This morning was the Crescent City Classic! 30,000+ runners & walkers lined up this morning at 7:30 in Champions Square, in front of the Superdome. the course snakes around downtown, through the French Quarter, then cuts up Esplanade to City Park, which is the course end.

lots of cheering sections along the course-- including my co-workers at Lulu, who always yell the loudest and have the best signs.

the race also some distinctly NOLA/Southern touches: beer & daiquiri stations along the course, beads being thrown, red beans, rice & sausage as the post-race snack, and smoking sections at the start & finish. gotta love it.

such a great, jam-packed week!

1. i tried out a new heated yoga studio, and had one of the best yoga classes i've ever had-- warm & friendly people, good pace, all in a beautiful warehouse space near the WWII museum.

2. this is a mural in the Marigny that caught my eye. Sidra & Tracy were here on Thursday & Friday (they left this morning). we spent Friday morning at Stein's Deli, midday exploring the French Quarter, and...

3 & 4. the late afternoon eating crawfish, potatoes & corn at the Fly (near Auduobon Park, overlooking the Mississippi River). it was a beautiful, sunny day in the mid-70's and we squeezed every last drop out of it.

5. we went to the Marigny last night to see some music. we ran into a street fair (pictured) and found some great music, including a brass band that played versions of mid-90's rap songs. it was wonderful to spend time with Sidra & Tracy, they crack me up. i was happy to show them around my new home.

Helping Sarah study for her upcoming citizenship test (while also working on our tans)
This girl throws a mean Passover (not pictured: our delicious, unleavened dinner)
Sweet treats from the neighborhood French bakery

Another weekend for the record books! Lots of running & working, plus Paige & Kate were here so I got to have dinner and drinks with them. It's a little chilly these days-- you can see the fog over the French Quarter in that first photo. Feels so great to have a little break from school!

running along cobblestoned streets

sun setting over the french quarter & the mississippi last night 

reading & (trader joe's! thanks mom!) coffee in the sun this afternoon

yay! spring break time!

i made it through yesterday's classes / exam in one piece! sarah & i went running in city park yesterday, a great bookend to the week. then i went to GOTR & up to the roof of the W for some outdoor yoga. 

today i worked early - 7 AM - and then went on a long run along the Mississippi. it was such a beautiful day & it feels like summertime already. sometimes i still can't believe i get to live here.

Another great, busy weekend!

It was sunny & beautiful, and everyone was out celebrating for St. Patrick's Day, which is big here-- people started celebrating/drinking last Thursday (seems to be a theme...). One of the St. Patrick's Day parades rolled down Magazine, so I literally ran into it while I was out running. I snapped a couple pictures so you could get an idea of how big it was! That top photo you may recognize, because I took it from my house. There were lots of beads & other throws from the floats, including cabbages, and there were scores of squashed cabbages lying on the street by Sunday afternoon.

I skipped most of the St Patrick's Day celebrations, because I had training at my new job on Saturday and Sunday, and also needed to do homework. And also because I'm still partied out from Mardi Gras. But I did make Irish soda bread with whiskey-soaked raisins. It was so easy to make & turned out beautifully. I got the recipe here.

I also went to go see the Alabama Shakes on Friday night with my roommates. They put on a great show. I also had a soccer game on Sunday night, and we lost for the first time (now we're 3-1, which I still think is pretty awesome). I went to dinner with the team after the game, and I have to say, it definitely feels a little funny to have pizza after soccer that now that we're adults.

Now there's just one more big exam sitting between me & Spring Break!

1. felt so great to reach my personal goal for the month! i had a runner's high for days.
2. slow, sunny mornings on my deck
3. a few of the girls on my team
4. remember these guys from Mardi Gras?

i had another big week! most importantly, i got a job! i'm going to be working at lululemon a few days a week. i've gone to a lot of their events since i moved here-- their team is so warm, happy & focussed on community building, and i'm excited to be a part of it. never thought i'd be saying that about a job working retail. hannah said that when she moved to phoenix, working at lulu was the best thing she did to meet new people who shared her interests & were excited to try new things. the crew is great, and i'm really excited to meet people & take advantage of the job's amazing perks.

earlier this week, my roommate sarah & i went to a lecture about mideval medicine, put on by the Loyola premed club and the New Orleans Society of the Archeological Institute of America. interesting group (to say the least). i wish i could describe to you the audience for the event, but you'll just have to use your imagination...

other than that, it's been a beautiful, sunny, warm week here. everyone's excited for st. patrick's day (there's a lot of drinking, as you would expect, and a big parade that goes down magazine). i'm going to spend today doing homework, running & making irish soda bread with whiskey-soaked raisins. happy friday!

cafe (sans lait) at morning call, sculpture garden at city park, a sunday afternoon crawfish boil

i went to my first real, true crawfish boil yesterday! i didn't have my phone nearby because it was SO messy, but i did snap a picture of some of the cooking. it was at a friend of sarah's house, in the suburbs of new orleans. when we got there, they were a few pots in, with a few more to go.

literally buckets & buckets of red crawfish, corn on the cob, spicy sausage, whole onions, and dozens of heads of garlic (dad would've loved it!). they poured it by the bucket onto picnic tables covered with newspaper, and we ate with our hands & smelled like the juices for hours. it was spicy and messy and glorious. washed down with brown pecan beer & finished off with bread pudding. pretty perfect activity for a humid March day-- it was the first time it's hit 80 since i've been living here.

1. this week took a lot out of me 2. running in city park today 3. week three of girls on the run

i figured it was time for an update! i made it through midterms alive. spent yesterday today in exams, than at GOTR, then rooftop yoga at the W Hotel, then frozen yogurt with Sarah. whew!

i spent today running, relaxing, & doing laundry, taking a little break before homework starts back up tomorrow. it was sunny & beautiful today, i got a nice sunburn while drinking coffee on my deck. cheers to the weekend!