Enjoying the Journey: February 2015

This statement couldn't be more true about Baton Rouge. Just add some jambalaya or crawfish to it and you've got this place down to a t. This last week I got to go to Southdowns parade and Spanish Town parade. Southdowns was maybe my most favorite parade because it was dark and they went completely traditional. Instead of lighting everything electronically, they used torches like they did at the beginning of the parades.

These ladies were possibly the best part of the parade. They are a group of older women that are in a dance group. They call themselves the Black Widows. I thought they were so great I had to video also.

Towards the beginning of the parade we also had some jazz musicians walking through too! So good to finally hear the Louisiana jazz!

Krewe of Harry Potter!! This float was super awesome too!

Spanish Town was on Valentines Day. People were telling me that this was the closest to experiencing Mardi Gras in New Orleans that I was going to get here in Baton Rouge. There were so many people! There were rows and rows of people lined up on the streets. It was really fun, but a lot harder to catch things because of how many people were there. Spanish Town is always pink and flamingo themed. I don't really know why, but it is haha

Also last week I got to attend the LSU/UK basketball game. It was such a blast seeing two big teams go head to head in a lot closer of a game than I was expecting. It would have been major bragging rights to see UK go down live, but it was still a lot of fun to see the show!

I was maybe just a little bit excited (see how I'm supporting USU's game that night also?)

Court side with UK warming up in the back

Right before the game was a party as well

They're also really into this country song called "Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks that they play and sing at the top of their lungs. Logan needs a song. But we do love the sage brush!

I was in the nose bleeds, but it was still a really good view. The picture makes it look further than it really was.

I even got a free shirt out of the deal! After a lot of cutting and hand stitching, I was able to change an XL shirt into a small :)

Valentine's Day was also spent helping my cooperating teacher along with her mom host a Daddy/Daughter Valentines Day dinner. It was so fancy, and the food was delicious. It was for a different high school, but our girls were invited as well. We had one of our girls show up so I was able to interpret for her while we were there

I also took some time to admire part of LSU's campus. The law building is really neat and had some really pretty magnolias. I also decided to take a picture in front of our school's name

Did I mention I'm kind of a dork? Someone got the Senator all dressed up for Mardi Gras.

Getting attached to local things is going to be a huge mistake. This drink tastes like a blue Dum Dum sucker.

Happy Fat Tuesday! Decided to get all dressed up for the occasion. Supposedly it's the big party day before Lent. Throw all your cares away before you get into fasting season. Just so you know, taking your clothes off at Mardi Gras parades don't happen in Baton Rouge. That's been done away with for ages. But in New Orleans, anything goes.

I was at the store on Fat Tuesday strolling when I decided I was really lucky and missed living in Utah. This is one of the reasons. Milk is ridiculous here.

I decided to go get myself a really neat mask too as a souvenir

I also took the time to take some pictures of the campus, since I haven't done that yet. I'm waiting for warmer weather to really go around to do it, but here is the view of the campus once you enter

This is the elementary building

Here's the middle school and high school where I go

And this is the building for the middle school and high school dorms

To celebrate Ash Wednesday I decided to take myself to the zoo. It was really small, Hogle Zoo is still bigger. But the neat thing about this zoo is that they have 2 tiger cubs! They were right up close to the glass and everything.