New Orleans

This summer we went to New Orleans with Jarom's family. His sister is really into volleyball and her national tournament was in New Orleans this year. So we made a big trip out of it with the family and some friends. There was a total of 10 adults plus Molly that was in New Orleans so instead of getting 4 hotel rooms, we rented out a house for the week. It was a huge, beautiful home in the Garden District and it was nice to have so much space while we were there. This trip also marked Molly's first flying experience and we were both a little nervous about how she would do on the plane. But she did really well! She slept most of the flights and when she was awake, I was able to let her play on the ground at my feet. We really are lucky with how happy she is (most of the time).

The first morning we went and watched a game or two of Justine's tournament, then we headed out to the French Quarter. We walked through a bunch of stores, tried on Mardi Gras masks, ate beignets, took a walk down Bourbon Street, and dipped Molly's toes in the Mississippi River. It was a long day and Molly only slept for about 30-45 minutes the entire day. But she did really awesome! She was happy and just went along for the ride!

The next day we left Molly home with Grandma and Grandpa while we went with Jentrie and some of the friends that came on a Kayak Swamp Tour! I'll admit that I was pretty nervous to do this, but it turned out to be a blast! We didn't see any gators, which I was partly relieved and partly disappointed about. But the kayaking trip was great!

The following day we went to the last of Justine's tournament, then packed up and headed off! We drove with Jarom's parents and two sisters and went to Florida, Alabama, and Georgia (with an hour drive through Mississippi). In Florida, we spent a morning at the beach (in Pensacola). In Alabama we went to the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery along with some other historical sites - including Martin Luther King Jr's home. We also went to a Civil Rights Museum and the LDS Temple in Birmingham. In Georgia, we stopped at the Temple and then we tried to go to the CNN Headquarters but all of the tours were booked so we went over to the College Football Hall of Fame. The last 3 days of the trip included a lot of driving, but we got to do most everything that we wanted to! And we got a lot of states checked off our bucket list!

It was such a fun trip! I'm so glad we were able to go!