One Day in New Orleans

In August, we traveled to New Orleans a few days before Labor Day to kick off a fun-filled weekend trip. The main reason for our trip was to go to the Georgia Southern vs. LSU game in Baton Rouge on Saturday, so we added a stop in NOLA and Biloxi to explore and spend some time with friends.

We flew into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Thursday evening and took a Lyft {links with your Delta Skymiles for extra miles, guys!} to our hotel Le Méridien New Orleans. This was a beautiful place to stay in the heart of the Central Business District which is a lot quieter and cleaner than the French Quarter. Literally across the street from Harrah's if that's your thing, and less than a mile walk to the Quarter where you can begin to explore. The hotel has a really fun and eclectic vibe and we greatly enjoyed our stay there.

After dropping off our bags, we began to look for somewhere to go to dinner which proved more challenging at 9 p.m. in New Orleans than I had anticipated. We took off to see what was nearby and ended up at The Halal Guys which, while a chain, was absolutely amazing. I love a good gyro and this one was great--try the ghost pepper sauce, but a drop is a lot! After working all day and traveling that evening, we were tired and headed back to our room right after dinner in preparation for a long day on Friday.

Friday morning started off with the scrumptious breakfast from Bittersweet Confections. Found on picture perfect Magazine Street, we enjoyed a breakfast croissant, prosciutto, ricotta, and honey drizzled toast, a Nutella and white chocolate muffin and iced coffee before catching the free bus to Mardi Gras World. Truly a tourist destination, we were able to see from start to finish how the magnificent Mardi Gras floats are made while learning a little bit more of the history of the festival season. It was absolutely mesmerizing, and a super fun stop for all ages!

Thankfully, MGW has a free shuttle with lots of stops all over the city, so we hopped on the French Quarter shuttle and got to exploring. It ended up being a beautiful and surprisingly cooler August day, so we walked over eight miles throughout the city exploring. We took a lap around Jackson Square, admiring the architecture and the artists, before grabbing our first of many daiquiris at Willie's Chicken Shack. I'd planned on having a muffaletta lunch at Napoleon House but we were still really full from breakfast.

At 1 p.m. we joined the guided tour at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. The site of the first retail pharmacy, we were able to see and learn about old instruments, medicines, practices and beliefs from the 1800s. The pharmacist hubs was highly entertained. Once the tour wrapped up, we wandered for a while before heading to Pat O'Brien's for a famous hurricane at the piano bar. Going to a dueling pianos event is always fun, and it was a great place to cool off for an hour or so before a brief trip down Bourbon Street. Never my favorite place {wear closed toed shoes!}, it's still fun to people watch and try a new beverage or two.

After a nap back at the hotel and freshening up, we stood in line at Acme Oyster House for about 30 minutes before snagging two seats at the bar. Of course we had a dozen raw oysters, a po-boy and seafood etouffee--I even tried an oyster shooter. It was all super delicious and worth the wait! I had my heart set on taking a spin around the Carousel Bar with a French 75 in hand, and unfortunately I couldn't get a seat. We did however get a drink at the bar {which is actually a slowly spinning carousel!} and a couple of chairs in a cozy corner and were able to enjoy a fantastic jazz band after dinner! It was a ton of fun.

To top off the day, we of course had to swing by Cafe du Monde for an order of beignets before heading back to our hotel room to rest up before game day. I had hoped to go to the Ruby Slipper Cafe for brunch on Saturday, but we didn't get going early enough and ended up with a "recovery" meal of Raisin' Canes.

What are some of your favorite New Orleans stops?


You can shop my exploring outfit directly from the image below!

Tassels & Poms

Dress | Earrings | Shoes

Need an easy, breezy look for a springtime garden soiree? Then I've got the look for you! Off the should tops and dresses are one of the hottest styles right now, and this light and airy barely-blush pink dress from Tobi.com is perfect for a steamy summer evening event. I especially love the fun flutter sleeves, and the teeny tiny white pom pom detailing along the bottom of the dress. 

Two of my favorite warm weather staples are tassel earrings and my Jacks. These Baublebar tassels are super light weight and come in over 20 colors! I think I'm due for an emerald pair sometime soon. The Devyn mid-wedge Jack Roger sandal is a great everyday wedge. It's not high, but makes the simplest sundress slightly more "fancy" as I like to say. And of course, it still has that traditional "Jacks" vibe that I love. I tend to lean towards the platinum color of Jacks shoes, but this gold is really fun, too, and still what I'd consider a neutral! 

Now to get to party planning! CJM and I keep discussing a housewarming party...pineapple party or low country boil?  

This post contains affiliate links.  If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, I may make a commission from it. This post is in partnership with Tobi.com. 

I never thought I'd write this blog post.

Products c/o Deep River Outfitters 

Sounds dramatic, right? While not meant to be entirely "clickbait," it's sort of the truth.

When I moved back to Statesboro almost three years ago, it felt like coming home. It was my "safe space" away from a terrible year filled with stress, disappointment, broken hearts, and too many other challenges to name. I knew Statesboro was a place of growth and also of healing for me. With CJM in Savannah, it was as close as I could be to him during pharmacy school, and was a place where we both wanted to end up eventually. Statesboro felt like home; like a place we could envision getting married and raising a family.

We definitely have made a lot of memories in Statesboro. We've made new friends, grown personally, and laughed a lot. CJM took a job out of town after graduation, and in the fall, we realized that this continuation of our long distance relationship was not going to work for us. While I am thankful for my independent spirit, I crave creating a life with my husband.

I'd like to actually see him every day, even if it's late after a 12 hour shift, instead of just once or twice a week. I want to create friendships and memories with him, and grow together as husband and wife. And that doesn't happen easily when we sometimes have less than 48 hours together each week.

After more or less exhausting our options in Statesboro, we began to consider where we were being led. Both of us had an innate feeling that we were supposed to be near family and where he could accomplish very specific career goals. I've spent the last few months being supportive and watching all of the pieces of our new life somewhat fall into place at the exact moments I needed them to when praying for guidance, encouragement, and confirmation. I've only just recently begun exploring my own personal options, with the ever-growing realization of all that I'm leaving behind.

In just a few short weeks, we will be packing up the home we came home to from our honeymoon, and moving to Dublin, Georgia; CJM's hometown. We have found and fallen in love with what will be our very first home, and I can't wait to share with you once we close and officially move in around the middle of February.

I'm actually getting excited: the idea of decorating our true first home, making it our own, and all the memories that will come along with it. But I'm also a little nervous about finding a job, as well as making friends, in a place that I truly know very few people. I haven't had to do that in a while, and I know it will be an adjustment from seeing my best friend almost every day. I've spent the entire time of knowing Christopher saying I would never live in Dublin, but here we are, getting ready for another big change.

So the next few weeks will be a rush of getting rid of all the junk I've collected the past few years, sorting things into what room they will be living in at the new house, and boxing up each space one room at a time. I've got a running list of all the place to eat at in Statesboro that Dublin doesn't have {El Som anyone?}, and I'll probably be stopping in Walker Boutique once a week to try and get my fix, as well as pick up a few new pieces for the new house.

But we are excited. We have been so supported by family and friends in Statesboro and throughout the South during this time, and I'm forever grateful for these lifelong relationships. We're also super excited about these really cool hats. No, we don't normal twin like this, but I discovered Deep River Outfitters and the Hometown Traditions "Calling Home" hats in our new area code on Instagram and thought they were so cool!

Similar in style to the well known Aviate collection, these hats feature local  Georgia area codes like 912, 404, 770, etc. They're available online, and also at local retailers like The Exchange in Dublin! They come in a few different colors depending on the style. I love the idea of building the sense of community with your brand, and Deep River definitely does that through their products and their motto, "Live Deep." We're going to be living deep in the Dub very soon!

Be sure to follow them on Insta and show them some love like they've shown to us and our move--if you do place an order, let them know you found them through my blog! And of course, continue to follow here and on my Instagram to see more about our upcoming adventures.

Photos taken by the bestie, Kirstie. Thanks for doing life with us. Dublin is less than two hours away. No excuses.