Saturday, May 9, 2009

South Louisiana is in my Soul


I drove to Baton Rouge last night to visit with my friends.

They were wrapping up finals, and I hadn't seen many of them in a whil
e, so I thought it would be nice to go and spend time with some people I miss.  

Baseball at the Box is a fantastic way to start any weekend, so I bought a ticket early Friday morning (it still kills me to pay for a ba
seball ticket), and I took in my third LSU baseball game of the season.  Beating Florida at just about ANYTHING always makes for a good night.  We decided we wanted to play, like the old days.  

We followed the game with a trip to Celebration Station for a little mini-golf action, and I laughed more than I've laughed in a while.  I was in a giggly mood and it felt GREAT.  I realized just how much I missed my friends, and it made my time with them even sweeter.  After mini-golf (which I lost, horrifically), we went to a Circle K and got Icees.  Strawberry Icees are something no one should go very long without in lif
e.  We took them downtown, and attempted to go for a walk on the levee, but it was even sketchier down there than normal on this particular night.  As a result of the sketch-factor, we decided to go explore the Port Allen levee across the river, which Chris claimed was really nice.  It was. 

While taking in the view of Baton Rouge, I, as always, reminded myself of how truly blessed I was to spend the best years of my life there, and how, no matter what, it will always hold a special place in my heart, even if it isn't the big, booming city I prefer to live in.  

      
 We took the old bridge back, just to add to the adventure of it all.  I always thought that bridge was ultra-creepy when I lived there, but I've driven across the original Huey P. so many times in the last few months that it makes the Baton Rouge Huey seem a much less scary.  I love driving up 110 when you come around that corner where you can see the Capitol clearly.  It was a great way to end the night. 

This morning, after being lazy for a while, we got crawfish and daiquiris and ate and drank them on campus.  The weather was PERFECT, as was the company.  It was so beautiful, in fact, that Kayleigh, Caitlin, and I drove over to visit Mike, who was resting gloriously in the shade (you know, some o
f those trees they put in that 2.2 million dollar habitat of his).  

As I drove around Baton Rouge, and as I drove back home, I couldn't help but note how wonderful a time I'd had.  I couldn't stop smiling.  I have really had the best life, and am so blessed in so many ways.  I grew up in the greatest corner of the country, and am so thankful for that.  I'm also
 thankful for the opportunity to go elsewhere and see what else the world has to offer.  

South Louisiana, you will be missed. 

No comments: