Am I Giving Up My Crown?

White Bolero Hunt

Once I had the dress selected, I had to find a bolero. I wanted something to cover my shoulders when I traveled from the wedding to the reception. I went on quite the hunt and ended up finding the perfect fit just one week before the wedding. 

Wedding supplies are PRICEY. I think the jacket I picked was like $120. Anyway, it looked fab. Which one did I pick?

White Dress Frenzy

Planning a wedding is fun...if you do everything the way that you want it, when you want it. I'm glad that I didn't have a lot of time to search for a dress. I never would have made up my mind. There are so many ways that you can go, so many styles...sexy, cute, elegant, traditional. I want to be all of these things on different days.

Because the wedding was small and informal, the pressure was off, and I got to pick something fun. My mom and step-mom gave me their opinions (their traditional opinions) and were helpful and not pushy. In the end, I got a fun little dress, and I twirled the night away. In a few weeks, I'll post the final dress. For now, here are a few that didn't make the cut.

Love Locks

So yeah. I've been busy. I went to Houston for beer week, Athens Georgia for the best beer shopping in the country and New York for an annual Broadway show and eating/shopping experience. I got Sheetrock up in the house, which is a huge step! Oh and...I got married!!! Yep.

This is where the journey home has taken me...into the arms of my love.

We came here floating on separate clouds from separate lands heavy with rain but light in spirit. We converged ever so lightly for a brief moment. Light enough not to frighten either of us away but memorable enough to last forever.

This moment was magic (rarely have I used this word before now) but for us through this experience, the word is defined.

A friend of mine traveled to Germany the week of our wedding. He toasted us from afar with a German brew and walked across this bridge while thinking of us on our special day. The bridge was full of love locks. Each individual locked to another symbolizing love and union.

photo by Athulf Josef Dernbecher

 

photo by bdrsky

 

photo by Liu Hongshi liuhs

 

photo by Andrew Wenger

 
photo by chotda

Enjoy these love lock photos from around the world. I'll tell you more about our magical day in posts to come.

Lessons from Lyrics #3

"Life is but a Dream"

"Life is but a dream" I've heard this lyric my whole life. 

Today I ask...What, if anything, should I take seriously?

Criminal Characters

Crime isn't funny, 

but computer generated sketches are. 

 Sketches released during the week of October 10, 2011 by the New Orleans Police Department for wanted criminals. If you recognize these people call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111.

Plums...Pass It On

 

photo by Shil Patel

Sometimes people come into your life that are going through exactly what you you've gone through in the past so that you can comfort them and they can remind you where you've been. I have a new friend like that. She forwarded me this blog post, and it reminded me......

how much I like plums.

READ THE BLOG POST HERE

Dance. It'll make you feel better.

Dance Trailer from Chris Poole on Vimeo.

Lessons from Lyrics #2

The second set of lyrics in this series are from The Raconteurs.

"You want everything to be just like
The stories that you read but never write
You gotta learn to live and live and learn
You gotta learn to give and wait your turn
Or you'll get burned"

Lessons from Lyrics #1

I'm going to start a new series here, one of lyrics. I'll highlight those that have made me stop and reflect. I hope you'll take a moment to do the same. If you have particular lyrics that you'd like to share with me, comment away.

Today's lyrics are from the The Flaming Lips.

"You realize the sun doesn't go down

It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round"

Do you Realize??

Don't Pay Full Price on Wedding Gifts

The only time I go to Bed Bath and Beyond is to buy a wedding gift, and I always bring a coupon. I check my pile for the best deal by comparing $5 and $10 off deals to the percentage discount ones. There is no use in checking the expiration date because Bed Bath and Beyond honors expired coupons. Some of mine are from years ago. Doesn't matter.

I Know How to Catch a Cab

In Matters of Darkness

 

my dad's backyard during a hail storm

 

…. I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.

 

T. S. Elliot,  from The Four Quartets:  East Coker

My Kind of Safety Measure

More on the July 4th Crawfish Boil

I hope you enjoyed the earlier post about the crawfish boil and how to make the best of the leftoevers. If you missed it, find it here. I also wanted to share two recipes that a new friend of mine made and brought as dessert to the boil.

I met Laila through Yelp and thought she was super nice so I invited her to the party. She offered to bring a dessert, and having my hands full, I accepted the offer. This turned out to be a smart move because her dish was AH-mazing and such a refreshing break from the spicy crawdads.  Seriously. Whenever someone would take their first bite, they'd say, "Oh My God." Every. time. 

Soooo what did she make you wonder? Why....blueberry cobbler and homemade ice cream of course. So American and sooooo good. The blue berries were hand picked and the home-churned lemon-ginger ice cream was wildly flavorful. 

The cobbler recipe can be found here at her blog, Rice and Beans and Collard Greens and the ice cream recipe is here. She such a sweet lady. I look forward to getting to know her better and maybe, hopefully getting to taste more of her creations.

"A" Shares Her Story

 

he takes good photos

Even with a small readership and a very inconsistent post schedule, somehow this blog has managed to inspire people. I've gotten messages from readers saying that they can relate to my story and find inspiration from my journey. One such reader shared her story with me, and I hope that reading it sparks something positive in one of you.

Dear Bugeyed Lindsay,  

A year ago I was miserable.  I was living in a far away land (Charlotte, North Carolina) under the spell of an evil prince....

Okay, so I was dating a jerk and deep down I guess I always knew he was a jerk but I loved his daughter so much, and she reminded me of myself. I never wanted her to feel about her parents the way I feel about mine so I tried to make it work with her father.  I also wanted to get away from everyone and everything I knew in Louisiana.  I wanted to not have to listen to my mother complain about her mother, while sounding and acting just like her.  I wanted to live in a place where no one knew my name....or where I grew up...or who I had dated....or what I had done the previous week.  I wanted to escape from my life.  So I graduated from college, packed my truck and drove off to my new home.

Sadly I began to realize that I had moved across the country to be with a man who was not anything that he advertised he was.  He wasn't a good father.  He wasn't a good partner.  He wasn't a hard worker.  He wasn't faithful or honest or true to his word.  It was hard to believe the little voice inside who knew the truth, especially when this man lied to me everyday.  It took all the strength I had to pick up the phone and call my mother and ask for her help.   It took every fiber of my being to come back to a city that I thought had failed me...to a family that had turned their backs on me. The first 6 months were a struggle.

For months I questioned why I had come home.  It certainly wasn't because New Orleans had become so peaceful that the crime rate had dropped.  It wasn't because my family had stopped being insane.  It wasn't just because the saints were destined to win the super bowl. 

I struggled to pick up the pieces of my life.  To figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.  Each day was a new day to learn from my experiences...to find pleasure in the simple things...to find solace in my friends. 

In moving away I got what I thought I wanted.  It turned out to be a year long taste of vanilla flavored boredom and it made me realize that sometimes it's nice to have someone know your name...like Gene at The Grocery.  I walked in the door to my favorite sandwich shop after having been gone for a year and he called out my name and asked me where I had been.  I replied "no place good, but I'm home now" and I was. 

After settling in I went on my first vacation in years.  It was my first time out of the city since my return and I finally felt at ease.  I knew where my home was.  I knew that my relationship with my city was a give and take and I finally accepted that I might be alone for the rest of my life.  I accepted who I was and I was finally content just being me.  I think that's the reason I finally met the right man. 

I had come home to heal.  I had come home to have a pressed poboy at The Grocery and have Gene remember me.  I had come home to go back to working at one of the best restaurants in this city (which I have come to manage over the last few months). I had come home to be close to my niece who is one of the most beautiful, amazing people I have ever known and I am excited to watch her graduate in May.  I had come home to start repairing all of the relationships in my life that needed mending.  And as I discovered on July 4, 2010 I had come home to meet the male version of myself.  My other half.  The person who would come to love and understand me like no other.  

I discovered there really is no place like home and I'm happy to be here. 

XOXO,

A

Favorite Things about Summer

love 

family

traveling

my boyfriend takes good photographs

How to Make the Most of Crawfish Boil Leftovers

My boyfriend is from California, and being the ambitious soul that he is, he wanted to tackle a task that most life-long Louisiana residents don't even attempt. He threw a crawfish boil AND boiled everything HIMSELF. Daring - I know. If you follow only this blog and don't know me in real life, which is probably not the case, you may be thinking "BOYFRIEND? You never told us about a boyfriend." Well, I didn't because I didn't want to jinx, and I still don't. It's actually quite a magical story, but like I said, not going to jinx it. Let's just call him "some guy I know". Anyway, some guy I know threw a wildly successful crawfish boil. He had lots of friends there as did I.

 

Everyone enjoyed the Star-spangled Jello Shots, most claiming that they were the best ever. Hooray for a whipped cream center. Recipe Here

Everyone also enjoyed the music. The neighbors opened their windows, turned up their speakers and their computer to play a Pandora station. The station they played was based on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and surprisingly made for a very good party mix. If you haven’t heard of the website Pandora. Check it out at www.Pandora.com. Users type in a band that they like and the site creates a playlist of artists that have the same sound.

Back to the food...We boiled lots of veggies including onions, bell peppers, corn-on-the-cob,  artichoke, potatoes (red, white and blue), and garlic. 

Not wanting anyone to leave hungry, "some guy I know" ordered 100 lbs. of crawfish so we had lots to spare. Two of my friends sat there and peeled over two pounds with the agreement that I'd make something good with the leftovers. So I made crawfish enchiladas. This recipe is similar to the one that my family uses.

We had two big bowls of vegetables left over as well, and I wasn't about to let them go to waste because they had so much spicy flavor. I bought some shrimp and canned tomatoes and threw together a lovely spicy soup. Louisianans never throw anything edible away. We just add butter.

Lindsay's Leftover Crawfish Boil Shrimp Soup

Leftover Crawfish Boil Veggies:

 5-10 ears of Corn-on-the-Cob (decobbed)

1 or 2 Bell Peppers (chopped)

2 or 3 Onions (chopped)

5-10 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)

Fresh Veggies:

1 Onion (diced)

3 Ribs of Celery (diced)

4 Stalks of Green Onions (diced)

1 cans Diced Tomatoes

1 small can Tomato Sauce

1 Can Tomato Paste

2 cans Seafood Stock

Equal Part Flour 

Equal Part Oil or Butter

1. Make roux with Flour and Oil or Butter.
2. Saute fresh onions, celery, green onions in roux until soft.
3. Add tomato paste, stir.
4. Add crawfish boil veggies and seafood stock to bring to desired consistency. Simmer 30 minutes
5. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp cooked.

Home Sweet Home - Update 1

Here is a video showing the progress we've made on the house in 2.5 months. My dad and boyfriend have been doing all the hard work in this heat! My dad tried to hire three different laborers to help with clean up, but they all quit on him after a few hours. 

Complete:

• Plaster demolition
• Stud prep for sheetrock
• A/C window unit removal
• Shoring (Piling Replaced)
• Drains Videoed (damage found)
• Opening from Kitchen to dining widened
• Upstairs dormer removed
• Angled roof framed and sheathed to eliminate flat roof
• All wiring and electrical components removed
• Bathroom tile trim removed
• Window bars removed
• Window and door trim removed and salvaged
• Under-house clean out
• Support beam moved and reinforced
• New Masterbath framed
• New Walk-in Closet framed
• New A/C Unit Storage framed
• New 1/2 Closet framed
• New Guest 1/2 Bath framed
• New Utility Closet framed

Fashion Solution - Customize!

I've hated the selections of most 20-something clothing shops just about as long as I've been 20-something. The reason is that most easily accessible stores in the this age group have been stuck in a bohemian aesthetic for several years now. The characteristics of this style are muted colors, loose blouses, spaghetti straps, baby doll dresses etc. I find these terribly unflattering for the curvilinear figure that is my hourglass physique.

I mostly just don't shop a lot, but when I do, I have turned to the internet. I try to find styles that hug curves, accentuate waist and neck lines and compliment a petite stature. I follow a local blogger on twitter and was happy to stumble upon her post introducing me to a new clothing line that seemed to fit my needs and what grabbed my attention even more was the fact that she was offering her readers a discount. 

Here is a link to her blog post: MischiefMyDear

After seeing these flattering styles in Ashe Mischief's post, I decided to browse the eShakti website and see if I could put this discount to use. Once I was there, I discovered that this company is known for customizing sizes. Large bust, small waist? Customize!

I settled on two pieces and used the discount code. I didn't customize my size because I wanted to see if the standard offerings would suffice and they did! See the results below. I would definitely order from these guys again. I found the fabric of the shirt to be a kind of thin, but overall, I like the cut, the fit, and the elastic waistbands.


 

Tiered Ruffle Dress

Smocked Waist Shirt from eShakti

Skirt from The Limited

Random Note...If you ever see this guy in the Quarter, his name is Thaddius. If you talk to him for five minutes, I guarantee that he will make you laugh....for free.

Home Sweet Home - Before Shots

Moving right along on this life journey thing. I bought a house back in December. Something I've been wanting to do as long as I can remember. It took a long time to settle the Road Home Grant paperwork, but it's mine now! I've got a ton of renovations to do, but hopefully, it'll look like new in the Fall. Here is a video of shots that we took when I first bought the place. 

Scary isn't it?

I like...

I've written before about the importance of knowing who I am and being able to clearly answer questions about what I like and what I do. It's an ever evolving process, but the changes that came in 2010 helped me to gather this bit of information.

I seek 

leading with a whole heart that I often fail to protect.

I stumble.

I drink cloudy beer.

I love dancing freely til 4am.

I'm ¼ Guatemalan and can barely spell Guatemalan.

I like family vacations and reliable friends.

I wear glasses.

I like laid back people with wit and flexible calendars.

I try to be everywhere.

I like brass bands, second lines and happy hours with free stuff. I like dark hair, interesting eyes and a smile that catches you off guard.

I like kissing and telling. 

I organize, prioritize and plan. 

I cherish moments of seclusion in a tiny corner of my world.

I like Jack Johnson on Sundays and the smell of Star Jasmine. I like to drive home in the sun from a distant place.

I like good witches, shoes, bright colors and feathers in my hair. 

I love costumes.

I like booty shakin beats and chick anthems with scorned lyrics. I like documentaries, mocumenteries and non-fiction. I like using unlikely thoughts to connect unlikely dots. I’ll take it smooth with a crunch.

I love improv.

I like self awareness and helping people. I like stretching my body and mind. 

I want to be wanted.

I like people who don’t talk too much. I loathe flakes.

I like fixing problems and timing things just right. I accept mistakes and won’t let others force me to sweat the small stuff.

I am over perfectionists.

I leave the engineering stuff to the engineers and the numbers to the mathematicians. I like to watch while you calculate.

I like organized chaos and simplicity in form. I like delicate details of true craftsmen. I like clever solutions and punch lines and games that I’m good at.

I. 

can. 

be. 

abrupt.

I like variety. 

I like expensive linens and breaking the ice. I like well seasoned creatures of the sea and soft smooth melted chocolate.

I accept payment in sincere laughs and back rubs. Jeff Buckley is my lullaby.

I like sensational productions and being in front of a crowd. I like walking in New York, grooving in Austin and holding hands in California. 

My heart is in New Orleans.

I change my mind.

You're Not Hungry

 

Sign from Etsy.

If you aren't hungry enough to eat grits, you aren't hungry.

When I was in college and lived alone, I lost weight by not keeping food in my apartment. I did keep grits around. I felt like if I wasn't hungry enough to eat grits, I wasn't hungry.

I was reminded of this when I came across this insightful blog that a guy created to list 1001 rules for his unborn son. I bet he's a chick magnet these days.

the blog - 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son See #402