Sam's birthday

This past Sunday was my friend Sam's birthday. So, of course, I took a short break from all the work I had to do and went out to celebrate. And what were a bunch of college students going to go do when their good friend turns 22? Why, go play laser tag of course. (Yes. We're that cool.)

Sam, Seth, Amanda, and I all headed over to Elmwood where there have a laser tag arena and ran around trying to shoot down some nine-year-olds and each other. Don't we look super awesome?

On top of that, the laser tag place also had arcade games, bumper cars, and a mini-golf course. We didn't get to play mini-golf, but we did go a couple of rounds on the bumper cars and played lots of arcade games (we wanted 6000 tickets to get the giants stuffed animal tiger, but that was a no go)

Seth, Skee-Ball champion (that's actually not true... Amanda kicked his butt)

Sam and Amanda in their bumper cars

Basically, it was a blast. And Sam had an awesome birthday, I think. I mean, we combined all the tickets we won (a grand total of 44) and traded them in for a spiffy string bracelet and a toy soldier. What more could you want?

Those people I call my friends

Anyways, I finally finished all my pre-Spring Break work that I needed to get done. And now I can't wait for Spring Break! Don't know if I've mentioned my plans, but I'm headed up north to Pittsburgh and then Chicago for the week (I know, most kids flock to the beach but whatever)

Super excited.

Spring things

In my time at Tulane, I've always thought that there is no more beautiful time or place than springtime in New Orleans. Although the workload is getting a little rough, the weather is beautiful and campus is bustling with activity.

Anyways, last weekend, Amanda, Holly, Maeve and I had a sleepover! The idea was formulated one evening because Holly got a care package from her mom containing "No pudge" brownie mix and of course, we had to have the girliest sleepover to eat it, right? Well, we all got together, and stayed in, ate lots of food, watched Love Actually, and had a lot of fun.

Drinking milkshakes out of coffee mugs

What was left of the food. All in all, we had stuffed jalapenos, potato skins, a spinach and mushroom pizza, mozzarella sticks, and Holly's brownies with ice cream. Yum.
We laid out our mattresses side to side in our living room. This is Holly and Maeve spread out, enjoying the bedding.

Then this week was really stressful with papers and such, but then we took a break for St. Patrick's day. I've never been too big on St. Patrick's day, but we still went out with some friends.

All dressed up in green.

And spring break is coming up in exactly a week! I'll be going to Pittsburgh and then Chicago. I'm so excited about spring time!

A lovely New Orleans weekend

What can I say beside the fact that this weekend was absolutely lovely. For the first time this year, it actually felt like springtime in New Orleans instead of the miserable cold we've been having.

And! It just so happened that the nicest weather we've had coincided with Bryan coming to visit me. So Friday night, we went to Restaurant Iris in the Bienville House hotel. It was delicious, and I recommend it for when you feel like splurging on a fancy meal. Then, my friend Regen was having a (belated) birthday party, so we went out with her to celebrate.

Looking pretty before dancing the night away

(It was supposed to be a girls' night, but she was kind of enough to let Bryan tag along since he was visiting.)

Saturday was spent being lazy. And then Sunday before he left, Bryan and I went to the zoo! I have never been to the Audobon Zoo before. So after brunch at Oak Street Cafe (also highly recommended), we took a stroll in the beautiful weather through the park and went to the zoo. And let me just say that the zoo is pretty awesome.

Waiting in line to buy tickets

Obviously there were lots of animals, and we saw some from every part of the globe. I had trouble deciding which one I wanted to take home most (I tried chasing a bird around in the aviary to put in my purse, but it ran away) and decided on a bobcat. So, if anyone wants to get me a graduation present and doesn't know what to get, the answer, my friend, is a bobcat. Good times. Also, did I mention there were lots of animals? Below were some of my other favorites...

Bryan left early Sunday evening.

And then, tragically, it was cold and raining again today. Go figure.

In-Exchange Ethical Fashion Show

Hey all,

Sorry it's been a while, but it's been really hectic around here with midterms.

But last weekend, I got to take a break and went to the In-Exchange Ethical Fashion Show. In-Exchange is the fair trade store that we have right here on campus at the LBC. It's a pretty cool place, and there are lots of great fair trade items to buy like clothes, jewelry, and other accessories.

Anyways, they had a fashion show to show off some of their cool and ethical fashions. It was at the Republic, a night club downtown, and there were a couple of live bands and plenty of dancing. But of course, the stars were the models walking down the walkway! Here are some pictures from the night of...

Holly, me, Maeve, and Amanda before heading out

A view of the band from the upstairs balcony

A few of the models take the runway

All in all, a good night. But now back to do more work. Hopefully it gets warmer here, by the way. It's been consistently around 50 or so, and if could get like twenty degrees warmer, I would be quite content. All I want is to wear a springtime dress!

Mardi Gras Madness

My favorite time of year is Mardi Gras. Simple as that.

For me, it has always been a five-day weekend of just fun. We go to various parades, catch some pretty awesome throws (beads, stuffed animals, light up toys, dubloons), and just dance in the street (if you're lucky enough to find a spot near Superior Grill, of course)

So what does a typical Mardi Gras look like?

Well, St. Charles Ave. looks something like this...


Parade floats look something like this...


Reveling Tulane students (and a couple of my friends from California who came to visit) look something like this...
And visiting Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait looks like this...


Another great Mardi Gras. Can't wait till next year!!

Who Dat??

Okay. So I know I said I'd post about Krewe du Vieux, but this post takes precedent. I swear I'll post all about Mardi Gras after this weekend! But this post is all about the madness that's been the Saints winning the Superbowl!

Important Disclaimer #1: I love football. I watch it every Sunday and have been known by roommates to shout loudly at the TV screen in our living room. I blame my father's influence.

Important Disclaimer #2: I have been, am, and always will be a devoted Green Bay Packers fan. However, after being eliminated by the Cardinals, I put away the Rodgers jersey till next season and put on some black and gold to root for the home team. Great life decision.

So on Sunday for the game, a few of my friends and I headed out to a local bar and grill, Friar Tuck's, because of their promise of free food (yes, there was free food, and it was delicious). Not only was the game a nail-biter (I had my doubts in the first quarter) but in the end, the Saints pulled through in dramatic fashion (and come on, that Porter interception was really exciting).

The place erupted. Like literally erupted. I have never high fived/hugged so many people in my life, and we danced along to "Black and Gold" for the rest of the night. It was so much fun.

And then, on top of that, the university shut down on Tuesday afternoon (thanks Pres. Cowen!) so that we could hit the parade on what the city was calling "Lombardi Gras". And boy was that exciting. All the players were on floats (the little boy standing in front of my was so excited he caught beads from Drew Brees... I was so jealous.) And I even saw the Lombardi Trophy. It was definitely worth enduring the cold.

Ah, how great it is to be in New Orleans!

Anyways, this weekend is Mardi Gras weekend. We have Monday and Tuesday off of school. One of my best friends from home is flying in from California this afternoon, and another is flying in on Saturday. Can it get any better than this?

MLK Day of Service

So I have a lot to cover in this post because I've been slacking on blogging. Let's see. First order of business - WHO DAT?! Ever since my beloved Green Bay Packers lost in the playoffs, I've been rooting for the hometeam, and they're headed to the Superbowl on Sunday! Like the rest of this city, I am really excited! Can't wait!!

And then on top of that, the first Mardi Gras parade of the season, Krewe du Vieux, was this past Saturday. Pictures and stories to be put up later this week (hopefully). Also, I'm so excited about Mardi Gras!! It's the best time of the year!!

But today's post is all about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. It was on MLK day that we had off from school on the 18th. The MLK Day of Service was a collaborative effort with Tulane and three other local universities (Dillard, Loyola, and Dillard). I was on the planning committee for the event. It was a full day event and sent about 1000 volunteers to about thirty sites. We sent volunteers to do everything from weeding and planting City Park and repainting the Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center.

Below are few pictures from the day:


And here's a picture of yours truly signing the canvas that we had for volunteers to leave their mark:


It's always great to see so many get together to do a little bit of good. As Martin Luther King, Jr, himself, once said, "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."