'll say that this is really going to be the adventure of a lifetime. I can just smell it. And I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you, I hope you'll enjoy it, too.
Peace out, homies!
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