Road Trip 2012

Brian had a business trip the beginning of June.  We decided that I could tag along with, as it seems like he is ALWAYS working these days!  We left Shakopee on Wednesday morning (June 13), bright and early around 5:15ish!  We had a flight to Kansas City via Atlanta that was supposed to leave at 6:35.  We actually left after 7 and then had to book it in Atlanta to catch our next flight from Atlanta to Kansas City!  We made it, but never would have with kiddos!  Thank goodness for Grandmas, specifically Grandma Marilyn who stayed with the kids!  We arrived in Kansas City and then rented a car for our road trip.  We were given the choice between a Ford Focus and a Lincoln Towne Car....we went for comfort considering all the driving we had to do!  We drove from Kansas City to Topeka...eating lunch along the way.  Brian dropped me off at a decent looking mall (after driving to about 3 shady ones!) and so began my freedom...on my own with no kids and no one to take care of but myself!  I had fun shopping and reading, while Brian was busy working.  When he finished up, we ate at a yummy steakhouse and then headed out towards our next state....Oklahoma.  Only when we had to stop for gas at 8:30 did Brian realize that he forgot his credit card in Topeka (and that was 25 miles to Witchata!  He called the restaraunt and at least it was there...but the restaraunt closed at 10:00pm.  We had to have that card and stay on track for our "business" part of the trip, so we booked it back a few hours!  We made it just in time and then began the journey south for the second time.  We drove and drove and drove.  I got some sleep and we ended up in Blackwell, OK for the night at about 12:30 am.  We made my goal of 5 states in less than 24 hours!  (Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma!)  We were up bright and early to be on the road by 7:30 to make it to Oklahoma City.  I got some more hangout time there and enjoyed some Starbucks at Target while reading.  Brian did some more work.  Then we headed towards Dallas.  We stopped at a random small town for lunch at a drive in type place.  We noticed a sign for an action figure museum and decided to check it out.

It was basically some guys toy collection from the early 1950s to present!

And some interactive opportunities!

Lauren would have liked the dress up area!

Brian seemed to have fun.

 After the action figure museum.  We moved on to Dallas.  We stopped in Plano to visit with Brian's uncle and aunt, Glenn and Jill.  We enjoyed some nice time out of the car and visited with them.  Then we went to eat at a neat Mexican place.  (Sorry, I'm not remembering ANY names...been too busy!)  It had hub caps on the ceiling!  It was a great visit AND as added bonus we missed rush hour traffic in Dallas.  Then we headed to our actual stopping point...Tyler, Texas where Brian had another business part of the trip.  We got there at a reasonable time and were able to hang out at the hotel for a bit.  In the morning, we had breakfast together.  Then Brian had the work part to do.  I had more chill time by myself.  I enjoyed working out in the pool, relaxing in the hot tub, and more reading.  Oh, I guess I did some work too.  After Brian finished up, we headed to our final destination:  New Orleans!  Brian had the weekend off, so we got some actual vacation time! 

Mississippi River

Catholic church in New Orleans

We went to a Voodoo Museum.

A highlight was a haunted tour of the French Quarter.

We stopped at a haunted bar along the way.

Bourbon Street was crazy fun...and it wasn't even Marti Grai!

Don't think I need to come for that!  They had an eclectic variety of bars and live music!

Listening to some Jazz!

Blues band on Bourbon!

Fun bar on Bourbon!

We did a bus tour of New Orleans.

They have to have their cemeteries above ground  due to being below sea-level!

We toured the "9th Ward", which was the most impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Here is a memorial in the 9th Ward.  The blue area symbolizes the water level and the red area symbolizes the houses.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are helping to rebuild this area, which was greatly impacted by Katrina.  This house was designed to be like a boat.  When water levels rise, the house rises too.

Another post Katrina design.  Can't remember about this one though.

Over all, we had a wonderful time experiencing the history, the food, the culture, the music, and the night life!  We enjoyed benigets at Cafe Monde, Blues and Jazz on Bourbon Street, Po Boys, seafood.  Thanks Grandma Marilyn for watching the kiddos!  We enjoyed our trip.