The Best Part About Vacations...

I love August-September.

It's usually around these months that my husband and I start discussing where we're going to go for our anniversary. The past two years we've gone to the same place (Disneyland!), but this year we've decided to try something new.

We're going to New Orleans!

http://www.bourbonorleans.com/

I went to New Orleans when I was around 16, and I remember loving everything about the city. I love history, and as you read in my last post, I love researching everything about new stories I'm working on.

And what an amazing place to research for a story! New Orleans? Yes, please!

In a city rich with history ranging from real history to all the wonderful ghost stories you could dream of, why wouldn't you want to visit? I am super excited to be going there as an adult, too... I can't wait to finally go on my bayou swamp tour and visit all those wonderful Creole-Cajun cities you can only visit via the water! What delicious story ideas!

http://www.houmashouse.com/ - One of the plantations we'll be visiting.

Acadian Village - Historical Reenactments - http://www.acadianvillage.org/home_page0.aspx

The problem with writing a story, if you've ever tried to write one based in a real city you've never lived in or visited, is that it's next-to-impossible to capture the real "vibe" of the city. You can never fully capture the essence. The details. And you know what they say about the devil and those details... So you will notice it's not something I attempt. There's a reason for it.

Authenticity, my dear friends.

So I am beyond excited to be visiting New Orleans, and getting to really delve into the city. We're going for ten (10!!!) days, and to celebrate, as I do every year, I've purchased a new wardrobe for the trip. (I'm a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl, so when we go on vacation I like to dress up for my husband. It's my way of celebrating our time together.) I'm also stocking up on memory cards for my camera, and you can be sure I'll be taking along an expanding file so I can keep all of our awesome tour maps and brochures. (Not only does it make for wonderful scrapbooking material, it doubles as memory-joggers for storytelling!)

Expanding file I like to use. Available at office supply stores.