So Long Sweet Summer....

Well, here we are at the beginning of August. School starts for me this week, and as much as I hate to get back to the grind stone, this has seriously been the best summer EVER! Drew and I did a lot of traveling, a lot of bonding and a lot of laughing! They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I can't imagine anything making me love my husband more than this trip did this summer!

We started out our trip with a few days in New Orleans, Louisiana. Neither Drew nor I had ever been before, and we were really excited about the opportunity to see the sights and EAT! I have decided to never again plan a vacation around "the sights"... no no, forevermore, I will plan vacations around what there is to eat in that area! It worked out so perfectly for us! I won't post my millions of photos, but you can check them out on my facebook page if you wish. But I will post one photo of the best thing I ate all summer long:

Hello, my name is Beignet. I come from the land of Cafe du Monde and I will make all your wildest dreams come true.

Seriously guys, we saw a big truck delivering the powdered sugar for this place. They had probably half of this giant truck full of 50 pound bags of powdered sugar... and one of them went on each plate of 3 beignets! I highly recommend this place to you. If you are a fan of doughnuts, or sopapillas, or anything fried, eat here! And their Cafe Au Lait is really yummy too, even in the middle of summer!

We did see some really neat things in NOLA besides the food, though. We went to the Aquarium of the Americas, on a Swamp Tour, and on a tour of a rum distillary. The Aquarium was so-so. I have to say, I am a bit spoiled because ours here in Dallas is so amazing! The Swamp tour (by Louisana Swamp Tours) was really awesome! Reggie, our tour guide, even let us hold a baby alligator. The Old New Orleans Rum Company offers tours of their distillary. It was really interesting to learn how they do it, and to see all of their "experiements" brewing.

After 3 nights in NOLA, we boarded a Carnival cruise and headed to Mexico! The day we left, it rained SO hard. It shut the power and the AC down in the terminal, and there were about 2000 grouchy guests trying to get loaded on the boat in the heat. Drew and I kept a smile on our faces because we were so excited to be going somewhere, we didn't care if it was hot. The cruise was awesome, and the food was great. Seriously, everything you have heard about cruise food was true. There is something for everyone, there is food 24/7, and it is wonderful!

Our cruise only made one stop, to Cozumel, Mexico. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I look forward to going there again! We were only in Mexico for 9 or so hours, but we had such a great time! Drew and I took a 4 wheeler tour through the jungle (which ended with 3 blisters for me, but Drew really loved it), went Snorkeling in clear, beautiful water, and shopped til we dropped! We came home with Mexican blankets, sterling earrings for me, an awesome Mexican shirt, Mexican vanilla, a very pretty hand painted glass, and... something else I can't remember... plus lunch and tips for our tour guides for under $100! It was so fun!

We were able to come home for 2 days, and then headed out again with our friends, Jeremy and Rebecca to head to Missouri to visit Drew's family and make our annual Dodd Family Kayaking and Antiquing Adventure. The name is a bit misleading, because the "Dodd Family" only includes the girls when we go antiquing, and doesn't include Diane when we go kayaking, haha. We have so much fun when we are in PB. I am beyond thankful to have such an amazing set of in-laws. My mother-in-law is the coolest!

And now, after being gone for about 3 weeks, we are finally home. This week marks the return of school for FBA, which means my summer is officially over. Still so much I would like to get done, but I am so thankful for the chance to get out of town and have an adventure with my wonderful husband!

Stay tuned for updates on re-doing a bedroom!