So I definitely have the best boyfriend in the world (despite our occasional inability to compromise on things). After what has felt like the year from hell, we’ve been working our asses off to regain a new sense of normalcy within our relationship. Nearly 4 years ago, if you had asked either one of us if our relationship would turn out the way it has, we’d both punch you in the face because you are a LIAR! But alas, our relationship has changed drastically since we first began, and we’ve had to grieve the loss of what we wanted it to be and come to terms with the way it looks now. And that’s ok. Every relationship follows its own path, and ours is unique to our journey. We love each other deeply and are just as committed, if not MORE, than we first were. The tide is turning and things are looking much brighter now.

It’s been so hard for us for a number of reasons, none of which I will go into tons of detail here. But throw in a move to another state, new jobs, isolation, a ridiculous commute, and a chronic illness, and we got problems my friend. With traveling all the time for weddings and not having enough time to dedicate to our relationship, it’s been pretty bad in the sunshine state. It takes more work than most people realize to make a relationship really work, and I’m so thankful that we’re getting through this with not only our sanity intact, but a renewed sense of love and appreciation for each other.

When you say those vows through sickness and in health, just know that sickness can come at any time, not just when you’re really old and dementia sinks in. Most young people don’t have any clue how to keep a commitment going through an illness, one that really takes the life out of you without ever coming close to killing you. It’s hard to complain when one of our closest friends is battling Stage 4 colorectal cancer and is not doing well at the moment. I mean, that’s a friggin illness. I can’t even imagine how difficult life must be for not only Jake, but his wife and family, trying to hard to be supportive and loving yet struggling for self-care and balance.

Seeing how bad this year has been, Timmy decided to make a move and take me on a trip this past weekend. Finally a vacation that has nothing to do with weddings! WAHOO! We went to New Orleans and it was a total blast. I’d never been, and never really had the urge to visit before, for no real reason in particular. But holy cow, am I so glad that Timmy booked it!

We arrived incredibly late on Friday night, and Saturday morning I woke up to what amounted to a migraine. I’ve never had migraines before, but if that was one, holy shit, I have a new sense of respect and sympathy for migraine sufferers. It was terrible, and not just because I felt like poop. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner. I was anxious already at the thought of having a wide open schedule. I’m not a spontaneous person by nature, so I need to know when things are happening, where, what time do they end, what’s the next thing, etc. Timmy hadn’t planned anything, and I was not really having the best time mentally dealing with that. But then, to wake up with the worst headache of my entire life, in a city that is ripe for exploring, well, I was devastated to say the least. What are we going to do now?? It’s central time, the sun is going down super early, and I couldn’t get out of bed until 1 PM.

Well thankfully, Timmy is of a completely different nature, one that is way more easy going than mine, so we ordered lunch room service, and chilled until I didn’t feel like beheading myself anymore. Took a cab downtown to the French Quarter, and walked. And walked. And walked some more. And I was happy. One of my favorite things to do in any city is to walk and see the sights. I’ve walked up to 9 miles before in one day, just taking in the city at a leisurely pace. It was delightful to do that in New Orleans, and we SCORED on the weather. It was amazing, slightly chilled air, but warm in the sun. Perfection.

Jackson Square

drinks to prepare for drinking!

nighttime from the sky

Bienville Monumemt

selfies at Jackson Square

the first city we lived together. memories.

And let’s not forget the delicious food. Oh the food. I’m not for one a big fan of Cajun food because I’m a ginormous baby and can’t eat spicy food. But seafood…I could live in seafood (that sentence makes no sense, but stick with me). God, the food was awesome. The drinking was fun on Bourbon St., but I’m a foodie, and this trip was def a success, food-wise. Oh yeah, and Bourbon St. was exactly what I expected, even though I didn’t know what to expect. Crazy stuff? Check. Loud drunk people? Check. Wedding Parades? EIGHT. The picture I took was at 6, and after that, I just drank until I didn’t care about the weddings following us around the globe. LEAVE US ALONE!

Old Coffee Pot deliciousness

courtyard at Old Coffee Pot

Crawfish pot pies and crab balls at Coffee Pot.

beignets. Yum in my tum.

big butts and big beers

Timmy took this picture because he’s a perv. And because it’s ridiculous

Choose Life and Choose Weed. Seems appropriate on Bourbon St.

Cafe Beignet and jazz. Awesome.

wedding parades will be the end of me

We also got to run into some of my favorite people on the face of the earth, Austin and his buddies celebrating Labat’s 30th. Remember Austin? Greatest wedding reception dance battle of all time?

Labat’s 30th and other shenanigans

Mr. Monogamy and myself

And we had the best time ever. Holy cow, they went balls to the walls, we were just trying to keep up. Poor Austin. He doesn’t drink alcohol, he’s definitely the pickiest eater on the face of the earth, and they made him go to NOLA. What a good friend. 🙂 I’m not only amazed that we were able to meet up with them on vacation, but we also stayed out until nearly 3 AM. So goes it on Bourbon St.

Sunday, we decided to change it up and do something a little outside the box. We rented electric hybrid bikes and it was THE GREATEST IDEA EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. I’m not joking, go do this now. We rented from It’s Easy NOLA for the day and got the best recommendation from fast-talking Nikki. We rode down Esplanade and saw the most beautiful houses; the whole area had a very San Francisco vibe, which I didn’t expect and of course loved. We rode through a beautiful NOLA cemetery, which Timmy informed me that all the graves are entombed above ground because NOLA is at sea level and they can’t dig underground for burials. The more you know.

We rode about 2 miles down to City Park, which was one of the biggest surprises ever. I’ve never heard one person ever talk about City Park when they visit NOLA, and let me tell you, they should. This park was HUGE, with a lake and paddle boat rentals, tons of trails and greenery, a railroad for kiddies, a museum and tons of sculptures throughout, and an amusement park. Yeah, you read that right. An amusement park. We had the greatest time biking around, and stopped at Santa Fe Cafe on the way back. I didn’t take any pictures because I was in it to win it, people. It was by far one my favorite days ever, and definitely the best part of the entire trip.

efficient and fun! Electric hybrid bikes are the only way to go

Mother Teresa in NOLA cemetary

Perpetual Care in NOLA cemetary

above ground beauty

Side note: we took one of the funniest pictures we’ve ever taken during this trip, in our opinion, that kind of backfired on us. Timmy and I of course are privy to many engagement photo albums on FB these days, and they all have the same few pictures in common: field pictures, railroad track pictures, brick wall pictures, and covered bridge pictures. Not that there’s anything wrong with these pictures, in fact they’re super pretty. But once you’ve seen 15 of them, it starts to get a tad bit unoriginal. While walking around Jackson Square towards the Mississippi, we crossed these tracks, and I told Timmy, “Hey look, railroad tracks! Let’s take engagement pictures!” And we both died laughing and took a selfie with the same caption, thinking everyone would get the sarcastic humor.

not an engagement picture. We repeat, not an engagement picture.

Nope, didn’t work. Timmy’s phone started BLOWING UP with congratulatory messages. Apparently, no one stopped to think whether or not we’d actually ever announce our engagement that way. I mean, we might because we’re silly, but no, that wasn’t our engagement. We were just making fun of people, and it didn’t go the way we planned. Karma I guess, if karma was kind of lame.

So thanks to Timmy for planning an amazing trip that had no actual plans in it, which was the most refreshing change of pace for me. I love you, you are the best and I look forward to loving more trips with you in the future!

♥, VB